How about some positive news?

Happy President's Day! I hope you got the day off today.

First, I received some good news over the weekend. My short Sci Fi story, "Expedition of the Arcturus" will be published on 3/12/2013 on PerihelionSF.com. It couldn't be more timely considering our concern over meteorites and asteroids recently. And if I might make the bold suggestion, drop by their web site any time. It's a great "hard" Science Fiction magazine.

Now for the news....

We have gotten hammered with negative news for years now. I don't know about you, but I'm tired of it. Sick and tired of it.

Isn't there anything going well anymore? Anywhere?

Bill Gates of Microsoft fame, has released his Annual Letter to the world and it contains some insight as to how things are really going overall, and world wide. And nationwide here at home, because we do have some very good things going on right here. We just haven't noticed them because of the economic situation and political gridlock.

You should notice that political gridlock tends to occur during times of there being confusion about what to do in order to fix problems. The lack of ability to affect positive changes has come from, in my opinion, poor education of the leaders of our constituents and their polarized political agendas (basically, the GOP is stuck in their right wing, excessively conservative rhetoric).

Bill Gates in his letter points out that the Millennium Development, which was agreed to by all countries and leading development institutions back in 2000, have helped the world make substantial progress to improve the lives of its poorest people in these areas:

• Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger
• Achieve universal primary education
• Promote gender equality and empower women
• Reduce child mortality
• Improve maternal health
• combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and other diseases
• Ensure environmental sustainability
• A global partnership for development

Bill and Melinda Gates have been traveling the world with their, "Bill And Melinda Gates Foundation", affecting positive change worldwide.

He has pointed out a few things we do need to do. One I'd like to mention here, is about teachers.

Teachers are a group that have taken a lot of flak and undeservedly so. They are underpaid and overworked. As Mr. Gates pointed out recently, they have not been given the same tools business has given to its employees. Rather than testing the teachers, why not give them feedback? Rather than berate and attempt to remove those who are there (and if they are truly incompetent, they should be removed, but they should never have been there to begin with), they need access to how to deal with problems they are having. They need our support, not our recriminations. They need information, not just a pink slip.

How do those teachers who are successfulat dealing with trouble students deal with the situation. Or in teaching a difficult or complex subject, how do the successfulteachers, teach it? Let's share that. Let's stand up and take responsibility for getting teachers the tools and methods they need to affect positive change in their environment, because their environment is particularly important to us as parents, as a nation. And as a world.

Another measurement for progress worldwide, is about children under age five dying. They are dying now less than before, the numbers are dropping. In 1960 twenty million children under age five were dying each year. Within the next few years, that will be down to three million.

Polio is down to just over a couple of hundred cases worldwide and may soon be eradicated.

Mr. Gates also pointed out things like the ability to have information at the touch of your fingers. Being able to sit with your child in your home and explore the world online. Think about that for a moment. Appreciate some of the things you now take for granted. The technologies and devices we have that make our lives easier every day have changed how we do business, how we live and how we interact with one another. Has technology closed us off from one another, or brought us closer?

Yes, I do see people I know less now a days, and we live further apart than when I was younger and I mostly knew people within a close physical distance from me. But technology has brought us closer together, in some ways removing that distance. I know more now about what my kids, family, friends, and new long distance friends and acquaintancesare doing, than I ever knew in the past before these technologies.

The wealth we as Americans experience and live with every day, as opposed to those around the world who are starving or dying daily, can be invisible to us. Yet, even those people's lives around the world are getting better. They are starving and dying less. Yes, there is still much to do, but we are making pathways to success.

For those who think the world is a horrible place, Mr. Gates has pointed out that things are getting better all the time, and are markedly better than only a few years ago.

To support his contentions, last year the Dalai Lama, as another world traveler who should know, has been saying this same things. That violence worldwide is actually down from years ago, even though it doesn't look to us that way in media and news. Which points out that we need to carefully watch where we get our news and information from, because media has become oriented through entertainment more than journalism.

