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Thursday, December 7, 2017

The Writer's Life 12/7 - Words & Images



Did you know there was a co-creator of Batman? I didn't. According to an article in today's NY Post, Bob Kane and Bill Finger used to sit in Poe Park in the Bronx and exchange ideas. For years Kane had a clause in his contract that prevented anyone else from sharing credit. Finger's name was left off every issue of Detective Comics except the first in which the Caped Crusader appeared, #27. Supposedly, Finger came up with the Dark Knight's cowl, cape, gloves and his real name - Bruce Wayne. He died in 1974, and it wasn't until 2015 that his contributions were acknowledged in DC Comics. The TV series Gotham has cited him in its credits. Now a street will be named after him, East 192nd and Grand Concourse, near Poe Park. The ceremony will be tomorrow, 12/8, at 10 AM. There is a book about Finger: Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman by Mark Tyler Nobleman, and a Bill Finger Appreciation Group, which will host the ceremony. Ka-pow!


Brooklyn subway commuters who travel into Manhattan may gaze at the skyline and ask themselves what's missing. The Jehovah's Witness' Watchtower sign has been removed. The letters were 15 feet high. The organization sold the building on which it stood to Kushner Companies, a group headed by President Trump's son in law. Here's a pic:


Down goes Franken! Next!

Given the wind whipping through my usual book nook, I made a mistake in not taking the show to an alternate site. Fortunately, four ladies bailed me out. The first donated two hardcovers in Russian, the second donated a whole bag's worth, and the third and forth bought seven of them. My thanks. The abundant sunshine did not negate the effects of the wind. Late in the session I gave the bus shelter a try. I stood gazing through the glass that makes up its left side. There was no sunshine there, but, since the temperature wasn't the problem, it was fine there. I'll remember that next time conditions are similar.
  Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc

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Wednesday, December 6, 2017

The Writer's Life 12/6 - Too Far?

Special prosecutor Robert Mueller had to fire an assistant for anti-Trump bias - only because he was caught. I still believe if the President goes down it will be because of financial shenanigans uncovered during the investigation, and not Russia collusion. Liberals are gloating, thinking the Trump's been got, despite the arguments of one of their icons, attorney Alan Dershowitz, to the contrary. How odd it is that A.D. has come to Trump's defense, although I'm sure it's grudging. Radio talk show hosts Mark Simone, a libertarian, and Sean Hannity, a conservative, believe the investigation is a mere partisan witch hunt, and that the Hillary campaign is the one that colluded with Russia. I didn't get a visit from Political Man, who spews anti-Trump venom as he strolls, claiming he's an anti-semite, despite the fact that Trump's three oldest children are married to Jews. I wonder how PM will spin Trump's endorsement of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Where will all this end? Stay tuned.



How often has it been said that Republicans are the party of the rich? According to the Fast Takes column in today's NY Post, Democrats hold 19 of the 25 congressional districts with the highest median income. 

I'm now settled in with my new Samsung 24 inch Smart TV. At present the only aspect I don't like about it is that the close captioning is too small and, for some reason, the ability to enlarge it is listed as "unavailable." As far as its compatibility with the cable box, the picture still breaks up occasionally. Last night it wasn't as constant as it had been with the old TV.

All the silly sports leagues leery of opening a franchise in Las Vegas take note: according to an article at ESPN, attendance at the NHL's Knights' home games has been 102.7% of capacity.

I'm more than halfway through the latest sweep of the novel I plan to self-publish, my ninth book. I've made a lot of minor changes, a few corrections. I anticipate sending it to Create Space for approval in a week or so. I will not endorse its publication until I'm satisfied the proof copy is clean as I can get it.

My thanks to Cabbie, who did a swap of paperback thrillers, and to Barry Spunt, author and professor of Criminology at John Jay College, who overpaid for bios of basketball coaching titans John Wooden and Bobby Knight; and to the gentleman who purchased yet another vinyl album, this one a compilation of rock n roll oldies. The most interesting visitors came back to back. Like me, Jeff is a former commodities trading floor employee. While I worked data entry for the Exchange, he was a clerk and trader. He has read several of my books. Today he had questions about Killing, in which it seemed to him the protagonist took a sudden leap from family man to psychopath. It is a perfectly legitimate critique. The first question I ask people who read the novel, which I believe is my best, is if he/she thinks it goes too far, even though the main character does not carry out the deed he'd planned. Jeff is only the second to have thought so. I tried to explain why the character acts as he does. Perhaps there is no interpretation other than Dante is a potential psychopath. If that's the case, I failed miserably. Before leaving, Jeff said he really enjoyed my books and looks forward to others. Minutes after he left, as I was packing up the wares, eager to get out of the cold, Mikhail showed up. I hadn't seen him in months. When his wife was placed in a hospice, his son didn't want him living alone, so he has been living in Jersey. I knew immediately from the expression on his face that his wife had passed away. All I could do was shake his hand, give him a hug, and say I was sorry. I don't know when the death occurred but it's clear Mikhail is still emotional about it. They were married 50-60 years. Rest in peace, madam. And my thanks to her beautiful human being of a husband, who purchased a fantasy in Russian. I hope it provides a pleasant distraction.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc


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Tuesday, December 5, 2017

The Writer's Life 12/5 - Cinematic Miracle & More

There's a new biography on Michael Curtiz, director of Casablanca (1942) and other successful films. An article in today's NY Post by Lou Lumenick deals specifically with the difficulties that arose while shooting the classic, as outlined in Alan E. Rode's book. I'd heard the gist of it previously, but the details are so interesting. Seven writers worked on the screenplay at one time or another. One, Casey Robinson, thought so little of it he turned down credit for what would have been his only Oscar. Paul Henried, who demanded top billing along with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, described the script as "lousy." By some miracle, working on the fly, making changes daily, it all came together. Bogie and Curtiz almost came to blows over how the lines should have been delivered in the airport scene. Producer Hal B. Wallis, long before his association with Elvis and the Colonel, stepped between the titans. Wallis also came up with the classic closer: "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." It was dubbed onto the print weeks after the production had closed down. The film received eight Academy Award nominations, winning three, for Best Film, screenplay and director. And it is usually listed at or the near the top on lists of the greatest films of all time. Curtiz really earned his pay.


There are many predictable aspects of sports. One is the Steelers beating the Bengals. Pittsburgh has now won six straight against its division rival. Last night's game was particularly brutal. There were a total of eleven personal fouls, and Cincinnati was flagged 13 times for a total of 173 yards, a team record. PK Chris Boswell won it with a field goal as time expired, the second week in a row he has done that. Maybe the Bengals' players should kneel in protest of their ineptitude.

I don't know what to think of the Net Neutrality controversy. My instincts are always to support the opposite of what politicians propose.

A  NY Post blurb had me laughing out loud. Citizens of a community in Ireland claim fumes from a plant run by Pfizer, maker of Viagra, are arousing men. One woman said: "One whiff and you're stiff." The company says it's a myth. Regardless, I hope a plant is built here is Sheepshead Bay, preferably on the roof of our co-op.

I made the call to Cablevision to cancel the TV portion of my package. The woman on the line made an offer that was tempting: 100 megabytes of internet and the same basic package for $71 and change plus tax. I declined, the speed I have currently more than adequate. Then, like Don Corleone, she made an offer I couldn't refuse: $64 and change plus tax for what I'd already had. I unhooked the antenna and plugged in the cable. I'm interested to see if the picture continues to break up constantly. It may have been doing so because I somehow had placed a bookcase on the wire, which I discovered while moving fixtures around. The next time there's an increase I'll have the leverage of an antenna to fight it.

I expected the floating book shop to be rained out today. Fortunately, it looks like the storm will occur overnight, something that has happened several times recently. My thanks to the couple who bought two books in Russian, and to Ludmila, who purchased a book on health in that language; and to the gentleman who selected Tales of Hoffman by E.T.A. Hoffman and Ask the Dust by John Fante.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Monday, December 4, 2017

The Writer's Life 12/4 - Potpourri

Commenting on the sexual harassment issue and those at PBS implicated, this morning talk radio host Mark Simone said the guys were apparently raising more than funds. Kudos.

Yesterday Ricky Fowler rallied from seven shots back to shoot an 11-under 61 and win the Hero World Challenge tournament in the Bahamas. I just visited Yahoo Sports' golf page. There are five headlines. The first names Fowler, the next four Tiger Woods. The large photo is of Woods, who played very well but finished ten strokes back. The sports media's fawning obsession with Woods is occasionally irksome.

The Giants have fired head coach Ben McAdoo and GM Jerry Reese, which surprises no one. The owners have tried to separate themselves from the debacle the season has become, capped by the benching of two-time Super Bowl MVP QB Eli Manning for Geno Smith, who thus far has failed at the pro level. McAdoo might not have attracted so much heat if he'd started rookie QB Davis Webb, who's had months to learn and prepare. Is that a sign that the organization doesn't think much of him? Will the interim coach reinstate Manning as the starter? What a fall for a franchise that has won four championships since 1986.

