Egypt is progressing to a regressive state with all alacrity - American tourists taken hostage and then released.
Google's seven year battle with authors who want their royalties has taken another step to somewhere. While having a corporate motto of 'Don't Be Evil' it seems Google is using the old lobbyist ways to influence the federal government to see things it's way.
Meanwhile Amazon keeps going digital and redefining the concepts of bookstores and business models.
The Obama administration and its water-carriers better gird their ideological loins as Catholics and their organizations take their objections to the next level. Get ready for June 14th. It might be the thing to toss OWS onto the rubbish heap of failed socialist plans.
Special bath salts have entered the common lexicon after a man had to be killed by police in Miami as he tried to chew another man's face off. It seems to be a serious problem where sedation does not work and no one is sure if people will be normal after taking a dose.
On the space front, there was a bit of good news. The SpaceX Dragon capsule performed a flawless mission to the ISS and splashdown. Bravo Zulu people, may you keep doing it.
Showing posts with label Literature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Literature. Show all posts
Friday, June 01, 2012
Tuesday, August 09, 2011
Sound Familar?
Like Plato when writing the Repbulic, that old coot of a science fiction author H. Beam Piper had to dress up things that needed to be said. One of his novels is Space Viking. It was originally published in 1963. What follows is a conversation between King Mikhyl of Marduk and Crown Prince Trask of Tanith. I have omitted the descriptions.
M -"That's catastrophic decivilization. There is also decivilization by erosion, and while its going on, nobody notices it. Everybody is proud of their civilization, their wealth and culture. But trade is falling off; fewer ships come in each year. So there is boastful talk about planetary self-sufficiency; who needs off-planet trade anyhow? Everybody seems to make money, but the government is always broke. Deficit spending - and always more vital social services for which the government has to spend money. The most vital one, of course, is buying votes to keep the government in power. And it gets harder for the government to get anything done.
The soldiers are sloppier at drill, and their uniforms and weapons aren't taken care of. The non-coms are insolent. And more and more parts of the city are dangerous at night, and then even in daytime. And its been years since a new building went up, and the old ones aren't being repaired anymore."
T - "And finally, nobody bothers fixing anything up. And the power-reactors stop, and nobody seems to be able to get them started again. It hasn't gotten that far on the Sword-Worlds yet."
M - " It hasn't here either. Yet."
M -"That's catastrophic decivilization. There is also decivilization by erosion, and while its going on, nobody notices it. Everybody is proud of their civilization, their wealth and culture. But trade is falling off; fewer ships come in each year. So there is boastful talk about planetary self-sufficiency; who needs off-planet trade anyhow? Everybody seems to make money, but the government is always broke. Deficit spending - and always more vital social services for which the government has to spend money. The most vital one, of course, is buying votes to keep the government in power. And it gets harder for the government to get anything done.
The soldiers are sloppier at drill, and their uniforms and weapons aren't taken care of. The non-coms are insolent. And more and more parts of the city are dangerous at night, and then even in daytime. And its been years since a new building went up, and the old ones aren't being repaired anymore."
T - "And finally, nobody bothers fixing anything up. And the power-reactors stop, and nobody seems to be able to get them started again. It hasn't gotten that far on the Sword-Worlds yet."
M - " It hasn't here either. Yet."
Monday, February 28, 2011
Writing Contest from Random House
Well this is a keen challenge. Random House/Del Rey has a contest going for unpublished manuscripts that fit their marketing niche aimed at adults and older teens. Subject wise it seems pretty open, science-fiction, horror, paranormal, and such. Its is limited to legal residents of the United States, excluding Puerto Rico, and who are 18 years or older. Maximum length of the story is 150,000 words. Winner gets a professional edit by Betsy Mitchell and possible publication by Del Rey. All the rules and such can be found here at Suvudu.