The bottom dollar has become more important than the accurate, neutral delivery of real news. News departments should not be attached to a profit margin. It used to be that other departments covered that for them. That is one change that has certainly denigrated our news and information. But believe it or not, the new injection of Al Jazeera buying Current TV, which Al Gore just sold to them, might be just the sort of catalyst we need. Regardless of where they come from, I have to say I would trust news from them over Fox News (after their recent, horrible showing, in their consistent inaccuracies, during our last Presidential election), any day of the week.

Last year my own daughter returned from backpacking all over Europe, going to Eastern Europe to places I was afraid for her to go. Yet she returned safely and said those scary places were where she met some of the nicest people she came in contact with on her travels, and she felt the safest there. The most dangerous place she went to, turned out to be Athens, Greece during their riots with mobs and cars on fire and angry people hurting and getting hurt.

So don't feel too depressed about "Today" because apparently, beyond our vision, out of our line of sight, just outside of our available information, and in many cases even right in front of us, in our own homes, there really are good things happening. The world is having a difficult time, but not in every area.

Overall it would seem that efforts really are paying off and turning the planet into a better world. In many cases, without our even recognizing it.

The HealthCare Disease after Heart Disease

NOTE: I just wanted to say, to those of you who have donated money to help this family out this week, from them and myself, Thank You So Much!

A very good friend of mine recently had a serious scare in his life. He almost lost the person closest to him in his life, aside from his daughter, that is.

I've known him since I was having trouble in my own life back in 1992 around the time we first met. He was the nicest guy in the world and working at a local establishment that has a fond spot in my heart. A local brew pub called The Big Time Ale House on the "Ave" in the "U District" in Seattle. My marriage was disintegrating around me. I had a four year old boy. I had bills. I ended up living in a house where I rented a room from the woman who was leasing the house. It was a sad period in my life.

At one point, I was working two full time jobs so that I could get enough money to buy my son a Christmas present. I had been eating top ramen for my one meal per day. I got a second job at a bakery making Pasty's. I was working for a Ex Pat Brit who also ran a Pub on the "Ave" called The Unicorn. During this time I was hanging with this friend in my off time when he was available. A bright light in an otherwise dark period.

Then he moved to California for a while and we lost touch. After a whille he moved up to Portland and eventually got married and had a daughter, Mollie. Recently his wife, had a medical scare and we were quite worried but she came through it. They came through it, but as our health care is in America (and don't get me started on that topic), they are now left with bills from it.

They are good people, they are hard working, small business people. The started a business last year cleaning houses. The two of them. Now, just he can do it. They got their dream started up, things were going well, then this happened. To me, they are the cream of America, and they need help.

If you've ever had a medical condition and came through it, but were left with large bills from it, then you know that the bills can be almost as devestating emotionally, as the original condition that almost killed you. I never understood that about healthcare. "Great, I survived, but the stress is killing me anyway and I may have a heart attack just from that!"

The other day, on her own, their daughter Mollie put up a donations page. They didn't ask for it. She just wanted to do something to help. So I figured that the least I could do, after donating what I could, was to give others the opportunity to help too. If everyone that reads my blog were to donate $10, just $10, it would pay off their medical bills.

So, please, consider it.

All I want to do now is to post their daughter's words from her donations page and, if you feel moved, please help them out with anything. $20? $10? Even $5 would help, if enough people donated.

So here she is and thank you for your time and consideration. This isn't something you will ever see me do very often.

My name is Mollie and I am 18 years old. On December 26, my mom began experiencing severe chest pains. I called 911, not knowing what was really happening as they drove her to the nearest hospital. The next day, after testing, doctors informed us that she had a minor heart attack and needed to be moved to a bigger hospital where she could have her Angiogram. A few days later the heart surgeon suggested a triple bypass as her best option. For a diabetic with heart disease and three stints put in 11 years ago, he believed that bypass surgery would be the most beneficial to her. We were all scared, but we encouraged her to go through with the surgery.

December 31 my mother had her surgery. After many anxious hours I got word that all went well, though she ended up needing a quadruple bypass instead of a triple. January 5, 2013 my mom came home. Though she is getting better every day, she is still in the process of recovering. 

