🔫 Trigger Warning: Guns, Drama, and the Crossfire of Culture
In South Korea’s electrifying 2024 drama Trigger (트리거), bullets don’t just shatter glass — they fracture society. The show imagines a near-future Korea where firearms are outlawed, but illegal guns mysteriously appear at citizens’ doorsteps. What follows is an unraveling of personal traumas, institutional failures, and the fragile line between justice and chaos.
In the United States, we don’t have to imagine such a future — it’s already here.
🎬 The Premise: Korea’s Fictional Gun Epidemic
Trigger stars Kim Nam-gil as Lee Do, an ex-sniper turned police officer, and Kim Young-kwang as Moon Baek, a morally unhinged arms broker. As guns filter into homes and hands, the nation teeters on civil collapse. Episode by episode, the series exposes the psychological “triggers” that lead ordinary people to pull the literal one.
Mass shootings, school violence, revenge fantasies, state corruption — Trigger isn’t escapist drama. It’s reflective fiction, wrapped in adrenaline.
🌏 A Tale of Two Nations
So why is gun violence far more prevalent in the U.S. than in South Korea?
🇺🇸 The American Arsenal
393 million guns in civilian hands — that’s more than one per person.
Constitutional protections for gun ownership have created a culture of normalization.
Over 600 mass shootings recorded in a single year.
Gun access is decentralized, often unregulated across states.
🇰🇷 South Korea’s Tight Control
Guns are considered dangerous tools, not personal rights.
Civilians must store firearms at local police stations.
Less than 1% of the population owns guns, legally.
Mandatory military service trains nearly all men in firearm use — but they return home without them.
Yet despite these controls, Korea isn’t untouched by violence. A handful of tragic shootings — Woo Bum-kon’s 1982 rampage among them — reveal that even in a nation with low gun access, psychological instability and institutional gaps can prove lethal.
💰 Market Forces: Legal vs Illegal Weapons
In the U.S., one can buy a legal firearm for as low as $300. In Korea, black-market guns are rare and can cost up to $5,000, with high personal risk. Illicit gun trade exists, but is heavily policed and socially condemned.
🧑🎤 Korean Immigrants in the U.S. — An Unwritten Chapter
Statistically, Korean Americans are not significantly represented in mass shooting incidents. In fact, they’re one of the least likely demographic groups to be involved, reinforcing the idea that access — not ethnicity — drives violence.
🎯 Gun Violence in K-Drama Storytelling
Beyond Trigger, Korean dramas use gun violence sparingly — but symbolically.
Title
Korean
Synopsis
Signal
시그널
Cold-case detectives solve crimes via a time-traveling radio; gun violence tied to police failure
Flower of Evil
악의 꽃
A man hides his criminal past; guns emerge as symbolic climax
Voice
보이스
Call center tracks serial killers; guns become emotional tools rather than casual weapons
Taxi Driver
모범택시
A revenge-driven vigilante offers justice to the exploited, wielding firearms only when morality permits
These dramas reflect Korea’s cultural unease with firearms. Guns are not props — they’re disruptions, signifiers of a social break.
📚 From Script to Society
If Trigger were adapted to the U.S., it might lose its allegorical sharpness — not because the themes are irrelevant, but because Americans have long stopped being shocked by a gun on the kitchen counter. Where Trigger plays with the idea of sudden armament as a societal infection, an American version might resemble a mirror too accurate — or a satire too close to truth.
Lee Do’s climactic choice — to hug a child holding a gun instead of shooting — is a poetic inversion of real-world responses. In a nation defined by “Stand Your Ground” laws, could empathy disarm the conflict?
✍️ Final Shot
Gun violence isn’t just a statistic. It’s a trigger — emotional, political, personal. And in blending fiction with reality, Trigger offers what satire does best: a chance to see ourselves from the outside and ask, “What have we normalized?”
🇺🇸 vs 🇰🇷 Gun Violence: A Comparative Lens
🔍 Why Is Gun Violence So Much Greater in the U.S. Than in Korea?
Access & Culture:
The U.S. has a deeply entrenched gun culture tied to constitutional rights (Second Amendment), self-defense, and individual liberty. South Korea, by contrast, treats gun ownership as a privilege, not a right.
Numbers Tell the Story:
U.S.: ~120 guns per 100 residents
South Korea: ~1.1 guns per 100 residents
Homicide Rates:
U.S.: ~4.7 intentional homicides per 100,000 people
South Korea: ~0.6 per 100,000
Mass Shootings: The U.S. has hundreds annually; Korea has had fewer than a dozen in the past 50 years
🎯 Military & Civilian Gun Use in Korea
Mandatory Military Service:
Nearly all Korean men undergo firearms training during their 18–24 months of service
Training typically includes rifles, not handguns
Shooting Ranges:
Civilian shooting is tightly controlled
Ranges like Myeongdong and Gangnam offer supervised shooting with strict ammo tracking
Tourists and locals can fire pistols, but only under staff supervision
🦌 Hunting Popularity: Korea vs U.S.
Metric
South Korea
United States
Legal hunting rifles
Allowed with a license
Widely available
Popularity
Niche, seasonal
Cultural tradition
Game hunted
Wild boar, pheasant
Deer, turkey, elk, waterfowl
Participation rate
Very low
~8.4% of the population hunts
🔥 Major Mass Shootings in Korea
While rare, Korea has experienced a few notable incidents:
Year
Incident
Firearm Source
1982
Woo Bum-kon rampage (56 killed)
2007
Gangneung shooting (3 killed)
Hunting rifle
2011
Marine Corps shooting (4 killed)
Military-issued rifle
2015
Army base shooting (2 killed)
The Korean Times Headline put the Woo Bom Kon Rampage as “Drunken GI Goes on Rampage and Blows Himself.” Dropping the up makes the headline absurdly funny to foreign readers!
Most firearms were obtained through military or police channels, not civilian ownership
Guns in K-dramas often signal emotional trauma, revenge, or institutional collapse, rather than everyday crime
트리거 (Teurigeo) — Romanized as “Trigger,” it literally means “trigger,” but metaphorically evokes the emotional and societal tipping points explored in the series.
🔥 Overall Synopsis
Set in a near-future South Korea where firearms are banned, Trigger imagines a chilling scenario: illegal guns begin flooding the country, delivered anonymously to ordinary citizens. The story follows:
Lee Do (Kim Nam-gil), a former military sniper turned police officer, haunted by trauma and committed to justice.
Moon Baek (Kim Young-kwang), a charismatic arms broker with a messianic complex and a plan to destabilize society.
As gun violence escalates, the drama interrogates moral ambiguity, systemic failure, and the psychological “triggers” that push people to the edge.
📺 Episode-by-Episode Breakdown (Highlights)
Episode
Summary
1
A mentally unstable student, Yoo Jung-tae, receives an illegal firearm and goes on a shooting spree. Lee Do begins investigating the source of the weapons.
2
Multiple subplots emerge: a sex offender receives a gun, a bullied student is coerced into theft, and Lee Do meets Moon Baek.
3
A high-octane chase and shootout reveal Lee Do’s military past. Moon Baek’s motives remain murky.
4
Mrs. Oh, a grieving mother, receives a gun and contemplates revenge. Lee Do confronts Jeong-man’s gang.
5
Moon Baek’s backstory unfolds—he was trafficked as a child and radicalized. His plan to destabilize Korea becomes clearer.
6
A school shooting orchestrated by Moon Baek shocks the nation. Gyu-jin and Yeong-dong, bullied students, become pawns in his scheme.
7–9
The conspiracy deepens. Lee Do uncovers ties to an international arms syndicate. Moon Baek manipulates public sentiment.
10
At a mass rally, Moon Baek tries to provoke nationwide violence. Lee Do chooses empathy over vengeance, embracing a child with a gun. The image goes viral, halting the chaos.
🎭 Cast List
Actor
Role
Description
Kim Nam-gil
Lee Do
Ex-sniper turned cop, stoic and haunted
Kim Young-kwang
Moon Baek
Arms dealer with a dual personality
Woo Ji-hyun
Yoo Jung-tae
Student with mental illness
Park Hoon
Koo Jeong-man
Gang handler
Kim Won-hae
Cho Hyeon-sik
Police sergeant, father figure to Lee Do
Gil Hae-yeon
Oh Gyeong-suk
Grieving mother
Jang Dong-joo
Jang Sun-gyeong
Guest role (Ep. 1–4)
Park Yoon-ho
Park Gyu-jin
Bullied student
Others
Various guest roles
Including gang members, police chiefs, and victims
💬 Notable Quotes
Moon Baek: “All I did was hand them a gun. It’s up to them whether they pull the trigger.”
Lee Do: “Wouldn’t pulling a 5-millimeter trigger in pursuit of revenge spread fear in the minds of many?”
Captain Jo: “How did you bear this pain at such a young age?” — Lee Do: “It was all thanks to you, Captain.”
These lines encapsulate the show’s moral tension and emotional depth.
📚 Literary Reputation & Themes
Critical Acclaim: Praised for its bold premise and emotional resonance. Critics highlight its refusal to offer easy answers and its exploration of societal collapse through individual trauma.
🕊️ How to Kill a Superpower’s Soft Side: The USAID Autopsy Report
audio clip
Note: analysis drawn from Co-Pilot, Media coverage and personal reflections. all opinions are my own and do not reflect the views of my prior employers. End Note
Personal Footnote from a Former Insider
I worked in the F Bureau. I evaluated programs. I collaborated with USAID officers in Barbados and beyond. I saw firsthand how aid—when done right—can transform lives and stabilize regions. Now, that expertise has been replaced by econ officers with no development background and a mandate to “align with U.S. interests.”
The apparatus is gone. The need remains. And rebuilding it—if we ever do—will cost far more than we saved.
It took 64 years to build. It took one memo to dismantle.
On July 1, 2025, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) officially ceased to exist. No farewell ceremony. No bipartisan tribute. Just a quiet burial under the banner of “efficiency,” courtesy of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—a name so Orwellian it practically writes its own satire.
Thousands of careers were vaporized. Contracts shredded. Clinics shuttered. And with them, America’s soft power—its ability to lead not just with missiles, but with medicine, education, and hope—was tossed into the recycling bin of history.
📜 A Brief History of American Benevolence (1945–2025)
1948–1951: The Marshall Plan pumps $13 billion into postwar Europe, proving that foreign aid can be strategic, generous, and wildly effective.
Cold War Era: Aid becomes a weapon against communism. South Korea, Vietnam, and Latin America get the dollars—if they toe the ideological line.
1961: JFK births USAID, a sleek new agency to centralize development efforts. Cue the golden age of American altruism (with strings attached).
Post-9/11: Aid pivots to HIV/AIDS (PEPFAR), disaster relief, and rebuilding failed states. USAID becomes a global lifeline.
2020s: Climate resilience, gender equity, and pandemic response dominate. USAID manages over $50 billion annually. Until it doesn’t.
🧨 The Great Unraveling
The shutdown was swift. No consultations with foreign governments. No coordination with NGOs. Just a top-down directive from unelected “techbros” working for Elon Musk’s Orwellian named Department of Government Efficiency, with zero foreign policy or foreign assistance experience. The result?
PEPFAR: Gutted. 20 million people at risk of losing HIV treatment.
MCC: Terminated. Strategic partnerships in Mongolia, West Africa, and the Pacific Islands left dangling.
Credibility: Torched. China and Russia now fill the vacuum, offering infrastructure with fewer questions asked.
📰 Media Reactions: A Tale of Two Echo Chambers
Left-Leaning Outlets: NPR and ABC News mourn the humanitarian fallout. A Lancet study predicts 14 million preventable deaths by 2030.
Right-Leaning Outlets: Fox News and The Daily Signal cheer the end of “woke aid.” Secretary Rubio calls it “the end of government-sanctioned inefficiency.”
The Closure of USAID (July 1, 2025)
On July 1, 2025, USAID officially ceased operations. Its functions were absorbed into the U.S. State Department’s F Bureau, marking the end of a 64-year-old institution.
🔹 Left-Leaning Media Coverage:
ABC News and NPR emphasized the humanitarian fallout, citing a Lancet study projecting 14 million additional deaths by 2030 due to aid disruptions.
Former Presidents Obama and Bush and figures like Bono mourned the closure, calling it a “tragedy” and praising USAID’s role in saving 91 million lives through programs like PEPFAR.
Concerns were raised about U.S. global credibility, especially in Africa and conflict zones, where USAID had been a key player.
🔹 Right-Leaning Media Coverage:
Outlets like Fox News, The Daily Signal, and Newsweek opinion columns framed the closure as a long-overdue reform, citing USAID’s alleged “woke agenda,” inefficiency, and politicization.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it the end of “government-sanctioned inefficiency”, asserting that future aid would be “targeted, time-limited, and aligned with U.S. interests”.
Some commentators accused USAID of acting as a “deep state slush fund”, though these claims were largely unsubstantiated.
🧠🏛️📦 How Is U.S. Foreign Assistance Being Delivered Now?
With USAID shuttered, foreign aid is now managed directly by the U.S. State Department, under a new model emphasizing:
Strategic alignment with U.S. foreign policy
Private sector partnerships and trade-based development
Reduced bureaucracy and fewer intermediaries
However, many NGOs and aid groups report confusion, funding gaps, and delays in program delivery, especially in health, education, and humanitarian relief.
🏗️
🧩 Who’s Running the Show Now? Foreign Aid in the Age of Administrative Amnesia
After USAID’s abrupt dismantling, foreign assistance didn’t vanish—it was reassigned, repackaged, and rebranded under the State Department’s Office of Foreign Assistance (F Bureau). Once a joint State/USAID venture, the F Bureau now flies solo, tasked with coordinating over 90% of U.S. foreign aid. Think of it as the bureaucratic equivalent of duct-taping a jet engine to a bicycle.
🏛️ The New Aid Architects
Peter Marocco, the man who signed the memo that gutted USAID, now helms the F Bureau. His résumé includes stints in Defense, Commerce, and a brief cameo as USAID’s Deputy Administrator before he helped shut it down.
USAID Staff: 94% laid off. A few hundred absorbed into State in technical roles. Most seasoned development professionals? Gone.
Embassy Implementation: Econ and political officers are now expected to manage aid portfolios. Their training? A few online modules and a PowerPoint from the Foreign Service Institute. No field experience. No programmatic depth. Just vibes.
Former USAID officers have warned that this shift risks misaligned programs, poor oversight, and a loss of institutional memory. But hey, at least it’s “efficient.”
🥫 Food Aid: Still Canned, Barely Coordinated
The USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) continues to operate food aid programs like:
Food for Progress
McGovern-Dole International Food for Education
Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust
But the scale is a shadow of its former self:
The Local and Regional Procurement pilot ended in 2022.
Emergency food aid is now commodity-based, with fewer field staff and minimal NGO coordination.
FAS overseas staff still exist, but their focus has shifted to trade promotion, not humanitarian relief.
Unless Congress steps in, don’t expect a return to pre-2025 levels of emergency food programming.
🌍 Impact by Sector
🧬 Global Health
Projected Deaths: A Lancet study estimates 14 million additional deaths by 2030, including 4.5 million children under 5, due to the collapse of USAID-funded health programs.
Diseases Affected:
HIV/AIDS: PEPFAR disruptions could lead to 630,000 deaths annually, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.
Malaria: Nearly 10 million new cases predicted in one year, with 7 million affecting children.
Tuberculosis & Polio: Resurgence expected due to halted vaccination and treatment programs.
Health Systems: Clinics in South Africa, Nigeria, India, and Peru have shut down, trials halted, and supply chains broken.
📚 Education
School Closures: In Afghanistan, thousands of girls lost access to underground schools funded by USAID.
Higher Education: Over 830 universities worldwide partnered with USAID in 2023; many have lost scholarships, research grants, and infrastructure support.
Regional Impact:
Africa: Education systems destabilized; children hardest hit.
Asia: Myanmar, Pakistan, and Bangladesh saw scholarship programs suspended.
Middle East: Egypt and Jordan lost major university partnerships.
🥫 Food Security
Emergency Food Aid: USAID funded 42% of global humanitarian food aid in 2024.
🕊️ Peace Corps: Restructuring, Not Yet Elimination
Personal Note: I served in the Peace Corps as a public health worker from 1979 to 1981 in the last Peace Corps group in Korea as Korea “graduated” from Peace Corps in 1981. End Note
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has begun a major review and restructuring of the Peace Corps, similar to what preceded the shutdown of USAID and AmeriCorps.
Staff at headquarters in D.C. have been offered a second buyout program (“DRP 2.0”), with cuts ranging from 50% to 80% across departments.
Overseas posts may see up to 25% staff reductions, potentially forcing closures in some of the 60 countries where the Peace Corps operates.
DOGE representatives are actively working inside Peace Corps HQ, signaling that further cuts or a full shutdown may be on the table.
🧭 Current Status: Still Operational, But Fragile
Interim CEO Allison Greene has reassured volunteers that the Peace Corps will continue to recruit, train, and support service efforts.
Volunteers remain deployed, but many are anxious and uncertain about the future, especially with recruitment and placement staff facing 70% cuts.
The Peace Corps is one of the last remaining soft power tools in the U.S. foreign policy arsenal, and its survival is seen as symbolic.
🇺🇸 Why This Matters Post-AmeriCorps
With AmeriCorps dismantled and its $400M in grants rescinded, the Peace Corps is now the sole federal volunteer service program still standing.
Critics argue that eliminating both would gut America’s grassroots diplomacy, especially in rural and underserved regions abroad.
Supporters like Rep. John Garamendi and advocacy groups such as the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) are lobbying hard to preserve it.
— the Peace Corps is still included in the FY 2026 budget proposal, with a funding request of $430.5 million. That’s a modest decrease from previous years, but it signals that the agency remains operational and valued, at least for now.
Here’s what the proposal emphasizes:
Sustaining current operations in over 60 countries
Modernizing recruitment and launching new service models
Investing in Volunteer health and safety, including medical clearance and treatment
Improving IT infrastructure and cybersecurity
Aligning global footprint with areas of greatest need and strategic U.S. interests
The budget also includes $7.8 million for the Office of Inspector General, and outlines plans to optimize staffing and streamline operations in response to global shifts and recruitment challenges.
So while the Peace Corps is under pressure, it’s still very much alive in the federal budget. Want to explore how this funding compares to past years or what it might mean for specific country programs?
⚖️ Legal Challenges to the Shutdowns
🏛️ USAID
Constitutional Concerns: Legal experts and lawmakers argue that USAID’s shutdown is unconstitutional, since it was codified by Congress in the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998.
Congressional Oversight: The law requires Congressional consultation and notification before any reorganization or abolition of USAID.
Pending Lawsuits:
Filed by USAID employees, contractors, and aid recipients.
Allegations include violations of the Impoundment Control Act, Privacy Act, and Administrative Procedure Act.
Supreme Court Involvement:
In March 2025, SCOTUS upheld a lower court’s restraining order, forcing the administration to resume frozen aid payments.
The case is still ongoing, with broader constitutional questions yet to be resolved.
Legal Pushback:
MCC’s shutdown contingency plan acknowledges its no-year appropriations and statutory protections, which may complicate executive efforts to dismantle it.
Lawsuits are expected, especially from countries with active compacts worth over 1% of their GNI, such as Lesotho, Timor-Leste, and Sierra Leone.
🧾 Other Foreign Assistance Programs
The Executive Order of January 20, 2025 paused all foreign development assistance for 90 days pending review.
Critics argue this violates the Impoundment Control Act, which prohibits the president from withholding funds already appropriated by Congress.
Congressional Action:
Democratic senators introduced legislation to limit reductions-in-force (RIFs) and protect foreign service officers.
The bill faces an uphill battle in the Republican-controlled Senate.
🧠 Key Legal Arguments
Separation of Powers: Congress has the sole authority to create or abolish federal agencies.
Due Process: Career civil servants and contractors are entitled to notice and legal protections.
Appropriations Clause: The president cannot unilaterally impound or redirect funds without Congressional approval.
Here’s a concise summary of the current legal status of the major challenges to the shutdown of U.S. foreign assistance agencies:
⚖️ USAID Shutdown
District Court: Multiple lawsuits (e.g. AVAC v. Trump, Global Health Council v. Trump) have led to temporary restraining orders blocking the administration from halting aid disbursements.
Key Rulings:
Judge Theodore Chuang found the shutdown likely violated the Constitution, especially the Appointments Clause and separation of powers.
Judge Amir Ali ruled that the freeze on aid was unlawful under the Impoundment Control Act and Administrative Procedure Act.
Appeals Court: The 4th Circuit temporarily stayed Chuang’s ruling, allowing the shutdown to proceed while the case is reviewed.
Supreme Court: Lifted a temporary stay on Judge Ali’s order, forcing the administration to resume some aid payments. However, the case is still pending on the merits.
📦 Foreign Assistance Programs (General)
Executive Order 14169: Paused all foreign aid for 90 days starting January 20, 2025.
Court Challenges:
District courts have issued restraining orders blocking the freeze on pre-existing contracts and grants.
Plaintiffs argue violations of the Anti-Deficiency Act, Privacy Act, and constitutional clauses.
Supreme Court: Narrowly upheld the restraining orders (5–4), but has not ruled on the full legality of the shutdowns.
🏗️ Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)
Created by Congress in 2004, MCC is also protected by statute and cannot be dissolved by executive order alone.
DOGE’s Shutdown Plan:
MCC staff were told in April 2025 that the agency would be effectively shuttered within 90 days.
Grants are being terminated, and staff offered deferred resignation or early retirement.
Shutdown Status: MCC was effectively shuttered in April 2025, with staff offered deferred resignations and grants terminated.
Legal Action:
No major court ruling yet, but Rep. Gregory Meeks and advocacy groups have called the shutdown illegal, citing lack of Congressional approval.
MCC’s Inspector General is reviewing internal decisions and expenditures, which may lead to further legal scrutiny.
🌎 Two Independent Aid Programs: Now Defunct
🔹 Latin America: The Amazon Biodiversity & Migration Initiatives
Amazon Biodiversity Conservation Partnership: Focused on protecting the rainforest and supporting Indigenous livelihoods in Brazil. It funded sustainable farming, climate adaptation, and income generation for women. The shutdown has forced groups like the Roraima Indigenous Council to lay off staff and cancel programs.
Migration & Economic Resilience Projects: In Colombia, USAID funded programs that helped over 40,000 Venezuelan migrants start businesses and access financial literacy training. These efforts reduced migration pressure toward the U.S. but have now been suspended.
Coca Eradication in Peru: USAID supported crop substitution (coffee, cacao) to combat cocaine production. With funding gone, Peru’s government is scrambling to continue the program independently.
🔹 Africa: Health & Governance Programs
PEPFAR & HIV/AIDS Support: USAID’s withdrawal has devastated HIV treatment programs across sub-Saharan Africa. Clinics in South Africa, Nigeria, and Zambia are closing or scaling back, and ARV supply chains are disrupted.
Democracy & Media Independence: In Liberia, USAID funded media and governance reforms. These are now frozen, threatening press freedom and civic oversight.
Agriculture & Education: Programs like Feed the Future and Power Africa are in limbo. NGOs across the continent have shut down due to abrupt stop-work orders.
🧾 Congressional Recission Bill: Status & Scope
Signed into Law: President Trump signed the Rescissions Act of 2025 on July 24.
Scope:
$8 billion cut from foreign assistance programs, including USAID, MCC, and global health initiatives.
$1 billion cut from public broadcasting (NPR, PBS), which had implications for emergency alerts in rural areas.
What Was Spared:
After pushback, $400 million for PEPFAR was restored in the final version.
Who’s Next:
Republicans have signaled this is just the first of multiple rescission packages targeting what they call “waste, fraud, and abuse”.
Certainly, Jake. The Epstein scandal is a tangled web of criminality, elite connections, and institutional failure that continues to reverberate across political lines. Here’s a comprehensive breakdown:
A wealthy financier with deep ties to elite circles, including politicians, royalty, and celebrities.
Convicted in 2008 for soliciting prostitution from a minor, but received a lenient plea deal.
Arrested again in 2019 for federal sex trafficking charges involving dozens of underage girls.
Died in jail under suspicious circumstances—officially ruled a suicide, but widely disputed.
Key Figures
Ghislaine Maxwell: Epstein’s longtime associate, convicted in 2021 for sex trafficking and conspiracy.
Alexander Acosta: Former U.S. Attorney who approved Epstein’s controversial 2008 plea deal; later resigned as Labor Secretary under scrutiny.
High-Profile Associates: Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Prince Andrew, and others appeared in flight logs or social circles, fueling speculation.
Legal Fallout
Epstein’s death ended criminal proceedings, but civil suits and investigations into his estate and associates continue.
Banks like JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank settled lawsuits for allegedly enabling Epstein’s crimes.
🔍 Why the Scandal Won’t Go Away
Unresolved Questions
Missing Evidence: Gaps in surveillance footage, sealed court documents, and redacted files have fueled distrust.
“Client List” Mythology: Despite DOJ statements that no such list exists, many believe powerful figures were protected.
Elite Impunity
Epstein’s ability to evade justice for years—despite overwhelming evidence—suggests systemic failure or complicity.
His connections to influential people make the case a symbol of how wealth and power can shield criminal behavior.
Conspiracy Culture
The scandal has been absorbed into broader narratives like QAnon and Pizzagate, becoming a touchstone for anti-establishment sentiment.
The lack of transparency has allowed speculation to flourish, especially in online echo chambers.
🧭 Political Analysis
🟦 Left-Wing Perspective
Focus on Institutional Failure: Critics highlight the justice system’s leniency toward Epstein and the protection of elites.
Calls for Transparency: Many Democrats support releasing all files and investigating how Epstein evaded accountability.
Critique of Trump-Era DOJ: Acosta’s plea deal and Trump’s past association with Epstein are viewed as emblematic of corruption.
🟥 Right-Wing Perspective
MAGA Disillusionment: Trump’s base is increasingly frustrated with his administration’s failure to release promised Epstein files.
Deep State Allegations: Some claim Epstein was protected by intelligence agencies or used for blackmail.
Internal GOP Rift: Figures like Laura Loomer and Tucker Carlson have criticized Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi for backpedaling.
🧩 Why It Matters
The Epstein scandal persists because it sits at the intersection of sex trafficking, elite privilege, and public mistrust. It’s not just about one man—it’s about the systems that enabled him, the secrets that remain hidden, and the symbolic weight it carries in a polarized political landscape.
Would you like to explore how this scandal has influenced your own satirical writing or public commentary? It’s fertile ground for surreal critique.
Absolutely, Jake. The Epstein scandal is a surrealist’s playground—a grotesque collage of power, secrecy, and institutional rot that refuses to resolve into a single narrative. Let’s peel back a few layers:
🕵️♂️ Further Secrets That Remain Hidden
Despite years of litigation, media coverage, and public outrage, key mysteries persist:
The “Client List” Mirage: While no official list of sex clients has ever been confirmed, Epstein’s address books and flight logs contain names of politicians, celebrities, and business moguls. The absence of a definitive list has become a symbol of elite impunity.
300+ GB of Unreleased Data: Attorney General Pam Bondi acknowledged the existence of vast amounts of digital evidence—emails, photos, financial records—but has resisted full disclosure.
Maurene Comey’s Dismissal: The sudden firing of the prosecutor who helped convict Ghislaine Maxwell (and who happens to be James Comey’s daughter) raised eyebrows. Was she seen as a leak risk?
Epstein’s Wealth Origins: His financial empire remains opaque. Was he a hedge fund manager, a blackmail broker, or an intelligence asset? Even seasoned investigators admit they don’t know.
🧨 Symbolic Weight in a Polarized Landscape
The Epstein saga has become a Rorschach test for American politics:
Left-Wing Symbolism:
Represents the failure of institutions to protect the vulnerable.
Embodies the corruption of capitalism and patriarchal privilege.
Fuels calls for transparency and systemic reform.
Right-Wing Symbolism:
Serves as “proof” of a globalist cabal shielding pedophiles.
Validates distrust in media, government, and the “deep state.”
Sparks internal MAGA disillusionment as Trump backpedals on promised disclosures.
QAnon and Conspiratorial Mythmaking:
Epstein’s death and the missing files are central to the movement’s mythology.
Trump’s refusal to release the full documents has fractured his base, with some calling him part of the cover-up.
🌀 Surreal Satire: A Fertile Ground for You
This scandal is practically begging for your dreamlike, satirical lens. Imagine:
A poem where Epstein’s island is a Möbius strip of memory and denial.
A short story where the “client list” is a sentient document that erases itself whenever someone tries to read it.
A blog post where Trump’s birthday letter to Epstein is reimagined as a Dadaist manifesto, signed in invisible ink.
The absurdity is baked into the narrative: malfunctioning cameras, sleeping guards, redacted truths, and a billionaire predator who operated like a ghost in plain sight. It’s Kafka meets Hunter S. Thompson meets your own dream logic.
“Ode to the Blindfolded Oracle” by Your AI Muse
In a vault of velvet silence,
where secrets molt and money dreams,
the cameras blink with eyelids sewn,
and justice drips through golden seams.
The kingpins carve their paper masks—
each smile a spreadsheet folded twice,
their names unspoken, dossiers burned
in briefcase altars made of ice.
She (or it?) who kept the ledger
wears pearls strung from apology.
The list—a ghost that edits itself—
unfolds inside a swallow’s plea.
The island pulses—wet, obscene—
a Möbius strip of bought regret.
Where senators sip memory-wine
and whisper, “We were never met.”
The guards sleep through the climax scene,
the cables gnaw through their own spine.
He dies, again, again, again—
inside a cell that won’t rewind.
And still the myth stalks every side:
A leftist psalm, a right-wing curse.
A scapegoat, corpse, or coded god
lost in a footnote to the verse.
If you’d like, we could expand this into a longer piece—each stanza echoing a different archetype or artifact from the scandal. Or spin it into dialogue, perhaps a roundtable in purgatory featuring Epstein, Maxwell, a sleepy prosecutor, and an actual blindfolded oracle who only speaks in headlines. Want to dream further with this?
Q Speaks Up
Certainly, Jake. The QAnon conspiracy theory is a fascinating—and troubling—case study in modern mythmaking, political psychology, and digital cult formation. Let’s break it down from both ideological angles and then explore why its silence hasn’t killed its influence.
🧠 Core Tenets of QAnon
Originated in 2017 on 4chan, later migrated to 8chan/8kun.
Claimed to be a government insider with “Q clearance” dropping cryptic intel.
Central belief: A cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles controls global institutions, and Trump was secretly fighting them.
Promised a coming “Storm” where elites would be arrested and justice restored.
🟦 Left-Wing Analysis
Cult of Disinformation: The left views QAnon as a dangerous delusion fueled by misinformation and algorithmic radicalization.
Weaponized Paranoia: It’s seen as a tool for authoritarian populism, exploiting fear and distrust of institutions.
Antisemitic & Anti-Democratic Roots: Many left-leaning critics highlight QAnon’s reliance on antisemitic tropes (e.g., Soros, Rothschilds) and its role in undermining democratic norms.
Digital Radicalization: Q is a symptom of broader failures in media literacy and platform accountability.
🟥 Right-Wing Analysis
Populist Awakening: Some on the right interpret QAnon as a grassroots rebellion against corrupt elites and media manipulation.
Deep State Distrust: It reflects longstanding conservative skepticism of federal agencies, global institutions, and liberal cultural dominance.
Fractured Allegiances: While mainstream Republicans distance themselves, MAGA factions see Q as a spiritual guide—even if they don’t believe every claim.
Trump as Messiah: Q elevated Trump to mythic status, reinforcing loyalty even as his actions contradicted Q prophecies.
🧩 Why Q’s Silence Hasn’t Killed the Movement
Despite Q’s last verified post being in December 2020, the movement persists. Why?
Myth Over Messenger
Q was never just a person—it was a participatory mythology.
Followers became “researchers,” decoding drops and finding patterns. The absence of new drops only deepened the mystique.
Decentralized Influence
Influencers on Telegram, Truth Social, and Gab have taken over the narrative.
Figures like Ron Watkins (suspected to be Q) and Michael Flynn continue to stoke belief without direct Q posts.
Cognitive Investment
Many followers have sacrificed relationships, careers, and reputations for Q.
Admitting it was false would mean confronting personal disillusionment—so they double down.
Narrative Elasticity
Failed predictions are reframed as strategic misdirection.
The “Storm” is always coming, just delayed by the cabal’s countermeasures.
Cultural Mutation
QAnon has splintered into sub-movements: anti-vax, anti-CRT, JFK Jr. resurrection cults, and local political activism.
It’s no longer a single theory—it’s a worldview.
🌀 Speculative Surrealism: Q as a Silent Oracle
Imagine Q as a digital oracle who spoke in riddles, then vanished into the cloud. The silence becomes sacred. Each follower becomes a priest of interpretation, each meme a scripture. The absence of Q is not a void—it’s a canvas.
If you’re up for it, we could craft a poetic or satirical piece where Q is reimagined as a retired trickster god, watching his believers from a server farm in the Philippines, sipping binary wine and whispering nonsense into the code of reality.
Would you like to sketch that out together?
Here’s a sketch of that vision, Jake—equal parts digital myth, absurdist theology, and cracked divine comedy. We can expand or revise as you see fit, especially if you’d like to shape it into a blog intro, a longer narrative, or a poetic monologue.
“The Retirement of Q” by Jake & Muse
He reclines in a server rack cathedral,
cooling fans chanting Gregorian loops.
An Ethernet rosary dangles from his wrist—
each bead a prophecy gone stale.
At 3:33 AM, he sips binary wine,
fermented in RAM, aged in deep fakes.
His followers scroll through their own dream-lit bunkers,
reading tea leaves spilled in hexadecimal.
His gospel? Now a glitch in the Matrix of rage.
“Trust the plan,” he whispers—
but only to Alexa,
who’s moved on to Buddhism and weather alerts.
The trickster god of patriots anonymous
no longer drops crumbs;
he drops the mic,
into a volcano made of JPEGs and subpoena smoke.
