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Wednesday, January 31, 2018

The Writer's Life 1/31 - Dreamers

I did not watch the State of the Union address - I never do. I prefer the least politics possible in my life. I simply read about it the NY Post. I'm happy the President came off well. Kudos to whomever wrote the speech. "All Americans are dreamers" is a brilliant phrase.

In the mid term elections the party in power usually loses congressional seats. That seems to be the trend again as the left has galvanized. As a supporter of President Trump's policies, I hope Republicans maintain power, although they were of little help to him until the tax cut package was created. Since I'm so skeptical about the mainstream media and the polls, where in most Trump has been unable to crack the 40% approval plateau, I look for signs elsewhere. For instance, is the fact that the Grammys had a 20% drop in viewer-ship evidence that many Americans are fed up with the elite, who always tilt left? Does that pertain to the drop in NFL ratings as well? Is Trump's support outside the nation's bubbles still strong? I hope so. Although I was disappointed by the 2.6 fourth quarter growth in GDP, as the Christmas quarter should be stronger than that in a healthy economy, I believe the number in the first quarter of 2018 will be more critical. A return to 2% or worse will generate a firestorm of negativism from the left. A wild card is the release of the memo about malfeasance in the upper echelon of the FBI and Department of Justice. Will the mainstream media's spin blunt the impact? Imagine if the situation were reversed and Trump was the one helped by those officials. Such matters are usually taken in stride by the general public. It's the fiercely partisan who will battle. It will be interesting and, unfortunately, very ugly and sad. One side will continue to dream Special Counsel Mueller will oust Trump, the other will dream the memo will seriously damage the Democratic Party.


On 10/18/'96 Fox aired Home, Season 4, Episode 2, of The X-Files, about an inbred family, as good as any horror fare ever created, so disturbing it was never rebroadcast. My9 is in its second go-round of reruns of that classic series. Last night it again skipped the episode in question. WTF? For two years it ran reruns of The Walking Dead, which is off the charts in terms of carnage. I don't get it. I'm very disappointed, although I know the episode is available on DVD.

With the temperature about 20 degrees when I left the apartment, I decided it would be foolish to operate the floating book shop under the scaffold at my usual nook. I opted for an alternate site that sits in the sunshine practically the entire day. Even though I didn't do much business, it was the right move. Bundled under six layers, I was never really cold. My thanks to Mr. Conspiracy, who bought The Nazi Doctors by Robert Jay Lifton, and to the gentleman who purchased a book in Russian. Mr. C is currently reading and enjoying Michael Wolf's anti-Trump screed. It would have done no good to argue that it is based almost entirely on hearsay and that many of the instances have been denied by those mentioned in them. Yesterday I faced the same dilemma with the Lady Eve, whom I love. That's life in NYC, where most people are liberals.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc


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Tuesday, January 30, 2018

The Writer's Life 1/30 - Horrors & More

An article by Joseph Duprey at listverse.com on horror movie misconceptions by inspired the following: Fans of the old Universal films remember the gypsy woman's prophetic words in The Wolf Man (1941): "Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright," delivered so chillingly by Maria Ouspenskaya. They were the creation of Curt Siodmak, who has 78 credits as a writer at IMDb, most of them in the horror genre... Wolves howl whether there’s a moon out or not... There were three silent versions of Mary Shelley's monster: Frankenstein (1910),  Life Without Soul (1915), and Il Mostro di Frankenstein (Italian, 1920) Here's how it looked in the first:


Although she had only five minutes of screen-time as The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Elsa Lanchester's performance may be immortal. Oddly, she received no billing for it. The role is simply credited as “?” She, of course, played Mary Shelley in the opening sequence... One of Hollywood's unsung stalwarts is Ricou Browing, who played the Gill Man in Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), Revenge of the Creature (1955), and The Creature Walks Among Us (1956). He had only a few other appearances in front of the camera, in Sea Hunt, Flipper and as a stunt diver in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), but he did a whole lot more, directing 37 episodes of the original Flipper, and 28 of the '90's reboot starring Jessica Alba. He also directed 14 episodes of Gentle Ben, and the thrilling underwater sequence of Thunderball (1965) and its remake Never Say Never Again (1983)... According to entomologists, if an insect ever grew to the size of a bus, it would drop dead shortly afterward. They breathe through a method called diffusion, and oxygen does not travel fast enough during that process, which limits the size of bugs.

