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Tuesday, January 2, 2018

The Writer's Life 1/2 - Life & Death & Luck

In an op-ed piece in today's NY Post, Benny Avni, like President Trump, takes an optimistic view of the countrywide protests in Iran. I love the catchphrase "The World Is Watching," which so far includes everyone but America's mainstream media. There have been 13 deaths and there likely will be many more. Such regimes will kill ruthlessly in order to survive. Will the protests fade away, as they did last time? Or will the vocal support of the current U.S. administration keep them going until significant change occurs? I'm skeptical, although I'd love to be proven wrong. I don't see how the protesters can win without significant armament. Will there be an iconic photo as there was in China's Tienanmen Square protests? Here's a compelling one:


It's official - Al Franken has resigned from the Senate. How will America survive?

A Post blurb announces a startling fact - according to a Dutch consulting firm, accidental airline deaths were zero in 2017. Kudos to the industry.

It was 19 degrees when I left the house at 11:15. I'd added an anti-gas-freeze product to the tank of the old Hyundai earlier, so I was fairly confident it would start, and it did. I drove to Bay Parkway, and the perfect spot, directly in front of Chase's entrance, quickly was vacated. The wind was negligible, so I set up shop, not expecting much despite the sunshine. In the two hours+ I stayed, I was never uncomfortable. My thanks to the woman who bought a novel in Russian, to the gentleman who purchased Dude, Where's My Country? by Michael Moore, and to the one who made interesting selections: The Seeking Self: The Quest for Self Improvement and the Creation of Personal Suffering by Richard E. Lind, The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature by Steven Pinker, and the enduring How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. My thanks also to Boris, who donated the latter and several other works of non-fiction. I had a visit from Mayor Mike, to whom I gave the ten bucks earned from the sale of two Elvis gospel albums exactly one week ago. He has resigned as Super of the massive building that takes up the entire corner one block from the bank. Somehow he managed to secure a $5000 buyout from management. He's waiting for the check. He plans to live in Virgina in a little house on the property of one of his sons, who's in security. I'll miss him. Monsey also stopped by. Her family is plagued by early deaths. It suffered another on December 30th when her nephew, 40, succumbed to what looks like a heart attack. It's amazing how cruel life can be to some, while other, including yours truly, enjoy good luck. I hope I haven't jinxed myself.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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