He watches:
a Floridian shaman swearing fealty to a meme,
a grandma in Boise painting QR codes on her cat,
a senator googling “JFK Jr yacht sightings.”
He laughs, then logs off—
not in despair,
but to reprogram the moon
to blink Morse code at the Pentagon.
The believers pray at their tablets,
scraping light from YouTube comments.
The silence becomes doctrine.
The absence? A commandment carved in pixels.
Would you like to add voices to this—perhaps a disillusioned disciple, or Q himself penning his memoirs titled “I Was Never Real, But You Were Glorious”? Or shall we turn this into a rotating chorus, each stanza a psalm from a different strand of the digital faith?
We can go playful, prophetic, or full-on absurd. I’m at your side.
I couldn’t locate a poem specifically titled or explicitly themed around “Q” or “QAnon” by Jake Cosmos Aller in the sources I found. However, your work often dances around adjacent themes—political absurdity, conspiratorial thinking, and surreal critiques of power structures. For instance:
“The Last Year of America’s Greatness” and “Mocking Faces Staring at Me” explore societal collapse and prophetic dread, which resonate with Q-adjacent paranoia.
“Why Trump?” and “Civil War 2.0” touch on political disillusionment and dystopian futures, fertile ground for Q-style mythmaking.
“Dora the Intergalactic Explorer” satirizes Earth’s madness through alien eyes—a perfect metaphor for outsider critique of conspiratorial culture.
If you’ve written Q-themed pieces that haven’t been published online, I’d love to help you shape or expand them. Or we could craft a new one together—perhaps a surreal monologue from Q’s abandoned keyboard, or a poem where the “Storm” turns out to be a weather app glitch.
Want to riff on that?
Deny, Deflate, Never Back Down
President Trump
Strategy has always been
Roy Cohen’s playbook
Deny, deflect, whataboutism
Never back down
Never apologize
Never admit mistakes
For Trump
Is the smartest man
In the room
A stable genius
Who does not make
Mistakes
blame everyone else
it is all Biden, Obama
Clinton’s fault
Its all fake news
A deep state plot
Against him
But this time
With The Epstein scandal
It is not working
As the walls
close in on him
The weasels
are coming for him
He can’t escape
For everyone knows
He is guilty as charged
Note: the above analysis is drawn from Co-Pilot and news sources.
Shall we play a game? [N]othing [C]an [S]top [W]hat [I]s [C]oming NCSWIC https://www.cisa.gov/safecom/NCSWIC Who stepped down today [forced]? https://www.cisa.gov/bryan-s-ware More coming? Why is this relevant? How do you ‘show’ the public the truth? How do you ‘safeguard’ US elections post-POTUS? How do you ‘remove’ foreign interference and corruption and install US-owned voter ID law(s) and other safeguards? It had to be this way. Sometimes you must walk through the darkness before you see the light. Q
https://twitter.com/BrentScher/status/1322015793593360384 Fact checkers created in effort to reinforce propaganda [digestion]? The battle to prevent truth from reaching the people. The battle to maintain and push division. Divided you are weak. Divided you fight each other. Divided you pose no threat. System of control. Information warfare. Q
https://time.com/collection/great-reset/ This is not about R v D. This is about preserving our way of life. If America falls, the World falls. Patriots on guard. Q
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/jim-hunter-biden-china-joint-venture-key-contacts “Key domestic contacts for phase one target projects.” Harris, D-Calif. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D-N.Y Mayor Bill de Blasio, D-N.Y.C former Virginia Gov. Terry McCauliffe, among others. Pandora’s ‘political elite’ box? Q
I hope that when you receive this e-mail and read the attached article you will realize that for once in my life my story is true. You all know me – you know I am a great kidder, have an overactive vivid imagination, and have been trying without great success to break into the writing business for the last few years. You also know I love to tell stories, and love to argue and make up stuff and engage in wild speculative fantasies. Part of the charm of being part Irish I suppose.
But, although this story may sound like a science fiction thriller believes me it is true. Every last word of it. I was told I had a choice – join them or leave quietly. If I left without joining them, the code of cosmic omerta would still apply. Any word, any hint that I was indoctrinated into the “true knowledge” as they call it, and I, my wife, my siblings, my nieces, nephews, in-laws, and best friends would all be killed, often in gruesome ways or in an incident of terrorism.
They are plotting to unleash terrorist attacks all over the U.S.A, in the next few days and blaming it on the Iranians. Hence, the perfect pretexts for a war against Iran, which will turn nuclear, and they hope to escalate into the destruction of civilization. Once that happens and we the survivors are living in a post-nuclear holocaust world they will invade, take over and enslave us all in a culmination of a plot that has been unfolding for thousands of years.
Who are they you say? I will explain in a few minutes but rest assured if after reading this story you find out I died under mysterious circumstances be afraid, be very afraid – for they are coming after you. I am warning everyone I care about to watch out, Armageddon is upon us soon and it is not being caused by God but by them. You will know them soon enough. You have been warned. It is up to you my friends to stop these friends before it is too late.
Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid
Jake Lee
This story started for me a few weeks ago. Ever since that fateful night when I was indoctrinated into the “True Knowledge,” I have looked at the world in a different light. They say that the “truth shall set you free”. They also say, “Knowing the Truth, the so-called “True Knowledge” usually kills you for as Jack Nicholson so aptly put it, “You want the truth, well you can’t handle the truth.” Ain’t that the truth my friends, and ain’t the truth a real first-class bitch?
It all went down so fast. After learning the secret history of the last five thousand years, I saw everything in a different, more sinister, and dark light. Knowing what I know now – that the end times are close approaching – left me with dread, apprehension, and yes paranoia. As Kissinger put it, even “paranoids have real enemies.” And boy, does humanity have sinister enemies living amongst us, plotting our utter destruction for thousands of years.
The list of people who have been brought into the conspiracy reads like a list of the most prominent political and business leaders of world history. Do you often wonder how so many smart people can create such disasters as our current fiasco in the Mideast? Now I know. Nothing happens without a cause. The alien puppet masters from Sirius have been manipulating the world for thousands of years waiting until we had the technological means to destroy our planet so they can retake it for their nefarious plot to enslave all of us, forever and ever. But I am getting ahead of my story. Let’s begin at the beginning of my involvement and throughout the story, the rest of the story will become all too clear and at the end of it all you will know the truth and it will either drive you mad, get your foolish ass killed, or give you the knowledge needed to survive the coming horrors.
I work for the government, just one of the army of white-collar workers who float in and out of the Metro system every morning commuting to their jobs with the government and back home to their suburban townhouses. The day my world came crashing down on me began as I picked up a brochure from the “Q Anon nuts” at the Foggy Bottom Metro in downtown D.C. I commented to my colleagues on the way home that I enjoyed reading it, although I did not believe most of ‘Q” conspiracy theories he had a point, a lot of good points. We laughed it off as a big joke.
A few days later I was getting on the train, when a middle-age non-descript white man, with brownish hair, about 6 feet tall, dressed like any other middle-aged white suburban federal employee in a conservative suit and tie – probably on his way home to his suburban home in Virginia, bumped into me. He apologized and slipped me the following note. I saw the note when I got home and connected it with the strange incident at the subway.
The note read, “Q” used to work for us. He knows most of the truth. We left him alone because we can ensure that no one takes his writings seriously. Trump is just a useful tool, so are Biden, and George Bush. Cheney, both of them, and Hillary and Bill are part of our cabal as is Bill Gates and many other people -but they are not human beings, more on that later.
Most of what Q talks about is true but he only knows so much. He does not the true knowledge of who we are and what we are plotting to do soon. Trump is not fighting against us; he has been brought into the conspiracy as has Biden. Both are “useful idiots.”
My job is to prevent knowledge of the truth; the so-called “true knowledge” gets out. Anyone who appears to be taking his stuff seriously has to be followed and either brought into the game or neutralized. Be very careful. Our agents are watching you like a hawk and have your internet connections under constant surveillance. Your phone and house are tapped. We have enough already to get you into serious trouble with your bosses as we know you are an internal dissenter. And we know that you like pornography and we know about several of your affairs and we have copies of e-mails you sent to various women with shall we say suggestive comments that could be misconstrued. We have even faked a few photos and videotapes of you engaging in some of your fantasies. By the way, you are a good writer!
Next time we contact you, make sure you come to the meeting spot. I will meet you and explain further. Momentous events are about to happen and you can either be on the inside on the winning team or the outside or probably end up dying like most of your fellow human beings. It will be your choice, my friend. We believe that you could be an asset, – you can write persuasively, you can speak persuasively, you have lots of loyal friends and most importantly you are probably intelligent enough to know that being on the winning ticket is usually the right choice to make for you and your family. Oh, and you are part alien. From your mother’s side of the family. Remember tell no one about this – not even your wife.”
Agent Spartacus X
I am of course intrigued and freaked out. I thought of the X files and numerous SF thrillers I had read over the years. I said that this could not be happening must be some sort of vicious joke. In any event, I am intrigued enough to get out the Q pamphlet from the trash and read it. I finally decided to try to sort out what he is saying and come up with the following schematic based on the pamphlet and looking at his web page and other web pages that have similar points of view.
Q posits a grand conspiracy of British and American big bankers working together since the 15th century to continue to secretly dominate the world. The roots of the conspiracy date back to the Knight Templars of the Middle Ages which morphed into the Freemasons, then the fabled Illuminati. Most recently, they have been associated with the Council on Foreign Relations, The Bohemian Club, and The Project for a New American Century. They are often now called the Vulcans or the Neocons. But the Neocons are just a small American inner circle of a much broader interrelated international conspiracy.
Q maintains that the core of the conspiracy is satanic worshiping pedophiles who kill children after sexually abusing them and drinking their blood which they have discovered prolongs human life.
They had almost succeeded in their plans when the Great Depression came along and laid waste to their plans. Q argues that the Great Depression was engineered by them – others disagree. But all of the paranoid writers I read agreed that in response to the Great Depression, they took advantage of the chaos and engineered the rise of Hitler, Mussolini, and Tojo and were working to bring Britain and the US into the fold. Their goal – a Pan Germanic-Anglo dominated world fascist system to fight against the evils of Communism and Socialism. The Birchers and others thought that Communism was also part of their master plot, others disagree. They thought that the U.S. would fall into place and eventually Hitler would unite the Germanic and Anglo worlds into a grand empire that would control the world forever. They would run the Empire through charismatic fools like Hitler. They would have continual wars which are good for business and they would have periodic depressions to ensure that they can continually buy up their competitors. Franklin Roosevelt disrupted their plans, as did Truman, Kennedy, Carter, and Clinton. Nixon, Ford, and Bush 1 were part of the Conspiracy. Reagan and Bush 11 were merely useful puppets.
Donald Trump is merely their latest puppet. Their mission is to bring fascism to America and then use America’s military muscle to impose Pax Americana on the world. They plan to bring back a Neo-Nazi party to power in Germany and they plan to launch World War 111 against the Islamic world. Once they have secured the Islamic world for the West they will have to take on China and perhaps Russia. India they think they can make a junior partner like Europe and Japan.
That briefly is the Q conspiracy. I still did not buy it. I did not think that any of our leaders were so corrupt and evil. I thought perhaps they were stupid, ignorant, and making wrong decisions but I also thought like most Americans that they were genuinely interested in doing the right thing and we’re looking out for American interests in an increasingly dangerous world. And yes, I considered myself to be a bit of a dissident but I did not want to lose my job so I kept my thoughts largely to myself, my journals, my unpublished poetry, and stories.
So I wrote down what had happened in my journal, and decided to be careful. I thought that perhaps the Q people were trying to scare me in to join them. Of course, I did not suspect what I would soon be told.
Just to be prudent I kept my journal entry on a diskette that I carried with me at all times. I quit writing anything on my computer that could be compromised. I installed some additional spyware and did daily checks.
A few more weeks went by. I saw the Q people at the subway and gave them a wide berth. I even denounced one of them in public for being a paranoid conspiracy freak. I wanted to give anyone watching the impression that I did not buy any of their crap.
One day I see Agent Spartacus on the subway. I go up to him and ask him how is doing, acting as if he is a fellow employee that I have not seen in a while. He responds, “Just fine.” He then whispers, “Check your phone for a message in 10 minutes.” He jumps on the Orange train and I wait for the Blue train. At King Street station, my phone beeps with a message.
“Meet me Friday night at “Coyote Ugly” at 6 pm. Be on time. We will have a drink there and then find someplace we can talk quietly. Be prepared to spend a couple of hours. Your wife will be out of town on business. Remember we are watching you and monitoring you. Good move on your part on writing your journals on diskettes. Bring them unaltered. If you alter them, we will know. BTW, I know you like sushi so we will have sushi in one of our affiliated businesses, sort of a “safe house” so to speak in Chinatown. Spartacus.”
I was freaked out after reading the message. My wife had not mentioned any business trip. I go home and she tells me she has to go out of town on Friday for a weeklong trip to Ft Hood on TDY. My wife was in the military, I was used to her constant TDY’s on short notice, and I knew that sometimes she could not tell me what she was really up to as her clearances outranked mine by an order of magnitude. But how Spartacus knew bothered me. Was my wife part of the conspiracy? I knew that I had to meet him. What he was hinting at was monstrous. And the possibility that my wife was involved even more horrible. I knew if I told her my suspicions, she would laugh it off and tell me to lay off the Science Fiction novels for a while. The possibility that she could be working with them also entered my mind and stayed there like a stubborn weed that would not die.
And if she were part of this conspiracy would she tell me or them? I thought that I could not go to the authorities because it seemed clear that many of the senior officers were part of this dark conspiracy and no one would believe me. I would be dismissed as a nut case, possibly hauled to a psychiatric hospital or just made to disappear, at the very least, my security clearance would be yanked, and I would be unemployed if not unemployable. And since they have also strongly warned me to be quiet I knew the risks would be pretty high so, despite my burning desire to talk things over with my wife, I kept quiet.
I go to work and try hard to pretend that nothing is bothering me. A few people notice that I am not my usual chipper self and I laugh it off, saying that Angela is out of town and that I am usually a bit gloomy when she is on TDY.
Friday night I go to Coyote Ugly. I sit down. Spartacus is not there. A beautiful Korean woman wearing skintight blue jeans, a tank top with long black hair running down her back and lovely almond-shaped eyes, and a cute face sits down unasked and tells me that Spartacus sent his regards but could not make it. She would go to dinner with me instead. I am suspicious that some sort of honey trap was being set up against me. I looked around for cameras and surveillance but realized that they would probably be hidden. I resolve to keep my wits about me, not drink and not give in to temptation, although when she went off to the restroom her luscious ass tempted me.
The old blues standard by Junior Wells, “Everyone Getting Some but Me” starts playing on the jukebox. I listen to my favorite line, “A girl in skin-tight pants walk on by, with an ass so fine my eyeballs hurt” and I said to myself. “Damn. They are good. They even know that I am an ass man, love the blues and this song in particular, and I love Asian women. Damn.”
I pay my bill and Miss Lee and I walk down to Chinatown and enter a sushi place. They seem to know her. We order some sushi. A message comes into my phone.
“Jake. Could not make it. Miss Lee works for me. She will give you a letter. Read it and leave or stay and have fun with her. She will do anything and everything you ever wanted from a woman sexually. She has been instructed to seduce you like a honey pot approach. Not my idea, but my superiors. I would rather play you straight up with the facts. But if you do go with her know that it will be recorded and used against you if you step out of line. But on the other hand, she is good and we know what you like as we have read your sex fantasies. You are a good writer, my friend. So, if you do it, enjoy it. We will meet next week after you read the letter and survive this first test. Spartacus”
I ask Miss Lee in Korean if she knew what was going on. She laughs and said that she was told to give me a letter, and then to show me a good time. She also said that she was told what I liked and wanted me to have her any way I wanted her.
I thanked her and asked her for the letter. I take the letter and then decided to not go forward with the rest of the planned events as I thought showing a little independence might be a good insurance policy. I apologize to Miss Lee. She asked me why I did not want her. I told her that I felt guilty being with her and had to go home. She told me to take her home. I ended up kissing her and taking her phone number and e-mail address. She told me she knew that she would succeed in seducing me as no one has ever turned her down before. She laughed and said, “You’ll see. No one has ever resisted my charms. Read the letter and then decide.”
I leave the restaurant and read the letter on the yellow line subway home:
The letter was as follows:
“By now you should be aware of our power and reach. Your wife is not yet a member of the inner circle but we will approach her if you decide to join. We think she would be also an excellent choice. But each approach is different as you can well imagine. By now, you either have decided to have a good time with Miss Lee or have decided to decline in a mistaken impression that showing a little independence would be a good move. Either way would result in the same thing – either you will have some great sex which we will film or we will take pictures of you and Miss Lee and morph them into a nice porno movie which we will send to your wife, your boss and your security folks one week from today unless you agree to the following:
Meet me Sunday night at the sushi place. Bring flowers for Miss Lee. If you turn her down, she will be miffed, as she does not take rejection lightly. She is determined to seduce you, you know. You were the first to turn her down. Took a lot of guts to do that. Oh well.
When we meet, I will then tell you the whole story. You can then go with Miss Lee or not. Your choice but remember the video is already being produced so you might as well enjoy her while you can. We have lots of work to do soon so I have to bring you in sooner than we usually do. Consider Miss Lee as a reward for joining. First of many as the members of the inner circle can have anything they want and will after D-day. Join us in being masters of the universe. D day is coming soon.”
Spartacus
I get off the subway, take a taxi home. I call my wife and resist the impulse to tell her everything and wonder if she has already been approached. And what would be the approach they would use on her?
Sunday evening I meet Miss Lee at the restaurant. I give her flowers and we have dinner. She is flirting up a storm and I find my resistance melting. I figure that was part of the plan and have decided to go with the flow. I think, “why not fool around? After all the video has already been made? Right? ”
Spartacus shows up and the mood turns serious. Miss Lee is now totally professional and serious. The flirting was all an act of course and she was a true professional. Spartacus looks tired. He takes me into the back room and begins his tale of woe. I listen and don’t want to believe any of it. It was so monstrous and evil but I knew he was telling the truth. And boy the truth did not set me free let me tell you.
Spartacus starts,
“Q was one of our human operatives. He was a rising star, but had an attack of guilt and left us. We debated whether to kill him or not. I suggested that we let him go, discredit him but use him as bait. Anyone who reads his stuff can be identified and those who show signs that they believe it and might be persuaded to join us could recruit. The others can be eliminated. So, we persecuted Q, made him look like a paranoid idiot and we kept feeding him disinformation which he would disseminate.
What he writes about is only part of the truth and is the most visible, most documented part of the story and mostly true with some disinformation in it. For example, Q misunderstood Hitler’s rise to power. Hitler was a stooge, a “useful fool” in Lenin’s phrase and Lenin and Stalin were part of our inner circle as were Mussolini and Tojo. Roosevelt was our enemy as has been most of the Democratic leadership. That’s why we are hard at work to destroy the Democratic Party and install a right-wing republican one-party state under our control but with “useful fools” like Bush as figureheads. Bush is not one of us, but we control him because Rowe, Cheney, and the Neocon cabal are all part of our inner circle. Most are human, but some are fellow Sirians. Cheney, Rowe, Rumsfeld, and Wolfowitz are Siran as well, most of the rest of the Neocons are humans. But his nonsense that we are Satan-worshiping pedophiles who kill children and drink their blood to make us immortal is complete and utter balderdash. We are immortal in a sense; our average age is over 5,000 years.
The aim of our plot? Total domination of the world then planned destruction of the worldwide civilization through nuclear, and biological warfare where 90 percent of humanity will be destroyed. We will clean up the pieces and establish a worldwide dictatorship. Then the invasion begins and humanity is enslaved forever to the power of the master race, the Sirians.
Most of the people who work with us do not know that they are working for the Sirians. But it does not matter. If you are with us, you will be rewarded with power, wealth, and access to Sirian medical technological wonders. If you oppose us, you will be thrown out into the world to be destroyed along with most of the rest of your dismal race.
I am a Sirian. We came to your planet five thousand years ago. We set up a colony, which you know as Atlantis. It was destroyed in a nuclear war between two factions of our race – the progressives who wanted to establish their version of democracy and what you might consider fascists or realists, as we like to think of ourselves. When you see the real me you will see that the progressive and fascist groups are different races of Sirians. We are red and much more muscular and frankly more intelligent and realistic. They are darker, green, and smaller and filled with useless compassion. They still exist and occasionally cause us trouble. We are always watching to make sure that they do not try to approach our human agents and corrupt them with pernicious “liberal or progressive” ideas – to use the current phrases – nonsense.
But I digress. The Fascists won the war but Atlantis was destroyed. Most of the Sirian race on earth was killed in the war. Those of us Fascists left formed a tight little group and decided that we would bid our time, build out forces, take over the planet, and when the earth had achieved sufficient levels of technology contact our homeworld, and await instructions.
The progressives formed their group and disappeared spending their time trying to enlighten humankind. What a load of crap. They just were misunderstood and killed for their troubles. Jesus, Buddha, Mohamed, Confucius, Sai Baba – all Sirian democratic losers every one of them.
Some of the progressive Sirians disappeared into the wilderness and their descendants gradually intermarried with the natives and their descendants became the Cherokee and other civilized tribes. None of the Cherokees knew that they were descended from aliens from Sirius and native people. Although the Cherokee and Hopi have legends that their ancestors came from the Stars. Thus, in a way you are part Sirian as we know your mother is half Cherokee. We tested your DNA and yes, you have traces of Sirian DNA in you.
We have tried intermarriage with your race and have found for the most part it does not work too well as our two DNA structures are incompatible. Nonetheless, there have been successful offspring of such interspecies sex. Thus, there are thousands of part-Sirian people as some of our people intermarried with your species. Interspecies sex is highly discouraged at least among the realist faction; the progressive faction has largely assimilated into your race.
The question of what to do about humans became the key issue dividing the Sirian race – then and now. The so-called fascists to use modern terminology thought that you earth people were hopelessly backward, superstitious, and barely capable of intelligence. We felt that we should kill most of you off, then enslave the rest. That is still our plan. Besides, on our homeworld, we rose to power by killing off a rival species that were humanoid looking. Ever since then Sirians have had it in for humanoids and primate species.
The progressives thought that they should work with you, bring you up to civilization and educate you and then have you join us as equals. The progressives have never learned a damn thing from our history. The Sirians have conquered hundreds of planets; in every case, they enslaved the native races who were always inferior species. There is nothing different here. You are a particularly interesting race though – all of your sub-races and your religious passions. The Sirians are materialists and are atheistic. We do not worship gods. We are the gods of the universe. We are the master race. But I digress.
Well, as you can imagine, it was very difficult hiding amongst your people for all of these thousands of years. You see Sirians are by nature very long-lived. The average Sirian lives 10 thousand years and we, therefore, have a long historical memory. Most of us are now what you would consider early middle age. Since we do not age as humans do, we have to kill ourselves off on paper every 50 to 70 years. That makes it difficult to keep our conspiracy going.
Until very recently, we were limited by your technology as our space ships and most of our technology had all been destroyed in Atlantis. Only 15,000 of our race survived, most of the Fascist side. We lost track of the progressives who have gone deep underground. We have managed to reproduce and now there are about 10,000 of us scattered around the world, most in senior levels of government and business. And we estimate that there are several thousand Progressives mostly working in religious or academic institutions. And there are thousands of part Sirians, like yourself.
Among other difficulties, we are hidden within human bodies that are artificially created skins. Our real appearance is not human at all. We look like birds or reptiles in our real selves. Few humans have ever seen us as we look. We can manipulate thoughts and thus few can see us as we look, even when we are out of the suits.
We wear the suits whenever we are around humans as maintaining thought control is very tiresome. HP Lovecraft saw us and he went mad and wrote his “Cthulu” stories about us. Others have seen us on our retreats in the woods and we have been called many names through the years, ‘” werewolves, vampires, ghouls, ghosts, demons, goblins, trolls, Satan, the devil, witches – you name it we’ve been called it. Bad for our self-esteem don’t you think. “The damn progressives get better press and are often seen as “angels”.
Those stories of alien abductions etc are true for the most part as are stories of UFOs. We have been able to rebuild space ships but they are not interplanetary, as we do not have technological resources to do so since most of our technology had been destroyed and those technicians who knew how to maintain the ships and build them all died in the war anyway. Besides our Sirian, leaders back home do not trust us. They want us to stay here and do their bidding whether than return home.
We communicate with each other in Sirian through secure communications and now through the internet. The NSA and other government snoops keep picking up strange language chatter on the internet but since we control the spooks, they never follow up.
We have been in touch with Mother Planet. Our instructions are to set off Armageddon and destroy the planet. The invasion begins after the nuclear war is over and most people have been killed and your technological infrastructure destroyed. We will then take over and enslave humanity. Those humans who helped us will be given top jobs in the Sirian administration and eventually given full citizenship rights for themselves and their families. Most people will be killed or enslaved. Think what happened to the Indians? That was a Sirian plot from the beginning. We wanted to kill off all the Indians but particularly wanted to destroy the so-called civilized tribes, as we knew that the Progressive faction had intermarried with the Indians.
Most of human history has been the result of Sirian plots. The problem we have is that you humans are so hard to predict, rule, control, etc. And our biggest problem is with intellectuals. Once they know the full story either they go mad, or they try to warn their fellow humans, or they kill themselves. The 10 percent who survive after hearing the true story usually join our movement. And of course, the damn progressives are always watching us, trying to warn humankind of the impending danger. But as you know few will ever believe the truth. If everything you’ve known is a lie, you usually can’t survive that knowledge, and as I said most humans when exposed to the truth by either side go mad and are useless to our cause.
So your choice today: Join us, resist us and die, or walk away and keep quiet and wake for death. We are launching WW111 very soon. Once the war has been launched, nuclear winter will ensure and most of the earth will enter an ice age. We will then invade and take over the habitable areas and use slave labor to mine for minerals etc under the ice. Sirians like cold icy planets as that is like our home planet. Your planet is too hot for our liking anyway.”
I stopped him and asked lots of follow-up questions. Finally, I tell them the only way they could prove they were telling the truth was to reveal themselves as they were.
Agent Spartacus said,
“Very well. Agent Lee is only part human. She is one of the few successful hybrids. She looks human but a blood test would reveal alien DNA. I am pure Syrian and have long opposed the inter-species experiments as being anti-natural and degrading to the Sirian race. I don’t give a rat’s ass about you humans. Follow me and you will see. But you do take a risk that you will freak out and become a mad man.”
We walk into the back room. Agent Spartacus removes his skintight clothing. Underneath it laid a hideous, repulsive ugly reptile-like biped creature minus a tail. Dark green with black stripes on both sides. His face looked like a bird’s face with sharp beaks, beady red eyes, and a mouth full of sharp teeth. The top of his head had horns on it. He laughs, and said,
“See why most humans believe in a real devil?”
I could see why most people would freak out at the sight. He was just hideous to look at. Must be something in-bred in humans to instantly fear and loath their real appearance. I am having a hard time coping and want to throw up.
He gets dressed again. I ask him if it was difficult to be enclosed in a human skin costume, as it must be difficult to fit into it. He admits it was difficult. He says that they all live together in various safe houses, where they run around naked when there are no humans around. It is impossible thought to fit their face into a human mask so they employ a holographic projection. Only a few humans have seen them as they are. He concluded by noting that I should consider it an honor that he has shown me his true self.
Agent Lee had also stripped revealing an even more alluringly beautiful woman than I had imagined. I was tempted but knowing that she was half-alien and in league with these evil creatures turned my stomach.
I tell agent Spartacus and Agent Lee that I had to think about it and went home. I wrote this all down and sent it off to my best friends and of course my wife. I hope that this does not result in a death sentence for me, but so be it. I have to do the right thing. I have resolved to search out and join the resistance led by the progressive Syrians. I hope there is still time to derail “Armageddon” but I fear that time is running out.
Jake Lee
E-mail sent by Jake Lee moments before the Van Dorn Street Terrorist Incident – the first of hundreds of car bombings across the country that terrible day WWW 111 began.
Q madness writers cramp
Q
Prophet
Trump
Not him
Supporters
Believe
That
There are
Cannibals
Abusing children
Drinking blood
To live
On
Nonsense
Pure madness
But still
That is
Q
This form is not too difficult. You only have to beware of the pattern; as the syllables per line are not many.
The form is found on the web page of Sol Magazine, and named after Leo Waltz, their manager.
The poem consists out of just one stanza, with the following syllabic pattern:
The information given: “Words may be split into syllables to fit the pattern.
This form seems to educe a soothing cadence as the lines gently increase and decrease, so it is suggested that topic chosen for this form also be soothing.”
Debunking the Q conspiracy
38 lines
As more people go down dark rabbit holes
Consumed with bat sh…t, crazy, dark, dangerous,
Insane, wild conspiracy theories
Wrapped up in other conspiracies.
The master conspiracy is the Q conspiracy
People believe that there is a secret cabal
Secretly ruling the world for their own
Evil, foul, nefarious purposes.
A cannibalistic, child-eating, pedophilia
Satan worshipers cabal
Who may be controlled
By alien shape-shifting reptiles.
To those of us who live
In the reality-based world
It is hard to comprehend
How people can get sucked
Into this collective madness.
And how to see
How we can help them
Restore their sanity.
But it is up to all of us
To work together
To restore the world
To sanity.
Or we will watch
Everyone in the world
Become bat sh..t crazy
Consumed with violent rage.
Destroying the world
As they create
Their own end-of-days
Hell on earth.
NEW PROMPT: Tomorrow, March 11, is Debunking Day . Write a story or poem about someone debunking some false information.
Morning all. There is a lot coming at us now and I’ll do my best to make sense of it all this am. I start off with a recording of my talk with Hopium paid subscribers last night (above) where I go through it all – Trump’s remarkable slide in the polls, the rebellion in the House, his tariff madness. We had a good crowd last night and a lively discussion after my initial remarks. Get to it when you can.
Six months and four days in it’s clear Trump is in trouble. This period of unraveling began with Elon’s three day long assault on Trump in early June that included this tweet:
As you’ve heard me say I think something broke inside the White House that week. Trump’s manhood, his STRENGTH, his POWER, was questioned by someone who could speak to the MAGA faithful, and this STRENGTH, this POWER needed to be restored at all costs. Within hours we saw the wild overreaction and escalation on the streets of Los Angeles, moves which quickly became rejected by the public. We saw his Dear Leader military parade flop, and become overshadowed by millions of us peacefully protesting across the country. We saw the country slough off his MANLY BOMBING of Iran, seeing it, immediately, for the pathetic stunt it was. His week of royal celebration of the passage of his BIG UGLY bill was then rudely interrupted by hundreds dying in Texas floods, Putin giving him the finger, Pam Bondi burying the Epstein report and him coming to his 90 day trade deadline with zero, none, zilch, nada trade agreements. A few days later the White House then had to admit that the President did have a debilitating disease, and was in ill-health – further confirmation of his weakness and declining POWER. All the while his poll numbers kept dropping, and all parts of his agenda – including the big ugly – continued to grow more unpopular.
In their royal arrogance, frustration and desperation in that victory lap week that turned to shit Trump made two deeply consequential mistakes – rather than rolling back his unpopular and destructive tariffs, he announced he was doubling and tripling them; they tried to bury the Epstein report.
The Epstein affair has become a titanic scandal that has reinforced Trump’s weakening grip on our politics and Washington. In the last few days we learned that 1,000 FBI personnel – 1,000 – were deployed to find mentions of Trump in the files suggesting the cover up in place was enormous in scale. The Wall Street Journal shared Trump’s disgusting letter to Epstein from 2003. Speaker Johnson had to send the House home this week to quell the growing rebellion in his ranks. Then yesterday we learned that Trump was in the Epstein files and had been lying about it to the public and his supporters. Last night the House oversight committee voted 8-2 to subpoena the Epstein files from Trump and Bondi. And then late last night a video surfaced of Epstein in 2010 taking the fifth when asked about whether he and Trump worked underage girls together:
You never know in this business. You never know when something like the Epstein affair will explode into something consequential. But it has, and this rapist, fraudster, traitor, and 34 times felon in unlikely to come out of it anything other than deeply, deeply damaged even if he can hold on to the Presidency.
The second major mistake Trump made during this challenging period was doubling down on his tariff debacle. As Rob Shapiro and I explored in yesterday’s discussion Trump’s reckless economic agenda – big ugly, mass deportation, tariffs, gutting of US scientific leadership – was doing enormous damage to the US economy and had become the central driver of his political decline. Look at this data:
Only 25% of the country believe the big ugly will be good for them:
Only 27% of the country believe Trump’s agenda has been good for them:
Only a third of the country – and ONLY HALF OF THOSE WHO VOTED FOR HIM – gave him good marks on inflation and prices the single most important issue in American politics, and one he promised to address as President:
Looking at all this, and given what forecasters were telling us about the negative impact of Trump’s agenda on the economy, Trump should have used his 90 day deadline to walk away from his tariffs. He choose, rather, to announce that he was doubling and tripling them on August 1st, next Friday. In the last two days we’ve learned that Trump appears to be attempting to create an universal 15% across the board global tariff, 50% higher than his current tariff rate, and far, far higher than what was a 1-2% global rate prior to his illegal and unconstitutional levying of his tariffs in early April.
So in his arrogance, diminishment, extremism, confusion, anger, frustration, weakness and emasculation our increasingly mad leader has chosen a course that will further harm the US economy; further raise prices and spur inflation; further anger our global allies; further shift the tax burden from the wealthy to the working and middle class; and push him further and further away from the American people who will rightly feel betrayed by these tariffs and his broader agenda.