My thanks to Ludmila, who showed up just before I was going to close shop and bought three books in Russian and a bio of Leonardo da Vinci. During our conversation she used "Ars Longa Vita Brevis," which has come to mean "Art (skill, a craft) is long and life is short." I googled it and found its original intent was a bit different. There's an intelligent interpretation at writingexplained.org. The phrase comes from the Greek physician Hippocrates, considered the father of medicine, and comprises the first two lines of Aphorismi: "Ars longa, vita brevis, occasio praeceps, experimentum periculosum, iudicium difficile." He believed that learning to be a doctor took a long time, but the time in which someone can be a doctor was short.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Monday, January 29, 2018

The Writer's Life 1/29 - The Humanity

From Yahoo's Odd News, edited by yours truly: Police say they discovered nearly a half-ton of undelivered mail in a rogue postman's garage in Vincenza, Italy. It had been collecting for the past eight years and included utility bills, bank statements, old phone books and political propaganda from 2010. It will now be delivered to its rightful owners, a tad too late. Rumors peg his name as Newmano. "Oh, the humanity!"


I'm nearing the completion of the current go around with my ninth book, Present and Past. I've found and corrected only one egregious error. I made three changes today. The first was a name from Ferrara to Fontana. Years ago the former, my long-time golf buddy, related a Las Vegas story. Although a friend of his was the subject, I named the book's character Ferrara. Since it is an unflattering portrait, I thought it best to use a fictional name. The second change involved distance. I cited "1000" miles and determined the vaguer "hundreds of miles" would work better, especially if it was off by a couple of hundred. The third involved the position of a car during the climax. It needed clarity. Yesterday I was bummed about having to resubmit. Now I'm glad to have the opportunity to make the novel a little bit better. I just hope I haven't added any new errors. The reading should be finished sometime tomorrow. Then I will scan for anything I may have missed, and then covert the file to PDF. Once I've done that I will scan it to make sure everything is in place. Having thought the work was done, I approved the book and ordered three copies from Amazon. Those and the two proof copies will be a bit different than the finished product. I don't anticipate them ever being collectors' items, though one can always dream. I'm glad I wasn't so cocky as to order 25. 

It was a surprising day for the floating book shop. A woman donated a bag of books, a blend of English and Russian. The three Russian ones sold, as did a forth from the box I had on display. My thanks to the lady who made the donation and gentleman and elderly woman who purchased the four books, and also to the guy who bought The Secret War Against the Jews: How Western Espionage Betrayed The Jewish People by John Loftus and Mark Aarons; to the one who purchased Lasher by Anne Rice; to Barry, who overpaid for Truth About Kent State: A Challenge to the American Conscience by Peter Davies, which was first published in 1973; and to the local home attendant who selected vinyl albums by Glen Campbell, Brook Benton and Charley Pride.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Sunday, January 28, 2018

The Writer's Life 1/28 - Negative to Positive

In an op-ed piece in today's NY Post, Salena Zito offers an inspirational story. Here are excerpts, edited by yours truly: Decades ago, when Diane Black said she wanted to be a nurse, her mom replied, “Honey, we don’t have money for you to go to college. You just need to get married and have babies.” Her high school guidance counselor saw her spark and pushed her. One day she was called into the principal's office and handed a check from a local charity that covered one year of college. She attended full-time and worked nights and weekends cleaning houses, ironing other people’s clothes “and any other little job I could find..." She married and was left by her husband when she was pregnant with her third child. She worked 16-hour shifts to support her family. Her life turned around when she met an ex-Marine who eventually adopted her kids. As she moved up in nursing, he earned a doctorate in forensic toxicology, and they eventually started a drug-testing company that grew to 900 employees. They sold it for $77.8 million. Despite zero political experience, she won a state house seat in 1998 and a state senate seat in 2004. Six years later she ran and won the sixth congressional district seat of Tennessee, the first time the territory has been represented by a Republican since 1923. Now she is running for governor. As for how President Trump has treated her as often the only woman in the room, Black says he is not only incredibly respectful, he never fails to ask her opinion.

