The Writer's Life 6/17 - Bites

Mike Lukovich is a syndicated cartoonist whose work often appears in the NY Post. I’ve chuckled at a lot of his stuff, but today’s entry had me laughing out loud. He combined two stories: Jeb Bush announcing his candidacy for president and Rachel Dolezal's outing as a white woman posing as a black. Unfortunately, there is a copy guard on the cartoon, so I have to describe it. It has Bush at a podium in black face, sporting a big Afro that has a pick in it, saying: “I want to be America’s second black president.” His older brother and dad are off to the side, with the senior saying: “Jeb’s distancing himself.” Kudos, sir. Here’s a direct link: http://www.cartoonistgroup.com/store/add.php?iid=128512

Also on the political front, the Post highlighted sound bites from Donald Trump’s speech announcing his run for president. My favorite: “I will build a great wall on our southern border and I will make Mexico pay for that wall.” I doubt his candidacy is anything more but personal publicity, but Day One sure provided a lot of fun. If only most politicians spoke so frankly.

I’m not sure what to make of the allegation that the St. Louis Cardinals have hacked into the computers of the Houston Astros. Of course, hacking is a crime and the team, if found guilty, should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. I just don’t understand what value any of the information that is gleaned would have. I suppose the Cards would be able to run in front of any trade proposals and make a better offer. Today’s articles didn’t offer any specifics. Maybe future ones will.

I did not watch any of the NBA playoffs and only a few minutes of the Stanley Cup Finals. One thing that always impresses me about pro basketball is that the regular season is almost always an indicator of playoff success. While the other major sports post seasons seem like crap-shoots that reward less deserving teams, the NBA champ demonstrates excellence from the beginning of the campaign to its end. Congrats to the Warriors and Black Hawks.

The past two days, radio talk show host Mark Simone has touted one of George Carlin's routines. I'm not surprised I hadn't heard of it until now, as he has always been a darling of liberals. In this bit he tears environmentalists a new one, often in the language of sailors. I'ts seven minutes long: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjmtSkl53h4

My thanks to the the kind folks who bought books today, especially the gentleman who purchased four works of non-fiction.

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

Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp

Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Vic's Blog: http://vicfortezza.blogspot.com/

Vic's Web Site: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/