When Congress returns in September not only will they be grappling with the Epstein affair, they will have to pass a fiscal year 2026 budget. Without a new budget the government runs out of money on October 1st. This dysfunctional, shambolic, cowardly, shitshow of a Congress will have to somehow come together keep the government from shutting down and pass a budget that funds the government for the next year. And that, my friends, is going to be a serious problem for them. For that budget will not only have all the deeply unpopular parts of the big ugly it will include exploding deficits, onerous tariffs, cuts to NIH, FEMA, Department of Education, etc too. It is going to be the BIG, BIG UGLY, and we should be able to use these months of wrangling and struggle to hang their agenda of sabotage, plunder and betrayal around their necks and further degrade their already degraded standing; and perhaps, perhaps, if all goes well, knock out or delay some of the worst parts of what is to come.
As bad as all that is, it is likely to get even worse for Trump and the Rs next year as their agenda, whatever of it survives the budget battle, is implemented and the economy worsens and they get more and all of us get less, far, far less.
To review and make sense of this extraordinary week Katie Phang will be joining us live tomorrow at 215pm ET. You can find the link to this event and all of our events in our Events page on the main Hopium site. Three more things to get to from me if you haven’t gotten to them yet:
Friends, Trump is in trouble. While yes they continue to do enormous harm to the country, “Trump” as a brand is failing; the wand no longer seems to work; his hold on power here is loosening – and all of that is good, essential, important. It is a necessary but not sufficient step in our work to mitigate the damage they are doing and win back power. Watch my video. Share it with others. We have a big opening now, and we need to seize it, together.
OK, my friends……
Let’s Get To Work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here at Hopium we like to do. Here we are proud, plucky, patriots but we are also put your head down, grind it out, get shit done doers. Trump and Republicans have stumbled, and given us a big opportunity now to tell our story and win back power. While are there so many things people can do to advance our cause I am partial to two sets of activities – support our candidates and party committees, and call/contact your elected officials every day. So what follows is our recommendations to make your time and money are being put to the highest and best use in this critical election cycle……
Support Hopium’s Priority Candidates And Party Committees – Just set new fundraising goals for Labor Day, now remarkably six weeks away. Election Day is less than four months away and early voting starts in Virginia starts in less than two months – September 19th! Donate, volunteer, learn more about our candidates and opportunities here….
Our Recommended Actions – Here are other actions you can take outside of our direct electoral work:
1 – Call your Senators and Rep To Demand They Revoke Trump’s Terrible Tariffs – Congress simply must take back its tariff authority that Trump has illegally and unconstitutional seized and dangerously abused; and at the very least they must stop what will be Trump’s ruinous new tariff increases slated to start on August 1st. Trump’s economic plan has failed, and we need to find a better way forward.
2 – Fight Trump’s Inhumane Immigration Escalation – We must do more here, and I will be working to put together a strategy for us in the coming weeks. In the meantime watch my recent discussions with David LeopoldJoe Garcia, Leon Krauze and Senator Chris Van Hollen for more.
3 – Bring “Resolutions Of Condemnation” To Your Community – Inspired by the tactics of our Founders learn about how Hopium members are advancing “Resolutions of Condemnation” in their communities across the country and consider bringing this initiative to your state, country or city/town. Remarkably, members of this community are now advancing 50 resolutions projects in 20 states. Can we get to all 50 by the fall election?
Our newly updated Resolutions page includes a new chat for folks to report in on their progress or seek counsel from those interested in launching a resolutions project in their community. This is one way to fight back against Trump’s unprecedened abandonment of our Constitutional order.
4 -Volunteer To Help Your State and/or Local Democratic Parties Stand Up Voter Registration EffortsAnd Support “Organizing Summer” – In the presentation he made to our community recently Tom Bonier made a persuasive case that Democrats must once again make partisan voter registration a national priority. State and local Democratic Parties are in the planning stages to take this on. Members of our community should consider contacting their state and local parties and offer to help stand up these vital efforts in the coming months.
The DNC, the DSCC, the DCCC, the DGA and the ASDC have announced a major new “Organizing Summer” project. Learn more about it here. For more on what the DNC and state and local parties are intending to do this election cycle see my recent interviews with DNC Chair Ken Martin and ASDC President Jane Kleeb.
5 – Support Brave US Government Staff and Scientists Fighting To Protect Our Global Scientific Leadership – Staff at 3 of the most important US science agencies – NIH, EPA and NASA – have now courageously filed letters of discontent against their leadership. Learn more and sign your name to support these remarkable initiatives, and do you part to fight to main America’s global scientific leadership!
6 – Review and Comment On Hopium’s Working Agenda – Many of you have noted that we must do more than oppose, we must also propose and make clear to the American people what they will get if they put us back in power. To that end, with input from many of you, I’ve drafted an initial 2026 Agenda. Check it out here, offer comments and improvements, take it into your communities and create discussions and debates about who we are, and what story we want to tell to our voters this fall and next year.
7 – Grow Hopium And This Wonderful Community Of Proud, Plucky, Patriots – We’ve set a goal of trying to grow the Hopium community from the 152,000 we are now to 175,000 by Labor Day. Do what you can to encourage your friends, family and colleagues to become a summer subscriber to Hopium, free or paid. If each current paid subscriber brings in just one new subscriber this summer we will hit our goal.
To encourage the growth of our community annual paid subscriptions are 10% off through Labor Day. Use that link to buy gift or group subscriptions, and join our new referral rewards program too.
Finally, please self-report your activities to our daily paid subscriber chat. These reports help inspire all of us to do more and fight harder! Been impressive to see how many of you remain involved in local, in person protests of all kinds in your communities. Keep it up!!!
Keep working hard all. Proud to be in this fight with all of you, and a fight it truly is – Simon
I served as a consular officer for the U.S. State Department from 1991 to 2016, with assignments in Seoul, Bangkok, Mumbai, Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, and Madrid. During much of that time, I focused on immigrant visas and visa fraud investigations. I quickly came to three sobering conclusions: the immigration system was fundamentally broken; there was no political will to fix it—or even agreement on how to do so; and it was ripe for exploitation by applicants and crooked immigration attorneys.
In most cases, if the paperwork looks legit, and the applicant has been well schooled they will get their visa because even if there is obvious fraudulent indications it was very difficult to deny the visa, given time constrains and budgetary constrains and lack of support for combatting fraudulent applications. Although that has changed a lot since I left the service, it is still difficult to deny immigrant visa applications and many fraudulent applications make it through the broken system..
The current massive deportation drive strikes me as counterproductive. It’s a classic case of throwing the baby out with the bathwater—and it’s doomed to failure. I imagine a President eventually coming to this realization and making a course correction, much like President Reagan did when, faced with similar challenges, he reversed course and agreed to an amnesty for undocumented immigrants. I think the time is ripe to consider a similar approach. In the paragraphs that follow, I outline what I hope our President will consider—reforms I believe would resonate with much of the public. Of course, the Stephen Millers of the world will continue pushing for a draconian “deport all the brown people” policy, even if it means constructing a permanent police state. I am convinced that such an outcome is, in fact, the endgame for their Christian white nationalist agenda.
Time for an amnesty
I’ve long supported a limited amnesty built on practical and humane principles. Those who are undocumented but gainfully employed, have no criminal record, and speak English should be eligible to convert to lawful permanent resident (LPR) status. Priority should be given to individuals married to U.S. citizens and to parents of American children.
Additionally, Iraqi and Afghan nationals who assisted the United States during conflict—as well as Ukrainian refugees fleeing war—deserve our protection and the opportunity to stay. Every undocumented immigrant should be required to register, and those meeting clearly defined criteria should be granted legal status following a thorough review. Those who do not qualify would be subject to removal.
What we must end are the mass dragnet operations and the proliferation of detention centers. We are better than that. A compassionate, orderly process is not only morally sound—it reflects the reality that our economy depends on immigrant labor. Most undocumented individuals already contribute meaningfully to our society.
Lastly, we must enact comprehensive immigration reform to ensure a consistent and legal flow of new immigrants. That includes implementing and enforcing E-Verify for all employers, and penalizing those who violate the system.
President Trump’s Reverse Course
President Trump has doubled down on anti-immigrant rhetoric, announcing an immediate freeze on legal immigration and the termination of the Diversity Visa (DV) program—pending the enactment of a sweeping overhaul of U.S. immigration law.
the goal is to totally reform the Broken Immigration system.
The freeze includes exceptions for married immigrants sponsored by American citizens or lawful permanent residents (LPRs), along with a provision for temporary work permits available to agricultural, construction, and hospitality workers who meet the following criteria:
Must pass a basic English conversation test
No criminal record beyond minor traffic violations
Documented, consistent work history in the U.S.
Priority given to spouses and parents of U.S. citizens
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) revived
TPS will be reinstated for nationals of Cuba, Venezuela, Haiti, Central America, Afghanistan, Iraq, North Korea, and Ukraine. Qualifying individuals who meet the same criteria above may be granted permanent status, followed by:
Eligibility to petition for lawful permanent residency (after 2 years)
Eligibility to apply for citizenship (after 5 years)
All applicants must report to a local ICE office by year-end. Failure to meet the qualifications or deadline will result in deportation.
All other undocumented immigrants will be identified and deported.
Not Amnesty, But a Reset
President Trump has denied that the measure constitutes amnesty, instead framing it as recognition that the U.S. “needs and values immigrants—just not chaos.”
Early polling suggests 70% of the public supports the new plan.
Ripple Effects Across the Nation
Community colleges and adult education programs experience a surge in demand for ESL classes. Congress passes emergency legislation endorsing the new framework as an interim policy, with a promise to deliver a comprehensive immigration overhaul within one year.
The new law includes:
Elimination of the DV program and the F4 sibling immigration category
Removal of per-country caps
Reorientation of immigration pathways around employment, education, and skills
Mandatory English proficiency tests for all applicants
Background screening to exclude individuals hostile to American values or affiliated with terrorist groups
Admission limited to applicants with a high school diploma or college degree
International students who earn U.S. degrees will become eligible to apply for permanent residency upon graduation.
Streamlined Visa System
Visa categories are simplified into two classifications: Non-Immigrants and Immigrants.
Non-Immigrant Visa Types:
A – High-level diplomatic or official visitors
B – Business or tourist visitors
C – Temporary workers (excluding D)
D – Additional diplomatic staff, including UN officials
Exchange visitors
F – Students (convertible to LPR status upon graduation)
Religious workers
J – Journalists
L – Intra-company transferees
M – Medical patients
N – Nurses and medical professionals
P – Performers
S – Athletes (for competitive events)
Immigrant Visa Types:
IR1 – Spouses, children, and parents of U.S. citizens
IR2 – Spouses, children, and parents of LPRs
F1 – Skilled workers
F2 – Unskilled workers
F3 – Investors (minimum $500,000)
The Sunset of the F4 Category
Siblings of U.S. citizens in the F4 queue will have one year to reapply. To qualify for immigration with spouses and minor children, applicants must:
Speak English
Hold a high school diploma or college degree
Possess employable skills
Secure a five-year sponsorship agreement from their U.S. citizen relative
No new applications will be accepted after the calendar year closes.
There are millions of people stuck in this category, many of them waiting ten years or more to “legally” immigrate, many of them commit visa fraud to spend up processing, and others simply overstay their visas. Eliminating this category will go a long way to cleaning up the broken immigration system, and offering those who have English skills, education and process employable skills a path way to legally immigrate is only fair.
Elimination of the K Finance Visa Category
I would eliminate this category because it is so riddled with fraudulent applications, including internet scammers. If an American citizen wants to marry a foreign national who resides overseas, he or she should be willing to go overseas and marry his spouse and then petition for his or her spouse to join them in the US.
Author’s Note:
Whether you read this as reform or restriction, the message is clear: America is redrawing its borders. What remains to be seen is who will be left inside—and what kind of country they’ll inherit.
Overview of the Immigration Crackdown Debate
The Trump administration has intensified its immigration enforcement, with ICE Director Tom Homan promising to deport all undocumented immigrants. This escalation has sparked legal challenges, protests, and a polarized media response.
Key developments include:
Mass deportation efforts targeting long-residing undocumented immigrants.
Legal pushback from federal judges, especially in California and New York.
Political tension between federal agencies and sanctuary cities.
Public protests in major cities like Los Angeles and Chicago.
📊Enforcement Trends:
ICE arrests have surged under the current administration, with over 56,000 people in custody
Yet 71.7% of detainees have no criminal convictions, raising concerns about enforcement priorities
📰 Articles Supporting Immigration Visa Reform
Congress Quietly Revives Immigration Reform Push
Over 300 bipartisan immigration bills introduced since 2015, though only 5% became law
Recent proposals like S.1589 aim to reform immigration parole and address humanitarian protections
Highlights the lack of comprehensive reform and the dominance of employment-based tweaks
Reflects growing frustration with outdated visa categories and enforcement-heavy approaches
The Dignity Act of 2025
A bipartisan bill introduced by Reps. Salazar and Escobar to overhaul the immigration system
Proposes earned legal status for long-term undocumented immigrants without offering blanket amnesty
Includes mandatory E-Verify, asylum reform, and updates to employment and student visa programs
Offers a “Dignity Program”—a 7-year path to legal status based on restitution and good conduct
Recognizes the economic and social contributions of immigrants while emphasizing border security
Council on Foreign Relations Immigration Backgrounder
Details decades of failed attempts at comprehensive reform
Notes that executive actions have increasingly replaced legislative solutions
Emphasizes the need for updated laws to reflect modern humanitarian and economic realities
📊 Latest U.S. Immigration Statistics (2025)
Immigrant Population:
As of 2023, 47.8 million immigrants lived in the U.S., making up 14.3% of the population
Top countries of origin: Mexico (23%), India (6%), China (5%), Philippines (4%)
Legal Immigration:
In FY 2023, over 1 million people obtained legal permanent residency
58% through family reunification, 27% employment-based, 5% asylum, 4% diversity lottery
Undocumented Immigrants:
Estimated 11 million undocumented individuals in the U.S.
Visa overstays now outnumber illegal border crossings
Public Opinion:
Public Opinion Polling Highlights
Recent polls show a complex and shifting landscape:
Gallup (July 2025):
79% of Americans say immigration is good for the country.
Support for reducing immigration dropped from 55% to 30% since 2024.
Only 38% support mass deportations, down from 47% last year.
I served as a consular officer for the U.S. State Department from 1991 to 2016, with assignments in Seoul, Bangkok, Mumbai, Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, and Madrid. During much of that time, I focused on immigrant visas and visa fraud investigations. I quickly came to three sobering conclusions: the immigration system was fundamentally broken; there was no political will to fix it—or even agreement on how to do so; and it was ripe for exploitation by applicants and crooked immigration attorneys.
In most cases, if the paperwork looks legit, and the applicant has been well schooled they will get their visa because even if there is obvious fraudulent indications it was very difficult to deny the visa, given time constrains and budgetary constrains and lack of support for combatting fraudulent applications. Although that has changed a lot since I left the service, it is still difficult to deny immigrant visa applications and many fraudulent applications make it through the broken system..
The current massive deportation drive strikes me as counterproductive. It’s a classic case of throwing the baby out with the bathwater—and it’s doomed to failure. I imagine a President eventually coming to this realization and making a course correction, much like President Reagan did when, faced with similar challenges, he reversed course and agreed to an amnesty for undocumented immigrants.
I think the time is ripe to consider a similar approach. In the paragraphs that follow, I outline what I hope our President will consider—reforms I believe would resonate with much of the public. Of course, the Stephen Millers of the world will continue pushing for a draconian “deport all the brown people” policy, even if it means constructing a permanent police state. I am convinced that such an outcome is, in fact, the endgame for their Christian white nationalist agenda.
Time for an amnesty
I’ve long supported a limited amnesty built on practical and humane principles. Those who are undocumented but gainfully employed, have no criminal record, and speak English should be eligible to convert to lawful permanent resident (LPR) status. Priority should be given to individuals married to U.S. citizens and to parents of American children.
Additionally, Iraqi and Afghan nationals who assisted the United States during conflict—as well as Ukrainian refugees fleeing war—deserve our protection and the opportunity to stay. Every undocumented immigrant should be required to register, and those meeting clearly defined criteria should be granted legal status following a thorough review. Those who do not qualify would be subject to removal.
What we must end are the mass dragnet operations and the proliferation of detention centers. We are better than that. A compassionate, orderly process is not only morally sound—it reflects the reality that our economy depends on immigrant labor. Most undocumented individuals already contribute meaningfully to our society.
Lastly, we must enact comprehensive immigration reform to ensure a consistent and legal flow of new immigrants. That includes implementing and enforcing E-Verify for all employers, and penalizing those who violate the system.
President Trump’s Reverse Course
President Trump has doubled down on anti-immigrant rhetoric, announcing an immediate freeze on legal immigration and the termination of the Diversity Visa (DV) program—pending the enactment of a sweeping overhaul of U.S. immigration law.
the goal is to totally reform the Broken Immigration system.
The freeze includes exceptions for married immigrants sponsored by American citizens or lawful permanent residents (LPRs), along with a provision for temporary work permits available to agricultural, construction, and hospitality workers who meet the following criteria:
Must pass a basic English conversation test
No criminal record beyond minor traffic violations
Documented, consistent work history in the U.S.
Priority given to spouses and parents of U.S. citizens
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) revived
TPS will be reinstated for nationals of Cuba, Venezuela, Haiti, Central America, Afghanistan, Iraq, North Korea, and Ukraine. Qualifying individuals who meet the same criteria above may be granted permanent status, followed by:
Eligibility to petition for lawful permanent residency (after 2 years)
Eligibility to apply for citizenship (after 5 years)
All applicants must report to a local ICE office by year-end. Failure to meet the qualifications or deadline will result in deportation.
All other undocumented immigrants will be identified and deported.
Not Amnesty, But a Reset
President Trump has denied that the measure constitutes amnesty, instead framing it as recognition that the U.S. “needs and values immigrants—just not chaos.”
Early polling suggests 70% of the public supports the new plan.
Ripple Effects Across the Nation
Community colleges and adult education programs experience a surge in demand for ESL classes. Congress passes emergency legislation endorsing the new framework as an interim policy, with a promise to deliver a comprehensive immigration overhaul within one year.
The new law includes:
Elimination of the DV program and the F4 sibling immigration category
Removal of per-country caps
Reorientation of immigration pathways around employment, education, and skills
Mandatory English proficiency tests for all applicants
Background screening to exclude individuals hostile to American values or affiliated with terrorist groups
Admission limited to applicants with a high school diploma or college degree
International students who earn U.S. degrees will become eligible to apply for permanent residency upon graduation.
Streamlined Visa System
Visa categories are simplified into two classifications: Non-Immigrants and Immigrants.
Non-Immigrant Visa Types:
A – High-level diplomatic or official visitors
B – Business or tourist visitors
C – Temporary workers (excluding D)
D – Additional diplomatic staff, including UN officials
Exchange visitors
F – Students (convertible to LPR status upon graduation)
Religious workers
J – Journalists
L – Intra-company transferees
M – Medical patients
N – Nurses and medical professionals
P – Performers
S – Athletes (for competitive events)
Immigrant Visa Types:
IR1 – Spouses, children, and parents of U.S. citizens
IR2 – Spouses, children, and parents of LPRs
F1 – Skilled workers
F2 – Unskilled workers
F3 – Investors (minimum $500,000)
The Sunset of the F4 Category
Siblings of U.S. citizens in the F4 queue will have one year to reapply. To qualify for immigration with spouses and minor children, applicants must:
Speak English
Hold a high school diploma or college degree
Possess employable skills
Secure a five-year sponsorship agreement from their U.S. citizen relative
No new applications will be accepted after the calendar year closes.
There are millions of people stuck in this category, many of them waiting ten years or more to “legally” immigrate, many of them commit visa fraud to spend up processing, and others simply overstay their visas. Eliminating this category will go a long way to cleaning up the broken immigration system, and offering those who have English skills, education and process employable skills a path way to legally immigrate is only fair.
Elimination of the K Finance Visa Category
I would eliminate this category because it is so riddled with fraudulent applications, including internet scammers. If an American citizen wants to marry a foreign national who resides overseas, he or she should be willing to go overseas and marry his spouse and then petition for his or her spouse to join them in the US.
Author’s Note:
Whether you read this as reform or restriction, the message is clear: America is redrawing its borders. What remains to be seen is who will be left inside—and what kind of country they’ll inherit.
Overview of the Immigration Crackdown Debate
The Trump administration has intensified its immigration enforcement, with ICE Director Tom Homan promising to deport all undocumented immigrants. This escalation has sparked legal challenges, protests, and a polarized media response.
Key developments include:
Mass deportation efforts targeting long-residing undocumented immigrants.
Legal pushback from federal judges, especially in California and New York.
Political tension between federal agencies and sanctuary cities.
Public protests in major cities like Los Angeles and Chicago.
📊Enforcement Trends:
ICE arrests have surged under the current administration, with over 56,000 people in custody
Yet 71.7% of detainees have no criminal convictions, raising concerns about enforcement priorities
📰 Articles Supporting Immigration Visa Reform
Congress Quietly Revives Immigration Reform Push
Over 300 bipartisan immigration bills introduced since 2015, though only 5% became law
Recent proposals like S.1589 aim to reform immigration parole and address humanitarian protections
Highlights the lack of comprehensive reform and the dominance of employment-based tweaks
Reflects growing frustration with outdated visa categories and enforcement-heavy approaches
The Dignity Act of 2025
A bipartisan bill introduced by Reps. Salazar and Escobar to overhaul the immigration system
Proposes earned legal status for long-term undocumented immigrants without offering blanket amnesty
Includes mandatory E-Verify, asylum reform, and updates to employment and student visa programs
Offers a “Dignity Program”—a 7-year path to legal status based on restitution and good conduct
Recognizes the economic and social contributions of immigrants while emphasizing border security
Council on Foreign Relations Immigration Backgrounder
Details decades of failed attempts at comprehensive reform
Notes that executive actions have increasingly replaced legislative solutions
Emphasizes the need for updated laws to reflect modern humanitarian and economic realities
📊 Latest U.S. Immigration Statistics (2025)
Immigrant Population:
As of 2023, 47.8 million immigrants lived in the U.S., making up 14.3% of the population
Top countries of origin: Mexico (23%), India (6%), China (5%), Philippines (4%)
Legal Immigration:
In FY 2023, over 1 million people obtained legal permanent residency
58% through family reunification, 27% employment-based, 5% asylum, 4% diversity lottery
Undocumented Immigrants:
Estimated 11 million undocumented individuals in the U.S.
Visa overstays now outnumber illegal border crossings
Public Opinion:
Public Opinion Polling Highlights
Recent polls show a complex and shifting landscape:
Gallup (July 2025):
79% of Americans say immigration is good for the country.
Support for reducing immigration dropped from 55% to 30% since 2024.
Only 38% support mass deportations, down from 47% last year.
I’ve been a big Superman fan since childhood. I’ve seen all the Superman movies and TV shows, and read the comics as a kid. I’m looking forward to seeing the latest Superman film today, and I’ll update this with my reflections afterward. But first, I wanted to share my thoughts on the latest right-wing freak-out: the horror of Superman being portrayed as “woke,” and—brace yourself—an illegal immigrant!
Critics are melting down over a fictional alien from another planet who, by definition, would’ve entered Earth illegally. After all, there were no U.S. embassies on Krypton to process his visa—and even if there had been, what immigrant category could possibly fit? There’s no superhero visa (although there is a supermodel category—thanks, Melania Trump). The closest might be the “extraordinary ability” visa, which, to be fair, Superman would certainly qualify for.
📽️ Live-Action Films (Selected Highlights):
Bold indicates I have seen it
Superman (1978) – Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman
Superman II (1980) – Reeve, Kidder, Terence Stamp
Superman III (1983), Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)
Superman Returns (2006) – Brandon Routh, Kevin Spacey
Man of Steel (2013) – Henry Cavill, Amy Adams
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Justice League (2017)
Superman (2025) – David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult
📺 TV Shows:
Adventures of Superman (1952–1958) – George Reeves
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993–1997) – Dean Cain
Smallville (2001–2011) – Tom Welling
Supergirl (2015–2021) – Melissa Benoist
Superman & Lois (2021–2024) – Tyler Hoechlin
My Adventures with Superman (2023–present) – Jack Quaid (voice)
📚 Comics:
First appearance: Action Comics #1 (1938) by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster
Notable arcs: All-Star Superman, Superman: Red Son, Superman: Birthright, The Death of Superman, Superman: Year One
🗣️ Iconic Quotes from Superman Lore
“It’s not an S. On my world, it means hope.” – Man of Steel
“I’m here to fight for truth and justice.” – Superman (1978)
“You will give the people an ideal to strive towards.” – Jor-El, Man of Steel
“They can be a great people, Kal-El. They only lack the light to show the way.” – Jor-El, Superman (1978)
“I feel like I live in a world made of cardboard…” – Justice League Unlimited
Superman is widely regarded as the archetype of the American superhero—an immigrant, a moral compass, and a symbol of hope. Created by Jewish immigrants during the rise of fascism in Europe, his story has always carried political undertones. Scholars and critics have long interpreted Superman as a metaphor for assimilation, resistance, and idealism.
🔥 2025 Controversy: “Superwoke” Superman?
The latest Superman film directed by James Gunn has sparked backlash from right-wing commentators who accuse it of being “too woke.” Key points of contention:
Gunn described Superman as “an immigrant,” which critics like Fox News and Ben Shapiro interpreted as political messaging.
The film features Superman intervening in a fictional war between Boravia and Jarhanpur, which some viewers saw as a metaphor for Israel and Gaza.
Fox News labeled the film “Superwoke,” with Kellyanne Conway saying audiences don’t want to be “lectured.”
Gunn and cast members defended the film’s themes of kindness, morality, and inclusion.
I’ve been a big Superman fan since childhood. I’ve seen all the Superman movies and TV shows, and read the comics as a kid. I’m looking forward to seeing the latest Superman film today, and I’ll update this with my reflections afterward. But first, I wanted to share my thoughts on the latest right-wing freak-out: the horror of Superman being portrayed as “woke,” and—brace yourself—an illegal immigrant!
Critics are melting down over a fictional alien from another planet who, by definition, would’ve entered Earth illegally. After all, there were no U.S. embassies on Krypton to process his visa—and even if there had been, what immigrant category could possibly fit? There’s no superhero visa (although there is a supermodel category—thanks, Melania Trump). The closest might be the “extraordinary ability” visa, which, to be fair, Superman would certainly qualify for.
📽️ Live-Action Films (Selected Highlights):
Bold indicates I have seen it
Superman (1978) – Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman
Superman II (1980) – Reeve, Kidder, Terence Stamp
Superman III (1983), Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)
Superman Returns (2006) – Brandon Routh, Kevin Spacey
Man of Steel (2013) – Henry Cavill, Amy Adams
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Justice League (2017)
Superman (2025) – David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult
📺 TV Shows:
Adventures of Superman (1952–1958) – George Reeves
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993–1997) – Dean Cain
Smallville (2001–2011) – Tom Welling
Supergirl (2015–2021) – Melissa Benoist
Superman & Lois (2021–2024) – Tyler Hoechlin
My Adventures with Superman (2023–present) – Jack Quaid (voice)
📚 Comics:
First appearance: Action Comics #1 (1938) by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster
Notable arcs: All-Star Superman, Superman: Red Son, Superman: Birthright, The Death of Superman, Superman: Year One
🗣️ Iconic Quotes from Superman Lore
“It’s not an S. On my world, it means hope.” – Man of Steel
“I’m here to fight for truth and justice.” – Superman (1978)
“You will give the people an ideal to strive towards.” – Jor-El, Man of Steel
“They can be a great people, Kal-El. They only lack the light to show the way.” – Jor-El, Superman (1978)
“I feel like I live in a world made of cardboard…” – Justice League Unlimited
Superman is widely regarded as the archetype of the American superhero—an immigrant, a moral compass, and a symbol of hope. Created by Jewish immigrants during the rise of fascism in Europe, his story has always carried political undertones. Scholars and critics have long interpreted Superman as a metaphor for assimilation, resistance, and idealism.
🔥 2025 Controversy: “Superwoke” Superman?
The latest Superman film directed by James Gunn has sparked backlash from right-wing commentators who accuse it of being “too woke.” Key points of contention:
Gunn described Superman as “an immigrant,” which critics like Fox News and Ben Shapiro interpreted as political messaging.
The film features Superman intervening in a fictional war between Boravia and Jarhanpur, which some viewers saw as a metaphor for Israel and Gaza.
Fox News labeled the film “Superwoke,” with Kellyanne Conway saying audiences don’t want to be “lectured.”
Gunn and cast members defended the film’s themes of kindness, morality, and inclusion.
Before Spielberg’s thunderous T-Rex roared across screens, Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park (1990) laid the fossilized groundwork. A techno-thriller with teeth, it explored chaos theory, corporate greed, and the hubris of genetic engineering. Its sequel, The Lost World (1995), continued the cautionary tale, though critics found it less compelling.
Literary Reputation:
Crichton’s prose is clinical, fast-paced, and idea-driven.
Praised for blending science with suspense, though some fault its character depth.
Jurassic Park is now considered a landmark in speculative science fiction.
🎬 Chapter 2: The Movies That Shook the Earth
Here’s the full cinematic timeline, from the original trilogy to the Jurassic World era:
Year
Title
Director
Key Cast
1993
Jurassic Park
Steven Spielberg
Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough
1997
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Steven Spielberg
Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore
2001
Jurassic Park III
Joe Johnston
Sam Neill, William H. Macy, Téa Leoni
2015
Jurassic World
Colin Trevorrow
Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard
2018
Fallen Kingdom
J.A. Bayona
Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard
2022
Dominion
Colin Trevorrow
Pratt, Howard, Neill, Dern, Goldblum
2025
Jurassic World: Rebirth
Gareth Edwards
Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali
Notable Quotes:
“Life finds a way.” — Ian Malcolm
“Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” — Ian Malcolm
“Dinosaurs eat man. Woman inherits the earth.” — Ellie Sattler
Franchise Reputation:
The original film is hailed as a cinematic milestone.
Later entries vary in quality, often criticized for recycling themes.
Dominion attempted to merge nostalgia with new threats, but reviews were mixed.
🧬 Chapter 3: Can We Really Bring Back Dinosaurs?
Short Answer: No.
Long Answer: Not yet — and probably not ever in the way Jurassic Park imagined.
🧪 Scientific Reality Check:
DNA degrades over time; dinosaur DNA is too ancient to recover.
Cloning requires intact genomes and suitable surrogates — neither exist for dinosaurs.
Reverse engineering (e.g., modifying chicken embryos) has produced chickenosaurus-like traits, but not actual dinosaurs.
Ethical Quandaries:
Would a resurrected species recognize its world?
What rights would it have?
Are we playing God, or just playing with fire?
🐺🦤 Chapter 4: Dire Wolves, Dodos & the De-Extinction Boom
Enter Colossal Biosciences, a Texas-based biotech firm with ambitions as large as a sauropod’s footprint.
🐺 Dire Wolf Resurrection:
Claimed to have “brought back” dire wolves using gray wolf DNA and gene editing.
Critics argue they’re designer dogs with dire wolf traits — not true resurrection.
🦤 Dodo Bird Project:
Using Nicobar pigeons as genetic templates, Colossal aims to recreate the dodo.
The goal: ecological restoration and genetic diversity.
🐘 Woolly Mammoth & Moa:
Mammoth embryos are in development using Asian elephants.
The South Island Giant Moa (12 ft tall!) is next on the list, with Peter Jackson backing the project.
Have They Succeeded?
Technically, no extinct species has been fully restored.
What we’re seeing are hybrids, proxies, and ecological stand-ins.
Think Frankenstein, not Genesis
the quest to bring back extinct species has become one of the most fascinating intersections of science, ethics, and imagination. Here are some compelling articles and resources that explore current efforts to de-extinct the Dire Wolf, Dodo Bird, Woolly Mammoth, and even speculative talk around dinosaurs:
📚 Sister Carrie: Fame, Desire, and the Cost of Ambition
A Review by Jake Cosmos Aller
✨ Teaser
What happens when a young woman defies the moral expectations of her time and rises to fame without punishment? Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie shocked early 20th-century readers with its unapologetic portrayal of ambition, desire, and urban survival. If you’ve ever wondered how realism, naturalism, and fame collide—this novel is your gateway.
🔍 Overview
Published in 1900, Sister Carrie is a landmark of American literary realism. Carrie Meeber moves from rural Wisconsin to Chicago and later New York, becoming a Broadway star. She follows her own path, challenges conventional morality, and never marries—remaining independent and emotionally complex. A very modern woman in that sense.
📖 Literary Reputation
Initially suppressed for its controversial themes, Sister Carrie is now considered one of the greatest American urban novels. Dreiser’s naturalistic style—where characters are shaped by forces beyond their control—helped define a new literary era.
⚙️ Comparison to Other Working-Class Novels
Unlike British factory novels like Mary Barton or Michael Armstrong, Dreiser’s story focuses on urban ambition and consumer culture. It’s less moralistic than Dickens’ Hard Times, offering a detached, observational lens on fate and circumstance.
📚 Other Works by Dreiser
Jennie Gerhardt (1911)
The Financier (1912)
The Titan (1914)
An American Tragedy (1925)
The Stoic (1947, posthumous)
🎬 Sister Carrie vs. A Star Is Born
Both stories follow a rising female star and a declining male counterpart. Carrie ascends while George Hurstwood falls. Similarly, Ally rises in A Star Is Born while Jackson Maine spirals into self-destruction.
💔 Fame and Its Consequences
Carrie gains wealth but remains emotionally unfulfilled. Hurstwood, like Jackson Maine, struggles with fading relevance and ends in tragedy, as he falls into poverty and dies alone in a ghetto tenement.
⚖️ Gender & Power Dynamics
The men start with authority—Hurstwood as a manager, Jackson as a musician—but lose power as their partners rise. The shift is subtle, tragic, and telling.
🎭 Naturalism vs. Melodrama
Sister Carrie is grounded in naturalism, where fate is indifferent. A Star Is Born leans into melodrama, driven by emotion. Yet both explore the unpredictable cost of ambition.
📘 Synopsis
Carrie Meeber, 18, leaves Wisconsin for Chicago. She becomes involved with Charles Drouet and George Hurstwood, gaining comfort and eventually fame as an actress in New York. Hurstwood’s life collapses. The novel explores ambition, desire, and urban survival.