People in the comments are hung up on a few things. One is self-published via Amazon for example, literal reading of the rules makes that an ineligible submission. Another is a person asking if they can submit a runner up from another contest, that is a tough one. In both of these cases, as an author I would not submit the stories; I would submit something that literally complies with the contest rules. Why feed the lawyers right? Now a couple people think their stories can't be submitted because they exceed the 150,000 word limit. There are a couple options available if these writers have courage and are willing to make modifications. If they are not willing to make self-corrections then they probably will not emotionally survive a professional edit. Yes we authors love our characters, neat plots, and wonderful prose; but sometimes a pruning is in order to make the story better. More is not always better in writing, unless you want your story be to used in sleep studies. In Elizabeth Moon's Deed of Paksenarrion, she had to edit out chunks of that saga to get down to what we read as three books. And judging by the books' success, it worked very well with hardly any scars lurking in the published books - save a reference to a blue dress Suliya wore in the third book Oath of Gold. Moon's trilogy also points to the other option available to these writers, find a point earlier in the book where things can be wrapped up nicely - but naturally not ended - with some editing and submit that as the manuscript. Then on the rump, get cracking on reworking that. So when Del Rey/Random House does like the story, makes it their grand prize winner, and decides to publish; why you already have the start on the sequel.
Downside of this keen challenge? It started in January and ends on March 18th, 2011. So I better get cracking and see if I can conjure a literary rabbit out of my hat. The game is very much afoot. Realistically to hit even 50,000 words, after self-checking, would be a Holy Grail event. But at the same time, it is motivational to get me off center and moving forward.
People in the comments are hung up on a few things. One is self-published via Amazon for example, literal reading of the rules makes that an ineligible submission. Another is a person asking if they can submit a runner up from another contest, that is a tough one. In both of these cases, as an author I would not submit the stories; I would submit something that literally complies with the contest rules. Why feed the lawyers right? Now a couple people think their stories can't be submitted because they exceed the 150,000 word limit. There are a couple options available if these writers have courage and are willing to make modifications. If they are not willing to make self-corrections then they probably will not emotionally survive a professional edit. Yes we authors love our characters, neat plots, and wonderful prose; but sometimes a pruning is in order to make the story better. More is not always better in writing, unless you want your story be to used in sleep studies. In Elizabeth Moon's Deed of Paksenarrion, she had to edit out chunks of that saga to get down to what we read as three books. And judging by the books' success, it worked very well with hardly any scars lurking in the published books - save a reference to a blue dress Suliya wore in the third book Oath of Gold. Moon's trilogy also points to the other option available to these writers, find a point earlier in the book where things can be wrapped up nicely - but naturally not ended - with some editing and submit that as the manuscript. Then on the rump, get cracking on reworking that. So when Del Rey/Random House does like the story, makes it their grand prize winner, and decides to publish; why you already have the start on the sequel.
Downside of this keen challenge? It started in January and ends on March 18th, 2011. So I better get cracking and see if I can conjure a literary rabbit out of my hat. The game is very much afoot. Realistically to hit even 50,000 words, after self-checking, would be a Holy Grail event. But at the same time, it is motivational to get me off center and moving forward.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Kings of the North
Elizabeth Moon's newest installment of her Paksenarrion universe will come out on March 22d, 2011. Kings of the North picks up from the end of Oath of Fealty, we see three kings caught in transition and uncertainty. Tsaia is still restive after all the Verrakai treachery. Lyonya is also unsettled as the divisions between humans and elves continues to bubble while other troubles encroach. And finally, there is the kingdom of Pargun which both Tsaia and Lyonya have had problems with in the past. How is the paladin Paksenarrion going to help in these troubled times as three new rulers and one veteran ruler all deal with unrest in their lands.
The book can be pre-ordered from Amazon for $14.26 for the hardcover or $12.83 for the Kindle edition.
For a peek inside the Pargunese court there is this story by Elizabeth Moon that is a stand alone but ties in with Oath of Fealty and the original Deed of Paksenarrion. For a peek under the hood to see the creative engine musing, Moon has her own blog called Paksworld.
The book can be pre-ordered from Amazon for $14.26 for the hardcover or $12.83 for the Kindle edition.
For a peek inside the Pargunese court there is this story by Elizabeth Moon that is a stand alone but ties in with Oath of Fealty and the original Deed of Paksenarrion. For a peek under the hood to see the creative engine musing, Moon has her own blog called Paksworld.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
It's a Legion!