My parents own a house cleaning business; however, since my mother will be out of work for up to four months my dad has completely taken over, while I stay at home. I am a full time college student, while also taking care of my mom in her recovery. 

With a huge amount of hospital bills, regular expenses, the cost of medication, and daily needs, we are very tight on money. We understand everyone is going through hard times right now, so any amount will help. Thank you for listening to our story and support my family in this difficult time. God bless.

So, that was Mollie. Thank you for your time.

Here is the link to the donations page.

The Healthcare Disease after Heart Disease

NOTE: I just wanted to say, to those of you who have donated money to help this family out this week, from them and myself, Thank You So Much!

A very good friend of mine recently had a serious scare in his life. He almost lost the person closest to him in his life, aside from his daughter, that is.

I've known him since I was having trouble in my own life back in 1992 around the time we first met. He was the nicest guy in the world and working at a local establishment that has a fond spot in my heart. A local brew pub called The Big Time Ale House on the "Ave" in the "U District" in Seattle. My marriage was disintegrating around me. I had a four year old boy. I had bills. I ended up living in a house where I rented a room from the woman who was leasing the house. It was a sad period in my life.

At one point, I was working two full time jobs so that I could get enough money to buy my son a Christmas present. I had been eating top ramen for my one meal per day. I got a second job at a bakery making Pasty's. I was working for a Ex Pat Brit who also ran a Pub on the "Ave" called The Unicorn. During this time I was hanging with this friend in my off time when he was available. A bright light in an otherwise dark period.

Then he moved to California for a while and we lost touch. After a whille he moved up to Portland and eventually got married and had a daughter, Mollie. Recently his wife, had a medical scare and we were quite worried but she came through it. They came through it, but as our health care is in America (and don't get me started on that topic), they are now left with bills from it.

They are good people, they are hard working, small business people. The started a business last year cleaning houses. The two of them. Now, just he can do it. They got their dream started up, things were going well, then this happened. To me, they are the cream of America, and they need help.

If you've ever had a medical condition and came through it, but were left with large bills from it, then you know that the bills can be almost as devestating emotionally, as the original condition that almost killed you. I never understood that about healthcare. "Great, I survived, but the stress is killing me anyway and I may have a heart attack just from that!"

The other day, on her own, their daughter Mollie put up a donations page. They didn't ask for it. She just wanted to do something to help. So I figured that the least I could do, after donating what I could, was to give others the opportunity to help too. If everyone that reads my blog were to donate $10, just $10, it would pay off their medical bills.

So, please, consider it.

All I want to do now is to post their daughter's words from her donations page and, if you feel moved, please help them out with anything. $20? $10? Even $5 would help, if enough people donated.

So here she is and thank you for your time and consideration. This isn't something you will ever see me do very often.

My name is Mollie and I am 18 years old. On December 26, my mom began experiencing severe chest pains. I called 911, not knowing what was really happening as they drove her to the nearest hospital. The next day, after testing, doctors informed us that she had a minor heart attack and needed to be moved to a bigger hospital where she could have her Angiogram. A few days later the heart surgeon suggested a triple bypass as her best option. For a diabetic with heart disease and three stints put in 11 years ago, he believed that bypass surgery would be the most beneficial to her. We were all scared, but we encouraged her to go through with the surgery.

December 31 my mother had her surgery. After many anxious hours I got word that all went well, though she ended up needing a quadruple bypass instead of a triple. January 5, 2013 my mom came home. Though she is getting better every day, she is still in the process of recovering. 

My parents own a house cleaning business; however, since my mother will be out of work for up to four months my dad has completely taken over, while I stay at home. I am a full time college student, while also taking care of my mom in her recovery. 

With a huge amount of hospital bills, regular expenses, the cost of medication, and daily needs, we are very tight on money. We understand everyone is going through hard times right now, so any amount will help. Thank you for listening to our story and support my family in this difficult time. God bless.

So, that was Mollie. Thank you for your time.

Here is the link to the donations page.