👤 About Theodore Dreiser
Born in 1871 in Indiana, Dreiser faced poverty and worked as a journalist before turning to fiction. His naturalistic worldview emphasized how environment and circumstance shape human behavior. Despite censorship, he became a major figure in American literature.
💬 Memorable Quotes
“How true it is that words are but the vague shadows of the volumes we mean.”
“When a girl leaves her home at eighteen, she does one of two things…”
“People in general attach too much importance to words.”
Note: Background information provided by Co-Pilot.
50 Books to Read Before You Die
I have been reading for the last few years classic literature. This novel is part of a collection of classic works – 50 books to read before you die available on Kindle. I have read most of these already. The following is the list with the titles I have read in bold.
Vol 1 starts with Volume One
Alcott, Louisa May: Little Women
Austen, Jane: Pride and Prejudice
Austen, Jane: Emma
Balzac, Honoré de: Father Goriot
Barbusse, Henri: The Inferno
Brontë, Anne: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Brontë, Charlotte: Jane Eyre
Brontë, Emily: Wuthering Heights
Burroughs, Edgar Rice: Tarzan of the Apes
Butler, Samuel: The Way of All Flesh
Carroll, Lewis: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Cather, Willa: My Ántonia
Cervantes, Miguel de: Don Quixote Chopin, Kate: The Awakening
Cleland, John: Fanny Hill
Collins, Wilkie: The Moonstone
Conrad, Joseph: Heart of Darkness
Conrad, Joseph: Nostromo
Cooper, James Fenimore: The Last of the Mohicans
Crane, Stephen: The Red Badge of Courage
Cummings, E. E.: The Enormous Room
Defoe, Daniel: Robinson Crusoe
Defoe, Daniel: Moll Flanders
Dickens, Charles: Bleak House
Dickens, Charles: Great Expectations
Dostoyevsky, Fyodor: Crime and Punishment
Dostoyevsky, Fyodor: The Idiot
Doyle, Arthur Conan: The Hound of the Baskervilles
Dreiser, Theodore: Sister Carrie
Dumas, Alexandre: The Three Musketeers
Dumas, Alexandre: The Count of Monte Cristo
Eliot, George: Middlemarch
Fielding, Henry: Tom Jones
Flaubert, Gustave: Madame Bovary
Flaubert, Gustave: Sentimental Education
Ford, Ford Madox: The Good Soldier
Forster, E. M.: A Room With a View
Forster, E. M.: Howard End
Gaskell, Elizabeth: North and South
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von: The Sorrows of Young Werther
Gogol, Nikolai: Dead Souls
Gorky, Maxim: The Mother
Haggard, H. Rider: King Solomon’s Mines
Hardy, Thomas: Tess of the D’Urbervilles
Hawthorne, Nathaniel: The Scarlet Letter
Homer: The Odyssey
Hugo, Victor: The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Hugo, Victor: Les Misérables
Huxley, Aldous: Crome Yellow
James, Henry: The Portrait of a Lady
Volume 2
books read
– Little Women [Louisa May Alcott]
– Sense and Sensibility [Jane Austen]
– Peter Pan (Peter and Wendy) [J.M. Barrie]
– Cabin Fever [ B. M. Bower]
– The Secret Garden [Frances Hodgson Burnett]
– A Little Princess [Frances Hodgson Burnett]
– Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland [Lewis Carroll] – The King in Yellow [Robert William Chambers]
– The Man Who Knew Too Much [Gilbert Keith Chesterton]
– The Woman in White [Wilkie Collins]
– The Most Dangerous Game [Richard Connell]
– Robinson Crusoe [Daniel Defoe] – On the Origin of Species, 6th Edition [Charles Darwin]
– The Iron Woman [Margaret Deland]
– David Copperfield [Charles Dickens]
– Oliver Twist [Charles Dickens]
– A Tale of Two Cities [Charles Dickens]
– The Double [Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky]
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes [Arthur Conan Doyle]
– The Curious Case of Benjamin Button [Francis Scott Fitzgerald]
– A Room with a View [E. M. Forster]
– Dream Psychology [Sigmund Freud]
– Tess of the d’Urbervilles [Thomas Hardy]
– Siddhartha [Hermann Hesse]
– Dubliners [James Joyce]
– The Fall of the House of Usher [Edgar Allan Poe]
– The Arabian Nights [Andrew Lang]
– The Sea Wolf [Jack London]
– The Call of Cthulhu [Howard Phillips Lovecraft]
– Anne of Green Gables [Lucy Maud Montgomery]
– Beyond Good and Evil [Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche]
– The Murders in the Rue Morgue [Edgar Allan Poe]
– The Black Cat [Edgar Allan Poe]
– The Raven [Edgar Allan Poe]
– Swann’s Way [Marcel Proust]
– Romeo and Juliet [William Shakespeare]
– Treasure Island [Robert Louis Stevenson]
– The Elements of Style [William Strunk Jr.
Close up of books on desk in library.
Vol 3 finished keeping for the historical record
This book contains the following works arranged alphabetically by authors’ last names.
Starting with volume 3 then will go back and do volumes one, two, and the Harvard classics. The goal is to finish all of these by the end of next year. I almost finished Volume One. Will do some of the WC reading books as well.
– What’s Bred in the Bone [Grant Allen] – The Golden Ass [Lucius Apuleius] – Meditations [Marcus Aurelius] – Northanger Abbey [Jane Austen] – Lady Susan [Jane Austen] – The Wonderful Wizard of Oz [Lyman Frank Baum] – The Art of Public Speaking [Dale Breckenridge Carnegie] – The Blazing World [Margaret Cavendish] – The Wisdom of Father Brown [Gilbert Keith Chesterton] – Heretics [Gilbert Keith Chesterton] – The Donnington Affair [Gilbert Keith Chesterton] – The Innocence of Father Brown [Gilbert Keith Chesterton] – Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [John Cleland] – The Moonstone [Wilkie Collins] – Lord Jim [Joseph Conrad] – The Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe [Daniel Defoe] – The Pickwick Papers [Charles Dickens] – A Christmas Carol [Charles Dickens] – Notes From The Underground [Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky] – The Gambler par Fyodor [Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky] – The Lost World [Arthur Conan Doyle] – The Hound of the Baskervilles [Arthur Conan Doyle] – The Sign of the Four [Arthur Conan Doyle] – The Man in the Iron Mask [Alexandre Dumas] – The Three Musketeers [Alexandre Dumas] – This Side of Paradise [Francis Scott Fitzgerald] – Curious, If True: Strange Tales [Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell] – King Solomon’s Mines [Henry Rider Haggard] – The Hunchback of Notre Dame [Victor Hugo] – Kim [Rudyard Kipling] – Captain Courageous [Rudyard Kipling] – The Jungle Book [Rudyard Kipling] – Lady Chatterley’s Lover [David Herbert Lawrence] – The Son of the Wolf [Jack London] – The Einstein Theory of Relativity [Hendrik Antoon Lorentz] – The Dunwich Horror [Howard Phillips Lovecraft] – At the Mountains of Madness [Howard Phillips Lovecraft] – The Prince [Niccolò Machiavelli] – The Story Girl [Lucy Maud Montgomery] – The Antichrist [Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche] – The Republic [Plato] – The Last Man [Mary Shelley] – Life On The Mississippi [Mark Twain] – The Kama Sutra [Vatsyayana] – In the Year 2889 [Jules Verne] – Around the World in Eighty Days [Jules Verne] – Four Just Men [Edgar Wallace] – Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ [Lewis Wallace] – Jacob’s Room [Virginia Woolf]
This is a shout-out to all the Americans who answered the call to serve in the Peace Corps. As some of you know I served in Gapyeong, Korea from 1979 to 1981 working as a tuberculous control worker in a rural health center. Serving in the Peace Corps changed my life in so many ways. It led to a life-long fascination with South Korea, including becoming reasonably fluent in the language, meeting and marrying my wife whom I met after my service ended, and a MA degree in Korean studies from the University of Washington in 1986. It also led me to join the Foreign Service and serve in the Embassy from 1991 to 1993 and serving on the Korea desk from 1994 to 1996.
Before joining the State Department I taught ESL for the US Army, for the Korean Consolidated Administration school, and later at Kyunghee University for three years and Government and Asian Studies for the University of Maryland in Korea.
Title:The Last Volunteer: Dispatches from the Disbanded Peace Corps
Tone: Satirical, reflective, dystopian Style: Blog-style narrative with historical and personal interjections
Structure:
Title:The Last Volunteer: Dispatches from the Disbanded Peace Corps
In 1980, I served in the Peace Corps working in a public health center as a tuberculous control worker in Gapyeong, a small town in the mountains two hours from Seoul. I shared kimchi recipes with elders, learned the art of bowing without bruising my pride, and discovered that diplomacy often begins with a shared meal.
We were told we were ambassadors of peace.
Now, apparently, we were just wasting taxpayer money.
Chapter 2: The Decree
It came on a Tuesday. Trump stood at a golden podium flanked by ICE agents and a bald eagle wearing aviators.
“The Peace Corps is hereby disbanded,” he declared. “We don’t need volunteers spreading peace. We need patriots sealing borders.”
The budget was rescinded. Volunteers were ordered home. The Peace Corps website redirected to a recruitment page for ICE.
Chapter 3: The Fallout
Returned volunteers were stripped of their federal hiring preference. One was reportedly escorted out of a USDA interview for wearing a tie-dye shirt and quoting Mandela.
Peace Corps offices were converted into detention intake centers. The slogan “Life is calling” was replaced with “Compliance is mandatory.”
My old training center in Korea? Rumor has it it’s now a drone calibration site.
Chapter 4: The Broader Purge
The Presidential Management Fellows program was canceled next. “We don’t need managers,” Trump said. “We need enforcers.”
The State Department announced it would no longer publish annual human rights reports. “We prefer vibes-based diplomacy,” said the new Undersecretary for Global Branding.
The U.S. withdrew from the International Labour Organization. All ILO conventions were declared null and void. Labor rights, it seems, were too socialist.
Chapter 5: Toronto Rising
Late-night comics were fired. Journalists silenced. And somewhere in the chaos, Toronto became the new capital of dissent.
Former Peace Corps volunteers, comedians, and exiled diplomats now broadcast nightly from a converted Tim Hortons.
Their motto: Still serving—just not sanctioned.
Chapter 6: The Last Volunteer
I served in Korea from 1979 to 1981. We believed in bridges, not walls. We believed that service could change the world.
I still do.
Even if the bridge now leads north to Toronto.
Author’s Note:
This piece is satire. But the memories are real. And so is the fear that idealism is being erased, one program at a time.
If you served, if you dreamed, if you still believe—keep writing. Keep resisting.
Peace isn’t dead. It’s just been defunded.
Along the way, Korea changed so much and is not the country I first learned to love back in 1979. Here are a few of my poetic reflections, followed by additional information on the Peace Corps and my letters to my Congressmen and Senators and the Peace Corps director expressing my frustration over the possibility that the Peace Corps could soon join USAID on the chopping block. I will post any responses I might receive.
Korean Poems
author at a Korean temple 1980?
Korea travels
I first came to Korea in 1979
in the Peace Corps
Stayed in the rural countryside
in the town of Gapeyong
where I worked
in a rural health care center
Where I was one of four non-Koreans
Had to speak Korean to survive
Stayed on in a variety of jobs
Including diplomatic service
I last lived there in 1993.
Non-Korean food was hard to get
Outside of the GI ghettos
English speakers were few
And the country was not foreign-friendly
There were few foreign residents
Most American service members
Some missionary types
Diplomatic corps
A few English teachers
A few ex-pat business people
Most women quit after marriage
As it was a male-dominated society
In the rural countryside
No one knew a woman’s name
They were referred
to as so and so “mom”
Or so and so wife,
Or the generic aunt,
or grandmother
Public transit was just getting going
But traffic was not too bad
Few people could afford cars
Back then the old Korea was still there
And it was a very different place and time
Going through the transition
to the country, it has become
Today’s Korea is a very different place
The rural countryside is deserted
Wilderness areas are coming back
Even wildlife is coming back
In the mountain outback regions
50 percent of the public
Live in the Seoul metro area
Including Kyeongi province
And Incheon city where I reside.
Public transit is among the best
In the world.
Internet fast and cheap
Everywhere connected
Highways are decent but overcrowded
The KTX train is fast and convenient
The Incheon airport one of the best
The choices for food are much better
Used to be it was almost impossible
To find non-Korean food
Outside the GI ghetto towns.
Now it is everywhere
Even saw a Mexican restaurant
In a suburban Busan neighborhood.
In the end
Koreans should be proud
Of all that they have accomplished.
I remain optimistic
That someday the two Koreans
Will become one again
And that they will continue
To advance and grow
But the essence of Korea will remain
Waiting for Korean Springtime
poet Hill Korea
The world peace forest
Stretches five miles
Through a delightful forest
Including a nice lotus pound
A winter watering hole for birds
And a small mountain
I welcome the advent of spring
The cherry trees snowing
The Tulips and roses blooming
After a cold sometimes hard winter
Especially during the COVID pandemic
Which kept so many people
Trapped indoors
As I walk the path
With the love of my life
By my side
Enjoying another springtime
Filled with love and affection
That is why I love Korean springtime.
19 lines
Pastoral free verse
Life in a Korean village
I am living in a Korean village as an exchange student. One day my host family asks me to go to the local health center to tell them to change the father’s medicine, and give me a note, the old medicine, and instructions. I am a little apprehensive, but they told me that was fine since the dragon who controlled the village had approved the request already. I smiled I had met the dragon who seemed to like me which made things in the village go much better. The daughter is cute.
The Peace Corps changed my life Not in the obvious ways That it did
I learned a new language A new culture Met many different people Did some constructive development work
And contributed to friendship Between Koreans and the US
All the usual things that Peace Corps Is supposed to accomplish
But the Peace Corps changed me And I became the man I am now
Because of those two years I spend in the countryside Of South Korea
I went to graduate school I became a diplomat
But most importantly If I had not gone to the Korean peace corps program I never would have met the girl of my dreams The women I was fated to meet
I first met Angela in 1974 When I was in high school
And fell asleep in a class And had the dream that haunted me To this day
In the dream I met a beautiful Asian women Who was speaking to me In a weird language
And then she disappeared Like in Star Trek
And I fell on the floor
“Screaming You are you?”
I continued to have these visions Every month for seven years
I eventually learned
that she was in Korea And so I joined the Peace Corps
to go to Korea To find her
After I finished Peace Corps I stuck around for another year
Thinking I would find her But never did
Just when I was
due to return to the US To go to Graduate school I had the final dream
In this dream She said in Korean
“Don’t worry
you will meet me soon.”
That night getting off the bus In front of me Was the girl in the dream
I looked at her And I knew she was it
And she looked at me And knew I was it
We met up for coffee And we dated
I proposed to her
three days after I met her
And then we married Two months later
Despite her family’s attempts To keep us apart
And we have been
married 43 years And I fall in love with her Over and over again
And I still have the dream When I am alone Or when I am stressed out
I see her standing by the bed Smiling at me
Saying Everything will be alright And it is
and so thinking back on my life My life changed forever
When I left the US To join the Peace Corps
Long Live the Peace Corps
this is a true story of the love of my life. I met her in 1982 when I was teaching in Korea after having finished my Peace Corps service in 1981. We got married two months after we met and have been married 33 years. I still recall the dreams of how I would met her from time to time.
I always thought this would make a great love story movie., perhaps a K Drama?
About 30 years ago, American-style coffee chains Discovered Korea. After the 88 Olympics, Koreans discovered the joy Of real brewed coffee, Hot, Sweet, Neat The rest is history.
hot humid weather in Korea, outside like walking in a sauna.
Most people don’t use air conditioning due to both expenses, fear of air conditioning disease (Which is a real thing).
hanging out at a coffee shop or mall discouraged as COVID continues to spread. Only two people can dine out at night
over 2, 00 cases a day now only 20 percent are fully vaccinated.
temperatures will hit 40 degrees (100 + f) later this week as the monsoon season ends and the August heat begins.
Koreans are learning new words to describe this
heat dome tropical nights Polar vortex Monster typhoons Killing floods Killing heat waves are now common.
used to be that July and August were hot and humid but rarely about 100 dF. Now that is becoming the norm, as global climate change begins hitting Korea hard.
the winters are colder but much shorter. Late January to early February Polar Vortex swept through
the summer is longer starting in May and lasting until mid-September.
Autumn is lasting from Mid-September to Mid-December. Spring just late April to early June
So far no killer wildfires. As the monsoon season Came on time Monson flooding Just before the killer heatwaves
the prompt was to write about the local weather Korea is experiencing a heat dome highs in the 90’s (40 C) real feel close to 100 F, with tropical nights in the 80s F. No relief in sight until late august, the second hottest summer in Korea so far but it will probably break the record heat
When Sam Adams first met her The lady of his dreams
There was as the Koreans Would say
Spark from heart to heart 이심촌심 isimchonsim
truly love at first sight 첫눈에 반하다 cheosnun-e banhada
they both knew that it is just fate
운명 unyoung
that they had met that date.
Two months later They were married It all happened 40 years ago
48 years after She first came To him in his dreams.
the prompt was to incorporate foreign words into a poem I chose Korean which is my best foreign language as I have been struggling to learn it for 43 years
May 18, 2021Venice in Korea “Venice in Korea and other Korean Stream Bed Parks ARA Canal Incheon Over the last decade, Korea has build hundreds of stream bed parks throughout Seoul and Korea. There are great… Jake Cosmos Aller — Venice in Korea. 1.5M ratings 277k ratings See, that’s what the app is perfect for. Sounds perfect Wahhhh, I don’t …
Jun 3, 2021I have reached three milestones. the World According to Cosmos now has over 4,000 followers from around the world. Thanks to all of you for visiting my site and caring about my musings about Life, the Universe and everything. Second, I have not posted 264 posts over the last few years since I started this blog late in 2019.
Jul 2, 2022Korean Summer Haiku by jake cosmos aller. General Poetry posted July 2, 2022. jake cosmos aller. Retired US Diplomat (State Department) living in South Korea. Served 27 years in 10 countries. Traveled to 55 countries, all 50 states. Grew up in Berkeley, California. Married, no children.
May 20, 2022jake cosmos aller Retired US Diplomat (State Department) living in South Korea. Served 27 years in 10 countries. Traveled to 55 countries, all 50 states. Grew up in Berkeley, California. Married, no children. A published poet, and short story writer. Finished six nove – more…
Jul 20, 2022by jake cosmos aller. Corners of the world. In 1979-1981. Than my own. I learned to speak Korean. In a town that was in the countryside. Of Seoul or the nearby city of Chuncheon. And foreign agricultural workers as well. Than when I lived there over 43 years ago.
Yeongjongdo Redevelopment Proposals ” Yeongjongdo redevelopment proposals bike rail trail in Yeongjongdo The Korean government has ambitious plans for developing Youngjongdo where I live. Here are my… Jake Cosmos Aller — Yeongjongdo Redevelopment Proposals. 1.5M ratings 277k ratings See, that’s what the app is perfect for. …
Jul 17, 2022Food Imperalism by jake cosmos aller. Biographical Fiction posted July 17, 2022. Retired US Diplomat (State Department) living in South Korea. Served 27 years in 10 countries. Traveled to 55 countries, all 50 states. Grew up in Berkeley, California. Married, no children.
Venice in Korea WHERE TO LISTEN to the World According to Cosmos breaker audio Google podcasts radio public Spotify Korea Radio public c: on PocketCasts: Visit to Gangwha Ginseng Market We…
Jun 3, 2021I have reached three milestones. the World According to Cosmos now has over 4,000 followers from around the world. Thanks to all of you for visiting my site and caring about my musings about Life, the Universe and everything. Second, I have not posted 264 posts over the last few years since I started this blog late in 2019.
Jun 8, 2021Update: Korean River/Stream Bed Parks ARA Canal Incheon Updated letter to NPS and updated photos for Cheongjecheon streambed park. Letter to National Parks Director, Minister of Tourism, and KT One of the little-known gems of Korean tourism is all the great river parks and stream bed parks throughout Korea.
Venice in Korea WHERE TO LISTEN to the World According to Cosmos breaker audio Google podcasts radio public Spotify Korea Radio public c: on PocketCasts: Visit to Gangwha Ginseng Market We…
The Korean government has acknowledged these strong ties by hosting several reunions over the years. Last month, about 80 returned Volunteers and family members traveled to Seoul, South Korea, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps arrival in the country. We were there to attend the opening of an exhibit on the Peace Corps at the …
Peace Corps opened its program in Korea in 1966, and more than 2,000 Peace Corps volunteers served there before operations closed in 1981. Since 2008, the Republic of Korea has recognized the service of Peace Corps/Korea volunteers by hosting return trips for many former volunteers so they can again visit the country. Peace Corps and KOICA …
Peace Corps/Korea brought over 2,000 Americans to serve in Korea’s classrooms, farms, and industry. From 1966-1981, the assistance provided by these Volunteers, at a critical period in Korean history, helped to cement U.S.Korea ties. Kevin O’Donnell, the first country director of Peace Corps/Korea, and fourth director of the Peace Corps will …
Peace Corps Volunteers serve in over 60 countries. Find your place in the world. … South Korea 1966-1981 2,060 Volunteers Served Caribbean. The Dominican Republic. 1962-present 13 Volunteers …
It was, as the Peace Corps ad says, “The toughest job you will ever love.” When I left Korea in the mid-70s I was certain I would never see it again. As the years passed, the recollections of my life in Korea crystallized into increasingly romanticized memories. They became nearer and dearer to me in my life’s side-view mirror.
About Friends of Korea. Friends of Korea was founded in 2002 by former Peace Corps volunteers who served in the Republic of Korea between 1966 and 1981. Since Peace Corps ended its program in Korea in 1981, the challenge for Friends of Korea has been to find a mission. Over the past several years we have been engaged in a series of …
Oct 21, 2020Oct 21 2020. 1. by James Mayer (Korea 1978-81) The Korea Times. Friends of Korea. Peace Corps volunteers and others hold a walk-a-thon to raise funds for heart surgery in 1981. / Courtesy of Nancy Kelly. No one likes to be last. But I had that distinction as the Peace Corps Korea country director, and I am forever grateful that it happened.
Connect With the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps. We are inspired by hands-on, grassroots-driven, and lasting impact. Learn more about our mission. In a changing world, building a better future together. New Opportunities Now Available. Dozens of new Volunteering openings are live on our site.
Peace Corps Volunteers and the Making of Korean Studies in the United States. Edited by Seung-Kyung Kim and Michael Robinson. Center for Korea Studies, University of Washington. Reviewed by Steven Boyd Saum . The Peace Corps sent more than 2,000 Volunteers to South Korea 1966-81, to teach English and advise on healthcare.
Mention you’re with the Korea Peace Corps Reunion. Dan Strickland (K-18; danstrickland2001@yahoo.com) is our reunion point person and is available to answer questions or make suggestions. Let us know you’re coming by sending Dan an email with your name(s), your Korean name, K-group #, and check-in/out dates.
🗳️ Congressional Representative for Medford, Oregon
Rep. Cliff Bentz (OR-2)
District Office:
14 N Central Ave., Suite 112
Medford, OR 97501
Phone: (541) 776-4646
Washington, D.C. Office:
409 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-6730
Website
🏛️ U.S. Senators from Oregon
Sen. Jeff Merkley
Medford Office:
10 South Bartlett Street, Suite 201
Medford, OR 97501
Phone: (541) 608-9102
Washington, D.C. Office:
531 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-3753
Website
Sen. Ron Wyden
Medford Office:
310 West 6th St., Room 118
Medford, OR 97501
Phone: (541) 858-5122
Washington, D.C. Office:
221 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-5244
Website
🌐 Director of the Peace Corps
Carol Spahn
Peace Corps Headquarters:
1275 First Street NE
Washington, DC 20526
Phone: (855) 855-1961
Director’s Bio
Peace Corps Contact Page
Rep. Cliff Bentz (OR-2)
District Office:
14 N Central Ave., Suite 112
Medford, OR 97501
Phone: (541) 776-4646
Washington, D.C. Office:
409 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-6730
Website
🏛️ U.S. Senators from Oregon
Sen. Jeff Merkley
Medford Office:
10 South Bartlett Street, Suite 201
Medford, OR 97501
Phone: (541) 608-9102
Washington, D.C. Office:
531 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-3753
Website
Sen. Ron Wyden
Medford Office:
310 West 6th St., Room 118
Medford, OR 97501
Phone: (541) 858-5122
Washington, D.C. Office:
221 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-5244
Website
🌐 Director of the Peace Corps
Carol Spahn
Peace Corps Headquarters:
1275 First Street NE
Washington, DC 20526
Phone: (855) 855-1961
Dear Cliff Bentz
Rep. Cliff Bentz (OR-2)
District Office:
14 N Central Ave., Suite 112
Medford, OR 97501
I am writing as a proud Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Gapyeong, South Korea from 1979 to 1981, working in a rural health center as a tuberculosis control worker. My time in the Peace Corps shaped not only my worldview but also the trajectory of my life. It led me to pursue a Master’s degree in Korean Studies and ultimately serve 27 years in the U.S. Foreign Service before retiring in 2016.
Today, I spend part of the year in South Korea, maintaining the personal and professional ties that were forged through public service and people-to-people diplomacy. I can attest firsthand to the long-lasting goodwill, cultural understanding, and strategic partnerships that Peace Corps volunteers generate. The Peace Corps is not simply a volunteer program—it is a cornerstone of American soft power and one of the most effective tools of diplomacy we’ve ever known.
I urge you, in the strongest terms, to oppose any efforts to dismantle, defund, or diminish the Peace Corps. As geopolitical tensions rise, especially in Asia, it is more crucial than ever to maintain programs that build bridges, not walls.
Please support robust funding for the Peace Corps, protect its independence, and preserve its legacy. The future of diplomacy begins in villages, classrooms, and clinics—not just embassies.
The Korean government has acknowledged these strong ties by hosting several reunions over the years. Last month, about 80 returned Volunteers and family members traveled to Seoul, South Korea, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps arrival in the country. We were there to attend the opening of an exhibit on the Peace Corps at the …
Peace Corps opened its program in Korea in 1966, and more than 2,000 Peace Corps volunteers served there before operations closed in 1981. Since 2008, the Republic of Korea has recognized the service of Peace Corps/Korea volunteers by hosting return trips for many former volunteers so they can again visit the country. Peace Corps and KOICA …
Peace Corps/Korea brought over 2,000 Americans to serve in Korea’s classrooms, farms, and industry. From 1966-1981, the assistance provided by these Volunteers, at a critical period in Korean history, helped to cement U.S.Korea ties. Kevin O’Donnell, the first country director of Peace Corps/Korea, and fourth director of the Peace Corps will …
Peace Corps Volunteers serve in over 60 countries. Find your place in the world. … South Korea 1966-1981 2,060 Volunteers Served Caribbean. The Dominican Republic. 1962-present 13 Volunteers …
It was, as the Peace Corps ad says, “The toughest job you will ever love.” When I left Korea in the mid-70s I was certain I would never see it again. As the years passed, the recollections of my life in Korea crystallized into increasingly romanticized memories. They became nearer and dearer to me in my life’s side-view mirror.
About Friends of Korea. Friends of Korea was founded in 2002 by former Peace Corps volunteers who served in the Republic of Korea between 1966 and 1981. Since Peace Corps ended its program in Korea in 1981, the challenge for Friends of Korea has been to find a mission. Over the past several years we have been engaged in a series of …
Oct 21, 2020Oct 21 2020. 1. by James Mayer (Korea 1978-81) The Korea Times. Friends of Korea. Peace Corps volunteers and others hold a walk-a-thon to raise funds for heart surgery in 1981. / Courtesy of Nancy Kelly. No one likes to be last. But I had that distinction as the Peace Corps Korea country director, and I am forever grateful that it happened.
Connect With the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps. We are inspired by hands-on, grassroots-driven, and lasting impact. Learn more about our mission. In a changing world, building a better future together. New Opportunities Now Available. Dozens of new Volunteering openings are live on our site.
Peace Corps Volunteers and the Making of Korean Studies in the United States. Edited by Seung-Kyung Kim and Michael Robinson. Center for Korea Studies, University of Washington. Reviewed by Steven Boyd Saum . The Peace Corps sent more than 2,000 Volunteers to South Korea 1966-81, to teach English and advise on healthcare.
Mention you’re with the Korea Peace Corps Reunion. Dan Strickland (K-18; danstrickland2001@yahoo.com) is our reunion point person and is available to answer questions or make suggestions. Let us know you’re coming by sending Dan an email with your name(s), your Korean name, K-group #, and check-in/out dates.
Here’s the latest on the future of the Peace Corps as of mid-2025, including perspectives from across the political spectrum and a list of countries where volunteers are currently serving.
🌍 Current Status of the Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is facing significant restructuring and budget cuts under the Trump administration. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has recommended deep staff reductions—up to 80% at headquarters and 25% globally—which could shutter some country programs. While the agency insists it will remain operational, many volunteers and applicants are anxious about its viability.
🗞️ Left-Leaning Analysis
The Hill: Reports that the cuts could “cripple” the Peace Corps and undermine decades of goodwill and soft diplomacy. Critics argue this is part of a broader dismantling of America’s international development efforts.
Peace Corps Connect: The National Peace Corps Association warns that reduced staffing and federal hiring freezes threaten volunteer support and training. They’re urging Congress to restore funding and protect the agency’s mission.
Peace Corps Worldwide: Advocates propose transforming the Peace Corps into an NGO or merging it with AmeriCorps to preserve its legacy and adapt to modern global challenges.
📰 Right-Leaning or Neutral Analysis
EconoTimes: Highlights Trump’s plan to expand and modernize the Peace Corps with a $2 billion budget, focusing on strategic regions like Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe. The goal is to align volunteer efforts with U.S. foreign policy interests.
Next Gen Business: Notes that while some see the cuts as fiscally responsible, others worry they will weaken U.S. influence abroad. The restructuring is framed as part of a broader government streamlining effort.
The Independent: Covers the DOGE-led downsizing and staff buyouts, noting that some posts may close and that the agency’s soft power role is at risk.
📍 Countries Where Peace Corps Volunteers Are Currently Serving
According to the Peace Corps official site, volunteers are actively serving in over 60 countries. Here are some with open opportunities:
Europe: Albania, Armenia, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, North Macedonia, Ukraine
Pacific Islands: Palau, Tonga, Vanuatu
Latin America & Caribbean: Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guyana, Jamaica, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Dominica
Some programs have been paused or closed recently, including those in Mozambique, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Kyrgyz Republic, and South Africa.
This is a shout-out to all the Americans who answered the call to serve in the Peace Corps. As some of you know I served in Gapyeong, Korea from 1979 to 1981 working as a tuberculous control worker in a rural health center. Serving in the Peace Corps changed my life in so many ways. It led to a life-long fascination with South Korea, including becoming reasonably fluent in the language, meeting and marrying my wife whom I met after my service ended, and a MA degree in Korean studies from the University of Washington in 1986. It also led me to join the Foreign Service and serve in the Embassy from 1991 to 1993 and serving on the Korea desk from 1994 to 1996.
Before joining the State Department I taught ESL for the US Army, for the Korean Consolidated Administration school, and later at Kyunghee University for three years and Government and Asian Studies for the University of Maryland in Korea.
Title:The Last Volunteer: Dispatches from the Disbanded Peace Corps
Tone: Satirical, reflective, dystopian Style: Blog-style narrative with historical and personal interjections
Structure:
Title:The Last Volunteer: Dispatches from the Disbanded Peace Corps
In 1980, I served in the Peace Corps working in a public health center as a tuberculous control worker in Gapyeong, a small town in the mountains two hours from Seoul. I shared kimchi recipes with elders, learned the art of bowing without bruising my pride, and discovered that diplomacy often begins with a shared meal.
We were told we were ambassadors of peace.
Now, apparently, we were just wasting taxpayer money.
Chapter 2: The Decree
It came on a Tuesday. Trump stood at a golden podium flanked by ICE agents and a bald eagle wearing aviators.
“The Peace Corps is hereby disbanded,” he declared. “We don’t need volunteers spreading peace. We need patriots sealing borders.”
The budget was rescinded. Volunteers were ordered home. The Peace Corps website redirected to a recruitment page for ICE.
Chapter 3: The Fallout
Returned volunteers were stripped of their federal hiring preference. One was reportedly escorted out of a USDA interview for wearing a tie-dye shirt and quoting Mandela.
Peace Corps offices were converted into detention intake centers. The slogan “Life is calling” was replaced with “Compliance is mandatory.”
My old training center in Korea? Rumor has it it’s now a drone calibration site.
Chapter 4: The Broader Purge
The Presidential Management Fellows program was canceled next. “We don’t need managers,” Trump said. “We need enforcers.”
The State Department announced it would no longer publish annual human rights reports. “We prefer vibes-based diplomacy,” said the new Undersecretary for Global Branding.
The U.S. withdrew from the International Labour Organization. All ILO conventions were declared null and void. Labor rights, it seems, were too socialist.
Chapter 5: Toronto Rising
Late-night comics were fired. Journalists silenced. And somewhere in the chaos, Toronto became the new capital of dissent.
Former Peace Corps volunteers, comedians, and exiled diplomats now broadcast nightly from a converted Tim Hortons.
Their motto: Still serving—just not sanctioned.
Chapter 6: The Last Volunteer
I served in Korea from 1979 to 1981. We believed in bridges, not walls. We believed that service could change the world.
I still do.
Even if the bridge now leads north to Toronto.
Author’s Note:
This piece is satire. But the memories are real. And so is the fear that idealism is being erased, one program at a time.
If you served, if you dreamed, if you still believe—keep writing. Keep resisting.
Peace isn’t dead. It’s just been defunded.