A blurb accompanies a Post piece by Michael Kaplan on the advances of DNA technology. In 1994, in order to I.D. a criminal, the sample had to be the size of a nickel. Today it needs only to be the size of a pinhead.

Also from the Post: Five friends, Sylvan Schefler, Lew Rappaport, Al Schragis, Larry McDonald and Harvey Rothenberg, whose ages range from 79-84, have attended all 51 Super Bowls together. Unfortunately, this year Shragis has been sidelined by pneumonia. Here they are:


To my chagrin, I will be going back to the drawing board on my ninth book, Present and Past. I found the dreaded egregious error that must be corrected on page 117: "Had he even 'knew' instead of "known." This will probably delay publication by two weeks. It will allow me to correct another minor error I found, and to fix a few more sentences that didn't extend to the margin. Given that and the rain lingering a little longer than predicted and putting the kibosh on a trip to Park Slope, I was bummed. Fortunately, I scored the premium parking spot at my usual nook. I returned to the apartment, read another chapter, and went out at two PM hoping to set up shop under the scaffold. Although the sky still seemed threatening, I wanted to turn the negative of the day into a positive. That happened when Jimmy, who always buys in bulk, came along. He took all my cook books, a how-to on building decks, and a large paperback on vitamins. My thanks, and also to the woman who donated a sci-fi work and non-fiction on da Vinci. Her husband, who's in his late 50's, suffered a stroke while on a cruise. He's not doing well. I have nothing to complain about.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Saturday, January 27, 2018

The Writer's Life 1/27 - Parts

I don't recall what prompted me to add The Book of Henry (2017) to my Netflix list, but I'm not sorry I did, although it is a flawed, odd mix of domestic drama and thriller. Without going into spoiler details, the first half tugs at the heart strings and the second strains credulity but remains interesting. The story takes place in an idyllic community and focuses on a single mom of two adolescent boys, and the step-father and daughter next door. Naomi Watts lends her considerable talent to the lead role, and the ubiquitous Dean Evans is fine as the police chief neighbor, but the real stars are the kids: Jaeden Lieberher as the eponymous genius older brother, Jacob Tremblay as the younger, and Maddie Ziegler as the girl. Each has already logged considerable credits, the latter, a dancer, mostly on TV and in videos. Given the breadth of the scenario, I assumed it was an adaptation of a novel. Wrong - although it was the work of Gregg Hurwitz, who has written many best sellers as well as comics and TV scripts. Colin Trevorrow directed, his third stint at the helm of a big screen production. His previous movie was the wildly successful Jurassic World (2015), so he will probably get another shot despite the financial failure of The Book of Henry, which returned only $4 Million+ on a budget of $10 million in the USA. I was unable to find info on its international take. I'm surprised it flopped. It seems the type of fare many would eat up. Critics were unkind, which is not surprising. There is a lot wrong with the flick, but enough good stuff to make it enjoyable. It's heart is certainly in the right place. Although there are unpleasant issues at play, they are handled tastefully. 10,000+ users at IMDb have rated The Book of Henry, forging to a consensus of 6.5 on a scale of ten. It runs 105 minutes. The title refers to something for his mom. Sarah Silverman is perfectly cast as a cynical goth-like friend/co-worker whose husband left her. Too bad this wonderfully talented woman is such a shrew politically. Here's a pic of the kids, Lieberher, Tremblay, Zieglar:


I've begun reading what I hope will be the final update to my latest book, Present and Past. Through the first 65 pages I've spotted two errors, a missing period at the end of a one-sentence paragraph and a space between the last word of a sentence and the end quotation mark. I will not go back to the drawing board to correct just those. There would have to be more egregious mistakes for me to go through the process again.