Sometimes I am amazed at how soft headed people are. But this review of The Eagle reminds me some people have brains of tapioca.
What is The Eagle about? In the second century AD sometime around or after 120AD, the Legios IX Hispana possibly left York and marched north on a punitative raid. And then vanished into the mists of time, no definitive answer has ever emerged as to their fate as the whole legion fell off Roman rolls by 160AD. We now know more of the probable fate of Crassus' lost legions than we know what happened to the IXth. Though some have tried to piece together the probable fate of the IXth in Scotland, its very much speculative and leaves wiggle room for the roofing tiles marked with the Legios IX Hispana sigil found in Holland. The movie itself and the story it is based on tells the fictional tale of a Roman centurion setting out on a quest to retreive the IXth's eagle standard, hence restoring his father's and Rome's honor.
First gripe about this alleged movie review is calling the IXth a battalion. Literally speaking it is valid since a Roman legion and a battalion have similar manpower levels. Historically, its incorrect to use battalion when referring to a Roman legion. And its in the common modern vernacular to refer to Roman military formations as legions.
Second gripe is the authors worldview and their attempt to force The Eagle to fit it. The Romans were violent, well yes they were. So were the Celtic tribes that they faced. Expansionism charge? It can be argued that way, though Dr. Madden in his book Empires of Trust argued Rome expanded its borders to protect itself and its allies from foreign invasion. Or perhaps we should we say the reviewers are exhibiting signs of ethnocentrism in their writing? Well here are their own words from their review - "Though the characters are well developed and well acted, we can only give this film a partial endorsement based on its lack of value of life."
I was thinking of skipping going to see The Eagle in the cinema. But with such fluff passing for critical review, I think I shall go see it.
What is The Eagle about? In the second century AD sometime around or after 120AD, the Legios IX Hispana possibly left York and marched north on a punitative raid. And then vanished into the mists of time, no definitive answer has ever emerged as to their fate as the whole legion fell off Roman rolls by 160AD. We now know more of the probable fate of Crassus' lost legions than we know what happened to the IXth. Though some have tried to piece together the probable fate of the IXth in Scotland, its very much speculative and leaves wiggle room for the roofing tiles marked with the Legios IX Hispana sigil found in Holland. The movie itself and the story it is based on tells the fictional tale of a Roman centurion setting out on a quest to retreive the IXth's eagle standard, hence restoring his father's and Rome's honor.
First gripe about this alleged movie review is calling the IXth a battalion. Literally speaking it is valid since a Roman legion and a battalion have similar manpower levels. Historically, its incorrect to use battalion when referring to a Roman legion. And its in the common modern vernacular to refer to Roman military formations as legions.
Second gripe is the authors worldview and their attempt to force The Eagle to fit it. The Romans were violent, well yes they were. So were the Celtic tribes that they faced. Expansionism charge? It can be argued that way, though Dr. Madden in his book Empires of Trust argued Rome expanded its borders to protect itself and its allies from foreign invasion. Or perhaps we should we say the reviewers are exhibiting signs of ethnocentrism in their writing? Well here are their own words from their review - "Though the characters are well developed and well acted, we can only give this film a partial endorsement based on its lack of value of life."
I was thinking of skipping going to see The Eagle in the cinema. But with such fluff passing for critical review, I think I shall go see it.
Friday, December 31, 2010
The 100 Year Rule
In keeping with Ezra Klein's argument that anything written more than 100 years ago should be ignored, I decided for the last post of this year to compile a list of important books and documents that fit Klein's arbitrary yardstick. So here goes.
- Das Kapital - last volume in 1894AD
- Beyond Good and Evil - 1886AD
- Gettysburg Address - 1863AD
- Emancipation Proclamation - 1863AD
- The Origin of Species - 1859AD
- An Essay on the Principle of Population - 1826AD
- The Prince - 1532AD
- The Magna Carta - 1215AD
Friday, February 05, 2010
History Channel Info-tainment
This past weekend caught a repeat showing of what was sold as a sensational take on the Mayan Long-Count calendar by visiting a mysterious island. I should have known better as it was short on real information and long on faux-drama. This two hour show is called Apocalypse Island and is supposed to recount the quest of a chap named James Turner.