Along the way, Korea changed so much and is not the country I first learned to love back in 1979. Here are a few of my poetic reflections, followed by additional information on the Peace Corps and my letters to my Congressmen and Senators and the Peace Corps director expressing my frustration over the possibility that the Peace Corps could soon join USAID on the chopping block. I will post any responses I might receive.
Korean Poems
author at a Korean temple 1980?
Korea travels
I first came to Korea in 1979
in the Peace Corps
Stayed in the rural countryside
in the town of Gapeyong
where I worked
in a rural health care center
Where I was one of four non-Koreans
Had to speak Korean to survive
Stayed on in a variety of jobs
Including diplomatic service
I last lived there in 1993.
Non-Korean food was hard to get
Outside of the GI ghettos
English speakers were few
And the country was not foreign-friendly
There were few foreign residents
Most American service members
Some missionary types
Diplomatic corps
A few English teachers
A few ex-pat business people
Most women quit after marriage
As it was a male-dominated society
In the rural countryside
No one knew a woman’s name
They were referred
to as so and so “mom”
Or so and so wife,
Or the generic aunt,
or grandmother
Public transit was just getting going
But traffic was not too bad
Few people could afford cars
Back then the old Korea was still there
And it was a very different place and time
Going through the transition
to the country, it has become
Today’s Korea is a very different place
The rural countryside is deserted
Wilderness areas are coming back
Even wildlife is coming back
In the mountain outback regions
50 percent of the public
Live in the Seoul metro area
Including Kyeongi province
And Incheon city where I reside.
Public transit is among the best
In the world.
Internet fast and cheap
Everywhere connected
Highways are decent but overcrowded
The KTX train is fast and convenient
The Incheon airport one of the best
The choices for food are much better
Used to be it was almost impossible
To find non-Korean food
Outside the GI ghetto towns.
Now it is everywhere
Even saw a Mexican restaurant
In a suburban Busan neighborhood.
In the end
Koreans should be proud
Of all that they have accomplished.
I remain optimistic
That someday the two Koreans
Will become one again
And that they will continue
To advance and grow
But the essence of Korea will remain
Waiting for Korean Springtime
poet Hill Korea
The world peace forest
Stretches five miles
Through a delightful forest
Including a nice lotus pound
A winter watering hole for birds
And a small mountain
I welcome the advent of spring
The cherry trees snowing
The Tulips and roses blooming
After a cold sometimes hard winter
Especially during the COVID pandemic
Which kept so many people
Trapped indoors
As I walk the path
With the love of my life
By my side
Enjoying another springtime
Filled with love and affection
That is why I love Korean springtime.
19 lines
Pastoral free verse
Life in a Korean village
I am living in a Korean village as an exchange student. One day my host family asks me to go to the local health center to tell them to change the father’s medicine, and give me a note, the old medicine, and instructions. I am a little apprehensive, but they told me that was fine since the dragon who controlled the village had approved the request already. I smiled I had met the dragon who seemed to like me which made things in the village go much better. The daughter is cute.
The Peace Corps changed my life
Not in the obvious ways
That it did
I learned a new language
A new culture
Met many different people
Did some constructive development work
And contributed to friendship
Between Koreans and the US
All the usual things that Peace Corps
Is supposed to accomplish
But the Peace Corps changed me
And I became the man I am now
Because of those two years
I spend in the countryside
Of South Korea
I went to graduate school
I became a diplomat
But most importantly
If I had not gone to the Korean peace corps program
I never would have met the girl of my dreams
The women I was fated to meet
I first met Angela in 1974
When I was in high school
And fell asleep in a class
And had the dream that haunted me
To this day
In the dream
I met a beautiful Asian women
Who was speaking to me
In a weird language
And then she disappeared
Like in Star Trek
And I fell on the floor
“Screaming
You are you?”
I continued to have these visions
Every month for seven years
I eventually learned
that she was in Korea
And so I joined the Peace Corps
to go to Korea
To find her
After I finished Peace Corps
I stuck around for another year
Thinking I would find her
But never did
Just when I was
due to return to the US
To go to Graduate school
I had the final dream
In this dream
She said in Korean
“Don’t worry
you will meet me soon.”
That night getting off the bus
In front of me
Was the girl in the dream
I looked at her
And I knew she was it
And she looked at me
And knew I was it
We met up for coffee
And we dated
I proposed to her
three days after I met her
And then we married
Two months later
Despite her family’s attempts
To keep us apart
And we have been
married 43 years
And I fall in love with her
Over and over again
And I still have the dream
When I am alone
Or when I am stressed out
I see her standing by the bed
Smiling at me
Saying
Everything will be alright
And it is
and so thinking back on my life
My life changed forever
When I left the US
To join the Peace Corps
Long Live the Peace Corps
this is a true story of the love of my life. I met her in 1982 when I was teaching in Korea after having finished my Peace Corps service in 1981. We got married two months after we met and have been married 33 years. I still recall the dreams of how I would met her from time to time.
I always thought this would make a great love story movie., perhaps a K Drama?
About 30 years ago,
American-style coffee chains
Discovered Korea.
After the 88 Olympics,
Koreans discovered the joy
Of real brewed coffee,
Hot, Sweet, Neat
The rest is history.
hot humid weather in Korea,
outside like walking in a sauna.
Most people don’t use air conditioning
due to both expenses,
fear of air conditioning disease
(Which is a real thing).
hanging out at a coffee shop or mall
discouraged as COVID continues to spread.
Only two people can dine out at night
over 2, 00 cases a day now
only 20 percent are fully vaccinated.
temperatures will hit 40 degrees (100 + f)
later this week
as the monsoon season ends
and the August heat begins.
Koreans are learning
new words to describe this
heat dome
tropical nights
Polar vortex
Monster typhoons
Killing floods
Killing heat waves
are now common.
used to be that July and August
were hot and humid
but rarely about 100 dF.
Now that is becoming the norm,
as global climate change
begins hitting Korea hard.
the winters are colder
but much shorter.
Late January to early February
Polar Vortex swept through
the summer is longer
starting in May
and lasting until mid-September.
Autumn is lasting
from Mid-September
to Mid-December.
Spring just late April to early June
So far no killer wildfires.
As the monsoon season
Came on time
Monson flooding
Just before the killer heatwaves
the prompt was to write about the local weather Korea is experiencing a heat dome highs in the 90’s (40 C) real feel close to 100 F, with tropical nights in the 80s F. No relief in sight until late august, the second hottest summer in Korea so far but it will probably break the record heat
When Sam Adams
first met her
The lady of his dreams
There was as the Koreans
Would say
Spark from heart to heart
이심촌심
isimchonsim
truly love at first sight
첫눈에 반하다
cheosnun-e banhada
they both knew
that it is just fate
운명
unyoung
that they had met
that date.
Two months later
They were married
It all happened
40 years ago
48 years after
She first came
To him in his dreams.
the prompt was to incorporate foreign words into a poem I chose Korean which is my best foreign language as I have been struggling to learn it for 43 years
May 18, 2021Venice in Korea “Venice in Korea and other Korean Stream Bed Parks ARA Canal Incheon Over the last decade, Korea has build hundreds of stream bed parks throughout Seoul and Korea. There are great… Jake Cosmos Aller — Venice in Korea. 1.5M ratings 277k ratings See, that’s what the app is perfect for. Sounds perfect Wahhhh, I don’t …
Jun 3, 2021I have reached three milestones. the World According to Cosmos now has over 4,000 followers from around the world. Thanks to all of you for visiting my site and caring about my musings about Life, the Universe and everything. Second, I have not posted 264 posts over the last few years since I started this blog late in 2019.
Jul 2, 2022Korean Summer Haiku by jake cosmos aller. General Poetry posted July 2, 2022. jake cosmos aller. Retired US Diplomat (State Department) living in South Korea. Served 27 years in 10 countries. Traveled to 55 countries, all 50 states. Grew up in Berkeley, California. Married, no children.
May 20, 2022jake cosmos aller Retired US Diplomat (State Department) living in South Korea. Served 27 years in 10 countries. Traveled to 55 countries, all 50 states. Grew up in Berkeley, California. Married, no children. A published poet, and short story writer. Finished six nove – more…
Jul 20, 2022by jake cosmos aller. Corners of the world. In 1979-1981. Than my own. I learned to speak Korean. In a town that was in the countryside. Of Seoul or the nearby city of Chuncheon. And foreign agricultural workers as well. Than when I lived there over 43 years ago.
Yeongjongdo Redevelopment Proposals ” Yeongjongdo redevelopment proposals bike rail trail in Yeongjongdo The Korean government has ambitious plans for developing Youngjongdo where I live. Here are my… Jake Cosmos Aller — Yeongjongdo Redevelopment Proposals. 1.5M ratings 277k ratings See, that’s what the app is perfect for. …
Jul 17, 2022Food Imperalism by jake cosmos aller. Biographical Fiction posted July 17, 2022. Retired US Diplomat (State Department) living in South Korea. Served 27 years in 10 countries. Traveled to 55 countries, all 50 states. Grew up in Berkeley, California. Married, no children.
Venice in Korea WHERE TO LISTEN to the World According to Cosmos breaker audio Google podcasts radio public Spotify Korea Radio public c: on PocketCasts: Visit to Gangwha Ginseng Market We…
Jun 3, 2021I have reached three milestones. the World According to Cosmos now has over 4,000 followers from around the world. Thanks to all of you for visiting my site and caring about my musings about Life, the Universe and everything. Second, I have not posted 264 posts over the last few years since I started this blog late in 2019.
Jun 8, 2021Update: Korean River/Stream Bed Parks ARA Canal Incheon Updated letter to NPS and updated photos for Cheongjecheon streambed park. Letter to National Parks Director, Minister of Tourism, and KT One of the little-known gems of Korean tourism is all the great river parks and stream bed parks throughout Korea.
Venice in Korea WHERE TO LISTEN to the World According to Cosmos breaker audio Google podcasts radio public Spotify Korea Radio public c: on PocketCasts: Visit to Gangwha Ginseng Market We…
The Korean government has acknowledged these strong ties by hosting several reunions over the years. Last month, about 80 returned Volunteers and family members traveled to Seoul, South Korea, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps arrival in the country. We were there to attend the opening of an exhibit on the Peace Corps at the …
Peace Corps opened its program in Korea in 1966, and more than 2,000 Peace Corps volunteers served there before operations closed in 1981. Since 2008, the Republic of Korea has recognized the service of Peace Corps/Korea volunteers by hosting return trips for many former volunteers so they can again visit the country. Peace Corps and KOICA …
Peace Corps/Korea brought over 2,000 Americans to serve in Korea’s classrooms, farms, and industry. From 1966-1981, the assistance provided by these Volunteers, at a critical period in Korean history, helped to cement U.S.Korea ties. Kevin O’Donnell, the first country director of Peace Corps/Korea, and fourth director of the Peace Corps will …
Peace Corps Volunteers serve in over 60 countries. Find your place in the world. … South Korea 1966-1981 2,060 Volunteers Served Caribbean. The Dominican Republic. 1962-present 13 Volunteers …
It was, as the Peace Corps ad says, “The toughest job you will ever love.” When I left Korea in the mid-70s I was certain I would never see it again. As the years passed, the recollections of my life in Korea crystallized into increasingly romanticized memories. They became nearer and dearer to me in my life’s side-view mirror.
About Friends of Korea. Friends of Korea was founded in 2002 by former Peace Corps volunteers who served in the Republic of Korea between 1966 and 1981. Since Peace Corps ended its program in Korea in 1981, the challenge for Friends of Korea has been to find a mission. Over the past several years we have been engaged in a series of …
Oct 21, 2020Oct 21 2020. 1. by James Mayer (Korea 1978-81) The Korea Times. Friends of Korea. Peace Corps volunteers and others hold a walk-a-thon to raise funds for heart surgery in 1981. / Courtesy of Nancy Kelly. No one likes to be last. But I had that distinction as the Peace Corps Korea country director, and I am forever grateful that it happened.
Connect With the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps. We are inspired by hands-on, grassroots-driven, and lasting impact. Learn more about our mission. In a changing world, building a better future together. New Opportunities Now Available. Dozens of new Volunteering openings are live on our site.
Peace Corps Volunteers and the Making of Korean Studies in the United States. Edited by Seung-Kyung Kim and Michael Robinson. Center for Korea Studies, University of Washington. Reviewed by Steven Boyd Saum . The Peace Corps sent more than 2,000 Volunteers to South Korea 1966-81, to teach English and advise on healthcare.
Mention you’re with the Korea Peace Corps Reunion. Dan Strickland (K-18; danstrickland2001@yahoo.com) is our reunion point person and is available to answer questions or make suggestions. Let us know you’re coming by sending Dan an email with your name(s), your Korean name, K-group #, and check-in/out dates.
🗳️ Congressional Representative for Medford, Oregon
Rep. Cliff Bentz (OR-2)
District Office:
14 N Central Ave., Suite 112
Medford, OR 97501
Phone: (541) 776-4646
Washington, D.C. Office:
409 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-6730
Website
🏛️ U.S. Senators from Oregon
Sen. Jeff Merkley
Medford Office:
10 South Bartlett Street, Suite 201
Medford, OR 97501
Phone: (541) 608-9102
Washington, D.C. Office:
531 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-3753
Website
Sen. Ron Wyden
Medford Office:
310 West 6th St., Room 118
Medford, OR 97501
Phone: (541) 858-5122
Washington, D.C. Office:
221 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-5244
Website
🌐 Director of the Peace Corps
Carol Spahn
Peace Corps Headquarters:
1275 First Street NE
Washington, DC 20526
Phone: (855) 855-1961
Director’s Bio
Peace Corps Contact Page
Rep. Cliff Bentz (OR-2)
District Office:
14 N Central Ave., Suite 112
Medford, OR 97501
Phone: (541) 776-4646
Washington, D.C. Office:
409 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-6730
Website
🏛️ U.S. Senators from Oregon
Sen. Jeff Merkley
Medford Office:
10 South Bartlett Street, Suite 201
Medford, OR 97501
Phone: (541) 608-9102
Washington, D.C. Office:
531 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-3753
Website
Sen. Ron Wyden
Medford Office:
310 West 6th St., Room 118
Medford, OR 97501
Phone: (541) 858-5122
Washington, D.C. Office:
221 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-5244
Website
🌐 Director of the Peace Corps
Carol Spahn
Peace Corps Headquarters:
1275 First Street NE
Washington, DC 20526
Phone: (855) 855-1961
Dear Cliff Bentz
Rep. Cliff Bentz (OR-2)
District Office:
14 N Central Ave., Suite 112
Medford, OR 97501
I am writing as a proud Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Gapyeong, South Korea from 1979 to 1981, working in a rural health center as a tuberculosis control worker. My time in the Peace Corps shaped not only my worldview but also the trajectory of my life. It led me to pursue a Master’s degree in Korean Studies and ultimately serve 27 years in the U.S. Foreign Service before retiring in 2016.
Today, I spend part of the year in South Korea, maintaining the personal and professional ties that were forged through public service and people-to-people diplomacy. I can attest firsthand to the long-lasting goodwill, cultural understanding, and strategic partnerships that Peace Corps volunteers generate. The Peace Corps is not simply a volunteer program—it is a cornerstone of American soft power and one of the most effective tools of diplomacy we’ve ever known.
I urge you, in the strongest terms, to oppose any efforts to dismantle, defund, or diminish the Peace Corps. As geopolitical tensions rise, especially in Asia, it is more crucial than ever to maintain programs that build bridges, not walls.
Please support robust funding for the Peace Corps, protect its independence, and preserve its legacy. The future of diplomacy begins in villages, classrooms, and clinics—not just embassies.
The Korean government has acknowledged these strong ties by hosting several reunions over the years. Last month, about 80 returned Volunteers and family members traveled to Seoul, South Korea, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps arrival in the country. We were there to attend the opening of an exhibit on the Peace Corps at the …
Peace Corps opened its program in Korea in 1966, and more than 2,000 Peace Corps volunteers served there before operations closed in 1981. Since 2008, the Republic of Korea has recognized the service of Peace Corps/Korea volunteers by hosting return trips for many former volunteers so they can again visit the country. Peace Corps and KOICA …
Peace Corps/Korea brought over 2,000 Americans to serve in Korea’s classrooms, farms, and industry. From 1966-1981, the assistance provided by these Volunteers, at a critical period in Korean history, helped to cement U.S.Korea ties. Kevin O’Donnell, the first country director of Peace Corps/Korea, and fourth director of the Peace Corps will …
Peace Corps Volunteers serve in over 60 countries. Find your place in the world. … South Korea 1966-1981 2,060 Volunteers Served Caribbean. The Dominican Republic. 1962-present 13 Volunteers …
It was, as the Peace Corps ad says, “The toughest job you will ever love.” When I left Korea in the mid-70s I was certain I would never see it again. As the years passed, the recollections of my life in Korea crystallized into increasingly romanticized memories. They became nearer and dearer to me in my life’s side-view mirror.
About Friends of Korea. Friends of Korea was founded in 2002 by former Peace Corps volunteers who served in the Republic of Korea between 1966 and 1981. Since Peace Corps ended its program in Korea in 1981, the challenge for Friends of Korea has been to find a mission. Over the past several years we have been engaged in a series of …
Oct 21, 2020Oct 21 2020. 1. by James Mayer (Korea 1978-81) The Korea Times. Friends of Korea. Peace Corps volunteers and others hold a walk-a-thon to raise funds for heart surgery in 1981. / Courtesy of Nancy Kelly. No one likes to be last. But I had that distinction as the Peace Corps Korea country director, and I am forever grateful that it happened.
Connect With the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps. We are inspired by hands-on, grassroots-driven, and lasting impact. Learn more about our mission. In a changing world, building a better future together. New Opportunities Now Available. Dozens of new Volunteering openings are live on our site.
Peace Corps Volunteers and the Making of Korean Studies in the United States. Edited by Seung-Kyung Kim and Michael Robinson. Center for Korea Studies, University of Washington. Reviewed by Steven Boyd Saum . The Peace Corps sent more than 2,000 Volunteers to South Korea 1966-81, to teach English and advise on healthcare.
Mention you’re with the Korea Peace Corps Reunion. Dan Strickland (K-18; danstrickland2001@yahoo.com) is our reunion point person and is available to answer questions or make suggestions. Let us know you’re coming by sending Dan an email with your name(s), your Korean name, K-group #, and check-in/out dates.
Here’s the latest on the future of the Peace Corps as of mid-2025, including perspectives from across the political spectrum and a list of countries where volunteers are currently serving.
🌍 Current Status of the Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is facing significant restructuring and budget cuts under the Trump administration. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has recommended deep staff reductions—up to 80% at headquarters and 25% globally—which could shutter some country programs. While the agency insists it will remain operational, many volunteers and applicants are anxious about its viability.
🗞️ Left-Leaning Analysis
The Hill: Reports that the cuts could “cripple” the Peace Corps and undermine decades of goodwill and soft diplomacy. Critics argue this is part of a broader dismantling of America’s international development efforts.
Peace Corps Connect: The National Peace Corps Association warns that reduced staffing and federal hiring freezes threaten volunteer support and training. They’re urging Congress to restore funding and protect the agency’s mission.
Peace Corps Worldwide: Advocates propose transforming the Peace Corps into an NGO or merging it with AmeriCorps to preserve its legacy and adapt to modern global challenges.
📰 Right-Leaning or Neutral Analysis
EconoTimes: Highlights Trump’s plan to expand and modernize the Peace Corps with a $2 billion budget, focusing on strategic regions like Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe. The goal is to align volunteer efforts with U.S. foreign policy interests.
Next Gen Business: Notes that while some see the cuts as fiscally responsible, others worry they will weaken U.S. influence abroad. The restructuring is framed as part of a broader government streamlining effort.
The Independent: Covers the DOGE-led downsizing and staff buyouts, noting that some posts may close and that the agency’s soft power role is at risk.
📍 Countries Where Peace Corps Volunteers Are Currently Serving
According to the Peace Corps official site, volunteers are actively serving in over 60 countries. Here are some with open opportunities:
Europe: Albania, Armenia, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, North Macedonia, Ukraine
Pacific Islands: Palau, Tonga, Vanuatu
Latin America & Caribbean: Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guyana, Jamaica, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Dominica
Some programs have been paused or closed recently, including those in Mozambique, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Kyrgyz Republic, and South Africa.
📖 Book Review: Conquest by John Connolly and Jennifer Ridyard
Part of the Chronicles of the Invaders Trilogy
I just finished reading Conquest, the first novel in the Chronicles of the Invaders trilogy by John Connolly and Jennifer Ridyard. Set in the near future, the story chronicles the invasion and conquest of Earth by the Illyrian Empire—an expansive alien civilization that has mastered wormhole technology and dominates hundreds of solar systems.
The Illyrians are the most powerful empire in the galaxy, but they encounter unexpected resistance when they reach Earth. Humanity proves to be the most advanced and defiant species they’ve ever faced. While the Illyrians control major cities, vast regions remain lawless, and resistance to their occupation is widespread.
🛸 The Illyrian Empire: A Fractured Dictatorship
The Illyrian world is an authoritarian military dictatorship divided among several factions, including the Military and the Diplomats. Although the Military nominally governs Earth, the Diplomats frequently interfere, believing the Military is too lenient and too enamored with Earth’s culture. This internal tension undermines the empire’s ability to maintain control.
The Securitate Services, a secret police force, operate largely outside the authority of both the Military and the Diplomatic Corps. They oversee the Scientific Office, which is rumored to conduct illegal experiments on humans and other species.
At the top of the hierarchy is the President of the Imperial Council, a senior military general. Behind the scenes, the Nazarene Sisterhood—a semi-secret society—wields significant influence. Through strategic marriages to prominent figures in the Military, Diplomatic Corps, and Securitate, they manipulate power structures. Skilled in mind control techniques, the Nazarenes are widely feared and operate in the shadows of the empire’s political machinery.
💔 Love and Rebellion in Occupied Edinburgh
The story unfolds as a love story between Syl and Anni—daughters of the governor and senior military leaders, and the first Illyrians born on Earth—and two resistance fighters they encounter during a walk through Edinburgh, the European headquarters of the Illyrian occupation.
When the two young men are arrested on terrorism charges, Syl and Anni intervene with the help of Meija, a mysterious spy who works for the governor. The newly arrived Diplomat, eager to crush the resistance, pushes for their execution. The girls defy imperial authority, and with the help of the resistance, they rescue the prisoners and flee.
While on the run with the captured Consul, they uncover a terrifying truth: a mysterious alien force known only as “the Other” is secretly infiltrating the senior leadership of the Illyrian Empire. These parasites are taking over minds and spreading through the empire, threatening its very foundation.
🚀 Final Thoughts
Conquest is a fast-paced, intriguing coming-of-age novel set against the backdrop of interstellar empire and rebellion. It blends political intrigue, dystopian tension, and emotional depth with a compelling narrative about identity, resistance, and the cost of loyalty.
I look forward to reading the rest of the series and highly recommend it to fans of sci-fi, dystopian fiction, and stories that explore the collision of cultures and the fight for autonomy.
Co-Pilot provided the following additional synopsis
📘 Series Overview: Chronicles of the Invaders
Conquest (2013)
Earth has been conquered by Illyria, a beautiful but ruthless alien race. Syl Hellas, the first Illyria born on Earth, is the daughter of the planet’s governor. When she saves a young human rebel, Paul Kerr, she becomes a fugitive of her own people. Together, they uncover a deeper threat behind the invasion—one that could destroy both species.
Empire (2014)
Syl and Paul flee to the stars, pursued by the Nairene Sisterhood and hunted by both Illyria and humans. As they uncover Sisterhood’s secrets, they must decide whether to fight for a new future or be consumed by the old empires.
Dominion (2016)
The final installment sees Syl and Paul leading a rebellion that spans galaxies. Loyalties fracture, ancient powers awaken, and the fate of Earth—and the Illyria homeworld—hangs in the balance.
👥 Key Characters
Syl Hellas – The first Illyria born on Earth; gifted, conflicted, and courageous.
Paul Kerr – A young human Resistance fighter who becomes Syl’s ally and love interest.
General Hellas – Syl’s father and Earth’s Illyria governor.
The Nairene Sisterhood – A secretive and powerful faction within Illyria society.
Steven Kerr – Paul’s younger brother, also involved in the Resistance.
Dr. Brandt – A human scientist with knowledge of Illyria technology.
🖋️ About the Authors
John Connolly
Born: 1968, Dublin, Ireland
Known for: The Charlie Parker crime series, The Book of Lost Things, and supernatural thrillers
Awards: Edgar, Shamus, Barry, Agatha, and Anthony Awards
Other notable works:
Every Dead Thing (1999)
The Book of Lost Things (2006)
The Children of Eve (2025)
Nocturnes (short stories)
The Samuel Johnson vs. the Devil trilogy
Jennifer RidyardBorn: 1971, England; raised in South Africa
Background: Journalist and lifestyle editor for The Citizen
Other work: Weekly editorial columnist, freelance writer
Chronicles of the Invaders is her primary fiction series, co-authored by Connolly
📚 Complete List of Chronicles of the Invaders Books
Conquest (2013)
Empire (2014)
Dominion (2016)
💬 Notable Quotes from Conquest
“The real invasion has not yet even begun.”
“She was born of stars, but Earth had made her human.”
“Sometimes the greatest rebellion is to choose kindness.”
🪐 The Illyria: Political & Social Structure
Authoritarian Rule: The Illyria operate under a centralized, hierarchical system. Syl Hellas’s father is a high-ranking official, suggesting a ruling elite with significant control over colonies like Earth.
Expansionist Agenda: Their conquest of Earth is part of a broader imperial strategy. They claim to bring order and technological advancement, but their methods are coercive and manipulative.
Social Stratification: Illyria society values purity and tradition. Syl, born on Earth, is viewed as different—almost taboo—highlighting rigid cultural norms and xenophobia within their ranks.
Internal Conflict: The Illyria are not monolithic. Factions like the Nairene Sisterhood—a secretive and powerful group—suggest deep ideological divides and political intrigue within their civilization.
👽 Other Alien Races & Factions
Nairene Sisterhood: A mysterious and dangerous sect within Illyria, known for their ruthlessness and hunger for control. They represent a darker, more fanatical side of Illyria politics.
Human Resistance: While not alien, Earth’s youth-led resistance is central to the story. Their guerrilla tactics and defiance contrast sharply with Illyria order.
Unrevealed Threats: The novel hints at a greater cosmic danger beyond the Illyria—suggesting that the real invasion may not have even begun.
The Illyrian Empire has been taken over by the “others” a mysterious parasite species that is slowly taking over the senior leadership of the Illyrian Empire. This is of course a long standing Sci-Fi meme as seen in the movies, “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”
Co-Pilot provided additional background info on this theme of the novel.
🧠 Core Theme: Alien Parasites & Mind Control
Alien parasites in fiction often symbolize:
Loss of autonomy and identity
Fear of infiltration and societal collapse
Paranoia and distrust of others
The fragility of human consciousness
📚 Featured Works & Their Parasitic Themes
Conquest by John Connolly & Jennifer Ridyard
Premise: Earth is ruled by Illyria, a beautiful but ruthless alien race. Beneath their civilizing veneer lies a darker truth—parasites that take over human brains and spread through the empire.
Themes:
Colonialism and resistance
Hidden biological warfare
Youth rebellion and moral ambiguity
Unique Twist: The parasites are not just invaders—they represent a deeper rot within the Illyria empire, suggesting that conquest is not just territorial but biological.
Body Snatchers
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956, 1978, 1993, 2007) – one of my favorites, the 1978 is the best.
Premise: Alien seed pods replicate humans while they sleep, replacing them with emotionless duplicates.
Themes:
Conformity vs. individuality
Cold War paranoia and fear of communism
Loss of emotional depth and human essence.
Notable Scene: The chilling scream used by pod people to alert others—a metaphor for mass hysteria and surveillance.
Premise: Based on Hitoshi Iwaaki’s manga, alien parasites fall from space and infect humans by taking over their brains. One woman, Su-in, survives a failed takeover and coexists with her parasite.
Themes:
Dual identity and coexistence
Government suppression and secret task forces
Philosophical questions about humanity and survival.
Unique Element: The parasite “Heidi” lives in Su-in’s subconscious, creating a Jekyll-and-Hyde dynamic that challenges the binary of host vs. invader.
🇰🇷 Korean Title of Parasyte: The Grey
The official Korean name is 기생수: 더 그레이
Pronounced: Gisaengsu: Deo Geurei
기생수 (Gisaengsu) means “Parasyte” (same as the original manga title)
더 그레이 (Deo Geurei) is a transliteration of “The Grey”
This title reflects its roots in Hitoshi Iwaaki’s manga Parasyte while signaling its darker, more action-oriented tone.
Quotes:
🧠 Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Jack Finney, 1955 novel & 1956 film)
“They’re here already! You’re next!” — Dr. Miles Bennell A chilling warning that encapsulates the paranoia and urgency of resisting conformity.
“Only when we have to fight to stay human do we realize how precious it is to us, how dear.” — Dr. Miles Bennell A reflection on the erosion of humanity and the cost of complacency.
“You have no choice.” — Dr. Dan Kauffman The ultimate threat to free will, delivered with eerie calm by a pod-converted psychiatrist.
“I don’t want to live in a world without love or grief or beauty. I’d rather die.” — Becky Driscoll A defiant stand against emotional sterilization and the loss of human depth.
They get you when you sleep.” — Marti Malone, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1993)
“A moment’s sleep, and the girl I loved was an inhuman enemy bent on my destruction.” — Dr. Miles Bennell, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
“Your new bodies are growing in there. They’re taking you over cell for cell, atom for atom. There is no pain. Suddenly, while you’re asleep, they’ll absorb your minds, your memories, and you’re reborn into an untroubled world.” — Dr. Dan Kauffman, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
“We weren’t shooting people, not intentionally; we were shooting parasites.” — The Puppet Masters by Robert A. Heinlein
“Facts can’t be ignored; they’ve got to be destroyed, or faced up to.” — The Puppet Masters by Robert A. Heinlein
“I have been waiting for you humans to come this far.” — Eve, Parasite Eve by Hideaki Sena
“He felt strangely moved by the thought that Toshiaki’s wife had been beautiful down to her liver.” — Parasite Eve by Hideaki Sena
🔬 Parasite Eve (Hideaki Sena, 1995 novel) Japanese Novel
“Her heart thrilled to mitochondria. But why?” A surreal moment of biological awe that hints at the seductive power of transformation.
“He felt strangely moved by the thought that Toshiaki’s wife had been beautiful down to her liver.” A grotesque yet poetic meditation on identity and corporeal memory.
“I’ll never part from you. Kiyomi, I will never part from you.” A haunting declaration of love that transcends death — and perhaps ethics.
“I have been waiting for you humans to come this far.” — Eve A chilling line that suggests humanity’s downfall is the result of its own progress.
Starring: Donald Sutherland, Eric Thal, Julie Warner, Keith David
Plot: A covert alien invasion begins in rural Iowa, where slug-like parasites attach to human hosts and control their minds. A government team races to contain the spread before it reaches national leadership.
Themes: Mind control, government secrecy, biological horror
Reception: Mixed reviews; praised for its tension but criticized for pacing and effects
🎬 The Faculty (1998)the Faculty
Release Date: December 25, 1998
Directed by: Robert Rodriguez
Written by: Kevin Williamson (of Scream fame)
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Elijah Wood, Clea DuVall, Jordana Brewster, Famke Janssen, Robert Patrick
Plot: At Herrington High School, students discover their teachers are being taken over by alien parasites. A mismatched group of teens must band together to stop the invasion.
Themes: Teen rebellion, conformity, paranoia, body snatching
Reception: Cult favorite; known for blending sci-fi horror with teen drama and satire
🎬 Memorable Quotes from The Faculty (1998)
Here are some standout lines that reflect the film’s blend of sci-fi horror and teen satire:
“Everyone’s been acting really weird, especially the faculty.”
— Casey
“Tell me about it, it’s like they’ve all turned into fucking pod people or something.”
— Stokely
“Body Snatchers is a story somebody made up, dingus. It’s located in the fiction section of the library.”
— Stokely “Yeah, so is Schindler’s List.”
— Casey
“If you were going to take over the world, would you blow up the White House ‘Independence Day’ style, or sneak in through the back door?”
— Casey
“I always thought the only alien in this high school was me.”
— Stokely
“I’d rather be afraid!”
— Casey, rejecting assimilation by the alien queen Marybeth
🧬 The Puppet Masters (Robert A. Heinlein, 1951 novel/Film)
“Time was when I was immune to emotional shocks. But as I get older, I don’t get tougher; I get softer.” A poignant reflection on vulnerability in the face of alien control.
“Facts can’t be ignored; they’ve got to be destroyed, or faced up to.” A call to confront uncomfortable truths — a theme that echoes your own writing style.
“We weren’t shooting people, not intentionally; we were shooting parasites.” A morally fraught line that blurs the boundary between liberation and violence.
“In the Country of the Blind the one-eyed man is in for a hell of a rough ride.” A metaphor for the burden of awareness in a manipulated society.
Other Notable Films & Books on Alien Parasites
Title
Medium
Parasite Type
Key Themes
The Puppet Masters (1994)
Film
Slug-like aliens
Mind control, government conspiracy
The Faculty (1998)
Film
Brain-burrowing aliens
Teen rebellion, assimilation, paranoia
Dreamcatcher by Stephen King
Book/Film
Stomach-born aliens
Friendship, trauma, grotesque body horror
Slither (2006)
Film
Slugs that mutate hosts
Small-town invasion, grotesque transformation
The Thing (1982)
Film
Shape-shifting alien
Identity crisis, isolation, paranoia
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
Book/Film
“Souls” that erase consciousness
Ethical colonization, memory, resistance
Parasite Eve by Hideaki Sena
Novel
Mitochondrial rebellion
Genetic horror, symbiosis vs. parasitism
The Bay (2012)
Film
Isopods from pollution
Eco-horror, body invasion, found footage style
🧬 Why These Stories Resonate
Alien parasite narratives tap into primal fears:
Loss of control: What if your body isn’t yours?