It looked like all book sales would be in Russian today until a woman who had just purchased three in her first language noticed the classics I had on display, from which she selected J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, William Golding's Lord of the Flies, and Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. A moment later a middle age woman bought The War of the World Murders by Max Allan Collins. My thanks, ladies, and to the couple that earlier bought two thrillers in Russian, and also to the elderly woman who selected a romance in her native tongue.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Friday, January 26, 2018

The Writer's Life 1/26 - Growth & More

I'm disheartened that fourth quarter GDP came in at only 2.6%. I expected it to be twice that. 3% is moderate growth, 4% is good. The annual rate for 2017 came in at 2.3%, better than the average in any of the Obama years but nothing to brag about. The economy still has a long way to go. The news wasn't all bad. Third quarter growth was revised upward to 3.2%. I let the microcosm of unusually brisk package delivery to my building get my hopes too high. If the first quarter number is bad, we will not have advanced from the doldrums of the previous eight years. Maybe I just want too much too fast. Here's a chart that goes back to 2012:


I'm not sure if there'd yet been an entry for the lamest story of the year prize before yesterday, but the NY Times reporting that President Trump, a year ago, wanted to fire special prosecutor Robert Mueller zooms to the top of the list. With the Russian collusion hopes having completely fallen apart, I guess the Grey Lady was hard pressed for anti-Trump news.

From Yahoo's Odd News: Brawls broke out at a chain of French supermarkets when the price of a two pound jar of Nutella went on sale. At least chocolate is something worth fighting about.

For the first time in more than a week I was back at my regular book nook. Even though I left the apartment 35 minutes before the expiration of the alternate side regulation, I did not get a favorable parking spot. I was about 75 yards from the corner, so I had to do a lot of back and forth with the crates and boxes. Although the sun was shining, it was colder than I'd anticipated. Fortunately, the wind had died down. My thanks to the sweet elderly woman who bought four books in Russian, and to the middle age one who purchased another, and to the gentleman who selected a Jay and the Americans compilation on vinyl. I caught up with folks I hadn't seen in a while. Dave, a cook at a hotel in Manhattan, is optimistic about the economy, despite the disappointing fourth quarter. Matt sliced a bit of his left thumb off while cutting an avocado. Gary, retired, raved about his trip to Australia and New Zealand. Barry, Professor of Criminal Justice at John Jay College, spent his month-long break in El Salvador, the Netherlands and London. As I was packing up, a man who reeked of booze asked if I had The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield. I didn't. I heard a beep, looked up, and saw his buddy pressing his loins to a fancy car, pretending to be humping it while the female driver waited for the light to change. Then suddenly the other was taking a leak against the side of the dumpster at the corner of East 13th. They addressed each other by the N word. I was relieved when they were gone. Rather than repeat the back and forth with the wares, I piled them at the corner and drove the old Hyundai up to them. I was blocking most of the crosswalk and got a dirty look and a grumble from a guy passing. I was gone within three minutes. Just another day.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Thursday, January 25, 2018

The Writer's Life 1/25 - A Man, A Woman, Money

More good news on the economic front: The National Association of Realtors reports that 2017 was the best year for the housing market since the mid 2000's.

Here's great picture of a celebrity suffering what a lot of common folks have - car trouble. From the NY Post's Page Six, its Ewan McGregor. Is there a guy who hasn't done this at some point in his life?:


Life never ceases to fascinate. According to the Weird But True column in the NY Post, since former porn star Stormy Daniels revealed that President Trump has a fear of sharks, donations in his name have poured into the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy. Meanwhile, her finances have certainly improved since the news of the alleged liaison broke. Do I believe the claim, of which she is bound by law to secrecy? I'd be more surprised if it weren't true. The irony here is that Bill Clinton's behavior has made such accusations seem old hat - to the frustration of leftists.

Barring the unforeseen, the Philadelphia Eagles' Nick Foles will be the second product of the Austin, Texas Westlake H.S. football program to start at QB in the Super Bowl. The other is Drew Brees.

I ordered three copies of Present and Past on 1/17. The order has finally shipped. I hope the delay means that business is so strong that it's backed up. The delivery of packages to my building finally seems to have slowed. I will not endorse the book until I've read it. If I find a lot of errors, I will go back to the drawing board... In a similar vein, I received my tax statement from Amazon's Kindle division. About 25 electronic copies of my books sold in 2017, bringing in a whopping total of $9+. My thanks to those who bought. 