It seems back in 1996, after coming off two years at the Palenque Mayan site in the Yucatan peninsula, Turner took a break to visit Juan Fernandez Island. After a bruising tumble and a night asleep he wakes to behold what he takes to be a monument to the Mayan sun god with a crouching jaguar behind it. So he spends the next decade plus doing research. So History Channel decides to broadcast his quest. Including way too many minutes getting from Valparaiso, Chile to the island on a small fishing boat. Along the way, they interview such heavyweights in Mayan lore as Whitley Streiber. Turner opines that a Mayan king from Palenque built the monument and his tomb, which has never been found, might be on the island. And then when they reach this monument, they clamber atop it. And thus ends two hours of your life.
Now there are lots of issues with this whole theory that I have not found addressed in Turner's web-site yet. And it seems others also have issues as this History Channel forum bears out. I will give Turner some kudos for logging in there to defend himself.
My largest issue I have with this show is, they never show how the Mayans got from Yucatan, across the Equator, and south to flyspeck islands off Chile that a guy named Selkirk got abandoned on for four years. Which explains why one island is called Alexander Selkirk Island and another is Robinson Crusoe Island. There is evidence or suggestions the Mayans made it to Florida, but no evidence is offered in the show on how the Mayans got to these islands. Unless they hopped a ride on Thor Heyerdahl's Kon-Tiki, except Thor left from Peru on the Humbolt current.
The show also pitches this hazardous trip by boat is the first time Turner has returned to these islands since 1996. As Turner's own postings in the History Channel forum shows, he has used the airstrip many times to get back to the islands and his monument. Which shows how deceitful this show is. Again it purports this is Turner's first return visit. And it endangers Turner's basic premise, this is Mayan built for the solar and Venus transits in 2012. If Turner has visited here many times, then why hasn't he taken some random debris samples from the base of his sun-god/crouching jaguar to see if there are signs of humans working the rock. Oh wait, its a UNESCO site these islands. But would it be truly hard to get permission to take a few rocks for study? Its the hummingbird that is endangered. And it seems an American millionaire, Bernard Keiser, easily got permission to search the island for lost pirate gold.
Before I forget, the whole story angle of the island being the burial place of a lost Mayan king from Palenque. How can anyone categorically state that everywhere in Palenque has been explored and no tomb has been found hence this king must be buried elsewhere? It is very strange considering only recently the Valley of the Kings in Egypt surrendered another tomb, KV-63, for study. And before Howard Carter found KV-62, King Tutankhamun, everyone in 1921 thought the valley was fully explored. I have to place this as another example of shoddy reasoning for simple sensationalism.
And again I return to the History Channel forums and Turner's own web-site where he says that what ended up on the screen was not what he wanted. That they dictated what would be shown because they did not want it to be boring. I have to wonder what kind of contract Turner signed that would prevent him from yanking his name from this show if he thought this show was truly bad since what is in the show reflects upon his professional reputation.
So overall, everyone involved in the making of this show come off as shabby and unprofessional. I have to wonder if this is the same crew that gave us Simcha and his Lost Tomb special on the James ossuary. Seems that way.
It seems back in 1996, after coming off two years at the Palenque Mayan site in the Yucatan peninsula, Turner took a break to visit Juan Fernandez Island. After a bruising tumble and a night asleep he wakes to behold what he takes to be a monument to the Mayan sun god with a crouching jaguar behind it. So he spends the next decade plus doing research. So History Channel decides to broadcast his quest. Including way too many minutes getting from Valparaiso, Chile to the island on a small fishing boat. Along the way, they interview such heavyweights in Mayan lore as Whitley Streiber. Turner opines that a Mayan king from Palenque built the monument and his tomb, which has never been found, might be on the island. And then when they reach this monument, they clamber atop it. And thus ends two hours of your life.
Now there are lots of issues with this whole theory that I have not found addressed in Turner's web-site yet. And it seems others also have issues as this History Channel forum bears out. I will give Turner some kudos for logging in there to defend himself.