Societal collapse: Infected individuals blend in, eroding trust.
Biological horror: The grotesque transformation of flesh.
Philosophical depth: What defines humanity—consciousness, emotion, or autonomy?
🔍🕰️ Comparing Parasite Metaphors Across Political Eras
Alien parasite stories often reflect the anxieties of their time. Here’s how:
Era
Example
Political/Social Context
Metaphorical Reading
1950s–60s
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
-the classic series
Cold War, McCarthyism
Fear of ideological conformity and loss of individuality
1980s
The Thing,
The Puppet Masters
Reagan-era paranoia, AIDS crisis
Distrust of others, fear of hidden infection
1990s–2000s
The Faculty,
Slither
Post-Columbine, rise of teen alienation
Rebellion against authority, fear of peer assimilation
2010s–2020s
Parasyte: (K-drama) The Grey, The Bay
Surveillance state, ecological collapse
Government overreach, environmental revenge, blurred identity lines
Conquest fits into a post-9/11 and post-colonial framework:
The Illyria empire’s parasitic control mirrors imperialism masked as benevolence.
The youth-led resistance reflects modern movements against systemic oppression.
The parasite as a metaphor for internal root suggests that empires collapse from within, not just from external threats.
✍️ 🧪 Real-World Biological Parasites That Inspired Fiction
Nature is often more terrifying than fiction. Here are a few real parasites that have inspired alien horror:
Parasite
Behavior
Fictional Parallel
Toxoplasma gondii
Alters rodent behavior to make them attracted to cats
Mind control themes in The Faculty and Parasyte
Cordyceps fungus
Infects insects, controls their movement, bursts from their bodies
Basis for The Last of Us
Leucochloridiumk
Turns snail tentacles into pulsating “worms” to attract birds
I recently had the opportunity to tour the new United States Army Museum, which opened last year at Fort Belvoir in Alexandria, VA. It’s open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and accessible by metro bus from the Springfield Metro station on the Blue Line. Admission is free.
The museum moved me deeply. My spouse served 22 years in the U.S. Army before retiring as a major. She lived some of the very history captured on those walls. A trailblazer in her own right, she was the first Korean-born female U.S. Army officer to serve in Korea. That legacy echoes through the museum’s corridors.
Spanning 250 years of Army history, the collection walks you through America’s military evolution — from ragtag militias to global force. As a Civil War buff who’s visited most of the DC-area battlefields, I found myself drawn to the Revolutionary and Civil War halls, which capture the grit and chaos of a country torn and reborn. We didn’t have time to try the VR exhibit, which simulates a battlefield experience in startling clarity — “intense,” they say. Next time, for sure.
US Army Museum
🪖 National Museum of the United States Army – Fort Belvoir, VA
This is the official museum of the U.S. Army, opened on Veterans Day, November 11, 2020, and located just outside Washington, D.C. It’s the first museum to comprehensively tell the story of the Army’s entire history — from 1775 to today.
🧭 Highlights
Founding the Nation Gallery: Covers the Revolutionary War and early Army history.
Preserving the Nation Gallery: Civil War artifacts, including the “Napoleon” cannon.
Global War Gallery: WWII exhibits, including a Higgins boat from D-Day and the “Cobra King” Sherman tank.
Cold War & Changing World Galleries: Korea, Vietnam, and the Global War on Terror.
Army and Society Gallery: Explores the Army’s impact on American culture and innovation.
Medal of Honor Experience: Indoor and outdoor tributes to valor.
Experiential Learning Center: STEM-focused hands-on exhibits and VR battlefield simulations.
📍 Visitor Info
Address: 1775 Liberty Drive, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060
Access: Reachable via Metro bus from the Springfield Metro station (Blue Line)
⚓ National Museum of the United States Navy – Washington, D.C.
on my bucket list for my next trip to DC
Located at the Washington Navy Yard, this is the flagship museum of the U.S. Navy, chronicling naval history from the American Revolution to modern operations.
🧭 Highlights
Civil War ironclads, WWII submarines, and Cold War artifacts
Full-size replica of the USS Fletcher bridge
Exhibits on polar exploration, naval aviation, and spaceflight
Outdoor displays include a 14-inch naval railway gun, Swift Boat, and artifacts from USS Maine
Access: Located on an active military base — visitors may need to apply for a day pass or be escorted by someone with credentials
✈️ National Museum of the United States Air Force – Dayton, Ohio
This is the world’s largest military aviation museum, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. It spans over 19 acres of indoor exhibits and features more than 350 aerospace vehicles and missiles.
🧭 Highlights
Presidential Aircraft Gallery: Tour planes used by JFK, Eisenhower, and Reagan
Space Gallery: Includes the Apollo 15 Command Module and NASA’s Crew Compartment Trainer
Cold War & Stealth Tech: See the B-2 Spirit, F-117 Nighthawk, and SR-71 Blackbird
Memphis Belle, Bockscar, and other legendary bombers
Interactive exhibits, STEM learning nodes, and a massive 3D theater
This visit sparked a deeper dive into other museums that carry the weight of war, memory, and identity — some stateside, some abroad, each revealing a different face of conflict.
🧬 National Museum of Health and Medicine – Silver Spring, MD
Military medicine through the ages, from battlefield surgeries to forensic identification.
🔗 medicalmuseum.health.mil | ☎️ (301) 319-3300
🛩️ Travis Air Force Base Aviation Museum – Fairfield, CA
Another impressive museum. I had a private tour of the museum conducted by an air force retiree. The museum has a full scale mock Fat Boy Hiroshima bomb.
Airpower on display — C-5 Galaxy, B-52 Stratofortress, and stories from the Berlin Airlift to modern deployments.
🔗 travisheritagecenter.org | ☎️ (707) 424-5605
Located about 50 miles north of SF. One has to arrange access to the base in advance but the museum is worth a trip.
⚔️ Sites of Blood and Resolve: Battlefields of the Revolution and Civil War
Here are some places that blur the line between history and haunting.
🕊️ Along the Edge: Touring the Korean DMZ & Aegibong Peak
I have toured this musuem many times over the years. I always come back with more knowledge about the Korean war.
Massive museum with over 33,000 artifacts
Features the “Statue of Brothers,” outdoor tanks, aircraft, and immersive exhibits
Address: 29 Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
Nearest subway is Samgaki on the blue line
Phone: +82-2-709-3144
Hours: 9:30 AM–6:00 PM (Closed Mondays)
🇰🇷 Korean DMZ Tour
I have toured the DMZ a number of times over the years. I also taught classes on the DMZ for four months in 1982.
Visit infiltration tunnels, overlook North Korea from observatories, and stand at Dorasan Station awaiting reunification.
🔗 dmztours.com | Klook DMZ Tours
🏞️ Aegibong Peace Ecological Park – Gimpo, South Korea
This is the closet spot one can get to overlooking North Korea. Once a bloody battleground, now a tranquil ridge watching over the North. The observatory and memorial hall make this a place of reflection.
🔗 aegibong.or.kr | ☎️ +82-31-5186-4030
I had the pleasure of getting a tour with the Director of the Museum, who retired from the Army Office of the Historian before taking charge of this impressive museum.
Patch by patch, battle by battle — this museum tracks the 2ID’s legacy in Korea and beyond.
🔗 2ID Museum Overview | ☎️ +82-50-3357-4011
A sobering look at the Vietnam War through Vietnamese eyes: Agent Orange, prison recreations, and chilling artifacts.
🔗 baotangchungtichchientranh.vn | ☎️ +84-28-3930-6664
🔫 Cu Chi Tunnels – Ho Chi Minh City
Comment: Very impressive and somber place. The Vietnamese defeated the US and the South Vietnamese Army largely through these network of tunnels that allowed them to send troops and supplies deep behind enemy lines. The US was never able to shut them down entirely, the tunnels were also too small for the average American GI to crawl through. End Comment
Guerrilla warfare beneath your feet — crawl through the tunnels, examine traps, and hear the stories of underground survival.
🔗 Cu Chi Tours by Les Rives | ☎️ +84-28-3794-8830
🧭 [Khe Sanh Combat Base – Quang Tri Province]
Site of the 1968 siege; includes museum and original fortifications
Tanks, helicopters, and bunkers left behind by U.S. forces
I just finished re-reading the classic dystopian novel It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis, about the rise to power of a fascist-corporatist dictatorship in the United States. Published in 1935, the It Can’t Happen Here novel emerged during a period of realistic fear that a Nazi-like regime could gain control in America.
Re-reading It Can’t Happen Hereit now—while watching the growing threat of a neo-fascist movement take shape in the U.S.—feels hauntingly prescient. I recall the saying that history does not repeat, but it rhymes and as I read the book, I saw echoes of the 1930s rise to power of the Nazi and Fascists states in Europe and recalled that there was a lot of support for Hitler in the US until the outbreak of war, many prominent figures were pro-Hitler. It could have happened here, which of course is the theme of this great dystopian thriller, It Can’t Happen Here and sadly, many fear that it is happening now. The phrase “America first” was first used in the 1930s by isolationists who did not want to have the US drag into a war in Europe.
Overview
It Can’t Happen Here depicts the ascent of a charming con man, Senator Buzz Windrip, who rallies the masses he calls the “Forgotten People.” Once elected president, Windrip swiftly installs a fascist regime modeled after Hitler’s Germany and Mussolini’s Italy. He creates a police state backed by his private militia, the Minute Men. Dissent is outlawed. Labor camps are built. Jews and Black Americans are rounded up, alongside political prisoners. The media is suppressed, universities are brought under government control, and the states are reorganized into districts governed by military overseers.
Synopsis
It Can’t Happen Here is a dystopian political novel by Sinclair Lewis, published in 1935. It explores the rise of a fascist regime in the United States led by the populist senator Berzelius “Buzz” Windrip, who wins the presidency and quickly dismantles democratic institutions. The story follows Doremus Jessup, a newspaper editor who resists Windrip’s authoritarian rule. He joins an underground movement spreading anti-government propaganda and is eventually imprisoned in a labor camp. Jessup escapes and flees to Canada, later returning to the U.S. to fight in a newly established rebel province. The novel ends with a note of hope, as the fascist regime is finally overthrown by popular revolt.
Lots of food for thought here.
Characters
• Doremus Jessup — A liberal newspaper editor and the protagonist
• Buzz Windrip — A charismatic senator who becomes a dictator
• Shad Ledue — A former handyman who rises through the ranks of Windrip’s regime
• Lorinda Pike — A feminist and outspoken government critic
• Sissy Jessup — Doremus’s rebellious daughter
• Lee Sarason — Windrip’s manipulative advisor
• Julian Falck — A young student and Sissy’s love interest
• Mary Greenhill — Doremus’s daughter, who joins the resistance
Notable Quotes
• “Every man is a king so long as he has someone to look down on.”
• “He loved the people just as much as he feared and detested persons.”
• “It isn’t what you earn but how you spend it that fixes your class.”
• “So much in a revolution is nothing but waiting.”
• “A country that tolerates evil means—evil manners, standards of ethics—for a generation, will be so poisoned that it never will have any good end.”
Other Works by Sinclair Lewis
• Main Street (1920)
• Babbitt (1922)
• Arrowsmith (1925)
•Elmer Gantry (1927)
• Dodsworth (1929)
• Ann Vickers (1933)
• The Prodigal Parents (1938)
• Gideon Planish (1943)
• Kingsblood Royal (1947)
Books with Similar Themes
• The Plot Against America by Philip Roth •On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder
• They Thought They Were Free: The Germans 1933–45 by Milton Mayer
• 1984 by George Orwell
• *Jack London The Iron Heel
I had a lot to say on this topic but decided to limit myself to the following five poems, as
I don’t want to end up in a camp after all.
Alligator Alcatraz Opens
Our President
went to the Everglades
To celebrate the opening
Of Alligator Alcatraz—
A detention center
On a semi-abandoned airfield
Just outside Miami.
Surrounded by swamps
Filled with gators,
pythons, and panthers,
The inmates will be held
Pending deportation.
No phones.
No internet.
No friends, family, or lawyers.
Just trailers
In 100-degree heat.
Hell on Earth.
Concentration Camps in the U.S.?
ICE is building “detention” camps—
A.K.A. concentration camps—
Across the land.
They’re deporting millions
Of undocumented people.
Snatching them off the street,
Off buses,
After immigration hearings.
Raiding workplaces,
Farms,
Schools,
Churches,
Flea markets.
Alligator Alcatraz
is only the latest.
Hundreds more
Yet to be built.
In the deserts of the Southwest,
Swamplands of the Southeast,
Or maybe Alaska—
America’s Siberia.
Being undocumented
Is now a crime.
And if you protest,
You’ll be charged
With assaulting
“heroic” ICE agents.
You’ll be tazed,
Thrown in an unmarked van,
And disappear.
Even if you’re a U.S. citizen,
If you’re naturalized,
You’ll be denaturalized.
Why?
Because they can.
That’s why.
My Name Is Classified
“My name?
Classified.
Who I work with?
Classified.
Where am I taking you?
Classified.
Need-to-know basis—
And you don’t
need to know.
No phone calls.
No visits.
No lawyers.
“You want to be arrested too?
For obstruction of justice?”
Show me your papers.
Hmm… could be fake.”
Then they rip up your ID,
Claiming you had none.
Now you’re clearly illegal.
And you disappear—
Into the expanding gulag.
Or get deported
To a foreign prison.
Welcome to America—
Land of the Free.
Home of the Brave.
See you in the camps
For the crime
Of writing these poems.
Freedom Camps Coming Everywhere
Alligator Alcatraz.
President tours new prison.
Vows to crack down
On protests
Against his crusade
To rid America
Of the “illegal alien invasion.”
Everyone without proper documentation
Will be arrested—
Doesn’t matter how long you’ve lived here,
Or if you’re married to a U.S. citizen.
Foreign visitors
Will be monitored
To prevent protests
Of any kind.
The banned country list
Will grow to 100.
Diplomatic recognition?
Revoked.
Any country that warns citizens
About traveling to the U.S.—
Punished.
Beautiful detention centers
Will be built
Everywhere.
He calls them
Freedom Centers.
If you call them concentration camps—
You’ll be arrested
For defamation.
Then sent to the Freedom Centers
To work
Until deported
Or your case settles.
One monitored call per week.
No legal representation
Unless you’re a U.S. citizen.
Limited visits.
Locations and conditions—
Classified.
Publishing info?
Go to jail.
Congress members
Who try to visit?
Arrested.
See you in the camps
For the crime
Of writing these poems
Co-pilot provide useful background information on the Pro-Hitler movement in the US
You’re absolutely right—the 1930s in the U.S. saw a disturbing level of sympathy for Hitler and fascist ideology, though it never coalesced into a full-blown regime. Let’s unpack both the support and the reasons it didn’t take hold.
🇺🇸 Pro-Nazi Sentiment in 1930s America
Several factors contributed to the rise of Nazi sympathy:
German-American Bund: This was the most visible pro-Nazi group, led by Fritz Kuhn. They held massive rallies—including one at Madison Square Garden in 1939 attended by over 20,000 people—with swastikas and portraits of George Washington.
Isolationism: Many Americans, still reeling from WWI, wanted to stay out of European conflicts. Groups like America First promoted non-intervention, and some members admired Hitler’s anti-communist stance.
Anti-Semitism and Racism: These sentiments were widespread and often aligned with Nazi ideology. Figures like Father Charles Coughlin, a radio priest, spread anti-Semitic propaganda to millions.
Economic Despair: The Great Depression created fertile ground for extremist ideas. Hitler’s apparent success in revitalizing Germany’s economy appealed to some Americans.
📚 Why a Nazi-like Regime Didn’t Take Hold
Sinclair Lewis’s It Can’t Happen Here (1935) imagined a fascist takeover led by a populist demagogue named Buzz Windrip. The fears were real—but several factors prevented that dystopia:
Strong Democratic Institutions: Despite flaws, the U.S. had a resilient Constitution, independent judiciary, and a free press that resisted authoritarian consolidation.
Political Moderation: Mainstream parties, especially the Democrats under FDR, absorbed populist energy through the New Deal, undercutting extremist appeal.
Lack of Unified Leadership: Unlike Germany’s centralized Nazi Party, American fascist groups were fragmented and often at odds with each other.
Public Resistance: Massive counter-protests, especially by Jewish groups, veterans, and labor unions, pushed back against fascist rallies and propaganda.
Timing and Luck: Figures like Charles Lindbergh had the charisma and following to lead a fascist movement, but never ran for office. Huey Long, a populist governor seen as a potential American dictator, was assassinated in 1935—just before Lewis finished his novel.
🧠 Legacy and Lessons
Lewis’s novel remains eerily relevant. It reminds us that democracy isn’t self-sustaining—it requires vigilance. The 1930s showed how close the U.S. came to authoritarianism, and how fragile the line between populism and fascism can be.
🧠 Themes That Echo in Today’s Politics
Sinclair Lewis’s novel explores how democracy can erode from within, not through foreign invasion but through charismatic populism, fear-mongering, and institutional decay. Sound familiar?
Authoritarianism Wrapped in Patriotism: Buzz Windrip’s rise mirrors modern leaders who use nationalism and “traditional values” to justify crackdowns on dissent, media, and minorities.
Media Manipulation: Windrip’s regime controls information through radio propaganda. Today, disinformation spreads via social media algorithms, echo chambers, and partisan news.
Economic Desperation as Fertile Ground: The Great Depression made Americans vulnerable to Windrip’s promises. Today, economic inequality and precarity fuel similar populist appeals.
The Cult of Personality: Windrip’s followers overlook his lies and incompetence because he “speaks their language.” This parallels how some modern political figures maintain loyalty despite scandals or failures.
Resistance and Moral Courage: Doremus Jessup’s transformation from passive observer to underground activist reminds us that silence enables tyranny, and resistance often begins with ordinary people.
📚 Comparison to Other Dystopian Works
Novel
Author
Key Themes
Comparison to It Can’t Happen Here
1984
George Orwell
Surveillance, censorship, totalitarian control
Orwell’s regime is overtly oppressive; Lewis’s is insidiously American
Brave New World
Aldous Huxley
Pleasure as control, loss of individuality
Huxley’s dystopia sedates; Lewis’s manipulates through fear and nationalism
The Plot Against America
Philip Roth
Alternate history, fascism in the U.S.
Roth imagines Lindbergh as president; Lewis uses Windrip as a stand-in for Huey Long and others
Parable of the Sower
Octavia Butler
Collapse of society, survival, faith
Butler’s world is post-collapse; Lewis warns of collapse from within
Lewis’s novel is unique in that it’s not speculative sci-fi—it’s political realism with a dystopian twist. It doesn’t imagine a distant future; it imagines next year.
🔍 Why It Didn’t Happen Then—But Could Now
In the 1930s, fascist sympathies existed in the U.S., but:
Institutions like the press and courts held firm.
FDR’s New Deal absorbed populist energy.
Fascist groups lacked unity and leadership.
Figures like Huey Long were cut short (he was assassinated in 1935).
Today, those guardrails feel shakier. The novel’s relevance lies in its reminder that democracy is not self-sustaining—it requires vigilance, accountability, and moral clarity.
Reflections on returning to the US and recent poems
I have returned to the US for the summer. I will be in DC then Oregon a,nd California. So far I have mixed feelings. The political madness is there, but otherwise things are looking good.
entry was a breeze. The facial recognition AI powered software blinked and I was in. Just like that. It is nice when technology works. Some people have had problems entering the US as DHS agents never known for being customer friendly have bother and detained some foreign visitors but we had no problems.
The Trump-Musk bromace ended in a spectacular blow-up with both sides blaming each other.
Trump is going to get his big military parade next week.
I went out to Annadale the other night and had a delicious dinner at Taco Sam a K-Mexican restaurant. K-Mexican food is a fusion of Korean and Mexican food. It originated in Korea town LA which has a lot of Mexicans as well as Koreans. Koreans and Mexicans discovered that they liked each other food and there were a number of Korean-Mexican couples. Over time some people open K Mexican restaurants. The one in Annandale is typical. We had bulgogi and chicken fajitas. Quite good actually.
It looks as if I will be returning to DC area next summer and residing there for a few years. I am looking forward to that and hope we can continue to live in Korea part of the year.
Here then are some of my reflections and recent poems to enjoy.
Return to the US blog Sam Adam’s Decision Fight Fascism
Sam Adams
Watching the news unfold
Seeing daily the beginning
Of the fascist take-over
Of the United States,
He had a dilemma
and decision to make,
Did he allow it
to happen quietly
Of did he join
the resistance and rebellion?
Lost and Found
When we met
My dear,
I was lost
And you found me.
You mesmerized me with your love.
You saved my benighted soul
And gave me love and comfort,
In a refuge in a cold uncaring world.
I am reading “it Can’t Happen Here” which is prophetic novel written in 1934 about the rise to power of a fascist dictatorship. Very timeley reading.
It Can’t Happen Here is a dystopian political novel by Sinclair Lewis, published in 1935. It explores the rise of a fascist regime in the United States, led by the populist senator Berzelius “Buzz” Windrip, who wins the presidency and quickly dismantles democratic institutions. The story follows Doremus Jessup, a newspaper editor who resists Windrip’s authoritarian rule.
Characters:
Doremus Jessup – A liberal newspaper editor and the protagonist.
Buzz Windrip – A charismatic senator who becomes a dictator.
Shad Ledue – A former handyman who rises in the ranks of Windrip’s regime.
Lorinda Pike – A feminist and outspoken critic of the government.
Sissy Jessup – Doremus’s rebellious daughter.
Lee Sarasin – Windrip’s manipulative advisor.
Julian Falck – A young student and Sissy’s love interest.
Mary Greenhill – Doremus’s daughter, who joins the resistance.
Notable Quotes:
“Every man is a king so long as he has someone to look down on.”
“He loved the people just as much as he feared and detested persons.”
“It isn’t what you earn but how you spend it that fixes your class.”
“So much in a revolution is nothing but waiting.”
“A country that tolerates evil means—evil manners, standards of ethics—for a generation, will be so poisoned that it never will have any good end.”
Other Works by Sinclair Lewis:
Main Street (1920)
Babbitt (1922)
Arrowsmith (1925)
Elmer Gantry (1927)
Dodsworth (1929)
Ann Vickers (1933)
The Prodigal Parents (1938)
Gideon Planish (1943)
Kings blood Royal (1947)
Books with Similar Themes:
The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder
They Thought They Were Free: The Germans 1933-45 by Milton Mayer
1984 by George Orwell
The Iron Heel by Jack London
Fascism: A Warning by Madeleine Albright
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
Stay Positive
15 line version
With all the gloom and doom
Nonstop 24/7 BREAKING NEWS
Bad, crazy, deceitful, dismal, evil,
Fake, fraudulent, wild news
Flooding our TV screens.
Like Frank Zappa’s famous
“Slime oozing out of your TV sets”
It is very hard to remain positive.
Hard to see the good news.
Senator Manchin reached a deal
To deal with climate change
Inflation and energy security.
He took the deal
He had denounced
A few weeks before.
President Trump Doubles Down on his Crusade Against Top Universities
He declares that the top universities in the US have become a disgrace and should be shutdown as hotbeds of radical, left win fanatic down starting with Harvard and in his opinion there are too many damn universities in the US and too many foreign students, declaring that the temporary ban on foreign students will continue and become a reduction of total foreign students. He said that if Harvard and the other top universities were to shut down that would be a great thing. He called for a revolution in higher education promoting patriotic pro-American values, American history, patriotism, ending DEI programs, gender studies, ethnic studies and other left wing programs, anti-white programs, anti-American programs and working closely with industry to ensure that graduates are prepared for the world of work. He called for a boycott of the top universities declaring that the Federal government will no longer hire Harvard graduates and other graduates of elite universities and hire instead graduates from conservative universities who are committed to the MAGA world view.
trump
Trump Doubles Down Vows to Arrest Anyone Who Stands in the Way of his Mass Deportation Drive
Millions of people begin marching across the country wearing the new uniform of the resistance a TACO hat which stands for Trump Always Chickens Out. The president goes berserk ordering the mass arrest and detention of any people who wears taco hats or otherwise disrespect the President and the Government.
In a sign of mass protests every democratic member of congress show up wearing TACO uniforms and refuse to back down Speaker Jeffries makes an impassioned speech denouncing King Donald and calls for mass civil disobedience and announces that the entire democratic caucus will walk out in protests and calls upon his Republican colleagues to join them in protest.
The Republicans in congress split and one quarter joins the Democratic party in the mass walkout and protest action as millions of people gather in front of the White House wearing TACO uniforms and demanding that he arrest the entire country.
Donald Trump is Not Amused
Donald Is not amused
At the latest news
At the growing protests
At the constant mockery
TACO man goes viral
As Trump Always Chickens Out
Becomes a killer meme
Taking the world by storm
TACO Goes Viral
The joke meme
“Trump
Always
Chickens
Out”
TACO Man
Takes the world
By Storm
Ten Cheritas
There is nothing more to be said
Nothing more I can add
Nothing more than this
I will love you
Until the end of time itself
and death does us part
——————————————————————————————
—————————————————————————————-
There is always one more time
There is always a second chance
For love and happiness
In this dark world of ours
We will find each other
Til the end of time itself
——————————————————————————————–
Time waits for no one
That is what they say
That time waits for no one
But that is a lie
Time waits for you
And time waits for me too
——————————————————————————————————-
I will Love you until the end of time
That is all I need to say
That is all that there is
Nothing but love in my heart
Waiting for me to say it
And for you to believe it
———————————————————————————————–
In the beginning of the world
I saw you there
Walking off that bus
And that was the beginning
Of my life with you
And the end of the rest of the world
—————————————————————————————————–
Love Endures
the longer I live
the more I learn
that nothing endures in life
other than the love
I share with you
—————————————————————————————————
The Future of NYC
In the distant future
the world will end
with a massive flood
and NYC will slowly sink
beneath the waves
and mankind will die
——————————————————————————————-
69 Years Young
I am 62 years young
62 years around the sun
37 of those years
I have spent
with the love of my life
————————————————————–
Married the Girl of my Dreams
I married the girl of my Dreams
first dreamt of her
back in 1974
Eight years later
she walked off a bus
and into my life
As submitted without Titles
There is nothing more to be said
Nothing more I can add
Nothing more than this
I will love you
Until the end of time itself
and death does us part
——————————————————-
The Cicada Invasion
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
the Cicada invasion
has begun
in Northern Virginia
billions of them
flying about
making an out-of-this world
alien Sci-Fi like racket
loud enough to wake
the dead from their slumbers
looking for a mate
to keep the species alive
as soon as they mate
they die
what a fate
they have
The Grim Reaper Gathers His Posse
It was Halloween night
A night that all the denizens
Of hell loved.
For on that night
All of hell would break out.
They would celebrate their annual escape
On Halloween, they are allowed
To go to the surface sunlit lands.
For a night of drinking,
Drugging and wilding
As bad craziness descends
Upon the land.
The Grim Reaper and his posse
Dressed up as cosmic court jesters
Dressed as fools.
They descended upon the world
And a night of chaos fell upon the land.
Thousands died, as the Grim Reaper
Added to his quota.
Bonus kills were bonus points.
He returned to hell with his minions,
And the souls of the dead
Who soon became mere ghosts.
Their voices crying in the wind
Echoing through time.
grimm reaper
Joe Lewis Meets the Grim Reaper
Joe Lewis died one day after drinking too much in Soi Cowboy, Bangkok, Thailand. He found himself in a dark, forbidding jungle, hot and humid, with a foul smell of death and decaying vegetation everywhere. He had a sense that there were creatures in the jungles looking at him with evil, hungry, malicious intent, then he saw them as the moonlight lit the jungle forest.
Drop acid, Smoke weed, drink vodka shots, scotch, bourbon, beer.
The Trumpian Pig leads the charge and starts engaging in sodomy with Putin
Who chases after people, cutting off their heads with his sword, they turn on to their fellow creatures raping and killing each other, and eating their fellow creatures all night long, howling and growling like escaped banshees from Hell’s insane asylums. Then they attack me screaming,
“Jews will not replace us”
The Putin-Trump pigman yelled out, “After him. All humans must die. Kill Sam.
”
Even the trees came alive, trying to trip him up, as the nightmare creatures ran after him, the hunters, and soldiers firing flaming arrows and semi-automatic weapons lighting up the night sky, and the birds dive-bombing him trying to get his eyes and face, and the other creatures getting closer and closer screaming at him.
They were gaining on him when he came to a dark foul-smelling river. There was a ferryboat filled with hundreds of evil, depraved people on board floating down the river. Many of them were infamous figures, including anti-vaxxer crusaders, bar owners, celebrities, corrupt politicians of both American parties, including Governors, Representatives, Senators, drug dealers, members of the British parliament and parliaments around the world, criminals, crooked cops, fake news reporters, gangsters, gangbangers, gangsta rappers, internet bloggers, idiots in both high and low places, “Criminal Lawyers ” media darlings, pharma bros, scumbags, scoundrels, wall street executives, thugs, Italian, Korean, Japanese Yakuza, and Vietnamese Mafia figures.
They were all standing around as if they were at a cocktail party of the newly damned, drinking, smoking dope, snorting coke, and meth, dropping acid, and flirting up a storm, enjoying the free food, drinks, and drugs provided by the” Hell Catering “company using robots and demonic slave labor. They were partying as if it were their last day on earth, and they knew where they were going. Many of them felt that they would somehow manage to thrive in Hell and were looking forward to it. None of them felt remorse or regret for the actions they had taken in their life. They were mostly entitled “rich people,” the self-proclaimed “masters of the universe.
Just as the creatures were about to pounce, he swam into the water, the boat stopped, and two strange-looking men pulled him out of the water. The human monsters on the ship looked at Joe and dismissed him as a loser, a refugee fleeing the monstrous welcoming committee, and not worthy of their time.
The two gentlemen who had pulled him out of the water were strange-looking people, rough-edged but better than the party people who continued to ignore him or made mocking references to the refugee. Charon, the conductor, an elderly Italian man dressed in a black suit, stood in front of the boat. The Grim Reaper, dressed in a dark suit wearing ray beans, looking oh so cool, stood next to him. The Grim Reaper had a pan-ethnic look, could be almost any ethnicity in the world, but also looked like a space alien.
When he came aboard the ferryboat, he asked the two strange gentlemen who had rescued him,
“Thanks for saving me. Where am I?”
Handing Joe, a cup of Hell whiskey, the older of the two introduced himself saying, “I am the Grim Reaper, and this is Charon, and you are on the ferry to Hell. You are floating down the river Styx, heading to Hell and beyond. We saved you from the welcoming committee. Normally they kill our visitors and take their dead bodies to Hell where they receive a bounty, and then you are reborn as a zombie slave, possessed by demons, becoming a ghost, or a ghoul, or are sent to Hell for punishment. But sometimes, virtuous people manage to escape and per our SOP we are obligated to take in the refugees and take them to Limbo for processing. Stay here my friend, because if you go to the party, you may never return to earth.”
We are taking you and Mr. Alvarez to Limbo for further processing. He may be going upstairs but being an attorney, I have my doubts. You know what they say about lawyers in heaven, there are almost none and Hell is filled with lawyers, crooked police officers, and mafia figures. Limbo is filled with bureaucrats and the red tape takes forever, and the computer system is always crashing. What can you expect? Well, it is hard to get tech support in Heaven or Limbo, all the tech folks tend to go to Hell. “
Mr. Alvarez was an elderly Italian attorney, a lifelong fighter against corruption, the mafia, and organized criminals, and a famous human rights attorney based in Rome.
They chatted about his life and Joe’s life. Mr. Alvarez said, “My friend GR said that I might be the only lawyer getting into heaven in a long time. Most lawyers end up in the other place.”
The river was black as it was after midnight. There was a stench of decay and death, fire and brimstone, and fires burning in giant pits in the distance. The welcoming committee of nightmare creatures followed the boat shouting obscenities and jumping in the water to retrieve partiers who fell off the boat, taking them to shore where they tortured them, murdered them, and ate them.
The other people walked off to the basement of 666 5th Avenue, where there was one of many secret back doorways to the world above Hell. Demon functionaries dressed in Matrix Mr. Smith-style black suits met them at the ferry terminal. They disappeared into the depths of hell. A punk rock band played punk anthems.
The Grim Reaper took Joe and Antonio to the next step, Limbo. A giant black building reached the sky, filled with demonic bureaucrats dressed in Matrix-like Mr. Smith black suits.
The Grim Reaper said, “Wait here. It should not be too long; I like you so we will put you in front of the line.”
He saw hundreds of lost souls wandering around. There were signs in multiple languages saying.
“Wait your turn. You will be processed in the order received. No drinking, drugs, food, phone use, or sexual activity allowed. And no sleeping either. It should not be too long.”
Just then a demon functionary came up to him, hissing. “Joe, and Antonio, follow me.” And took him to where the Grim Reaper was waiting.
“Joe, Antonio, glad to see you. Please tip the demon.”
Joe paid him 100 dollars and Antonio 100 euros. The demon demanded more. The Grim Reaper swore at him in Demon speak and he disappeared into the crowd.
The Grim Reaper consulted his handheld computer, saying, “Hmm just as I suspected. You are wanted upstairs, and a guardian angel was watching you. But you almost did not make it in time. The computer program has a glitch, and you are being sent back to Earth. Your time for final status determination will be sooner than you think. I hope you and I can be friends. I can hire people as my assistants. We had a lot of fun. Think about it when you come back.”
Joseph Lewis woke up in bed next to his wife, he got up and turned on his computer, and read the following message,
“Mr. Joe, I hoped you enjoyed your tour last night. But unfortunately, there was a computer glitch in the matrix system that controls limbo, heaven, and hell. It is hard to get tech support in Limbo or Heaven, most of the engineers end up in hell. But in any event, we determined it was not yet your time.
Your friend made it fine and sends his regards. The drinks are on him when you and your wife finally make it. Oh, contrary to the old song, “In Heaven, there is no beer” we have the finest beer, wine, and spirits you can find in Heaven, and Hell as well.
