Selling My Books on the Streets of Brooklyn 9/23

The floating bookshop was rained out today.
I looked forward to the premiere of A Person of Interest. I like the two stars, Jim Caviezel and Michael Emerson. The latter was the main villain on Lost, an unabashed liar, so it was amusing to hear him say in his new role that he will never lie. That remains to be seen. Since Caviezel has done such serious work in film, such as the role of Jesus in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, I expected this series to be meaty. I was disappointed. He is playing an action hero. I’ll have to adjust my mindset to enjoy it.
I enjoyed the season debut of The Mentalist, which was as manipulative as its main character, so charmingly played with boyish roguishness by Simon Baker. At the close of last season, it seemed the main story arc had been resolved, which would have been refreshing, as a program will go on as long as possible and then shoot a grand finale. I’m hoping it will be resolved early, as the strength of the show is the interplay of the characters. I fear the arc will drag on as interminably as that of The X-Files. I have the same fear for Castle, a show similar to The Mentalist in that it is about a charming outsider working with police. In the case of Castle, the co-star is the focus of the main arc. Again, the interplay of the characters is better than the story lines, which move so swiftly as to leave logic in the dust. Nathan Filion and Stana Katic have wonderful chemistry. Like The Mentalist, it’s all about silly fun - except for the main arc.
I was intrigued by the premise of Unforgettable, which is about a woman with a photographic memory. I was leery, as I am not a fan of Poppy Montgomery, beautiful though she is. She had a great run on Without a Trace, so it’s just one of those things. Sometimes one simply does not connect with an artist. I have never been able to warm up to the work of Steve Guttenberg or Matthew McConaughey, or James Taylor in music. They are all very successful, but their gifts are lost on me. It’s a mystery. I found the opening episode of Unforgettable routine. I’ll give it a few more weeks, though. I miss the intelligence of the original Law and Order. SVU is too enamored of the sensational, which often comes off as ludicrous. And Criminal Minds has worn out its welcome. Serial killers are as prevalent on TV as vampires. The public can’t get enough of them. I’ve had my fill, at least for now. Tonight - the season premiere of Fringe.
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Selling My Books on the Streets of Brooklyn 9/22

One has to laugh at congress bringing Google executive Eric Schmidt before a committee investigating the company as a possible monopoly. The august body is a monopoly itself - of waste, spending tax payer cash as if it were Monopoly money. I've been using Google since I first came to the worldwide web in 1999. I love it. I've tried other search engines: Yahoo, MSM, Altavista, Mamma, and found Google superior. I don't know how or why it is, and I don't care. Just leave it alone. The only other search engine that has come close is Bing, but since I have my pages set up with Google and since it works so well, I don't want to change. I don't understand how it could be considered a monopoly when there are so many alternatives. Maybe it's just another example of congress eager to penalize those who do well, to level the playing field. They make me sick.
Last night I tuned in to a local PBS station for the season premiere of my favorite show, MI5, which chronicles the work of the team in charge of protecting the UK homeland. It is as well written as any show in the history of television. It concentrates more on suspense than action. Although it does not lack the latter, it doesn't go as far as the exciting 24. It's a lot more plausible. It is shot beautifully in sharp, vivid colors. The only fault I find is its occasional anti-American and anti-Israeli bias. Americans are hilariously referred to by the crew as "our cousins." One of the great strengths of the series is the way its stars leave, and only one has returned. And it all comes without commercial interruption. At least it did until last night, when the dreaded pledge break reared its ugly head. The hosts intimated that there wasn't enough money to buy the entire season seven. I wasn't tempted to fork over any cash. In the age of cable, PBS has become almost irrelevant. There are thousands of alternatives out there and anything that PBS does is available elsewhere. Tax payer subsidies for it should be ended immediately. PBS can be funded by Sesame Street, a muti-million dollar enterprise that owes its existence to the station. All ten seasons of MI5 are available on DVD. If it isn't shown on PBS any more, I'll rent it at Netflix. Gimme a break with the pledge breaks.
An 84-year-old vet has donated books to me several times. He picks them up at the VA. Lately his underwear has climbed well above his belt line. I don't have the heart to say anything. Maybe he is so grateful to be alive at this stage that he just doesn't care about such a thing. Today he gave me three romance novels, two of which Herbie, one of my most faithful regulars, bought. He'd been searching for anything by Cynthia Freeman, who writes about Jewish families. He now has Seasons of the Heart to enjoy. Thanks, guys.
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Selling My Books on the Streets of Brooklyn 9/21