My largest issue I have with this show is, they never show how the Mayans got from Yucatan, across the Equator, and south to flyspeck islands off Chile that a guy named Selkirk got abandoned on for four years. Which explains why one island is called Alexander Selkirk Island and another is Robinson Crusoe Island. There is evidence or suggestions the Mayans made it to Florida, but no evidence is offered in the show on how the Mayans got to these islands. Unless they hopped a ride on Thor Heyerdahl's Kon-Tiki, except Thor left from Peru on the Humbolt current.
The show also pitches this hazardous trip by boat is the first time Turner has returned to these islands since 1996. As Turner's own postings in the History Channel forum shows, he has used the airstrip many times to get back to the islands and his monument. Which shows how deceitful this show is. Again it purports this is Turner's first return visit. And it endangers Turner's basic premise, this is Mayan built for the solar and Venus transits in 2012. If Turner has visited here many times, then why hasn't he taken some random debris samples from the base of his sun-god/crouching jaguar to see if there are signs of humans working the rock. Oh wait, its a UNESCO site these islands. But would it be truly hard to get permission to take a few rocks for study? Its the hummingbird that is endangered. And it seems an American millionaire, Bernard Keiser, easily got permission to search the island for lost pirate gold.
Before I forget, the whole story angle of the island being the burial place of a lost Mayan king from Palenque. How can anyone categorically state that everywhere in Palenque has been explored and no tomb has been found hence this king must be buried elsewhere? It is very strange considering only recently the Valley of the Kings in Egypt surrendered another tomb, KV-63, for study. And before Howard Carter found KV-62, King Tutankhamun, everyone in 1921 thought the valley was fully explored. I have to place this as another example of shoddy reasoning for simple sensationalism.
And again I return to the History Channel forums and Turner's own web-site where he says that what ended up on the screen was not what he wanted. That they dictated what would be shown because they did not want it to be boring. I have to wonder what kind of contract Turner signed that would prevent him from yanking his name from this show if he thought this show was truly bad since what is in the show reflects upon his professional reputation.
So overall, everyone involved in the making of this show come off as shabby and unprofessional. I have to wonder if this is the same crew that gave us Simcha and his Lost Tomb special on the James ossuary. Seems that way.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Guess Who
the following quote is about:
Have at it.
The same man could treat his true followers with a matter-of-fact coldness that rewarded efficiency and loyalty with ... how could she describe it? The gratitude of an accountant.
Have at it.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
For 2010
Coming out soon for the PS3 and XBox 360, a video game version of the first part of Dante's Divine Comedy. I wonder what Virgil will think of being part of an action game?
For those who are tired of reading Kafka's take on bureacracy, then please read of the nine circles of Hell and ponder Obamacare. That should give you nightmares. Well besides Harry Reid dressed as Nurse Diesel for New Years Eve.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Obama's Animal Farm
The classic line from George Orwell's scathing indictment of communism is thus: "Some animals are created more equal than others." How does this apply to the Obama Administration, well lets look:
First there is his Vice President who plagiarized Neil Kinnock's whole life and tried to peddle it as his story. Didn't a couple authors that Oprah was enthralled by turn out to falsify their 'true' stories? Still Biden is Vice President.
Attorney General Eric Holder is someone else that falls into this category. There is the part he played in securing the pardon of wanted Wall Street robber-baron Marc Rich. Meanwhile President Obama has been castigating the greed of Wall Street for this economic meltdown.
Nominee Timothy Geithner can't even correctly fill out his tax forms so he had to pay back-taxes to the IRS. Now he is Obama's selection for Secretary of the Treasury which means he is in charge of the IRS.
Lets look at Carol Browner, she is slated to sit in one of those 600,000 new jobs Obama promised. Her new job will be to coordinate energy and environmental policy for the new administration. When Ms. Browner was running the EPA for President Bill Clinton she defied a court order and had her government computer's hard drive wiped. Apparently her son installed games on it.
While Gates is staying on as Secretary of Defense, its the Deputy Secretary of Defense nominee that is catching fire. This is probably the most glaring example of hypocrisy from the Obama Administration. President Obama one day into his first term signed an Executive Order to shut down the revolving door between being a lobbyist and working in government. William J. Lynn is the nominee but under the new Executive Order he is ineligible due to his connections to Raytheon. So how do they finesse this sticky issue?
