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Monday, May 15, 2017

The Writer's Life 5/15 - Appropriations

According to an article in today's NY Post, gun sales have dropped significantly since Trump took office. How ironic, since the President is a firm supporter of the second amendment. It seems folks are now less concerned that the right to bear arms will be curtailed in the near future... Also in the Post, another sign of the times: churches in Sweden are allowing members to make donations via apps.

I'm disappointed in Trump's unpresidential ways, but I remind myself that I'm in almost 100% agreement with his policies, while I was in almost 100% disagreement with Obama's.

I chuckled last night while watching Columbo on MeTV. It was the first episode from season 13, Strange Bedfellows, which first aired in 1995. The rumpled detective had to question a Mafia don, played by Rod Steiger. Two Jews, great actors, were playing Italians. Steiger's character used many Italian terms, Columbo, to my disappointment, hardly any. The story had one glaring weakness. The murderer, played by George Wendt, seemed completely oblivious of the likelihood that killing someone with mob ties would place him in danger. Still, it was fun. The casting had even more relevance when I read George Will's op-ed piece in the Post, which focused on the latest bit of political correctness from the left - cultural appropriation, which frowns upon whites using influences from blacks or Latinos in their art. Had Elvis recorded That's Alright Mama in these silly times, it would have generated a firestorm of criticism. Since Steiger and Falk were privileged white men playing privileged white men, I suppose it wouldn't have fit today's ridiculous parameters. Here's a pic of the two from the episode:



The overuse of cell phones is annoying, but they are vital in times of life or death. According to an article at Yahoo's Odd News, a man checking on his mom's vacant cottage was severely injured when he switched on a light and the place exploded. Unable to dial because of his injuries, he asked his iPhone's voice-controlled virtual assistant to call 911. A spokeswoman for Apple noted other recent emergencies in which Siri was used. Three boaters off the Florida coast in April whose craft capsized; a 4-year-old boy in London who used his mom's thumb print to unlock her iPhone and call Siri after she collapsed at home; and a man in Vancouver who was paralyzed and used his tongue to engage Siri. Sounds like science fiction. (Edited by yours truly.)

My thanks to the elderly woman and man who bought five novels in Russian between them, and also to Justin, a local porter, who donated a cache of children's books.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc


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