I had a visit from one of my favorites, Nell, who always stops to chat even though she is not a reader. She raved about The Blessing of the Animals, an annual event co-hosted by Christchurch on Park Avenue and gossip columnist Cindy Adams of the NY Post. She said it looked like the Westminster Dog Show. According to the website, the event has two rules: all pets must be accompanied by their owners; all owners must be accompanied by their pets. Animals of all shapes, sizes and species are welcome, including dogs, cats, birds, fish, horses, llamas, goats, sheep, chickens, and pigs. Nell said the llamas appeared to have an attitude of having seen it all before. Afterward, she headed to Rockefeller Center to get a look at the tree. As she turned a corner, she encountered two large rats. Here's a pic of the blessing:


My thanks to the gentleman who bought two more thrillers by James Patterson, to the elderly woman and the middle age man who each purchased a book in Russian; to Andu, who bought The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson; and to Michael, who selected cowboy romance This Gun for Hire by Jo Goodman. Special thanks to the young woman who went the serious route: Atonement by Ian McEwan, Oblivion: Stories by David Foster Wallace, The Plot Against America by Phillip Roth, and a guide to using a 35MM camera. Thanks also to the woman who donated the book Michael bought, and to the couple who donated four books in Russian, and to those buyers who have slipped my mind. Business was a lot better than it'd been for a while, and the weather was beautiful. I gave Andu, a young Romanian-born artist, a Christmas present - six videotapes of Russian cartoons, which I hope inspires him to use his enormous talent. Fortunately, he has seemed untroubled the last couple of times I've seen him. I'd feared his demons were getting the better of him.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc


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Sunday, December 3, 2017

The Writer's Life 12/3 - Moving Stuff Around

A week ago I asked Mayor Mike, local Super, in lieu of a percentage of the proceeds of the sale of his vinyl records, which continues, to be on the lookout for a digital TV a tenant might leave behind after a move. He returned ten minutes later with a 24 inch Samsung Smart TV. Although the box had been opened, the contents were sealed. My hope was to shed the yoke of cable TV. Although I have the only a basic plan, I hate paying to watch commercials. I ordered an antenna from Amazon. The mailman delivered it last evening. The set up was fairly simple. The most difficult part was screwing the base into the TV. There wasn't much room to accomplish it. Once the set was turned on it began scanning for available channels. At first I was disappointed, as CBS, Fox, ABC, the WB and PBS were not picked up. This morning I moved the antenna to the middle of the furthest of my three joined windows. That brought in CBS and 13. Fox and MY9 look as if they will be iffy, subject to atmospheric conditions. That would eliminate Gotham and The X-Files from my viewing pleasure. To my surprise, the antenna picks up Cozi-TV and Movies!, although the latter is among the iffy. It picks up several other PBS stations and several in Spanish. Strangely, it doesn't pick up the round number - it's always point-something. There are three channels with which I am unfamiliar: Get, which was running old westerns, and Escape and Justice, both of which seem to run law enforcement-based reality programming. I'll visit their websites to see it they  broadcast anything of interest to me. The picture is, of course, superb. If that lineup holds, there is enough there for me to cancel my cable subscription, although I will miss Star Trek: Next Generation and Seinfeld reruns. There are two quirks that surprise me. Although I'm able to save favorites, there is no corresponding tab on the remote, at least one that says Fav. I want to be able to eliminate a couple of radio stations, a government channel (ugh!), and Korean fare from my scanning. Also, the set will recognize only a Blue Ray DVD player, so I'm keeping my old TV, which is fine other than the fact that it isn't digital. I had to take it down from the stand. At this stage of my life, that is not an easy task. I did it carefully, leery of injuring my back. It's now sitting on the floor. I thought about placing it on a foot stool, but common sense won out. I might ask the help of one our building's porters the next time one is on the floor. Since I needed room for the 25 inch TV, I had to shift a large stereo speaker, a rack holding all my videotapes, and a book case. Another problem arose. With the set on the floor, the DVD wires weren't long enough to reach the plugs. I unhooked the first VCR I ever owned, which I'd come to use only to rewind tapes to save wear and tear on my other one. I hadn't turned it on in at least a year. It had become a dust collector. It's now in the trash room. I won't call Cablevision until I'm sure I'll be satisfied with what I have.



