Boston Marathon Terror Attack

The people in Boston, near the finish line, will share many of the experiences I had February 26, 1993 at 12:17 PM when the bomb exploded in the World Trade Center. They will feel as if their brains aren't functioning properly. They will experience memory losses. Loud noises will startle them.

Only a few people other than those experiencing a bombing truly understand its sway. The victims will understand the impact of the cacophony that will persist in their minds for God knows how long. Some will understand the sadness of watching a person bleed to death. The sadness will hang like a cloud over their lives and impose a prison-like confinement, making them fear crowds, people, and loud noises. The impact will create sensitivity to every news story that even resembles terrorism.

The event will change their lives in ways only they will comprehend. They will look at foreigners will suspicion. They will recoil in horror when some say terrorism is not a big deal. They will feel intense anger when these atavistic. Ideologically cretins spew their hate on media venues. They will understand Israel much better, too.

Maybe, I hope, they will empathize with Christians in Egypt, Iraq or any Islamic state, where infidels are viewed as lesser humans, and these infidels do not merit the same status as the ruling mass, nor do other factions of the same religion.

I welcome them to the club and wish they had not had the experience.

Monday Makes for a Mighty Struggle

I had a very strenuous and busy weekend, making this Monday morning a struggle, at least an internal one. My project for the day is to write another chapter for my new science fiction novel, Morn. Morn the dystopian country that exists far into the future, created to block the rest of the world because the other countries always engaged in war, constant war, just the opposite of my first novel: 2186 The Last Mission.

Both novels take place in the future. I wondered why this morning, about the propensity to write about the future. A simple answer occurred to me. I like to speculate about which direction humankind will take. How we will deal with future situations, and how technology will affect us.

Take a minute to think about how computers changed the world. Think about how the World Wide Web developed from the internet, which DARPA developed because the United States military needed a defense system to combat asymmetrical warfare. This information came from my thesis: The Internet and Its Impact.

Think about how the world came to know one another better using the web. Now, I have friends, at least chat friends, from all over the world. Maybe one day, we will meet in person.

Florida Heat

No, not the Miami Heat of basketball, the heat of a 77-degree temperature at 8:30 AM. We’re entering the sandal time of year, when the shoes and socks disappear and the sandal come out of the closet—so comfortable—like a nice dream. 

On the other side of that coin, it means that we need to bring some type of shirt to wear when we go into retailers and restaurants. The temperature difference when it gets to the upper eighties or lower nineties, combined with the high humidity (80 percent today; winds @ 13 mph) creates a chilling effect as when you walk into a freezer. Up north, we wear jackets to go out. In Florida, we wear jackets to go in.

Many will change their running habits from the street to the gym to avoid heat disorders. Heat-related illnesses indication include heat rash, heat cramps, dizziness or fainting, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and can make existing medical conditions worse. 

Avoid overexertion in hot weather, especially in the Florida sun. I discovered that my first year here. I took a three-mile mid-morning run. That afternoon, it felt as is removed all the energy form my body. It took a couple of days to return to normal.

Although heat can cause problems for anyone, some have a greater risk of suffering heat related illness. 

People 65 and older

Babies

Young children

Nursing mothers

Pregnant women

People who consume certain medications

People who suffer from any of the following: heart disease, high blood pressure, or lung disease.

If you have any doubts if you need to be careful, check with your doctor before exercising in the summer heat, especially in hot, humid weather.

Poetic Disappointment: A Lesson Learned

Because I thought it would help my writing, I began an online poetry course a few weeks ago at a supposedly reputable education site. The advertising omitted to note the base level of instruction for the class. It felt as if high school children were the intended target audience. Even more baffling: this course and organization get promoted through colleges that subscribe to its services. 

After two weeks, I decided this course constituted a detriment to my creativity, innovation, and writing. The so-called instructor didn’t even know what her assignments instructed. Her poems sucked. Her feedback was inane and not well thought out. I picked up a book by Rebecca McClanahan: Word Painting. Reading about one-half the book provided more insight into imagery, writing, and characterization than the course offered.

I recommend to anyone truly interested in creative writing to avoid this online poetry scam, and purchase McClanahan’s book. You’ll be glad you did.