This morning I learned a little about the least known Republican presidential candidate, Herman Cain, who was interviewed by conservative radio talk show host Mike Gallagher. His accomplishments in the private sector are phenomenal. He was born in 1945 and grew up in Georgia in modest means. He has worked for Coca Cola, Burger King and Godfather's Pizza, the latter two of which he made profitable in areas of the country where they were failing. His political positions have all been conservative with two exceptions. He was in favor of bailing out the banks, although he disagreed with how it was done, how government picked the winners and losers. And he favors affirmative action - but not quotas. On the latter, I don't know how the two can be separated. Other than that, Cain is another first rate candidate in a strong field. He is a long shot. If he gets close, expect him to be accused of racism because of his strong views on creeping Shariaism, and expect liberals to call him an Uncle Tom or the equivalent, all this in addition to the warnings that Republicans want to throw everyone off Welfare, Medicare and Social Security.
I am surprised at how many in the media have called President Obama on his lie about secretaries being taxed at a higher rate than millionaires, and how one of his biggest cheerleaders, Warren Buffett, has been exposed in the same vein. Buffet's salary is only $100,000. He makes his billions in dividends, which are taxed twice at a cumulative rate of 40%. Curiously, his own company, Berkshire Hathaway, does not pay dividends. 50% of Americans pay no federal taxes at all. Herman Cain is for reform of the tax code.
I had another lucky day on the street. As I walked to my car I noticed a woman pulling out from the spot closest to where I usually set up shop, and on the correct side for tomorrow's alternate side regulation. And no sooner had a gentleman donated a hardcover non-fiction book on a WWII double agent than the Merry Mailwoman pounced on it and a mystery. And a Russian gentleman, a repeat customer who enjoyed my recommendations, overpaid for four thrillers. Thanks folks. And I found a dollar as I accompanied my friend Arlynn on a walk, the first time she's been out of the house in eleven days. The stress of the earthquake, hurricane and 9/11 affected her delicate neurological condition. Her son, a Coast Guard security officer in town for memorial ceremonies, made the mistake of telling her he had contingency orders in the event of an attack.
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Selling My Books on the Streets of Brooklyn 9/20

Sometimes something comes out of left field to give you a shot in the arm. I didn't pick up yesterday's mail until after this morning's walk. I wasn't expecting anything significant, no DVD from Netflix or mail order for one of my books, so I let it go. There were two pieces of junk mail: one from Hyundai suggesting I trade in my car for a new one (LOL) and another from those champions of waste, politicians, urging me to vote for their candidate in the election, which was more than a week ago. The other piece was from Aetna. I assumed it was the monthly bill, although it had arrived a lot earlier than usual. It seems there was a bit of fraud at the company. Enclosed was a check for $359. That's equivalent to just about 36 street sales of my own books (LOL). Alas, the windfall isn't as exciting or uplifting as selling even one of my books, as was proved later in the day. Since life giveth and life taketh away, I had no sales today on the street at the viaduct out of the light rain. This storm system is so huge it's supposed to last through Saturday. Fortunately, there are supposed to be a lot of breaks in it.
And on the political front - most administrations are not engulfed in scandal until a second term. Obama's has two juicy ones going in its first, although you would never know it from the sparse coverage. ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms) came up with a scheme to track drug dealers - sell them guns equipped with tiny GPS devices in sting operations. So far 31 of them have been recovered at 12 crime scenes. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was murdered with one (not LOL). Every American should be angry about it. My friend John should rewrite his indictment of the war on drugs to include it, although it is a case where truth is stranger than fiction. It is more infuriating than the ever comical green front, which has suffered another fiasco. California solar company Solyndra has gone belly up. This comes as a surprise only to environmental paranoiacs. Congress granted the company 530 million. Of course, such boondoggles can't exist without massive government aide. Greeniacs believe all their ideas should be implemented despite the damage they do to the economy. They're saving the planet, you see (LOL). Ethanol has caused a shortage of corn that has not only inflated its price but harmed all the industries that rely on it to feed livestock, which serves as food. Even Obama likes burgers. Gone are the days when the likes of Edison and Ford did wonders on their own. Microsoft began in a garage (LOL), for God's sake. Congress (LOL) has begun an investigation into the shady  dealings. Lord Byron said it so wonderfully in Don Juan: "And if I laugh at any mortal thing, 'Tis that I may not weep." Stay tuned.
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Selling My Books on the Streets of Brooklyn 9/19