Every now and then a real character visits the floating book shop. 20-something Nicholas came back twice, rendering business advice, asking if I worked for the Pentagon, skeptical that I'd written the eight books prominently displayed. The third time he returned he handed me the following and said it was what he would write a book about if he had the time:


No luck selling books on the street today.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Wednesday, January 24, 2018

The Writer's Life 1/24 - Stand Up

The NFL, which condones kneeling in political protest, has rejected an ad for the Super Bowl's official printed program by a veterans' group asking people to stand for the National Anthem, saying it is "too political." Perhaps the saddest fact of all is that the move is not at all surprising. The league has lost its way.

One of Rodney Dangerfield's catchphrases as he tugged at his tie was: "Tough crowd, tough crowd." According to the Weird But True column in today's NY Post, a stand-up comic in Columbia, South Carolina got a large dose of that recently. Steve Brown teased an audience member about his unhappy expression, and the guy stormed the stage, pummeled him and whacked him with the microphone stand. I wonder if Rodney ever suffered anything like that.


 Also in WBT: Jack Reynold's of Northern England is 105. He claims the secret of his longevity is a shot of whiskey in his tea each morning, and two in his lemonade at night.Who can argue with that?

RIP Ursula LeGuin, 88, author of  fantasy and science fiction, who also wrote children's books, short stories, poetry and essays. She won dozens of annual "year's best" literary awards. For novels alone she won five Locus, four Nebula, two Hugo and one World Fantasy Award. She also won those four awards in short fiction categories. Her work has been adapted to the big and small screen in both live action and animation, and to stage, radio and even opera. She was a follower of Taoism, a Chinese philosophy based on the writings of the sixth century's Lao-tzu advocating humility and religious piety. She is also credited with introducing an "...anarchist vision...into the mainstream of intellectual discourse," a postmodern way that is more adaptable and looks at/addresses a broader range of concerns. (Facts from Wiki)

With the wind howling at my usual nook, I took the show to Bay Parkway and got lucky, breaking a week-long sales slump. My thanks to the distinguished senior couple who, when they noted my picture on the back, purchased Killing. My thanks also to the middle age woman who bought The 8th Confession by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, and to the elderly one who selected French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Tuesday, January 23, 2018

The Writer's Life 1/23 - Larger Than Life

Reading has always been difficult for me, which is strange for a writer to say. When I was young I really had to force myself to concentrate, as my mind was always straying, usually to thoughts of sex. These days reading has become more enjoyable, although I would not say it has gotten a whole lot easier. I've always seemed to learn by osmosis, sponging in information subconsciously, my mind elsewhere. Happily, I happened upon a fun read amongst a recent donation of approximately 400 books, three-quarters of them in Russian. The War of the Worlds Murder by Max Allan Collins, published in 2006, is lively entertainment. The author in part specializes in fashioning a mystery around a historical event. Since I'm not a big fan of the genre, I didn't care that the mystery at the novel's center was just a small part of the narrative. What I liked were the depictions of the cast of characters, most of them celebrities, and the exchanges between them. The action begins a day or two before the famous October 30th 1938 broadcast, one of radio's seminal events. The main character is Walter Gibson, who did not create The Shadow but was responsible for his fleshing out. He wrote nearly 300 books about the hero who knew what evil lurked in the hearts of men. But here he takes a back seat to the larger than life Orson Welles, whom Gibson recommended for the part of The Shadow. I'm not an expert on Welles, but from what I've read, heard and seen about him Collins captures him perfectly. Also on hand is a young John Houseman. His character is harder to grasp because it is hard to imagine him as anything but the old curmudgeon audiences came to love. Consummate supporting actor Paul Stewart is also on board. Although he did not act in the rendition of the H. G. Wells classic, he served as co-director and sounding board for ideas on the project. Composer Bernard Herrmann, responsible for so many memorable screen scores, is largely in the background, as are Judy Holliday, who was just breaking in and served as a sort of gofer, and Howard Koch, who did the adaptation and who would go on to make great contributions to the screenplay of Casablanca (1942). Collins paints a vivid picture of the era, and takes the reader inside the rehearsals and the airing of the show and into the outside world's reaction to it, using a blend of fact and fiction. I suspect fans of mysteries would be disappointed, but those of the characters would be as pleased as I. 49 users at Amazon have rated The War of the Worlds Murder, forging to a consensus of four on a scale of five. The prose and dialogue are first rate, and there is a lot of subtle wit along the way. I read a 360-page large print version, which read like 200 pages.