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Thursday that "even the toughest rules require reasonable exceptions."
So ladies and gentlemen I give you Obama's Animal Farm.
First there is his Vice President who plagiarized Neil Kinnock's whole life and tried to peddle it as his story. Didn't a couple authors that Oprah was enthralled by turn out to falsify their 'true' stories? Still Biden is Vice President.
Attorney General Eric Holder is someone else that falls into this category. There is the part he played in securing the pardon of wanted Wall Street robber-baron Marc Rich. Meanwhile President Obama has been castigating the greed of Wall Street for this economic meltdown.
Nominee Timothy Geithner can't even correctly fill out his tax forms so he had to pay back-taxes to the IRS. Now he is Obama's selection for Secretary of the Treasury which means he is in charge of the IRS.
Lets look at Carol Browner, she is slated to sit in one of those 600,000 new jobs Obama promised. Her new job will be to coordinate energy and environmental policy for the new administration. When Ms. Browner was running the EPA for President Bill Clinton she defied a court order and had her government computer's hard drive wiped. Apparently her son installed games on it.
While Gates is staying on as Secretary of Defense, its the Deputy Secretary of Defense nominee that is catching fire. This is probably the most glaring example of hypocrisy from the Obama Administration. President Obama one day into his first term signed an Executive Order to shut down the revolving door between being a lobbyist and working in government. William J. Lynn is the nominee but under the new Executive Order he is ineligible due to his connections to Raytheon. So how do they finesse this sticky issue?
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Thursday that "even the toughest rules require reasonable exceptions."
So ladies and gentlemen I give you Obama's Animal Farm.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Anthropological Observations
As automotive executives genuflect before a Congress known to give away more money than exists. And two lawsuits sit before the US Supreme Court questioning if Barack Hussein Obama is Constitutionally elligible to be President of the United States. And Al Franken strives oh so pitifully to overturn Coleman's lead, it is time to reflect on some observations.
"There is a human tendancy to transform substansive questions into procedural question; in effect, to negotiate reality." - F. XI
"Anthropoid family relationships seem to shape the way anthropoids understand a horde of other matters." - F. XV
"One cannot look at another's way of understanding the world without perplexity. It is as amazing a thing what humans will think cannot be changed as what they think can be. And the connection between such thoughts and actions is peculiar." - F. XVI
-- Selected chapter headings from Beyond Humanity by Justin Leiber, 1987, TOR.
"There is a human tendancy to transform substansive questions into procedural question; in effect, to negotiate reality." - F. XI
"Anthropoid family relationships seem to shape the way anthropoids understand a horde of other matters." - F. XV
"One cannot look at another's way of understanding the world without perplexity. It is as amazing a thing what humans will think cannot be changed as what they think can be. And the connection between such thoughts and actions is peculiar." - F. XVI
-- Selected chapter headings from Beyond Humanity by Justin Leiber, 1987, TOR.
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Angels With Wings
Back in 1975 Frederick Forsyth wrote a short story for his wife as a Christmas present. The story was called The Shepherd. It tells the tale of a Christmas-eve miracle for an RAF pilot suddenly trapped above a solid deck over the North Sea with no electrical system and limited fuel aboard his Vampyre jet fighter. As he is flying and hoping radar stations in the UK detect him and vector someone to save him, from out of the fog comes another plane that proceeds to lead our hapless pilot to safety. Once safely landed, there are things for him to ponder about his saviour. A very fine story about generosity and selflessness with a good dose of mystery that leaves the reader scratching their head alongside the pilot.
Now the above is a work of fiction. But what just happened in the United Kingdom is reality. Jim O'Neill was flying his small Cessna at 5,500ft altitude when suddenly he could not see anything like the instrument panel. He made an emergency call for help. Luckily for O'Neill help was at hand in the form of RAF Wing Commander Paul Gerrard who was nearby finishing up a training mission. Flying loose wing on the Cessna, Wing Commander Gerrard and air traffic control guided O'Neill's Cessna to a slightly bumpy landing. Jim O'Neill was whisked off to the hospital where it was determined he had suffered a stroke from a blood clot that affected his vision. There is good news on this matter, O'Neill's sight is returning.