My First Audio Book Production - The Mea Culpa Document of London

A few weeks back I got into doing audio books. I heard good things about them and I've used them before when I was commuting four hours a day. I found them, incredibly enjoyable. Especially, James Marsters reading Jim Butcher's excellent "Dresden Files" series of books. So not expecting the quality of my readings to reach that of the incredible skills of James Marsters, I thought I could do something reasonable and worthy of a listen. I also found that the more I did it, and when doing an audio book you redo and redo to get it right (or at least to eliminate gross errors), that I did get better as time went on.

So, my first audio book is now up on Audible.com and iTunes. I chose for my first attempt, "The Mea Culpa Document of London". As for iTunes, I'm easily found there by a quick search. I just tried searching under "Books" for, "JZ Murdock Mea" and it popped right up. It's priced at $6.95 which I had nothing to do with setting the price. But I have to tell you, after having written the story, making the audio book is a lot of work.

"Mea Culpa" is a story about an apprentice Witch Hunter in the Middle Ages who takes over for his well respected Master and one day, finds himself in the same sorry situation that he once observed his Master painfully have to go through.

This, took a lot of research, following the directions on Amazon's ACX.com site, learning to use Audacity software and just doing it properly, using the right filters, and so on. It was at first quite intimidating. You not only have to know what to do technically, but then you have to be not only a writer, but a voice actor.

You can alternately offer on ACX to make a deal with a producer and actor but I decided to try and do it myself. In that way you also don't have to split the profits. That was a positive reason but I just didn't want to have to deal with others on this project. Full control is always best if you can swing it.

They say on the ACX site that if you take say eight hours to read a work, you will probably spend double that in the technical side of processing the file. You need to boost this, filter that and make it sound professional. Which I'm all for but figuing that out by yourself was a nightmare (for me anyway).

Still, with the help of my cover artist, Marvin Hayes, an artistic and technical genius himself, I finally figured out what I thought needed to be done, did the work, which took a while, uploaded it and waited. And waited. A few weeks later (today) I got notified that it was accepted and now up for sale on Audible.com and on iTunes.

 If you check it out, I hope you will appreciate all the work that went into producing this work and find it pleasant and worth it. I had thoughts of sound effects, music and all that, but as it was, this was a lot of work. However, I am the type that falls easily into "mission creep" and one of these days I'll probably get around to special effects.

But for now, I'm just pleased to have finally seen this on the "shelves" and avaialble to the public.

As always....

Cheers!

Where is the Great Art?

Why is it (why do we allow it?) that so much Art is produced with the funds and involvement from those who seem to have the least capability to do it, and therefore have the greatest power to shape it?
Do we really want this?

So rather than some incredible Art being produced to affect us the most deeply (though in smaller numbers, I'll grant you), we  are generally left with diluted Art that affects the greatest possible numbers... but the most shallowly, because it is the most "cost effective" to generate the most amount of money for those corporations who fund it. What starts out perhaps with the greatest of intentions, inevitably ends with the poorest of products.

How can we stop this?

The sculptor Magdalena Abakanowicz has said that, "Art does not solve problems, but makes us aware of their existence."

"If they're worried about their test scores and want a way to get them higher, they need to give kids more arts, not less," says Tom Horne, Arizona's state superintendent of public instruction. "There's lots of evidence that kids immersed in the arts do better on their academic tests." - From the article, "Why Art Education is crucial and Who's doing it best"

One current possibility is crowdfunding. But it is not the best solution, either.

I guess we're just back to the starving artist model. Those who are willing to produce what the Artist believes to be Art. But in this world today of little discipline, desire for immediate gratification, luxury in life as a default, how well is that going to happen?

Consider that the first thing Republicans in the last election were going to cut was money for the Arts. I'd argue we need the Arts as a society far more than we need sports in education, or even some other subjects. Yet, schools say that sports bring money in to support their other programs, like the Arts. Isn't that really inherently dysfunctional and undesirable? I'm not saying just get rid of sports, but between our primal, base functions and our higher even spiritual ones, which should we all to take us over? And if you can't see that, I think that just might prove my point.