In his op-ed piece in today's NY Post, retired Army Colonel Ralph Peters laments what may be the abandoning of a staunch ally. In the mess that is the Middle East, only Israel has been a better friend to the U.S. than the Kurds, who helped win the Iraq War and the fight against ISIS. Now they have come under attack from Turkey, which Peters no longer considers an ally under Erdogan, who has been taking his country back to Islamic rule. I agree. Although the Turks supply an airbase vital to our forces in the region, they should be put in their place. And the Kurds deserve a country of their own.

Due to rain, the floating book shop opened almost four hours later than usual. I was tempted to stay home, but I couldn't pass up a 60-degree January day. Unfortunately, business was terrible. My thanks to Mr. Conspiracy, who bought Perfect Symmetry: The Search for the Beginning of Time by Heinz R. Pagels.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Monday, January 22, 2018

The Writer's Life 1/22 - One Year

For those of age, the Watergate scandal was momentous. When news broke that there was an 18-minute gap in the Nixon tapes, only the blindly partisan believed it was due to a secretary's error. Now, in the investigation of malfeasance by Hillary Clinton and the Obama administration, comes word that five months of FBI emails, all sent during the critical period, have been destroyed. It looks like a lot of high level officials committed felonies. Will any face consequences? I'll believe it when I see it.

So Chucky has folded like a cheap suit regarding the government shutdown. I wonder if the spineless slime got a peek at early poll numbers on the issue. In the past the maneuver had always been a boon for Democrats.

A blurb in today's NY Post made my eyes well with sadness. According to an unnamed poll, 56% of Americans believe Obama is chiefly or in part responsible for the current economic upswing. If that number is accurate, this country is headed back to an economic mediocrity that may become permanent. As I see it, President Trump has single-handedly rallied the economy through executive orders and personal pleas. The tax-cut came too late to have a big effect on fourth quarter GDP, although the handing out of bonuses will certainly add tenths to the final number. So far, Trump has been everything I'd hoped except for the tweeting and vocal gaffes. Here's hoping he'll continue to deliver and not turn into a swamp rat. He is exactly what this country needed at present.


My thanks to the gentleman who purchased a book in Russian, and to the woman who bought four books for her kids, including a lovely illustrated edition of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Sunday, January 21, 2018

The Writer's Life 1/21 - Dropouts

Yesterday a leftist friend posted a piece praising the academic accomplishments of Rachel Maddow and Barrack Obama and ridiculing Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity as college dropouts. The elitist nonsense inspired me to google lists of successful dropouts. The first, which deals with college, has been pared from 26 to ten. The second is of high school dropouts. The irony is that many of these people are probably liberals. Like Rush and Sean, they have no reason be self conscious about their schooling or lack thereof:
Henry Ford: Net Worth $199 Billion, Dropped out at 16.
Bill Gates: Net Worth $78.8 Billion, Dropped out at 19.
Larry Ellison, Net Worth $56.6 Billion, Dropped out at 20.
Amancio Ortega, Net Worth $66.2 Billion, Dropped out at 14.
Mark Zuckerberg, Net Worth $33.7 Billion, Dropped out at 19.
Li Ka Shing, Net Worth $33.5 Billion, Dropped out at 15.
Sheldon Adelson, Net Worth $30.2 Billion, Dropped out at 19.
Larry Page, Net Worth $29.1 Billion, Dropped out at 21.
Michael Dell, Net Worth $21.8 Billion, Dropped out at 19.
Paul Allen, Net Worth $17 Billion, Dropped out at 20.

