The Writer's Life 2/2 - This n That

In my blog of January 19th I wrote: "Analysis by Alcoholic.org found that in the past decade 18% of the pedestrians killed by vehicles were drunk. I wonder what the percentage is among those staring at electronic devices, or old folks crossing just as a light is about to turn red." Here's an excerpt from an email I received today: "I’m Debra Woods, a member of the Alcoholic.org creative team. First off, I’d like to express my appreciation for featuring our study on Walking Drunk on your website! Hopefully it created a good amount of buzz among your audience. However, I’d like to ask for your help. Would you mind linking to us so that your readers can have more information about the creators of the project? To make things easier for you, I suggest you link to Alcoholic.org and to http://www.alcoholic.org/identify/walking-drunk/ where it says "Walking Drunk". You can also opt to do it any other way you want."

I don't know what to make of the results of the Iowa caucuses in terms of who the nominees will eventually be. There was joy in conservative pundit Jonathan Podhoretz's column in the NY Post. He does not like Donald Trump. The most interesting point he made was that the all-white Iowa GOP gave 60% of the vote to two Cubans and an Afro-American. I thought Trump's gracious post-caucus remarks were by far his finest moment in the campaign.

In an article on trying to pick a college where free speech is welcomed, Brooke A. Rogers cites that conservative film-maker Ami Horowitz took a petition to ban the First Amendment to Yale, and got 50 signatures. Ah, to be young and foolish.

From Yahoo News: "The Washington D.C. Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a bill that includes a proposal to pay residents a stipend not to commit crimes. It's based on a program in Richmond, California, that advocates say has contributed to deep reductions in crime. Under the bill, city officials would identify up to 200 people a year who are considered at risk of either committing or becoming victims of violent crime. Those people would be directed to participate in behavioral therapy and other programs. If they fulfill those obligations and stay out of trouble, they would be paid. The bill doesn't specify the value of the stipends, but participants in the California program receive up to $9,000 per year." I wonder how many of the 200 will already be receiving welfare, food stamps or other government assistance.

The third episode of The X-Files reboot was disappointing, a lampoon. I'm sure there were episodes in the series' heyday that were comic, but I've forgotten them. Although a couple of the lines were witty, I watch the show for creepy thrills, not laughs. And Mulder's skepticism seemed phony. How can he be a doubter after all he saw and experienced previously? I won't surrender, though. I hope at least one of the remaining three episodes captures what was best about the original.

Ground Hog Day was glorious, spring-like in Brooklyn. My thanks to my most faithful customer, Marie, who bought a bootleg DVD of Martin Scorsese's The Departed and a book of noir-like photographs, the only sales of the session. She seemed in better spirits than I'd seen her in awhile.
                                   

Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc

Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j

Website: http://vicfortezzaauthor.my-free.website/