Think about it.

Just how much "Great Art" DO you see in YOUR daily life?

Welcome back, Mr. President - Guns, Guns, Guns

Pres. Obama has been Inaugurated. A second term for the Harvard Law Professor. On an appropriate day, Martin Luther King Day. Especially so, as he was killed by a gun (we'll get to that in a moment).

Let me absorb that a moment. We have now gone from the buffoon from Texas who has pretty much devastated this country, with prior help admittedly, to an actual intellectual. Sigh....

Congratulations to us for staving off the ridiculous right wing extremists, overly conservative conservatives, and the way too pro religion nutzos.

On the other hand, if you are one of those, well, my condolences. Read a book

Oh, come on! Just having a bit of fun with this....

Now, I am trying to stay away from politics. I'm a writer. I really just want to write. But I see so much stupidity lately in government (especially in the GOP), in our society, it's hard not to speak out sometimes, to get distracted.

So, because today is a special day and we thankfully have an intelligent man once again sworn into office as President, I am going to speak out. Regardless what you think about the President's orientation and policies, that is important, that he is an educated and intelligent individual and not a lame brain jackal. Okay, maybe that's a bit strong, how about, jackass? So, I'm going to say something today, then next week hopefully get back to mere writing issues.

Is life perfect now after one term in office? No, not quite. Have we expected too much of Barack Obama? Yes. And, no. He took on the job, so that's that. But we do need to be reasonable. We've handed the man an almost impossible task and after all, you never can please everyone. Had Bush still been in office, I doubt we'd be in this good a situation. I fear it would have been far worse, so compare now to that sad possibility.

Consider the President's position now on gun control, against that of groups like, the NRA. There's a group for you. Let's ban assault rifles? No? Why? Because we should what? Put assault rifles in schools to protect children from the very few crazies out there who MIGHT attack one of thousands of schools? Isn't THAT crazy?

Actually? Yes, it is.

But but before we consider the Second Amendment, I want to say one thing. We shouldn't be so worried about losing our Second Amendment rights, as we should be worried about losing all our other rights. Privacy rights, legal rights, rights against corporations who have wrangled their positions to have more rights than we do as citizens, which this country was founded upon. That might be the most important right we are losing, protection against big money, monopolies and the definition of what a monopoly now a days, is considered to be.

But Privacy? What little Bush started with taking away our privacy and rights to being arrested with due process and so on, Mr. Obama has apparently not gotten rid of either. I think it's time we address that rape of the constitution. I hope he does address it in his next four years, but I don't have high hopes. Even if he does that, will Congress allow it to happen? But that is another issue. Like, what the Hell is wrong with THOSE people?

Another author friend of mine just mentioned to me an article he read the other day on how the Second Amendment had a lot to do with slavery and the militias that hunted down runaways, etc. Interesting.

From the article The Second Amendment was Ratified to Protect Slavery, by Thom Hartmann:

"But [Patrick] Henry, [George] Mason and others wanted southern states to preserve their slave-patrol militias independent of the federal government.  So Madison changed the word "country" to the word "state," and redrafted the Second Amendment into today's form:

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State [emphasis mine], the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

"Little did Madison realize that one day in the future weapons-manufacturing corporations, newly defined as "persons" by a Supreme Court some have called dysfunctional, would use his slave patrol militia amendment to protect their "right" to manufacture and sell assault weapons used to murder schoolchildren."

Okay, if we ban assault weapons of extended magazines, that isn't the end. There are still other ways. For hundreds of years people knew you had to carry multiple weapons as extended magazines weren't available. Multiple guns, hand guns, shotguns, no guns? Bombs. Or something we haven't thought of yet that, and don't be surprised, some nutzo will eventually come up with a new way to kill.

So, you don't want to lose your right to own an assault rifle?

Some are saying, okay, if you want to shoot one, you should have to go to a licenced firing range where the weapons are protected and locked up when unused. Well, that actually won't stop the crazies. Actually, most gun laws only, as people say, crimp the style of legal, law abiding gun owners.