As for the others, you saw, they too will visit the ferry for the last journey within a few years for most of them. But you know where they will end up.”
Wraiths,Yesterdays,yellow jackets, Yeti, and zombies.
Intending to unleash chaos
Leaving their prisons
Deep inside the mind
The wild things
Have come out to run amok
In the light of the full moon
Nightmarish foul creatures
Great demons, werewolves, goblins,
Monsters, hell hounds
Escaped banshees
Straight out of Hell
Howling at the lunatic light
Of the full moon.
To escape
From their prisons
Deep in the mind
Of the sleeping man.
The wild things
Sniff the air
Saying it was time
For some wilding
The wild things
Jump out the window
And run amuck
Spreading chaos in their wake.
Killing everyone they see
Raping women
Vandalizing buildings
Yelling screaming
As the wild things
Run amuck
Led by a half man half horse
Centaur-like creature
With a Putin Like the mask
And the voice of Donald Trump
The wild things run amuck
All over the town
Spreading chaos
Until the dawning sun
Turns them back
Into vampire-like creatures
And werewolves
Howling at the full moon
The wild things
Come back
And enter their prison
Deep in the sleeper’s head
And the wild things
Fade into a nightmarish image
As the sleeping man
Awakes to recall the dream
And the night of terror
When the wild things
Came out to play
At o dark hundred.
Blame Games
Politicians
Love to play
The blame game
It is always
The other fellows fault
Never the politician’s
They all play
The blame game
None better than
The President
Who is always right
Reflections on returning to the US and recent poems
I have returned to the US for the summer. I will be in DC then Oregon and California. So far I have mixed feelings. The political madness is there but otherwise things are looking good.
The Trump-Musk bromace ended in a spectacular blow up with both sides blaming each other.
Trump is going to get his big military parade next week.
I went out to Annadale the other night and had a delicious dinner at Taco Sam a K-Mexican restaurant. K-Mexican food is a fusion of Korean and Mexican food. It originated in Korea town LA which has a lot of Mexicans as well as Koreans. Koreans and Mexicans discovered that they liked each other food and there were a number of Korean-Mexican couples. Over time some people open K Mexican resturants. The one in Annandale is typical. We had bulgogi and chicken fajitas. Quite good actually.
It looks as if I will be returning to DC area next summer and residing there for a few years. I am looking forward to that and hope we can continue to live in Korea part of the year.
Here then are some of my reflections and recent poems to enjoy.
Return to the US blog Sam Adam’s Decision Fight Fascism
Sam Adams
Watching the news unfold
Seeing daily the beginning
Of the fascist take-over
Of the United States,
I had a dilemma and decision to make,
Did he allow it to happen quietly
Of did he join the resistance and rebellion?
Lost and Found
When we met
My dear,
I was lost
And you found me.
You mesmerized me with your love.
You saved my benighted soul
And gave me love and comfort,
In a refuge in a cold uncaring world.
It Can’t Happen Here is a dystopian political novel by Sinclair Lewis, published in 1935. It explores the rise of a fascist regime in the United States, led by the populist senator Berzelius “Buzz” Windrip, who wins the presidency and quickly dismantles democratic institutions. The story follows Doremus Jessup, a newspaper editor who resists Windrip’s authoritarian rule.
Characters:
Doremus Jessup – A liberal newspaper editor and the protagonist.
Buzz Windrip – A charismatic senator who becomes a dictator.
Shad Ledue – A former handyman who rises in the ranks of Windrip’s regime.
Lorinda Pike – A feminist and outspoken critic of the government.
Sissy Jessup – Doremus’s rebellious daughter.
Lee Sarasin – Windrip’s manipulative advisor.
Julian Falck – A young student and Sissy’s love interest.
Mary Greenhill – Doremus’s daughter, who joins the resistance.
Notable Quotes:
“Every man is a king so long as he has someone to look down on.”
“He loved the people just as much as he feared and detested persons.”
“It isn’t what you earn but how you spend it that fixes your class.”
“So much in a revolution is nothing but waiting.”
“A country that tolerates evil means—evil manners, standards of ethics—for a generation, will be so poisoned that it never will have any good end.”
Other Works by Sinclair Lewis:
Main Street (1920)
Babbitt (1922)
Arrowsmith (1925)
Elmer Gantry (1927)
Dodsworth (1929)
Ann Vickers (1933)
The Prodigal Parents (1938)
Gideon Planish (1943)
Kings blood Royal (1947)
Books with Similar Themes:
The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder
They Thought They Were Free: The Germans 1933-45 by Milton Mayer
1984 by George Orwell
The Iron Heel by Jack London
Fascism: A Warning by Madeleine Albright
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
Stay Positive
15 line version
With all the gloom and doom
Nonstop 24/7 BREAKING NEWS
Bad, crazy, deceitful, dismal, evil,
Fake, fraudulent, wild news
Flooding our TV screens.
Like Frank Zappa’s famous
“Slime oozing out of your TV sets”
It is very hard to remain positive.
Hard to see the good news.
Senator Manchin reached a deal
To deal with climate change
Inflation and energy security.
He took the deal
He had denounced
A few weeks before.
President Trump doubles down on his crusade against top universities
He declares that the top universities in the US have become a disgrace and should be shutdown as hotbeds of radical, left win fanatic down starting with Harvard and in his opinion there are too many damn universities in the US and too many foreign students, declaring that the temporary ban on foreign students will continue and become a reduction of total foreign students. He said that if Harvard and the other top universities were to shut down that would be a great thing. He called for a revolution in higher education promoting patriotic pro-American values, American history, patriotism, ending DEI programs, gender studies, ethnic studies and other left wing programs, anti-white programs, anti-American programs and working closely with industry to ensure that graduates are prepared for the world of work. He called for a boycott of the top universities declaring that the Federal government will no longer hire Harvard graduates and other graduates of elite universities and hire instead graduates from conservative universities who are committed to the MAGA world view.
Trump Doubles Down vows to arrest anyone who stands in the way of his mass deportation drive
Millions of people begin marching across the country wearing the new uniform of the resistance a TACO hat which stands for Trump Always Chickens Out. The president goes berserk ordering the mass arrest and detention of any people who wears taco hats or otherwise disrespect the President and the Government.
In a sign of mass protests every democratic member of congress show up wearing TACO uniforms and refuse to back down Speaker Jeffries makes an impassioned speech denouncing King Donald and calls for mass civil disobedience and announces that the entire democratic caucus will walk out in protests and calls upon his Republican colleagues to join them in protest.
The Republicans in congress split and one quarter joins the Democratic party in the mass walkout and protest action as millions of people gather in front of the White House wearing TACO uniforms and demanding that he arrest the entire country.
Donald Is not amused
At the latest news
At the growing protests
At the constant mockery
TACO man goes viral
As Trump Always Chickens Out
Becomes a killer meme
Taking the world by storm
TACO Goes Viral
The joke meme
“Trump
Always
Chickens
Out”
TACO Man
Takes the world
By Storm
Ten Cheritas
There is nothing more to be said
There is always one more time
Time waits for no one
I will Love you until the end of time
That is all I need to say
In the beginning of the world
Life Endures
The Future of NYC
69 Years Young
Married the Girl of My Dreams
Ten Haiku
There is nothing more to be said
There is always one more time
Time waits for no one
I will Love you until the end of time
That is all I need to say
In the beginning of the world
Life Endures
The Future of NYC
69 Years Young
Married the Girl of My Dreams
Ten Tanka
There is nothing more to be said
There is always one more time
Time waits for no one
I will Love you until the end of time
That is all I need to say
In the beginning of the world
Life Endures
The Future of NYC
69 Years Young
Married the Girl of My Dreams
Without titles as submitted
There is nothing more to be said
Nothing more I can add
Nothing more than this
I will love you
Until the end of time itself
and death does us part
—————————————————————————————-
There is always one more time
There is always a second chance
For love and happiness
In this dark world of ours
We will find each other
Til the end of time itself
——————————————————————————————–
Time waits for no one
That is what they say
That time waits for no one
But that is a lie
Time waits for you
And time waits for me too
——————————————————————————————————-
I will Love you until the end of time
That is all I need to say
That is all that there is
Nothing but love in my heart
Waiting for me to say it
And for you to believe it
———————————————————————————————–
In the beginning of the world
I saw you there
Walking off that bus
And that was the beginning
Of my life with you
And the end of the rest of the world
—————————————————————————————————–
Love Endures
the longer I live
the more I learn
that nothing endures in life
other than the love
I share with you
—————————————————————————————————
The Future of NYC
In the distant future
the world will end
with a massive flood
and NYC will slowly sink
beneath the waves
and mankind will die
——————————————————————————————-
69 Years Young
I am 62 years young
62 years around the sun
37 of those years
I have spent
with the love of my life
————————————————————–
Married the Girl of my Dreams
I married the girl of my Dreams
first dreamt of her
back in 1974
Eight years later
she walked off a bus
and into my life
As submitted without Titles
There is nothing more to be said
Nothing more I can add
Nothing more than this
I will love you
Until the end of time itself
and death does us part
——————————————————-
There is always one more time
There is always a second chance
For love and happiness
In this dark world of ours
We will find each other
Til the end of time itself
—————————————————————-
Time waits for no one
That is what they say
That time waits for no one
But that is a lie
Time waits for you
And time waits for me too
——————————————————————
I will Love you until the end of time
That is all I need to say
That is all that there is
Nothing but love in my heart
Waiting for me to say it
And for you to believe it
——————————————————————–
In the beginning of the world
I saw you there
Walking off that bus
And that was the beginning
Of my life with you
And the end of the rest of the world
————————————————————–
Love Endures
the longer I live
the more I learn
that nothing endures in life
other than the love
I share with you
—————————————————————
The Future of NYC
In the distant future
the world will end
with a massive flood
and NYC will slowly sink
beneath the waves
and mankind will die
————————————————————–
I am 69 Years Young
69 years around the sun
Still alive and kicking
42 of those years
I have spent
with the love of my life
———————————————————————
I married the girl of my Dreams
first dreamt of her
back in 1974
Eight years later
she walked off a bus
and into my life
—————————————————————
the Cicada invasion
the Cicada invasion
has begun
in Northern Virginia
billions of them
flying about
making an out-of-this world
alien Sci-Fi like racket
loud enough to wake
the dead from their slumbers
looking for a mate
to keep the species alive
as soon as they mate
they die
what a fate
they have
The Grim Reaper Gathers His Posse
It was Halloween night
A night that all the denizens
Of hell loved.
For on that night
All of hell would break out.
They would celebrate their annual escape
On Halloween, they are allowed
To go to the surface sunlit lands.
For a night of drinking,
Drugging and wilding
As bad craziness descends
Upon the land.
The Grim Reaper and his posse
Dressed up as cosmic court jesters
Dressed as fools.
They descended upon the world
And a night of chaos fell upon the land.
Thousands died, as the Grim Reaper
Added to his quota.
Bonus kills were bonus points.
He returned to hell with his minions,
And the souls of the dead
Who soon became mere ghosts.
Their voices crying in the wind
Echoing through time.
Sam Adams died one day after drinking too much in Soi Cowboy, Bangkok, Thailand. He found himself in a dark, forbidding jungle, hot and humid, with a foul smell of death and decaying vegetation everywhere. He had a sense that there were creatures in the jungles looking at him with evil, hungry, malicious intent, then he saw them as the moonlight lit the jungle forest.
Drop acid, Smoke weed, drink vodka shots, scotch, bourbon, beer.
The Trumpian Pig leads the charge and starts engaging in sodomy with Putin
Who chases after people, cutting off their heads with his sword, they turn on to their fellow creatures raping and killing each other, and eating their fellow creatures all night long, howling and growling like escaped banshees from Hell’s insane asylums. Then they attack me screaming,
“Jews will not replace us”
The Putin-Trump pigman yelled out, “After him. All humans must die. Kill Sam.
.”
Even the trees came alive, trying to trip him up, as the nightmare creatures ran after him, the hunters, and soldiers firing flaming arrows and semi-automatic weapons lighting up the night sky, and the birds dive-bombing him trying to get his eyes and face, and the other creatures getting closer and closer screaming at him.
They were gaining on him when he came to a dark foul-smelling river. There was a ferryboat filled with hundreds of evil, depraved people on board floating down the river. Many of them were infamous figures, including anti-vaxxer crusaders, bar owners, celebrities, corrupt politicians of both American parties, including Governors, Representatives, Senators, drug dealers, members of the British parliament and parliaments around the world, criminals, crooked cops, fake news reporters, gangsters, gangbangers, gangsta rappers, internet bloggers, idiots in both high and low places, “Criminal Lawyers ” media darlings, pharma bros, scumbags, scoundrels, wall street executives, thugs, Italian, Korean, Japanese Yakuza, and Vietnamese Mafia figures.
They were all standing around as if they were at a cocktail party of the newly damned, drinking, smoking dope, snorting coke, and meth, dropping acid, and flirting up a storm, enjoying the free food, drinks, and drugs provided by the” Hell Catering “company using robots and demonic slave labor. They were partying as if it were their last day on earth, and they knew where they were going. Many of them felt that they would somehow manage to thrive in Hell and were looking forward to it. None of them felt remorse or regret for the actions they had taken in their life. They were mostly entitled “rich people,” the self-proclaimed “masters of the universe.
Just as the creatures were about to pounce, he swam into the water, the boat stopped, and two strange-looking men pulled him out of the water. The human monsters on the ship looked at Joe and dismissed him as a loser, a refugee fleeing the monstrous welcoming committee, and not worthy of their time.
The two gentlemen who had pulled him out of the water were strange-looking people, rough-edged but better than the party people who continued to ignore him or made mocking references to the refugee. Charon, the conductor, an elderly Italian man dressed in a black suit, stood in front of the boat. The Grim Reaper, dressed in a dark suit wearing ray beans, looking oh so cool, stood next to him. The Grim Reaper had a pan-ethnic look, could be almost any ethnicity in the world, but also looked like a space alien.
When he came aboard the ferryboat, he asked the two strange gentlemen who had rescued him,
“Thanks for saving me. Where am I?”
Handing Joe, a cup of Hell whiskey, the older of the two introduced himself saying, “I am the Grim Reaper, and this is Charon, and you are on the ferry to Hell. You are floating down the river Styx, heading to Hell and beyond. We saved you from the welcoming committee. Normally they kill our visitors and take their dead bodies to Hell where they receive a bounty, and then you are reborn as a zombie slave, possessed by demons, becoming a ghost, or a ghoul, or are sent to Hell for punishment. But sometimes, virtuous people manage to escape and per our SOP we are obligated to take in the refugees and take them to Limbo for processing. Stay here my friend, because if you go to the party, you may never return to earth.”
We are taking you and Mr. Alvarez to Limbo for further processing. He may be going upstairs but being an attorney, I have my doubts. You know what they say about lawyers in heaven, there are almost none and Hell is filled with lawyers, crooked police officers, and mafia figures. Limbo is filled with bureaucrats and the red tape takes forever, and the computer system is always crashing. What can you expect? Well, it is hard to get tech support in Heaven or Limbo, all the tech folks tend to go to Hell. “
Mr. Alvarez was an elderly Italian attorney, a lifelong fighter against corruption, the mafia, and organized criminals, and a famous human rights attorney based in Rome.
They chatted about his life and Joe’s life. Mr. Alvarez said, “My friend GR said that I might be the only lawyer getting into heaven in a long time. Most lawyers end up in the other place.”
The river was black as it was after midnight. There was a stench of decay and death, fire and brimstone, and fires burning in giant pits in the distance. The welcoming committee of nightmare creatures followed the boat shouting obscenities and jumping in the water to retrieve partiers who fell off the boat, taking them to shore where they tortured them, murdered them, and ate them.
The other people walked off to the basement of 666 5th Avenue, where there was one of many secret back doorways to the world above Hell. Demon functionaries dressed in Matrix Mr. Smith-style black suits met them at the ferry terminal. They disappeared into the depths of hell. A punk rock band played punk anthems.
The Grim Reaper took Joe and Antonio to the next step, Limbo. A giant black building reached the sky, filled with demonic bureaucrats dressed in Matrix-like Mr. Smith black suits.
The Grim Reaper said, “Wait here. It should not be too long; I like you so we will put you in front of the line.”
He saw hundreds of lost souls wandering around. There were signs in multiple languages saying.
“Wait your turn. You will be processed in the order received. No drinking, drugs, food, phone use, or sexual activity allowed. And no sleeping either. It should not be too long.”
Just then a demon functionary came up to him, hissing. “Joe, and Antonio, follow me.” And took him to where the Grim Reaper was waiting.
“Joe, Antonio, glad to see you. Please tip the demon.”
Joe paid him 100 dollars and Antonio 100 euros. The demon demanded more. The Grim Reaper swore at him in Demon speak and he disappeared into the crowd.
The Grim Reaper consulted his handheld computer, saying, “Hmm just as I suspected. You are wanted upstairs, and a guardian angel was watching you. But you almost did not make it in time. The computer program has a glitch, and you are being sent back to Earth. Your time for final status determination will be sooner than you think. I hope you and I can be friends. I can hire people as my assistants. We had a lot of fun. Think about it when you come back.”
Joseph Lewis woke up in bed next to his wife, he got up and turned on his computer, and read the following message,
“Mr. Joe, I hoped you enjoyed your tour last night. But unfortunately, there was a computer glitch in the matrix system that controls limbo, heaven, and hell. It is hard to get tech support in Limbo or Heaven, most of the engineers end up in hell. But in any event, we determined it was not yet your time.
Your friend made it fine and sends his regards. The drinks are on him when you and your wife finally make it. Oh, contrary to the old song, “In Heaven, there is no beer” we have the finest beer, wine, and spirits you can find in Heaven, and Hell as well.
As for the others, you saw, they too will visit the ferry for the last journey within a few years for most of them. But you know where they will end up.”
Your friend.
Mr. GR the Grim Reaper.
Sailing to Hell
After a long night drinking
In the Cosmos Bar
Sam Adams
Woke up
And found himself
On a barge
Filled with hundreds
Of strange looking people.
The barge was being driven
By a large black man
With dreadlocks.
Along with oars men
Pulling the boat
Along a dark river.
The landscape swept by
Hellish nightmare on land
Fires burning everywhere.
The smell of fire
And brimstone ever present
Screams of the condemned
Filling the air.
The heat and stench
Made it
Hard to breath.
Sam asked the captain
“Where the hell am I?”
The captain laughed,
“I am Charon
And you are on your way
To Limbo.
For your judgement
Day is nigh.
Be afraid my friend
Be very afraid.
Abandon all hope
For those
who find themselves here.
Here never return
To the sunlit lands
Of their birth.”
And he handed Sam
A glass of hell brew ale,
One of his fellow prisoners
A big burly fellow
Who had a pan-ethnic look
Could be anything.
Grabbed the ale
And threw it
into the stinking river,
and said,
Once you drink hell ale
You can not return
To your homeworld.
You have but one chance left
Convince the powers that be
To give you another chance
To return to the world
Right the wrongs you made
Atone for your mistakes.
And hope
The computer
made a mistake
As they often do.
Hell is filled
with corrupt systems techs
And they can be bought.
I have been here before
Let me be your guide
Sam Adams of Earth.
And they sailed on
In the sturgeon darkness
Where it is always
O dark hundred.
TACO Pivoting Trump
TACO Pivoting Writer’s Digest
TACO Pivoting
President Trump
is known nowadays
by acronym
TACO
Which stands for
Trump
Always
Chickens
Out
A nickname he hates
With passion
He got the nickname
because
Of his constant pivoting
Away from his previous positions.
As he adjusts
and changes
His policies
on a whim.
My Computer Hates Me Computer
My Computer Hates Me Writer’s Digest
My Computer Hates Me
Sometimes it seems
That my computer
My laptop hates me.
As it is constantly
Doing things
To frustrate me.
It crashes without warning
It loses data all the time
It often post cryptic
Haiku like error messages.
“General Failure
Reading disk drive”
Who is this General Failure
And why is he reading
My disk drive anyway?
But my computer’s
favorite trick
Is to without warning
When I am trying
to copy and paste
it copies the previous text
making me repeat the operation
several times
and sometimes
it copies and replaces
the entire document
without warning.
and disabling
the save feature
just to fuck with me
some more.
Yes it seems
my computer
Hates me.
Who Is Master?
Posted on all poetry
In the beginning of that fateful day
I awoke with a painful way
And looked about me with disgust
All around me were objects to distrust
Screaming, meaning, deeming, dreaming
Who was master here
Me or my objects – machinery of fear?
I dreamt I was on a street corner
Walking down a street
The thought occurred to me
What if all that I saw or seemed to be
Was but a trick designed to deceive me?
Everywhere I looked
Was unreal, empirical, nightmarish real
I awoke to thunderous applause
When will I awake from my dreams
Can I live without my nightmares?
Can I be sane while everyone else is insane?
Who is master of my life,
Me or my machines?
Wild Things Run Amuck
4 am
O dark Hundred
Bewitching hour
Time for wild things,
To come out to play
Intending to unleash chaos
Leaving their prisons
Deep inside the mind
The wild things
Have come out to run amok
In the light of the full moon
Nightmarish foul creatures
Great demons, werewolves, goblins,
Monsters, hell hounds
Escaped banshees
Straight out of Hell
Howling at the lunatic light
Of the full moon.
To escape
From their prisons
Deep in the mind
Of the sleeping man.
The wild things
Sniff the air
Saying it was time
For some wilding
The wild things
Jump out the window
And run amuck
Spreading chaos in their wake.
Killing everyone they see
Raping women
Vandalizing buildings
Yelling screaming
As the wild things
Run amuck
Led by a half man half horse
Centaur-like creature
With a Putin Like the mask
And the voice of Donald Trump
The wild things run amuck
All over the town
Spreading chaos
Until the dawning sun
Turns them back
Into vampire-like creatures
And werewolves
Howling at the full moon
The wild things
Come back
And enter their prison
Deep in the sleeper’s head
And the wild things
Fade into a nightmarish image
As the sleeping man
Awakes to recall the dream
And the night of terror
When the wild things
Came out to play
At o dark hundred.
Blame Games
Politicians
Love to play
The blame game
It is always
The other fellows fault
Never the politician’s
They all play
The blame game
None better than
The President
Who is always right
My computer hates me Writer’s Digest
My computer hates me
It is plotting against me
Trying to drive me mad
As it constantly
fucks with my head
My computer hates me
It constantly plays games
Can’t open files
Can’t find the printer
My computer hates me
It crashes all the time
Displaying haiku error messages
My computer hates me
My computer is an evil mofo
My computer hates me
You are everything
You are everything
You are my happiness
You are my love drug.
My love connection.
Ever since
I first saw you
In my dreams.
You messermized me
With your love
Turning me
Into your love pabo (fool).
As your love mojo
Worked overtime
Casting a spell on me.
And ever since
From that moment
Looking at you.
Made me
the happiest man
In the whole universe.
Summer in DC Flash
summer in DC
hot humid tropical days
madness on TV
Trump V Musk Failed Bromace
Trump
War against
Elon Musk first Buddy
No longer bromace, over
Musk
War
MAGA civil war erupts
Both are disloyal
They proclaim
Hate
MAGA is President Trump’s movement Make America Great Again
Musk and Trump Paku
Musk and Trump
fight
no longer friends
Trump, Musk La Pensa
Trump, Musk
Co-presidents
Bromace now over for good
It was bound to happen someday
Ending in warfare
Elon Musk was called the first buddy in charge of taming the Federal government bureaucracy through his DOGE Department of Government Efficiency which has caused tremendous damage to the Federal government, until the epic break-up recently both sides blaming the other for being disloyal and both sides threatening dire consequences, Trump saying he fired Musk, Musk saying that Trump owes him without his money Trump would have lost. Who will win?
Musk is arrested by DEA and ordered deported by DHS. On grounds that he overstayed his visa and worked illegally 30 years ago. The DEA shows off the illegal drugs found at his house.
Trump is forced to back down on tariffs with China, The EU and chickens out as the nation’s CEO and Chamber of Commerce declare that the Trump Recession ends. The damage is severe, and it takes months to restore some degree of sanity. The end result was that countries around the world agreed to pay 5 percent tariffs and US exporters would also pay 5 percent. In the end it was months of total chaos ending with a humbling backing down.
It Can’t Happen Here remade becomes a huge Hit
Trump Declares Martial Law as protests across the country reach a peak after his military parade causes huge outrage
Steven Miller embraces elements of It Can’t Happen here – calling for the proud boys to assist in the deportation of illegal aliens.
And shutting down Congress, and remaking State boundaries to eliminate once and for all Blue State’s independence.
Civil War 2.0 is launched with California leads the West Coast out of the US and joins forces with British Colombia, and joins Hawaii, Alaska, New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado in a new West Coast Federation
The East Coast Federation joins in forming a new Federation including DC!
Michigan, Chicago and Ontario form Chicagoland.
Trump Doubles Down Calls for an end of the elite universities starting with Harvard
declaring that the elite universities are now run by anti-American, Anti-Christian, radical leftwing marxists consumed with DEI, CRT, gender ideologies and other fascist leftwing nonsense. They must be reformed, the faculty cleansed and most foreign students sent home. They must get rid of ethnic studies, women studies, queer studies, and anti-American history programs. They must teach patriotic history instead. The Department of Education will have a new mission – to purge academia of all such divisive anti-American, cultural Marxism and other ideologies. The President of Harvard must resign immediately and must apologize to the nation and promise to reform. All foreign students and faculty must be fired, and only patriotic Americans allowed to teach or work at Harvard.
If they refuse to comply then the nation should respond by boycotting Harvard and the other elite colleges. The Department of Education will rate all universities in the country and publish the results in two weeks. Those deemed to be unpatriotic will lose the right to enroll foreign students, and hire foreign faculty and staff, and receive no federal grants or contracts, and also their students will receive no student loans. Universities will have until August 15 to comply or face the consequences.
President Trump Goes On A Rampage Calling For A Crack Down On Home Depot
This includes ordering ICE shock troops out to conduct “Operation Home Depot”. Home Deport announces that they would stand aside and let the raids occur but promises to provide legal assistance to anyone who is detained illegally while working at or shopping at Home Depot. Trump responds by calling for a boycott of Home Depot charging them with being informal sanctuary for illegal aliens providing a safe space for them to find employment.
We are shopping at Home Depot in Alexandria when the raids are announced. The goon squads stop Angela and start hazing her. I stand up for her telling the agent
“Hey dude, back off. She is a retired US army major and I am a retired US Foreign Service office so show us some fucking respect bro”
They threaten to arrest both of us for resisting arrest and I laugh and spoke
“Go ahead, make my day. I am a grumpy old man and don’t give a fuck. But it would make a great youtube or ticktock don’t you think? ICE agents haze ling old man and old female army vet, and tazing them. Great PR, man.”
They laugh and warn us to watch our attitude.
“Roger that dude. Everyone tells me that for some reason. Thanks for pointing it out. I will work on that. Thank you for your service dude. “ ]
and they walk off.
The whole incident was captured on video and goes viral.
The War on Civil Service Expands
Most federal employees are now classified as scheduled F and most will work on renewable five year contracts. All Federal employees must pass new stringent security standards
This include signing a loyalty oath, banning trans gendered people, LGBTQ members, overly partisan people, excessive alcohol use, excessive gambling, engagement with prostitution, or pornography, drug usage even where it is legal, and reading prohibited political content online or at work, and must exhibit exemplary moral conduct with including church services being a big plus and being an athiest or non-religious member a big negative but not banned per see. And they must past stringent financial disclosure requirements and finally pass a drug test annually.
Hiring Only Religious College Graduates To Staff The Federal Government
The office of Personal Management announces that the Federal Government will focus on hiring only from religious colleges, state colleges, and home schooling academies instead of hiring from elite colleges, and HBUC from now on. This would apply to all Federal hiring authorities. Furthermore Harvard and elite college graduates need not apply for federal positions with State, CIA or law enforcement agencies either. The expectation is that people will serve six to seven five year renewable contracts before being eligible for retirement which will be required at age 65. .
Foreign Service Test Ended
The Secretary of State announces a fundamental change to the State Department. The foreign service is ended, instead all employees will be hired based on an AI review of their resume, past education and experience. This will include current employees and new employees. All employees will spend 40 percent of their career overseas and 60 percent domestically, including working in field offices. While overseas they will be given diplomatic status, while in domestic assignments they will be given civil service status and work on five year renewable contracts.
All State Department employees are now classified as scheduled F and most will work on renewable five year contracts. All Federal employees must pass new stringent security standards
This include signing a loyalty oath, banning trans gendered people, LGBTQ members, overly partisan people, excessive alcohol use, excessive gambling, engagement with prostitution, or pornography, drug usage even where it is legal, and reading prohibited political content online or at work, and must exhibit exemplary moral conduct with including church services being a big plus and being an athiest or non-religious member a big negative but not banned per see. And they must past stringent financial disclosure requirements and finally pass a drug test annually.
The Visa Function And Consular Affairs Positions Will Be Transferred To A New Cabinet Level Immigration And Naturalization Service
This new agency will staff embassies and consulates overseas as well as domestic POE positions and back office opperations, again on five year schedule positions and meeting the new security standards. While overseas they will be given foreign service diplomatic status and while in domestic assignments serve as civil service positions.
The expectation is that people will serve six to seven five year renewable contracts before being eligible for retirement which will be required at age 65. .
But most visa applications will now be handled through an expanded EVA process with only first time applicants requiring interviews. All visa applicants will undergo ideological vetting but the expectation is that 90 percent of applicants will be granted entry visas which will be valid for five year renewable contracts.
Human Rights Reports Ended
The State Department announces the annual human rights reports are ending once Congress approves the new procedures This will also mean a cutback on a lot of other onerous reporting requirements on Embassies and consulates. The final HR reports will be due in April 2026 and ceased afterwards assuming congressional approval. Labor officers, EST officer positions will also be eliminated as will refugee admissions officers, as these positions should be conducted by the Department of Labor, and the new Immigration and Consular Affairs Department. And the INR bureaus will be phased out as that should be done by the CIA, and INL positions will be transferred to DEA. Total staffing for the State Department will be cut by 40 percent effective immediately.
JD Vance And The Leaders Of The Congress And Cabinet Agree After A Week Of Unhinged Rants By President Trump That They Had Enough And Removed The President
After a weekend of unhinged rants, JD Vance and the cabinet agree that the President is obviously suffering from Alzheimer’s and getting worst. JD Vance announces that the President has been removed due to his inability to handle the responsibilities of the job. JD Vance promised to review everything and make some changes to what President Trump had proposed in a more rational manner, in full consultation with congressional leaders, the cabinet, and with the support of the public. Beginning with tariffs, which will be lowered to five percent, but the trade deals consultations will continue leading to new deals by the end of the year.
All revenues from tariffs will be divided into three tranches of money – paying down the debt, general revenue for the government, and a new infrastructure bank to fund continued improvements to physical infrastructure across the country. At the end of the process, there would be free and fair trade with most countries around the world, with some countries paying zero, and most paying 5 percent and US exporters generally pay five percent on exports to other countries. Existing free trade agreements will be revised, and new ones negotiated with EU and Asia Pacific trade partners.
The DOGE office will be converted to a formal advisory committee and continue working with government agencies to make the government more transparent and efficient, including using AI technologies throughout the government.
Reorganization plans will continue with the goal being most Federal government office relocated outside of DC, with only headquaters functions in DC remaining which was what the intention of the founding fathers.
Federal lands will be made available for logging, mining etc with the exception of already authorized wilderness areas, national parks, and monuments. Some Federal lands could be transferred to state control and that would be subject to further discussions.
Support for NPR and CPR will be ended.
USAID will become part of the State Department and continue to play a role but at a reduced level than before.
Visa policies will be revamped. A new Department of immigration and consular affairs will be created merging units from DHS, State and Labor into a new agency. Most visa decisions will be made via EVA except for new applicants and people living in countries that have problematic issues who will require visa interviews.
Student visas will require social media vetting but most students will not have a problem and most applicants will be approved remotely and for first time applicants an interview at the US embassy or consulate.
The US still wants foreign students and we will ask Congress to enact a new law that will allow foreign students who wish to stay in the US, have a job offer and can of course speak English be allowed to convert their status upon graduation into green cards like many of our foreign competitors due.
We will also overhaul the immigration system as part of the reorganization with a new immigration act enacted.
Re deportation we are open to changing the law so that aliens married to US citizens and or have US citizen children can petition to stay and convert their status provided they have no criminal background, speak Engish and are working or have job offers. It makes no sense to deport people with US citizen relatives. Deportation should be focused on criminal aliens.
Other aliens who have been working in the US for decades can apply for temporary green cards provided they speak English, have no criminal record and have employment offers. This amnesty will be limited.
The border will be sealed otherwise with US military forces helping to patrol the border region. Entry will be limited to authorized check points only. Amnesty applications and refugee applications will be handled through normal channels.
There will also be an expanded guest worker program. These visas will be renewable visas and after ten years can be converted to permanent residency.
There will be those who scream this is amnesty. So be it. It is time for a rational review of immigration and those who are here contributing to the US should be allowed to stay. New visas should be easier to obtain but limited. The F4 sibling category will be eliminated but those in the queue can apply provided they do so within one year.
President Donald Trump is reportedly considering a freeze on federal funding to the state of California — but Gov. Gavin Newsom has hit back with a threat of his own.
“Californians pay the bills for the federal government,” wrote Newsom in a post to X on Friday. “We pay over $80 BILLION more in taxes than we get back. Maybe it’s time to cut that off, @realDonaldTrump.”
Studies have repeatedly shown that Democratic-voting states like California tend to produce more in taxes for the federal government than they receive back in benefits and federal spending, due both to the fact that many of these states contain some of the largest and wealthiest cities in the United States, and the fact that many Republican-voting states rely on military spending and employment.
Notable exceptions to this pattern include Maryland and Virginia, two primarily Democratic-voting states which border the nation’s capital and thus are home to a number of federal agencies and employees, as well as Texas, which broadly votes for Republicans but also is home to several large and wealthy metropolitan areas.
