Elizabeth Warren: Let's Tax Millionaires To Lower Student Loan Interest Rates | ThinkProgress:
How to tell a story
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Bernie Sanders: 'I Am Prepared to Run for President of the United States' | Common Dreams
Bernie Sanders: 'I Am Prepared to Run for President of the United States' | Common Dreams:
"'What's most important is this idea of a political revolution,' says the Independent Senator from Vermont, "rallying the working families of this country around a vision that speaks to their needs.'"
Fantasies of the left are so invigorating. Sen. Morse often talked about how important an EDUCATED electorate is. Ours is less educated than at any time in my lifetime. This kind of "revolution" won't happen until the demographics have so many non-native-Americans here, saved from our mythology, that a genuine progressive movement can happen, in the actual tradition of Thomas Paine (who thought we had sold out, by the way).
Paine: "When men yield up the privilege of thinking, the last shadow of liberty quits the horizon."
"'What's most important is this idea of a political revolution,' says the Independent Senator from Vermont, "rallying the working families of this country around a vision that speaks to their needs.'"
Fantasies of the left are so invigorating. Sen. Morse often talked about how important an EDUCATED electorate is. Ours is less educated than at any time in my lifetime. This kind of "revolution" won't happen until the demographics have so many non-native-Americans here, saved from our mythology, that a genuine progressive movement can happen, in the actual tradition of Thomas Paine (who thought we had sold out, by the way).
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| Thomas Paine |
In the airport
Came early to avoid rush hour traffic and approaching storm. Read SF Chronicle ... played solitaire ... about half an hour to landing.
Adventures in international travel
H's plane over an hour late so far ... may have to drop her home and rush to class.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
The dance, the dance!
Wake Forest upsets #4 Duke ... the excitement and anticipation grow. Might be a year for surprises. Hope so.
TS on a roll
Something exciting going on over at the Round Bend Press blog. Connected poems around the town of Talent. Hope it grows to a book.
The Spoon River Anthology narrative strategy. I've been brooding about something similar, but with prose vignettes instead of poems, in tradition of Donald Barthelme. Hmm.
Old farts at work.
Meanwhile, on the home front ...
The Spoon River Anthology narrative strategy. I've been brooding about something similar, but with prose vignettes instead of poems, in tradition of Donald Barthelme. Hmm.
Old farts at work.
Meanwhile, on the home front ...
Escape multi-tasking
2 live sporting events ... Mariners audio on the Fire ... muted TV of ACC women's tourny, Virginia v. Boston College.
Avoiding scripts. Ah me ...
Avoiding scripts. Ah me ...
Rainy Wednesday
2 scripts to look at, exercises to look at, house to prep for H return early tomorrow. Can be done.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Death of a weather man
There used to be a local weather man here, Rob M., who was good enough that CNN stole him away, and later I saw him being pelted by severe weather, reporting to a national audience.
He also was good looking and still later ended up co-hosting an idiotic Hollywood gossip show, wearing ridiculous designer outfits, a sell out if I ever saw one, who must be getting rich because I don't know why else an apparently educated human would wallow in such pap.
Jesus, Rob ...
He also was good looking and still later ended up co-hosting an idiotic Hollywood gossip show, wearing ridiculous designer outfits, a sell out if I ever saw one, who must be getting rich because I don't know why else an apparently educated human would wallow in such pap.
Jesus, Rob ...
Europe v. U.S.
Europe has much more at stake in the Russian crisis ... they should take the lead in deciding on a response.
Creative writing courses are a waste of time, says Hanif Kureishi (who teaches one) | The Passive Voice |
Creative writing courses are a waste of time, says Hanif Kureishi (who teaches one) | The Passive Voice | A Lawyer's Thoughts on Authors, Self-Publishing and Traditional Publishing:
Faulkner said writing can't be taught but it can be learned.
I like teaching screenwriting because it has more "rules" than other forms and you can teach rules -- and because I have real world experience and can help students take certain short cuts if they so desire. I also enjoy mentoring students of talent and I have been lucky enough to have one almost every term here. Not quite but enough to keep me "keeping the faith." Also, since screenwriting is story-driven, not language-driven, it has uses beyond its immediate value. No other creative writing courses emphasize storytelling.
I've loved my job here. And I am sure it is time to leave it.
Faulkner said writing can't be taught but it can be learned.
I like teaching screenwriting because it has more "rules" than other forms and you can teach rules -- and because I have real world experience and can help students take certain short cuts if they so desire. I also enjoy mentoring students of talent and I have been lucky enough to have one almost every term here. Not quite but enough to keep me "keeping the faith." Also, since screenwriting is story-driven, not language-driven, it has uses beyond its immediate value. No other creative writing courses emphasize storytelling.
I've loved my job here. And I am sure it is time to leave it.
Heard the One About Obama Denouncing a Breach of International Law? | Common Dreams
Heard the One About Obama Denouncing a Breach of International Law? | Common Dreams:
"Fifty years ago, another former law professor, (Oregon) Senator Wayne Morse, condemned such arrogance of power. “I don’t know why we think, just because we’re mighty, that we have the right to try to substitute might for right,” Morse said on national TV in 1964. “And that’s the American policy in Southeast Asia—just as unsound when we do it as when Russia does it.”"