But here is something to consider. And consider along with this that I am a gun owner. I have been since I was in Jr. High and I had a 20 gauge shotgun (with shells) as well as a .303 British (a rifle type that was powerful enough to have been used many decades ago in Africa to kill elephants). Being so into guns as a kid (gun crazy as she put it) my mother made me join a young people's local, police sanctioned shooting club. She actually called the police department for a recommendation: "If you're going to be so nuts about guns, you'er going to learn about them properly."

That training, made me not be nuts about guns. I still liked them, but I learned they are tools, not toys. Killing tools. Which I learned to turn into a sport. I kill paper not, not critters. Or people. But if the Army ever showed up and handed me a gun and said let's go, we've been invaded, or something, I can definitely hit what I aim at.

I have belonged to firing ranges. I'm ex military. I was headed into a career that would have semi frequently ended me up on the wrong end of a gun as a career. Most likely in a dark alley in a foreign country, somewhere. I own what would be considered an assault weapon, several even. But it's always been my contention that although I enjoy owning and using them, legally, properly, safely, if they were taken from me due to laws, fine. But I won't allow someone to break in and take them, especially if I'm not home. They are protected.

If I ever found myself, after having my guns taken from me, in a situation where I need assault weapons, I'd find another way, should it come to that. See, there are always alternates  You just have to be smart, knowledgeable, educated about the things you need to know about. A gun, isn't always the right answer. If things are going wrong, use your mind, talk. And if you do need to start killing people, you don't have to have a gun. It's helpful certainly, but it's not always the way to go.

If you need to kill groups of people, a gun is actually somewhat ineffective. If a revolution starts, if we are invaded, if our country simply fails, or the "zombie apocalypse" hits, there are always other ways. Guns are just the easiest and laziest WMD. Yes, I'd prefer one in an apocalyptic situation. But I'll make due, either way. I am a survivor. Worst case, others will always have them and if they decide to cross my path, that is their own fault for losing their own life and weapons. You have to think ahead, look before you leap in those situations. Always have a plan B.

See. Things are never that bad, in any situation. Till you stop breathing.

Now, all that being said, if we don't have guns, and someone wants to kill groups of people, there are other ways to do it. I'd actually prefer someone open fire on me with a gun, rather than a bomb, or a chemical or biological weapon. Both of which can be produced in the home, by a semi intelligent individual, from information freely available off the internet, or from a library. And let me tell you, a less than average individual who is insanely dedicated to finding a way to kill groups of people, can act as if they were much more intelligent, than they normally are.

Okay, here's a suggestion about gun control. You want an assault weapon? Fine. Then you have to use it. The second amendment says what?

"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." (as sent to and ratified by the states and Thomas Jefferson)

Okay then. That second section is dependent upon the first section. Right? So. Get your fat ass out to a militia, and I don't mean Joe Bob's militia, no getting high, or drunk. Guns, are serious business. I mean a designated, functional, real ass militia run by the military, designated by the military, for the people and essentially by the people, but the real, functional people (trained professionally) who know what they are doing. Which is, the military.

Militia, should have Military Advisers, just like third world countries get from us, Advisers with teeth though, authority. After all this isn't a third world country, it is OUR country. And if you're not up to snuff pal, if you don't have appropriate attitude (yes, attitude), or security at your house to store your assault weapons, then you lose them. Oh, you can still own them, you just can't house them, because you have been deemed ineffective in their being secured.

See, what is intrinsic in that amendment are several issues related to those words used, their meanings and the functionality of those words and meanings. A bunch of yahoos playing soldier (and drinking beers) is not a "well regulated" militia. See? Get it? Comprende?

Think about it.

It just dawned on me how many have no clue what this really meant back at the birth of the nation, or what that translates into now. Things change. $100,000 back then is like $6 million, now. Possibly like the meaning of the word, "Militia", as I indicated above in that article reference from my friend.