"It's one of those things you might hear about happening in some sort of all-action film but it's hard to believe what they did," Douglas O'Neill said of the RAF. "They were just tremendous."
Now the above is a work of fiction. But what just happened in the United Kingdom is reality. Jim O'Neill was flying his small Cessna at 5,500ft altitude when suddenly he could not see anything like the instrument panel. He made an emergency call for help. Luckily for O'Neill help was at hand in the form of RAF Wing Commander Paul Gerrard who was nearby finishing up a training mission. Flying loose wing on the Cessna, Wing Commander Gerrard and air traffic control guided O'Neill's Cessna to a slightly bumpy landing. Jim O'Neill was whisked off to the hospital where it was determined he had suffered a stroke from a blood clot that affected his vision. There is good news on this matter, O'Neill's sight is returning.
"It's one of those things you might hear about happening in some sort of all-action film but it's hard to believe what they did," Douglas O'Neill said of the RAF. "They were just tremendous."
Monday, May 05, 2008
The Hard Call
End of the world scenarios have always been popular in fiction. On film from George Pal's When Worlds Collide and War of the Worlds to Night of the Comet to Armageddon to all the remakes of I Am Legend, the film vault is fairly full. The book side is also pretty full. From H.G. Wells comes such as War of the Worlds and the Time Machine, Dean Ing's Pulling Through, Crichton's Andromeda Strain, David Brin's The Postman, and John Ringo's new novel The Last Centurion; all talk in various ways about the end of the world.
The United States government has spent a fair bit of time and money pondering end of the world scenarios and how to survive them. This used to fall under Civil Defense and it concerned shelters and food supplies in case of disasters like nuclear attack. Remember 'Duck, roll, and cover?' I don't but have seen those films. While the various government entities at all levels also looked at how to protect the infrastructure from any kind of attack. Now all of this is rolled into two organizations: Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
One of the greatest threats to modern Western civilization though is not nuclear weapons or terrorists, but something far smaller. As prosaic Earth germs devastated the Martians in War of the Worlds, more lethal such bugs can wipe out the human race if given the right circumstances. In Rainbow Six, its a genetically modified version of Ebola that almost does it. The Andromeda Strain was of alien origin. Brin's hero is in one of the last militia levees trying to protect grain silos after such bio-weapons as the Super Mumps have run their course. Ringo's new novel is about a new version of Bird Flu that has jumped to humans in mainland China that races around the world bringing civilization to its knees. All this is of course fiction.
Reality can be far more horrific. The Black Death that knocked Europe to its knees was pretty grim with some villages becoming ghost towns with nothing alive and bodies left to rot where they died. This was the setting for Masque of the Red Death. Or in a fit of gallows humour, Monty Python has someone calling out 'Bring out your dead.' The Spanish Influenza of 1918-1919 swept the world killing some 20 to 40 million people, far more deaths than was experienced by all combatants in World War I. And estimated 675,000 Americans died of the Spanish Influenza out of an estimated population of 104,550,000 people or almost 0.65% of the US died. If this flu struck the current US population of over 302,200,000 then over 1,964,000 would die if that 0.65% mortality rate held true. But that historical mortality rate might not hold true since the modern world is far more mobile than it was in 1918. In 1918 the fastest transit system was still the ship, in 2008 it is the airplane and we can span the globe in mere hours versus days in 1918. As SARS proved how fast such can spread with air travel.
So where is all this heading you ask? Well the US government in conjunction with doctors and others have decided to take a frank look at how to respond to a modern pandemic. More specifically on who to try and save, this is what the military calls triage and dates to Napoleonic times. You separate your casualties into three broad categories: those who will die no matter what you do so you set them aside to die, those who are in grave danger but can be saved if operated on quickly, and finally those who are wounded but not severely and can wait for treatment. Now apply this to a modern flu pandemic wracking the whole country or even the world and look at who can best serve saving civilization if the resources are applied to saving them. This is what this study set out to do.