Jack visited the floating bookshop today and he was in rare form, delivering an anti-religion rant, using terms I'd never heard. Maybe he was set off by the copy of L. Ron Hubbard's Dianetics I had on display. He began by saying a Coney Island girl he was once nuts about, Irene, brought him, an Israeli by birth, to Our Lady of Solace. That parish is very meaningful to me, as a woman I was nuts about for ten years of unrequited love went to elementary school there. I also used it as the model for the church in The Power of Prayer, a short story that is part of A Hitch in Twilight. I left it unnamed, as I had no desire to embarrass the church, nor was I certain about any possible legal issues. Anyway, Jack claims Irene had him take communion, whereupon he immediately spit out the Host. Needless to say, the relationship ended right there. I doubt it actually happened. I think he was using a little artistic license. Okay, more than a little. He said Christ should be taken down from the cross and Krishna pulled from his chariot, as they are nothing but lies. He described transfinity and transtrinity, and most of it went over my head. He said the Big Bang was not first but third after the photons and vibration that caused it. He said Earth, a space ship barreling along at 67,000 mph, was in a pre-apocalyptic age. He claimed that life is the miracle, not walking on water or the cannibalism/vampirism of turning bread into flesh and water in wine to be consumed. His spiel was interrupted Larry, a mildly autistic man who calls me Mr. Books, who was bent out of shape about the Manhattan bound trains being out of service. Jack left and, when he returned a half hour later, picked up right where he had left off. When he was done with me he pointed at the bus driver who had rolled up to the stop, stuck out his thumb as if to hitch a ride, and rolled up his pants leg ala Claudette Colbert in It Happened One Night (1934). "The walls of Jericho" did not come tumbling down, but the driver did look at him as if he were nuts.
Speaking of Communion - thanks to the gentleman who purchased Whitley Streiber's allegedly true story of alien abduction. Maybe Jack is an alien. Nah, I think he'd just been drinking. And thanks to the local home attendant, who bought her sixth book on knitting, and to Herbie, who took a thriller endorsed by his favorite writer, Dean Koontz.
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Selling My Books on the Streets of Brooklyn 9/18

Thanks to the kind folks who purchased books the past three days. Here's an excerpt from a story, The Dead Pool, that appears in A Hitch in Twilight:

A handsome, light-haired man of 35, casually dressed, weaved his way through the traffic in the middle aisle of the Manhattan Commodity Exchange. The area, approximately the size of a city block, was shared by firms trading metals, oil, perishables, and financial indexes. The walls on three sides were comprised of computerized boards listing the latest prices. The upper half of the fourth wall was a glass enclosure, the observation deck. A perpetual hum of varied intensity hung about the place. At this moment it was very
low.
The young man, a badge reading "Wyn" clipped to his collar, veered into an almost vacant pit to his left. "Hey, Artie, you want in?" he said, dangling a small paper bag before the eyes of a graying man seated on a stool, reading a newspaper.
Artie gazed through wire-rimmed glasses. "What's that?"
"The dead pool. Five bucks a week 'til somebody croaks."
Artie smirked. "No thanks. Last time Fat Joe went in those bastards tried to bring the whole trade center down on top of us. We were out six months. I'm still findin' little pieces of glass in my scalp."
"Nothin' happened to the rest of us."
"I'd rather not take the chance. Who died, anyway?"
"Vincent Price. He's joined Vulnavia."
Artie's head flew back as he laughed. "Who had him?"
"I did. That's why I'm stuck runnin' it now."
Artie shook his head with disbelief. "I can't believe you won again. 'Money goes to money.' Who'd you have last time?"
"Arthur Ashe."
Artie rolled his eyes heavenward. "You guys're bad. Gallow's humor is one thing...."
There were more than a hundred slips in the bag, each carrying the name of an aged or infirmed celebrity.
"Hey, Gordie," Wyn called to a tall man in the center aisle, "kick us off."
He held the bag aloft. Gordie reached inside with a long hand that featured skeletal-like fingers. He smirked, having drawn Bob Hope.
"He's due," said Wyn, shrugging.
"He's never gonna die. He's gonna outlive God. Just my luck."

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Selling My Books on the Streets of Brooklyn 9/16

Marine Sergeant Dakota Meyer was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Obama. I feel small compared to this giant of a man. Here are the details of his heroism, taken from an article in the Washington Post:
Meyer was serving near a Taliban-held area around the village of Ganjgal when the power in the town suddenly went out and the valley lit up in a hail of gunfire and mortar rounds from Taliban fighters hiding in the hills. A patrol of Afghan and U.S. forces was pinned down.
Meyer was about a mile away but could hear the attack on the radio. He repeatedly asked his superiors for approval to go to the aid of the unit but was denied, Obama said.
The young corporal refused to sit out the battle. He and Staff Sgt. Juan Rodriguez-Chavez jumped in a Humvee — Chavez at the wheel and Meyer in the gun mount — and headed into the “killing zone,” as Obama called it.
Coming across some wounded Afghan allied fighters, the pair brought them to safety and headed back in. In all, the duo entered the battle zone five times, rescuing 23 Afghans and 13 Americans. They also extracted the bodies of four Americans who had been killed in the fighting.
Meyer suffered shrapnel wounds to his arm, Obama said.
The Obama administration has previously awarded the Medal of Honor to two other Afghan war veterans. Army Staff Sgt. Salvatore A. Giunta, who received the award on Nov. 27, 2010, and Sgt. 1st Class Leroy A. Petry, who was honored at a White House ceremony last month.

According to conservative talk show host Mike Gallagher, Meyer also killed eight enemy combatants, which the article does not mention. He was 21 at the time, a kid from Kentucky serving in a remote region of eastern Afghanistan thousands of miles from the blue grass state. Now 23, he is working in construction. America is free because of men like him. Thank you, sir.