If they had these kinds of assault weapons back then, and if people were shooting them off at public houses and Inns killing people, this amendment would have been rewritten 'tout de suite' (you know, toot sweet), just so you could finish your beer before having to deal with whipping out your own assault rifle. See, you don't get to have rights to WMD's without appropriate justification and capability and that is stated right there within the amendment: "a well regulated militia".

Consider too that back then, a WMD was multiple men with weapons. It took, multiple weapons to be a weapon of mass destruction, not just one. Now, with assault weapons, it really only takes one weapon, one assault rifle, to be a WMD.

People think that means (whatever they want to think it means typically) "well regulated" is from, without. But it also, or more likely means from, within. And that means, training. So guess what? Grab your assault rifle and get ready for some getting yelled at and, actually hitting some targets and, making it over some terrain to practice what it is really like to be in a modern day militia.

One might consider that with our greater understanding of things and technology, this would mean a Military Reserve Unit.

But it doesn't have to.

Just enough training to make these weapons safer in the public arena and secured from all the nutzos who are using them inappropriately (or too appropriately, depending on how you view it). And, if you're nuts, your Sergeant, I guarantee, is going to see it out on the practice fields. At that point: "You can just leave your weapon(s) at the armory till we look further into this.... Pal."

Anyway....

Obviously I don't think the Pres. went far enough on his gun control suggestions. Okay, executive order. Or whatever.

And much of this is a moot point anyway. Because what we need isn't so much gun control, but a fundamental change in our entire society.

Why, if I had some serious killing weapons in my room as a child (no that isn't the issue), why didn't I ever use them to kill anyone?

Maybe because I had the same angst as people do now a days. I just didn't believe in using a gun to exercise my frustrations. Why? I think partly it has to do with having taken away too much control from children. That explains our children turning their frustrations inward to themselves ("cutting", etc.), rather than allowing them to spill out and be seen, through acting out in their obvious social behaviors. Now things are hidden. Till it's too late. They tend to react inwardly, till they can't take it anymore and the explode outward, into the public.

Yes, that is all theory and it is an argument I've given in prior blogs and is for another time, not really for here.

But ask yourself, what has changed in our society? We need to change how we think, at a very basic level. We need to think, to consider how we raise our children, how we show them to view their world, our entire world. Who we are.

You see WE, need to change. As a People.

But I don't see that happening anytime soon.

Just, think about it.

And congratulations once again, to President Obama, and to us.

New JZ Murdock Video Book Trailers

Last week I posted links to my two new Video Book Trailers of my writings on YouTube. There were only two then, one for Death of Heaven, and one for Anthology of Evil. I have made a longer one for each now and updated last week's post. I offer them again here along with my new ones for many of my eBook short stories and my novella, Andrew, which is a lead in to the book, Death of Heaven.

First of all, should any of these links change, you can get to their latest replacement versions and any new one on my TheJZMurdock YouTube Channel. See if I change or enhance these videos, I have to create new versions which would supercede these older versions.

From - EarVu

I now have more I would like to share with you. I hope you find them intriguing. If you would like to keep track of my channel, go to: TheJZMurdock on YouTube.

UPDATE 1/18/2013: Before I get to the fiction video book trailers (book trailer videos?), I have just created two new ones for a couple of my non-fiction articles:

Synesthesia, and the Need for More Information - Video Book Trailer
This article is free and also included in:

Some Notes on Field Theory, Albert's Mind and the Status Quo - Video Book Trailer

Okay then, here are my fiction trailers:

Books
Anthology of Evil - Video Book Trailer

Death of Heaven - Video Book Trailer


Novella

Andrew - Video Book Trailer

Short Stories

EarVu - Video Book Trailer

Gumdrop City - Video Book Trailer

In Memory, Yet Crystal Clear - Video Book Trailer

Japheth, Ishvi and The Light - Video Book Trailer

Poor Lord Ritchie's Answer to a Question He Knever Knew - Video Book Trailer

Sarah - Video Book Trailer

Simon's Beautiful Thought - Video Book Trailer

The Mea Culpa Document of London - Video Book Trailer

I have a few others to do and I will let you all know when they are ready, too.

Cheers!