Naturally the lawyers are already tossing sand into the gears of this study and its recommendations even before its officially published. To quote Gostin, public health law Georgetown, "The recommendations would probably violate federal laws against age discrimination and disability discrimination." Gostin and others like him would handcuff all the doctors and nurses to force them to employ what could be scarce resources upon people with incurable cancer or mental illness while possibly letting otherwise healthy people die. All in the name of legally imposed fairness amidst a pandemic. The world would end not with a bang, but with a whimper.
To quote Dr. Asha Devereaux who lead the task force, compiling the list "was emotionally difficult for everyone." And as she later adds: "You never know," Devereaux said. "SARS took a lot of folks by surprise. We didn't even know it existed."
This is why I call this post The Hard Call.
Update: Thanks DiabloVision for catching my math goof: 0.65%.
The United States government has spent a fair bit of time and money pondering end of the world scenarios and how to survive them. This used to fall under Civil Defense and it concerned shelters and food supplies in case of disasters like nuclear attack. Remember 'Duck, roll, and cover?' I don't but have seen those films. While the various government entities at all levels also looked at how to protect the infrastructure from any kind of attack. Now all of this is rolled into two organizations: Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
One of the greatest threats to modern Western civilization though is not nuclear weapons or terrorists, but something far smaller. As prosaic Earth germs devastated the Martians in War of the Worlds, more lethal such bugs can wipe out the human race if given the right circumstances. In Rainbow Six, its a genetically modified version of Ebola that almost does it. The Andromeda Strain was of alien origin. Brin's hero is in one of the last militia levees trying to protect grain silos after such bio-weapons as the Super Mumps have run their course. Ringo's new novel is about a new version of Bird Flu that has jumped to humans in mainland China that races around the world bringing civilization to its knees. All this is of course fiction.
Reality can be far more horrific. The Black Death that knocked Europe to its knees was pretty grim with some villages becoming ghost towns with nothing alive and bodies left to rot where they died. This was the setting for Masque of the Red Death. Or in a fit of gallows humour, Monty Python has someone calling out 'Bring out your dead.' The Spanish Influenza of 1918-1919 swept the world killing some 20 to 40 million people, far more deaths than was experienced by all combatants in World War I. And estimated 675,000 Americans died of the Spanish Influenza out of an estimated population of 104,550,000 people or almost 0.65% of the US died. If this flu struck the current US population of over 302,200,000 then over 1,964,000 would die if that 0.65% mortality rate held true. But that historical mortality rate might not hold true since the modern world is far more mobile than it was in 1918. In 1918 the fastest transit system was still the ship, in 2008 it is the airplane and we can span the globe in mere hours versus days in 1918. As SARS proved how fast such can spread with air travel.
So where is all this heading you ask? Well the US government in conjunction with doctors and others have decided to take a frank look at how to respond to a modern pandemic. More specifically on who to try and save, this is what the military calls triage and dates to Napoleonic times. You separate your casualties into three broad categories: those who will die no matter what you do so you set them aside to die, those who are in grave danger but can be saved if operated on quickly, and finally those who are wounded but not severely and can wait for treatment. Now apply this to a modern flu pandemic wracking the whole country or even the world and look at who can best serve saving civilization if the resources are applied to saving them. This is what this study set out to do.
Naturally the lawyers are already tossing sand into the gears of this study and its recommendations even before its officially published. To quote Gostin, public health law Georgetown, "The recommendations would probably violate federal laws against age discrimination and disability discrimination." Gostin and others like him would handcuff all the doctors and nurses to force them to employ what could be scarce resources upon people with incurable cancer or mental illness while possibly letting otherwise healthy people die. All in the name of legally imposed fairness amidst a pandemic. The world would end not with a bang, but with a whimper.
To quote Dr. Asha Devereaux who lead the task force, compiling the list "was emotionally difficult for everyone." And as she later adds: "You never know," Devereaux said. "SARS took a lot of folks by surprise. We didn't even know it existed."
This is why I call this post The Hard Call.
Update: Thanks DiabloVision for catching my math goof: 0.65%.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)