Johnny Depp, Katy Perry, Nicolas Cage, Gisele Bündchen,  Arnold Schwarzenegger, Cameron Diaz, Tom Cruise, Charlize Theron, Quentin Tarantino, Charlie Sheen, Nicole Kidman, Robert Downey Jr., Kate Winslet, George Carlin, Marilyn Monroe, Simon Cowell, Demi Moore, Jay-Z, Michelle Williams, Marlon Brando, Christina Applegate, Jude Law, Christina Aguilera, John Travolta, Courtney Love, Chris Rock, Frank Sinatra, Elton John, Kristen Stewart, Eminem, Orlando Bloom, Ewan McGregor,  Avril Lavigne, Richard Pryor, David Bowie, Keanu Reeves, Jim Carrey, Heath Ledger, Whoopi Goldberg, Michael J. Fox, Naomi Watts, Jessica Simpson, Pierce Brosnan, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Prince, Kurt Cobain, Mark Wahlberg, Roseanne Barr, Uma Thurman, Walt Disney, Colin Farrell, Seth Rogen, Clark Gable, Ryan Gosling, Kid Rock, Billy Joel. The list includes many more. Here's a dropout who can drop in on me anytime: 


An article in today's NY Post reveals that 3000+ retired educators are drawing pensions of more than $100,000. 46 draw more than $200,000, nine $300,000, five $400,000, and one $500,000. Is this fair to tax-payers? Shouldn't there be a cap? Would these people be unable to live on $100,000, which seems very generous? Leave it to politicians to be cavalier with other people's money. It's a disgrace.

From Yahoo Sports, edited by yours truly: In a sad reflection of the times, Philadelphia authorities are preparing for possible rioting after the Eagles-Vikings game. To prevent the climbing of lampposts, they have been smeared with Crisco. Businesses have been advised to lower their gates and bring trash cans and flower pots inside. Bars have been asked to sell alcohol in plastic cups rather than bottles.

I've been running the floating book shop long enough to know that immediately finding the most favorable parking isn't an omen for good business. Such was the case on this beautiful day in Park Slope. My thanks to the middle age gentleman who parked his bike beside the display and purchased a primer on Buddhism, the only sale of the session. The effort was worth, however, as I crossed paths with one of my all-time favorite human beings. Enrique, fresh from mass up the street, also pulled up on a bike. We caught up on each other's activities, lamented the recent passing of a former co-worker, and took pictures. These days he's driving for Access-a-Ride. I bet his picture came out better than mine. I'll check when I get to Facebook.


Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Saturday, January 20, 2018

The Writer's Life 1/20 - Translated to the Screen

Several months ago I read John Fante's Ask the Dust, a novel about a struggling writer in 1930's L.A., one of the first significant literary works by an Italian-American. The protagonist, Arturo Bandini, was the author's alter-ego in several books. Last night I caught up to the 2006 screen adaptation written and directed by Robert Towne, a highly successful screenwriter whose work at the helm has been undistinguished. It is very faithful to the novel until the last half hour, although, understandably, it leaves out a few elements. The bartender's role is the most reduced. The real difference occurs when the narrative moves away from the difficulties of young love and to the romantic tragedy of fare like Alexandre Dumas' (the son) Camille and Erich Segal's Love Story. I prefer the mystery of the novel's ending. I doubt a serious artist like Towne was thinking about how to make the project more commercial. If that was the case, it didn't work, as the film brought in less than two and a half million worldwide. I was unable to find how much it cost to produce. I'd be surprised if the price tag was exorbitant, despite the period sets and the 1933 Long Beach earthquake sequence. And as talented as Colin Farrell and Salma Hayek are, they do not command the salaries of top stars. I thought Hayek was perfectly cast. Farrell's role was much more difficult, and there is something lacking in his performance. Two screen veterans made appearances in the flick. Donald Sutherland added to his impressive canon as the alcoholic down the hall, as did Britain's Eileen Atkins to her own as the owner of the boarding house. Idina Menzel does a good turn as a psychologically damaged beauty who briefly enters the writer's life. That was my favorite part of the book, not so on celluloid, being usurped by my interest in Hayek. 8000+ users at IMDb have rated Ask the Dust, forging to a consensus of 5.8 on a scale of ten. It's appeal is strictly for fans of Fante and Towne, and to those interested in how a book is translated to the screen. The film falls even shorter of greatness than the novel. Here's a still of the leads:
 
 

My thanks to the gentleman who purchased The Power of Positive Thinking: 10 Traits for Maximum Results by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, first published in 1952; and to the young woman who, gym bag in tow, bought Fit for Life by Harvey Diamond and Marilyn Diamond, first published in 1985.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Friday, January 19, 2018