Ah, where is Sen. Morse's outrage when we need it?
My one-man play about Morse
"Fifty years ago, another former law professor, (Oregon) Senator Wayne Morse, condemned such arrogance of power. “I don’t know why we think, just because we’re mighty, that we have the right to try to substitute might for right,” Morse said on national TV in 1964. “And that’s the American policy in Southeast Asia—just as unsound when we do it as when Russia does it.”"
Ah, where is Sen. Morse's outrage when we need it?
My one-man play about Morse
2 weeks...
...left, each day set now, so my main job is showing up ... and then all the reading and grading.
Today the visual storytelling exercise I had planned last week. Thurs. marketing lecture. Onward.
H home Thurs, early a.m.
Today the visual storytelling exercise I had planned last week. Thurs. marketing lecture. Onward.
H home Thurs, early a.m.
Hypocrisy
Aristotle in his analysis of drama, human behavior put on stage, emphasized action. Define character by what someone does, not by what someone says. Sec. of State Kerry accused Russia of invading a sovereign country on trumped up charges. Where have I heard that before? Weapons of mass destruction anyone?
Monday, March 3, 2014
Ah, wealth!
A publisher I've had no contact with for 15 years or more sent me a royalty check ... for $1.10!
#1 UConn women
An amazing team. Tonight against #3 Louisville, UConn trailed by 7 in 1Q, biggest deficit of year, but roared back to win 68-48 in a game far from their best, end season 31-0. Notre Dame also undefeated. Be a great March madness.
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| Breanna Stewart |
A new idea
...for a series of short fictions, in the tradition of Coover and Barhelme, not traditional narrative in other words, around the theme American Exceptionalism, an idea that at the moment feels much more dangerous than revisiting CJ, unless he becomes a character, all short, many very short, the whole greater than the sum ... going to reread Barthelme for inspiration, remembering how exciting it used to be to see his byline in the NYer, another short surrealist fiction at hand.
My first might be called McKinley's Dream, a favorite topic.
My first might be called McKinley's Dream, a favorite topic.
Cruising with Sketch
Put buttermilk bread in oven, rye in hopper, when done we hit the highway to collect a free coffee on my Starbucks card at a drive-through down the way, long way home, made soup for lunch, Mariners at noon ... days go so well when I finish what is "required" of me as early as possible.
Done!
My kind of day: required prep finished. The rest of the day is relaxed ... ukulele practice ... Mariners game ... Sketch ... retirement will be like this.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Gloomy day gets gloomier
Fog added to the mix.
Somehow did get one of two prep chores done.
Still need a battery charge.
Somehow did get one of two prep chores done.
Still need a battery charge.
Russia
Why anyone is surprised that Putin, an old school spy, acts like a bully is beyond me. Our Prez can be very naive about Real Politik 101.
Underground music in Iran
You can hear amazing things on the BBC at 3 in the morning. A radio doc on Iran's underground music scene blew me away. These rockers play where music is illegal, even their instruments are illegal. They make electric guitars out of wire and TV parts! They use female vocalists! They write songs about pre-Islamic Iran, sometimes singing in dead languages. As the doc narrator concluded, no matter how much you try to control them, people will break free. These kids are inspirational. And their homemade music rocks.
This and that
Lousy wet chilly day.
Prep to do today.
Meat loaf to make.
After I retire, might do low key, highly client-selected "Kindle publishing services for seniors," pen money, service I could feel good about, NO EDITING, just tech work, which I now can do in my sleep. Hmm.
Making own dog treats now. Sketch went bonkers for chicken liver loaf. Small tidbits, some in freezer, others in refrigerator. Save a ton doing this and may be better for him.
Mariners on three game blitz, scoring runs like crazy.
Main thing today = prep. Oscars tonight.
Prep to do today.
Meat loaf to make.
After I retire, might do low key, highly client-selected "Kindle publishing services for seniors," pen money, service I could feel good about, NO EDITING, just tech work, which I now can do in my sleep. Hmm.
Making own dog treats now. Sketch went bonkers for chicken liver loaf. Small tidbits, some in freezer, others in refrigerator. Save a ton doing this and may be better for him.
Mariners on three game blitz, scoring runs like crazy.
Main thing today = prep. Oscars tonight.
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Digital wonders
At 10 a.m. I am visiting with Phyl Kerns, my 91 y/o writer friend. Before dinnertime, I have two books of hers at Amazon. Cowboy of the Western World and Eight Poems. My good deed for the day.
.
Visiting...
...with a 91 y/o writer friend this morning. Hoping I can get a computer file to publish at Amazon ... ridiculous her work is not available. She is blind, not sure her old computer is still around. Her kids plan to publish her work but seem to be moving slowly on it ... Don't realize how quick and easy it is today. If I get a file, she'll be published this weekend!
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