Park Slope is supposed to be the most literate neighborhood in Brooklyn. With that in mind, I'll bring the most cerebral book I have ready for sale whenever I venture there. Today it was An Incomplete Education: From Plato's Cave to Planck's Constant to Einstein to Gert by Judy Jones and William Wilson, a large, illustrated tome. A middle age woman immediately snapped it up, along with Richard Wright's Native Son. My thanks, madam, and to the lady who purchased a guide to investing. She promised to return and buy more books if she gets rich.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
 
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Saturday, December 2, 2017

The Writer's Life 12/2 - Farce

College football coach Jimbo Fisher has jumped ship from Florida St. to Texas A&M, signing the most lucrative contract in NCAA history - ten years, $75 million. This prompted an intelligent tweet from former NFL backup QB Sage Rosenfels, who believes the money given Fisher belies the claim that there isn't enough to pay college football players. I'm against paying college players. I believe only true student athletes should represent their schools. The onus should be on the NFL, which  profits from free player development. They should set up a minor league system similar to that of MLB - at least one 50-man roster per pro team, which would remove 1600 players who do not belong on campus. That's not nearly enough house cleaning, I suppose, and it might lead to even more under the table payments. Maybe there's no way out of the muck. A trend that highlights the travesty that college football has become, that became widespread last year, is continuing. For its bowl game, Texas, which finished 6-6, will be without two starters who will not risk an injury that would jeopardize their position in the 2018 pro draft. Who can blame them? A bowl game that features a team or teams without a winning record is a farce. And just when it seemed the owners couldn't be any more spineless, they have come up with a way to dampen the player protests - a payment to "social justice" organizations. At least two players have said they will cease protesting. Money talks. The owners caved as if being shaken down by Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson.

Suddenly Democrats are deficit hawks. Politicians never cease reaching for a new low in phoniness.

My thanks to the elderly woman who purchased Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, which she said she read in Russian long ago, and to the middle age one who bought Chaim Potok's The Promise and a book in Russian. The highlight of the day was seeing the smile on the face of local Super Mayor Mike when I handed him this week's proceeds from the sale of the vinyl records he gave me. He will leave his job at the end of the month and head to Virginia, where his son built a little house for him on his property. I'll miss him... While sorting through the albums, a gentleman told me he believed Paul McCartney died in 1966. The impostor has certainly written a lot of songs since then, many of which were big hits. Another gentleman asked me to come to his house in the Finger Lakes region and empty his six-car garage of the 2000 records and hundreds of books and stuff that fill it. He opened a tall can of Coors while we were speaking. I suspect it wasn't his first of the day.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Friday, December 1, 2017

The Writer's Life 12/1 - Conspiracy Hunting

The following was gleaned from listverse.com, edited by yours truly. It's from an an article by Marcus Lowth titled 10 Claims Of Warnings And Messages Hidden In Films And TV Shows. Most of the entries have to do with 9/11. All are fodder for conspiracy theorists, of which I am not one:
One hour and 58 minutes into The Dark Knight Rises (2012), investigators are trying to predict where the next crime will be committed. An area on a map clearly shows Sandy Hook.  Months later...
In Terminator 2 (1991), young John Connor and his protector are being pursued through L. A. and pass under a bridge with the clear warning sign: Caution 9′-11″.
In The Matrix (1999), Neo’s passport is shown clearly to expire on September 11, 2001.
In Super Mario Brothers (1993), during a merging of two dimensions, the towers fall to the ground and a plane is seen flying past where the towers should have been standing.
In Back to the Future (1985), the hands of the clock are locked on the 9 and 11 positions, and it is 9:59 when the lightning bolt strikes the clock tower, the time the first tower fell.
In Trading Places (1983), as floor personnel await the market's opening, the camera cuts to the clock on the wall, which reads 9:11.
According to some, the logo of Walt Disney features three hidden sixes—one each in the W, the dot of the I, and the top of the Y.
In an episode of Family Guy, baby Stewie runs on screen and screams, “Help, I’ve escaped from Kevin Spacey’s basement!”
On The Simpsons, numerous references preceding 9/11/'01 are often clearly seen on magazine covers or posters in the background, spotted by viewers. There have also been mentions of the Ebola crisis and Donald Trump becoming president.



Last night's episode of Gotham was its weakest ever, plagued by several lapses in logic. Its lone good aspect was the return of the malevolent voice inside of Ed Nygma's head. The show needs interesting story lines, not just lurid violence.

I've begun the third and what I hope is the final sweep of the file of the novel I will self-publish shortly. If the first 25 pages are any indication, I should be ordering a proof copy in less than two weeks.

My thanks to the two ladies who each bought a book in Russian, to Andu, who purchased The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger; and to the young man who bought six vinyl albums and books on Yoga and creating a web marketing business.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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