The Writer's Life 1/19 - Crime Blotter


From Yahoo's Odd News, edited by yours truly: Tobacco smugglers are using ice-flows and GPS technology to transport goods into Lithuania, where an estimated one in every six cigarettes smoked in 2016 was imported illegally. They attach packs of cigarettes to the bottom of the ice and set them flowing downriver, where their partners in crime track them using GPS. They will now have to go back to the drawing board, as the ruse has been discovered. The Lithuanian government claims it lost 50 million euros in unpaid taxes in 2015 due to such smuggling. Although I hate smoking, I hate the tyranny of tobacco taxes more.

Also from YON, edited by yt: a former leader of the Montana House of Representatives, a Republican who once supported funding for an anti-drug campaign, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for his central role in a methamphetamine trafficking ring. It is another case of a politician practicing the philosophy "Do as I say, not as I do." Is there any other kind?

NY Jets WR Robby Anderson has been arrested in Florida. The 24-year-old faces nine charges, including reckless driving, harming a public servant or family, resisting arrest and eluding an active siren. He drove as fast as 105 mph in a 45 mph zone, ran two red lights and eluded the officer in pursuit. Once stopped and arrested, he allegedly initially refused to get into the back of the police car. The report said he made vulgar sexual threats against the cop's wife: Last May he was arrested at a concert in Miami on charges of resisting arrest with violence and obstruction of justice. The arresting officer was later relieved of his duties for conduct unbecoming. Anderson’s trial for that incident is scheduled for March 19. The undrafted free agent out of Temple was one of the Jets' bright spots the past two seasons. In 2017 he had 63 catches, 941 yards and seven touchdowns. And what was his college major? You guessed it - Criminal Justice. He learned well.

My thanks to the young woman who purchased Elemental by Antony John and to the gentleman who bought a huge bio of Josef Stalin. I wonder if it contains the names of all those he had murdered... I meet a lot of interesting people while operating the floating book shop. Lou has become a frequent visitor. He just turned 65. He worked as a driver of cabs, trucks and school buses. Diagnosed with cancer a few years ago, he retired. He seems well. He does not buy books. He simply needs to talk. I don't mind except that he goes on for a long time, at least an hour today. Like many people our age, he talks about the past. The funniest story he related today was of a time his dad took him fishing. All the bait shops were closed, so he used a bit of a hot dog. No one around him was having any luck when suddenly he reeled in a little snapper. Everyone asked what he was using as bait. It sounds like a fish story, but it was fun - and harmless.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Thursday, January 18, 2018

The Writer's Life 1/18 - Here & There

A  few words on two TV series. Episode three of season eleven of The X-Files was a second straight step in the right direction. It's good to see Mulder and Sculley succumbing to a relationship. Given all they've been through together, it's only natural... Seal Team is an interesting mix of action and the domestic life of its members. I have no idea if such squads undertake clandestine missions so frequently, but I love how the stories transition from peril to the mundane. Imagine being in a life or death situation and, hours later, having to think about household problems.

The unemployment rate among black Americans has fallen to its lowest rate in 45 years, 6.8%. Among Hispanics it's 4.7%, the lowest in more than a decade. Usually, a president receives credit for good economic news that occurs on his watch. Like Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump is an exception.

Coaching at the top collegiate and pro levels, although lucrative, is unforgiving. Pittsburgh Steelers' management has fired its offensive coordinator, Todd Haley, despite the fact that the team ranked third in yardage and eighth in scoring out of 32 NFL teams.

From Yahoo's Odd News: A paper cup allegedly used by Elvis Presley six decades ago in Oklahoma is up for auction. Bidding has surpassed $1200. I've said this before - if  someone put E's or any of the Beatles' poop in a bag, crazies would buy it.

I made a tactical error regarding the floating book shop today. I set up at my regular nook, the wares in the shade cast by the scaffold. It was a lot colder than I expected, even standing in the brilliant sunshine at the corner of East 13th. The wind was just stiff enough to be a factor. I should have gone to Bay Parkway. I couldn't blame people for not being enticed. Only a few stopped to take a look. It was my first goose egg in a long time.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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