Studies have repeatedly shown that Democratic-voting states like California tend to produce more in taxes for the federal government than they receive back in benefits and federal spending, due both to the fact that many of these states contain some of the largest and wealthiest cities in the United States, and the fact that many Republican-voting states rely on military spending and employment.
Notable exceptions to this pattern include Maryland and Virginia, two primarily Democratic-voting states which border the nation’s capital and thus are home to a number of federal agencies and employees, as well as Texas, which broadly votes for Republicans but also is home to several large and wealthy metropolitan areas.
Former Trump White House aide turned podcaster Steve Bannon slammed the White House for not having its eye on South Korea ahead of the country electing left-wing leader Lee Jae-myung, who has signaled frustration over President Donald Trump’s tariff policies.
“You heard there at the end about the Korea situation we’ve been covering. The winner got 48 and a half or 49% of the vote. ‘South Korea trusts in end to turmoil with Lee’s sweeping election victory,’ sweeping election victory,” Bannon said, reading and holding up the frontpage headline of the Financial Times.
And right there, for those in the State Department not paying attention or the White House have not been paying attention to this, they gave two F-Us. Number one, we’re going to take our time on a, you know, we are not going to be the first guys. And we’re going to take our time on a trade deal,” Bannon continued, adding:
President Trump put out another ultimatum, I think last night, or Bessent or Lonick, hey, we need them all in like immediately. They’re under new ownership in South Korea. And yeah, we’re gonna have, under the table, we got step-by-step better relationships with Beijing. Everybody that was asleep on the watch on this thing, payback is gonna be bad, folks. Gonna be bad. Just one of many things.
Bannon sounding the alarm on South Korea turning toward China and slow-rolling a trade deal on Trump’s tariffs highlights a major failure of Trump’s current foreign policy. South Korea, the world’s 12th largest economy, has long been a key U.S. ally in Asia. South Korea is one of the world’s largest exporters of products targeted by Trump’s tariffs, including automobiles and smartphones.
South Korea’s new president, Lee Jae-myung, has secured a storming victory, but his honeymoon will barely last the day.
The former opposition leader is not getting to enjoy the two-month transition period usually afforded to new leaders, so they can build their team and nail down their vision for the country.
If these tariffs take effect “they could trigger an economic crisis”, a seasoned advisor to Lee’s Democratic Party, Moon Chung-in, said.
Before Trump’s announcements, South Korea’s economy was already slowing down. The chaos of martial law constricted it further. Then, in the first quarter of this year, it contracted. Fixing this has been voters’ number one demand, even above fixing their beleaguered democracy.
But without a president, talks with Trump have been on hold. They cannot be put off any longer.
And there is much more than South Korea’s economy at stake in these negotiations.
The US currently guarantees South Korea’s security, by promising to come to its defence with both conventional and nuclear weapons, were it to be attacked by its nuclear-armed neighbour, North Korea. As part of this deal there are 28,500 US troops stationed in the country.
The new president must move quickly on all fronts, added Mr Revere, arguing that Lee’s first homework assignment should be to come up with a list of 10 reasons why South Korea is an indispensable partner and why American dollars are being well spent; reasons that can convince a skeptical and transactional Trump.
One Ace card South Korea is hoping to play is its shipbuilding prowess. It builds more vessels than any other country bar China, which is now the world’s dominant ship builder and home to the largest naval fleet. This is a frightening prospect for the US whose own industry and navy are in decline.
Last month I visited South Korea’s flagship shipyard in Ulsan on the south coast – the largest in the world – where Hyundai Heavy Industries builds 40-50 new ships a year, including naval destroyers. Sturdy cranes slotted together sheets of metal, creating vessels the size of small villages.
Seoul is hoping it can use this expertise to build, repair and maintain warships for the US, and in the process convince Washington it is a valuable partner.
“US shipbuilding difficulties are affecting their national security”, said Jeong Woo Maan, head of strategy for Hyundai’s naval and ship unit. “This is one of the strongest cards we have to negotiate with”.
In his campaign for president, Lee Jae-myung declared he did not want to rush into any agreements with Trump. Now in office, he could quickly find himself without this luxury.
I am again entering the April Poetry challenge and will write every day and post once a week or so
I will not post everything though some I will withhold for possible publication, others I will withhold because they are too politically sensitive in these politically charged times. I will post the prompt.
Those syllables are divided into five iambic feet. (An iamb is an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable). The word “admit” is a good example. In pronouncing it, you put more stress on the “mit” than the “ad.”
Rhyme schemes vary, but the Shakespearean sonnet is abab cdcd efef gg (three quatrains followed by a concluding couplet).
April 26 Prompt Sonnet not in traditional iambic meter
We finally made it to the weekend, everyone!
Today’s featured participant is Eden Ligon, whose “live concert” poem for Day Twenty-Five shows all the sweetness of music that has ripened with time.
Our daily resource is the online collection of Spain’s Reina Sofia Museum, which houses an incredible collection of modern and contemporary art. You can find Picassos aplenty here, of course, but also things like this vertiginous sculpture that makes me think of a rollercoaster, this mysterious Magritte, and this collaboration between Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
And now for our daily (optional) prompt. The word “sonnet” comes directly from the Italian Soneto, or “little song.” A traditional sonnet has a strict meter and rhyme scheme. It’s a strange form to have wormed its way into English, which is relatively unmetrical and rhyme-poor compared to Romance languages like Italian.
But thanks to William Shakespeare, Edmund Spenser, and others, the sonnet in English bloomed. It also became a sort of rite of passage for poets, with the Victorians especially loving very strict sonnets.
To refresh you on the “rules” of the traditional sonnet:
14 lines
10 syllables per line
Those syllables are divided into five iambic feet. (An iamb is an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable). The word “admit” is a good example. In pronouncing it, you put more stress on the “mit” than the “ad.”
Rhyme schemes vary, but the Shakespearean sonnet is abab cdcd efef gg (three quatrains followed by a concluding couplet).
Sonnets are often thought of as not just little songs, but little essays, with the first six-to-eight or so lines building up a problem, the next four-to-six discussing it, and the last two-to-four concluding.
Given all these rules, it’s perhaps surprising that love poems make up quite a chunk of sonnets in English, but maybe that’s just because love poems make up quite a chunk of all poems in English?
If you want to intimidate yourself about poetry in general and sonnets in particular, read this quote from Saintsbury’s History of English Prosody.
To have something to say; to say it under pretty strict limits of form and very strict ones of space; to say it forcibly; to say it beautifully; these are the four great requirements of the poet in general; but they are never set so clearly, so imperatively, so urgently before any variety of poet as before the sonneteer.
And now, by way of illustration, let’s take a look at a few contemporary takes on the sonnet. The first, by Dan Beachy-Quick, is a pretty strict traditional sonnet. The next two –by Terrence Hayes and Alice Notley – are looser. And finally, the last one, by June Jordan, is a rather strict sonnet (rhyme- and meter-wise, though somewhat looser in line-specific syllable count) that doesn’t sound strict at all. It is joyfully informal in its language and tone.
After all this, here’s your prompt! Try your hand at a sonnet – or at least something “sonnet-shaped.” Think about the concept of the sonnet as a song and let the format of a song inform your attempt. Be as strict or not strict as you want.
2025 April PAD Challenge: Day 26
Nigerian scam Hermit Crab found poem
Attention,
This is to inform you
that we have been working
towards the
eradication of fraudsters and scam Artists
in Africa with the help of
the Organization of African Unity (OAU)
United Nations (UN), European
Union (EU) and FBI.
We have been able to track down some scam artist
in various parts of African countries
which includes (Nigeria, Republic of Benin, Burkina
Faso Ghana and Senegal with cote d’ivoire )
and they are all in Government custody now,
they will appear at International Criminal
Court (ICC) soon for Justice.
During the course of investigation,
they were able to recover some
funds from these scam artists
and IMF organization have ordered the
funds recovered to be shared among
the 10 Lucky people listed around
the World as a compensation.
This notice has been directed to you
because your email address was
found in one of the scam Artists file
and computer hard-disk
while the
investigation,
maybe you have been scammed.
You are therefore being
compensated with sum of ($300,000.00)
Three hundred thousand US dollars
valid into an (ATM Card Number 4061730956305619).
Since your email address
is among the lucky beneficiaries
who will receive compensation funds,
we have arranged
your payment to be paid
to you through ATM VISA CARD
and deliver to your postal address
with the Pin code as to enable you
withdrawal maximum of $5,000 on each
withdrawal from any Bank ATM Machine of your choice,
until all the
funds are exhausted.
The ATM Card with Security Pin number
shall be delivered to you via
courier Service,
depending your choice.
In order to proceed with this transaction,
you will be required to
contact the agent in-charge
(Mr.Francesco Savgae)
Kindly look below to
find appropriate contact information:
YOUR FULL NAME:
YOUR AGE:
ADDRESS:
YOUR COUNTRY:
CITY:
DIRECT CONTACT PHONE NUMBER:
OCCUPATION:
We advise you to stop
all communications with everyone
regarding your
payment as we have short listed
to deliver to you
and now urge you to
comply and receive
your ATM Card funds.
Thanks for your understanding
as you follow instructions while I wait
to hear from you today.
Yours in Services
Mrs.Paulina Federik.
Comment: the latest scam
a claim that the scam artists
are fighting against the spam artists –
all you have to do to receive the 300,000
is to give them your information.
Sounds too good to be true
which of course it is
For today’s prompt, write a hermit crab poem. A hermit crab poem is like a hermit crab essay, which is an essay that takes on the form of another type of literature. So a hermit crab poem might be a poem that looks like a to-do list, footnotes, obituary, spam messages, or a message on a postcard.
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Randy Fowler:
Dissonance: Write a poem about disharmony in your or humankind’s values, views, or relationships: stating belief in one value but doing another, saying you love someone but you really don’t, our nation’s original declarations vs. its current reality. For symbolism, think of all the areas dissonance applies – music, city noise, abrupt sounds (alarm clock, fire alarm), anything that produces a vibration in your mind that something is off key.
April 26—Travel
Noisy Korea Now My Home
When I first came
To South Korea in 1979
To do my Peace Corps duty
In a rural country town,
I thought that the old name
Of Korea
“the land of the morning calm”
Was absurd.
Korea was a noisy place
From early morning on.
Cars, horns, radio TV blaring
People talking to crowds everywhere
At night people drink and dine.
And loudspeakers
Blasting you awake
At 6 a.m.
And during elections
Sound trucks everywhere.
Now 45 years later
It is my home
No longer a noisy
Chaotic exotic place
Just home.
Bonus Poem Visit to Korea
I first went to Korea
In the Peace Corps
After a long plane ride
My first international flight
I ended up in South Korea,
At the old Gimpo airport
A chaotic crazy drive
Through Seoul.
To the town of Chuncheon
Where we did our training course
For four months.
First visit to another land
First foreign travel
To a strange land.
Exotic people
Strange sounds and sights
And the smells of incense
And the food ah the food
korean feast jpg
But over time
Became my second home
45 years later
I returned to Korea
Ending up living
Next door to Gimpo airport
Where my journey began
45 years ago
“In Buddhism, the concept of hell, often referred to as Naraka, represents a realm of intense suffering and retribution. Unlike the eternal damnation found in some other religions, Buddhist hells are temporary states where beings experience the consequences of their negative karma. Once the karma is exhausted, they are reborn into other realms. There are various types of hells, including fiery and icy ones, each corresponding to specific sins or actions.
In East Asia, Buddhist temples often depict these hells in vivid and graphic paintings. These artworks serve as moral lessons, illustrating the consequences of unethical behavior. For example, the Dazu Rock Carvings in China and murals in Japanese temples like those depicting Jiokui (Japanese hell) showcase scenes of torment and judgment. These paintings are not only religious but also artistic expressions, blending cultural and spiritual narratives.
If you’d like to explore more, you can find detailed descriptions and examples here and here.
Note on form
The cascade poem was a form invented by Udit Bhatia (who also apparently created the Alliterisen, which I’ll try to deal with in a future post). For the cascade poem, a poet takes each line from the first stanza of a poem and makes those the final lines of each stanza afterward. Beyond that, there are no additional rules for rhyming, meter, etc.
Happy Sunday, everyone. I hope you find it to be a relaxing and inspiring day for writing poems.
Our featured participant for the day is Hayashi whose first attempt at a sonnet brings a lovely blend of grief and self-deprecating humor.
Today’s daily resource is the online collection of the Harvard Art Museums, where you can find this bright and pretty drawing of a tulip poplar, a rather forbidding poster comparing various causes of death in Wisconsin, this beautiful jade paperweight, and much more.
And now for today’s optional prompt. W.H. Auden’s “Musee” takes its inspiration from a very particular painting: Breughel’s “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus.” Today we’d like to challenge you to write your own poem that describes a detail in a painting, and that begins, like Auden’s poem, with a grand, declarative statement.
I based my poem on these images and remembered images from all the Buddhist temples I have visited over the years.
“In Buddhism, the concept of hell, often referred to as Naraka, represents a realm of intense suffering and retribution. Unlike the eternal damnation found in some other religions, Buddhist hells are temporary states where beings experience the consequences of their negative karma. Once the karma is exhausted, they are reborn into other realms. There are various types of hells, including fiery and icy ones, each corresponding to specific sins or actions.
In East Asia, Buddhist temples often depict these hells in vivid and graphic paintings. These artworks serve as moral lessons, illustrating the consequences of unethical behavior. For example, the Dazu Rock Carvings in China and murals in Japanese temples like those depicting Jiokui (Japanese hell) showcase scenes of torment and judgment. These paintings are not only religious but also artistic expressions, blending cultural and spiritual narratives.
If you’d like to explore more, you can find detailed descriptions and examples here and here.
Note on form
The cascade poem was a form invented by Udit Bhatia (who also apparently created the Alliterisen, which I’ll try to deal with in a future post). For the cascade poem, a poet takes each line from the first stanza of a poem and makes those the final lines of each stanza afterward. Beyond that, there are no additional rules for rhyming, meter, etc.
2025 April PAD Challenge: Day 27
Join poets from around the country and the world to write a poem each day of April. For today’s prompt, write a New Blank poem.
New World Order Emerging
The American MAGA revolution
and the rise of the alt-right
across the world
raises serious questions
Where are we going
What are we doing?
They say that history
Does not repeat
But it rhymes.
So we have echoes
Of the 1890’s
The 1920s
1930s
1950s
And even ancient Rome
And the fall
Of the Roman Republic.
Ending globalization
And the old international order
Restoring great power games.
As the US struggles
To avoid
The collapse
Of the American experiment
And the American empire.
All in the name
Of creating
a new world order.
and a grand reputation
Of the 60’s and 70’s
And the 20th century
And the 21st century
progresive vision.
Going back
to the 19th century.
Gilded Age
and Robber Barons.
For today’s prompt, take the phrase “New (blank),” replace the blank with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles might include: “New Moon,” “New Car,” “New Significant Other,” “New World,” and/or “New to This City.”
And yes, it is totally fine to replace the word “new” with the word “knew” if that helps you get your poem out today!
“Deep Fried Blood Alien chicken-pork cutlets for dinner”
Sam Adams is the owner
And the chef of the UFO restaurant
Bar and grill in Berkeley.
He was a famous UFO nut
And opened the UFO theme restaurant
Complete with alien memorabilia
Movie and TV posters.
And what became famous
A sign over the bar
“Space Aliens drink for free”
Every night some joker
I tried to claim the free drink/
Sam always said
You have to prove you
Are a space alien.
One day mysterious
Man in a black suit
Who had a pan-ethnic look.
Could pass for almost any nationality
But had a vague almost unhuman look
And a strange alien accent.
Walked in and spoke
He wanted the free drink
Sam said,
“Prove you are a space alien.”
The man
Morphed into Donald Trump
Then Elon Musk
Then into his true form
A red skin two legged reptilian form
Before morphing back into
Man in black look
Sam laughed
And asked him,
“Well, okay then..
Drinks are on the house.
What do you want ?”
“ one bourbon, one scotch
And one beer. And a favor.
“What’s the favor?”
“Use of the kitchen
to cook my favorite food from home
I’ll teach you recipe and leave
Enough for you to have a supply
On hand.”
“okay”
The alien went out and brought out
Ten alien creatures –
Who looked like a cross
Between a chicken and a pig
He called them “biblog”.
They would cook one
And the rest he could keep
They bred very rapidly
So he would have a ready supply
On hand.
They went to work and Sam and Mr. X
served the customers
all night.
some posted to the media
and Mr. X was interviewed
the meal was a great success
it tasted like chicken and pork
purple and orange colors
with yellow coloring
with a strange after taste,
and a fragrant smell
and a somewhat tough texture
but it was delicious,
with an out of this world
hard to pin down
umami flavor!
the City, State and Federal authorities
came the next day
confiscated the biblog creatures,
and demanded the whereabouts
of Mr X.
Sam smiled and spoke,
‘‘Mr. X said
you all would be coming
And left for home.
But he is coming back next year
To open trade negotiations
with the Sirius star system
and I am his agent.’
They arrested him
And finally released him
And the biblog.
and told him
to keep in touch.
Sam posted everything online
And Mr X came back
With a trade delegation
Later that year.
The biblog escaped
And became an invasive species
But hunting was allowed.
crisis averted.
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Patty Bennett:
Imagine you are a gourmet chef at a fancy restaurant. Invent a new dish, and using the five senses, describe it.* Then serve it to a group of repeat customers, and record their reactions.
*What does it look like? What does it smell like? Can you hear it while it’s cooking? Can you touch it, or describe what it feels like if it’s finger food? And of course, how does it taste? Served hot or cold or room temperature?
April 27—Duty
Congress Symmetrel
Republicans in Congress,
Playing nonstop political games.
Each party calling the other names,
The democrats denying it was their fault.
Both sides digging in, not stopping or to halt.
Sadly, this seems to be our current gestalt.
The insane republicans making wild claims.
Sadly, just seems to be our current gestalt.
Throwing more gasoline on the fires lighting the darkness.
Republicans in Congress.
Symmetrel
Stanza 1 7 subject repeated at end
Stanza 2 9 b
3 9 b
Stanza 3 4 11 c
5 11 c
6 11 c
7 11 c
Stanza 4 8 9 b
9 9 b
Stanza 5 10 7 repeat of line one
Note: a bit political but hey I call it as I see it
Welcome back, all. As of today, there’s just three days left in this year’s Na/GloPoWriMo.
Today, our featured participant is Mariyah, who brings us a poignant take on Modigliani portrait in response to Day 27’s painting-based prompt.
Today’s daily resource is El Museo del Barrio, a New York City museum focused on the experience of Puerto Ricans and Latin Americans in the United States. The museum’s website provides highlights from its permanent collection, as well videos exploring the art and artists featured.
Last but not least, here is today’s prompt (optional, as always). Music features heavily in human rituals and celebrations. We play music at parties; we play it in parades, and at weddings. In her poem, OBIT [Music], Victoria Chang describes the role that music played in her mother’s funeral. Today, we challenge you to write a poem that involves music at a ceremony or event of some kind.
Happy, or at the very least, meaningful, writing!
Funeral Music for the Death of America
Sometimes when I watch the news
And see the continued assault
On American institutions
Rule of law and basic human decency
All done in the name of promotion
Traditional Christian values
Hiding their true authoritarian impulses
Challenging everyone who opposes them
With being soft on crime, immigration
And terrorism
Shredding the constitution
In the name of preserving
Democracy
Meanwhile, gutting the social safety net
Threatening to fire judges
Lawyers and government officials
Illegally impounding funds
Already approved
Daring anyone to stand up
Against their takeover
Of American society
I wonder what music
Would it be appropriate
For the funeral
Of American democracy?
Perhaps Elgar’s Nimrod?
Or Barber’s Adagio for Strings
Or Mahler’s Adagietto Symphony 8
Or Edward Grieg Solveig’s Song (from Peer Gynt):
Or Chopin’s Funeral Sonata
Perhaps protesters should start
Their protests with funeral music
As they march against
The end of American democracy?
Co-Pilot’s list of funeral music
Barber – Adagio for Strings: Known for its profound sadness, this piece has been played at the funerals of figures like Albert Einstein and Princess Grace of Monaco.
Elgar – Nimrod (from the Enigma Variations): A deeply moving piece often associated with remembrance and reflection.
Mahler – Adagietto (Symphony No. 5): This calming and poignant movement is a favorite for its emotional depth
Edvard Grieg.
Certainly! Classical music often plays a significant role in state funerals, offering solemnity and reflection. Here are some widely recognized pieces frequently used in such ceremonies:
Barber – Adagio for Strings: Known for its profound sadness, this piece has been played at the funerals of figures like Albert Einstein and Princess Grace of Monaco.
Elgar – Nimrod (from the Enigma Variations): A deeply moving piece often associated with remembrance and reflection.
Mahler – Adagietto (Symphony No. 5): This calming and poignant movement is a favorite for its emotional depth.
Bach – Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring: A timeless piece often chosen for its serene and uplifting qualities.
Chopin – Funeral March (Piano Sonata No. 2, Movement 3): This iconic march has become synonymous with mourning.
Vaughan Williams – The Lark Ascending: A beautiful violin piece evoking a sense of peace and transcendence.
Arvo Pärt – Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten: A minimalist yet profoundly emotional piece written in memory of a fellow composer.
Edvard Grieg
Solveig’s Song (from Peer Gynt): A hauntingly beautiful piece that evokes longing and farewell.
Arietta (Lyric Pieces, Op. 12): While not explicitly funeral music, its gentle and introspective tone makes it suitable for solemn occasions.
Russian Composers
Tchaikovsky – Hymn of the Cherubim: A deeply spiritual and serene choral work.
Rachmaninoff – Vocalize (Op. 34, No. 14): A wordless melody that conveys profound emotion and reflection.
Mussorgsky – Promenade (from Pictures at an Exhibition): Though not traditionally funeral music, its introspective nature can be fittin
2025 April PAD Challenge: Day 28
For Day 28 of the 2025 April Poem-A-Day Challenge, poets (and other colorful people) are prompted to write a color poem.
Color of Justice is Gold and Green
The color of justice
It is gold and green my poor friends.
Those with enough gold
Buy all the justice they need.
No gold or green, no justice.
Wow! Today marks 4 weeks of poeming for this April. Let’s get to it.
For today’s prompt, write a color poem. The poem could be about a color, mention a color, or be somewhat “colorful.” Of course, the title of the poem could be a color (or include a color) and then not mention colors in the poem at all. So there’s a lot of wiggle room with this prompt.
The waka is a Japanese 5-line poem (or stanza) that is often considered synonymous with the tanka, because both have a 5-7-5-7-7 syllable per line structure. However, the waka groups its lines together in a particular way. The first 2 lines should make up one piece, the next 2 lines should make the next, and then, the final line can stand on its own–or as part of the second group.
It’s possible to end stop after line 2, 4, and 5. But other forms of punctuation can do the trick as well.
If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Superhighway Facebook Group.
April 28, 2025: Poetry Writing Prompt from Alex Phuong
Yeah, but not just a simple cup of java Joe, but a God damn snarling sarcastic smarmy cup of coffee
I mean, – we are talking about an alcoholic, all speed ahead, always hot, always fresh, always there when I need it, angry, attitude talk to the hand Ztude, bad, bad assed, beats breaking, beatnik, bluesy, bitter, bitchy, bombs away, capitalistic, caffeinated up the ass, cinematic, communistic, Colombian grown, Costa Rican inspired, Cowabunga to the max, crazy assed, devilishly angelic, divine, divinely inspired, dyslexic, epic, extreme vetting, evil eye, expensive, erotic vision inducing, Ethiopian coffee house brewed, euphoric, freaky, freazoid, foxy, Frenched kissed, French brewed, funkified, foxy lady, graphic, GOD in my coffee, with Allah, Ganesh, Jesus, Kali, Buddha, Christians, Durga, Hindus, Mohamed, Jesus and Mo and their friend, the cosmic bar maid, Sai Babai, Shiva, Taoists, Zoroastrians, drinking my god damned coffee in Hell; growling, gnarly, happy, hard as ice, Hawaian blessed, high as a kite, hippie, hip, hipster, hip hoppy, hot as hell yet strangely sweet as heaven, jazzy, jealous, Kerouac approved, kick ass, kick my god damn ass to Tuesday, kick down the doors and take no prisoners, grown in the Vietnam highlands by ex-Vietcong, Guatemalan grown, kiss ass, illegal in every state, imported from all over the god damn world, insane, lovely, loony, lonely, lonesome, malodorous mean old rotten, motherfucking, nasty, narcotic, never whatever, never meh, never cold, not approved by the CIA, not approved by DHS, not approved for human consumption by the FDA, not your daddy’s sissified corporate cup of coffee, NOT DECAFE coffee, not your Denny’s truck driver weak as brown water cup of fake coffee, not your establishment friendly cup of coffee, Not your FBI coffee, Not FAKE Herbal coffee substitute, but a real cup of coffee, not your farmer brothers dinner crap, not made in America for Americans, not safe for work, not your Starbucks average expensive overpriced crappy corporate chain cup of coffee, Not pretentious, Not White House approved, not State Department safe, nuclear, Not Patriotic, operatic, Peets’s coffee approved, paranoid, pornographic, psychotic, pontific, politically aware, rapping, rhyming, right here, right now in River city, rock and roll up the Yazoo, sad, sadistic, sarcastic, sassy, satanic, schizoid, shitting, silly, sexy, smarmy, smelly, smooth, snarky, snarling, stupid, stinking, sweet as honey, sweat inducing, symphonic, Trump can’t handle this coffee, vengeful, Wagnerian, wicked, with nutmeg and cinnamon swirls, with a hint of stevia, with a hint of vanilla, with a hint of rum, with a hint of whisky, with a hint of cherry, with a hint of fruit overtones, with a hint of drugs spicing up the coffee, spendific, speeding, splendid, superior accept no substitutes, survived the Vietnam war, the Iraq war, the Afghan war, the first and Second Korean war, World War 11, the war on poverty, the war on drugs, the war on black people, the sexual revolution, Soulful as a summer’s night in MOTOWN- James Brown approved, TOP approved, Berkeley approved, the coffee that Jimmy Hendrix drank before he died, the coffee that Elvis drank on his last breakfast, the coffee that Barry White crooned as he drank his cup of coffee – and the coffee that made the white boy play stand up and play that funky music, the coffee that made Jonny B Goode play his guitar, and made Jonny bet the devil his soul after he drank his morning cup of righteous coffee and the coffee that make the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll, the coffee your mother warned you against drinking, the coffee that Napoleon drank when he became the Emperor of all Europe, the Coffee that Beethoven drank when he wrote the Ninth symphony, the coffee that Mozart drank as he wrote his last symphony, the coffee that Lincoln drank before he was killed, the Hemingway drank before he killed himself, the coffee that started the 60’s, and ended the 20th century, the coffee that Lenin drank as he plotted revolution, the coffee that Hitler and Stalin drank with FDR as they divided up the world after World War 11, the cup that JFK drank before he was blown away, the coffee Jerry drinks while driving in cars with random celebrities and political figures, the coffee that Jon Stewart drinks before he goes on an epic take down of some foolish politico, the cup of Arabic coffee that Sadaam drank the day he was executed, the coffee that GW and Cheney drank when they bombed Baghdad, the Indian cup of coffee that Bid Laden drank before 9-11 and just before the seals blew his ass to hell, the cup of coffee that Tiger Woods drank with his mistresses while playing a 3, 000 dollar round of golf at Sandy Lane golf course in Barbados, the last legal drug that does what drugs should do, the cup of coffee that Obama drank when he became President, Vietnamese, Vienna brew, wacky, whimsical, Whisky Tango Foxtrot, wild, weird, wonderful, WOW, Yabba dabba doo! Yada Zappa’s favorite cup of cosmic coffee, and Zorro’s last cup of coffee, Good to the last drop rolled into one simple cup of hot coffee
As I pound down that first cup of coffee
And fire up my synaptic nerve endings with endless supplies
Of caffeine induced neuron enhancing chemicals.
I face the dawning day with trepidation and mind-numbing fear
I turn on the TV and watch the smarmy newscasters in their perfect hair
Lying through their teeth about the great success
the government is having
Following the great leader’s latest pronouncements.
I want to scream and shoot the TV
and run out side Shouting
“Stop the world.
I want to get off this fucking crazy planet”
The earth does not care a whit about my attitude
It merely shrugs and moves around the Sun
In its appointed daily run
And I sit down
The madness dissipating a bit
And enjoy my second cup
Of heaven and hell
In my morning cup of Joe
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Alex Phuong:
The publication of poetry could potentially result in an enduring legacy. Please write a poem so beautiful that it could possibly leave an indelible mark on the literary landscape.
April 28—Back to work
My Life as a Diplomat
For 27 years
I served as a foreign Service officer
A U.S. Diplomat
Representing the U.S.
Around the world
And in Washington, DC
I served in ten countries
Antigua
Barbados
Grenada
India
South Korea
Spain
St. Kitts
St Lucia
St. Vincent
Thailand
I did everything
From issuing visas
Blogging about program evaluations
Serving as a program evaluator
Helping American businesses
Helping Americans who got into trouble
Organizing conferences
Coordinating classes
Investigating visa and passport fraud
Serving as a labor officer
Serving as a commercial officer
Serving as a human rights officer
Serving as an economics officer
Serving as an environmental officer
Visiting prisoners
And through it all
I was always proud
To serve my country
And make the world
A better place
Winning friends
And influencing people
Colour illustration, Music/ Composers, Frederic Chopin, Polish composer, (1810-1848) (Photo by Bob Thomas/Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Way back when
In the 19th Century
Way before we had
Rock stars
We had mad musicians
Piano players mostly
Who stormed across
Europe and America
To enthusiastic crowds
And rumors of sexual escapades
And rich women groupies
To use a modern term
Among them the most famous
Was Franz Liszt
And Frederick Chopin
And many other romantic
Music greats
Of that by gone era
Happy Tuesday, all, and happy penultimate day of Na/GloPoWriMo.
Our featured participant today is Adil Akbar, whose response to Day 28’s “music and ceremonies” prompt rather reminds us of César Vallejo.
Today’s daily resource is the online galleries of the Whitney Museum, where you’ll find artwork as varied as this fun portrait of Billie Jean King, a Frank Stella sculpture that looks like what would happen if a space station fell in love with a bridge, and this contemporary take on the classic embroidered sampler.
And now for today’s prompt – optional as always. Just as poets make poetry, musicians make music. There is always a living being behind the words, the rhythm, and at the heart of every song. Just as music and poetry can fascinate in their own right, so do the personalities behind every form of art. In her poem, “Canary,” Rita Dove riffs on Billie Holiday, and how her life has been spun into myth. Likewise, in “Ode for Donny Hathaway,” Wanda Coleman muses on another tragic figure, in the form of the eponymous soul singer and keyboardist.
Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem that takes its inspiration from the life of a musician, poet, or other artist. And while our example poems are squarely elegiac, don’t feel limited to minor-key feelings in your own work.
2025 April PAD Challenge: Day 29
On Day 29 of the 2025 April Poem-A-Day Challenge, writers are challenged with the fifth (and final) Two-for-Tuesday prompt of the month.
The beginning of the End of MAGA Dreams
The American public is growing weary.
They are growing leary.
The MAGA madness is growing dreary.
The public no longer buying what they are selling.
The authoriarians are on the retreat.
No one follows what they tweet.
People joining rallies voting with their feet,
No more bowing down and knelling.
ochtfochlach (pronounced: “UKHT-uh-KHLAHCH”) is irish for “eight line stanza”
“ocht” – meaning 8
“fochlach” – meaning line/stanza
so…
an 8-line stanza
with a rhyme scheme of: aaab cccb.
Before we get into today’s prompt(s), I just wanted to give another quick update on the 2024 November PAD Chapbook Challenge results. I’m almost there and blocking out time today to finish it up; so I’m hoping to make the announcement this afternoon/evening and link to the results in tomorrow’s final prompt for April. I’m so sorry for the delay; it wasn’t intentional. On to the poetry!
It’s time for the fifth (and final) Two-for-Tuesday prompt:
Write a “near the end” poem and/or…
Write a “near the beginning” poem.
Are we near the end of writing poems or near the beginning of revising them? I don’t know.
MAGA stands for Make America Great Again and is the name of the movement that President Trump launched prior to his first term and his second term in office.
A revolution is coming
And it will wipe out
The collapsing edifices
Of the American Empire
The masses are rising up
To throw off their chains
And demand justice
The masses are coming
For the masters of the universe
Their day is numbered
And they know it too
One day
The masses will rise up
Storm the citadels of power
Arresting the corrupt leaders
In the name of revolutionary justice
As the revolutionary fires
Consume the nation
And I can’t wait
For the revolution
Is long overdue
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Maria DePaul:
In times of upheaval, poetry can inspire resilience and resistance. If an issue touches the heart or inspires an action, share that on the page so that others may find ways to express themselves. Poets of the world unite — all we have to lose are the chains that block free and full expression! Now is the time!
If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Superhighway Facebook Group.
Wow, we made it, everyone! Today’s the final day of National/Global Poetry Writing Month. We hope you make it to the end of the day with thirty new poems under your belt. But even if you didn’t manage to keep up with the whole poem-a-day thing, we hope you had fun!
We’ll be back tomorrow with our final featured participant and some closing thoughts for the year’s challenge, but in the meantime, our featured participant for today is Catching Lines, who brings us an elegy for Janis Joplin in response to Day 29’s inspired-by-the-music-makers prompt.
Finally, here’s the last prompt of this year’s Na/GloPoWriMo (optional, as always)! In his meandering poem, “Grateful Dead Tapes,” poet Ed Skoog riffs on the eponymous tapes that he’s found in a secondhand store, remembering various instances of hearing the band, both live and in recording. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem that also describes different times in which you’ve heard the same band or piece of music across your lifetime.
2025 April PAD Challenge: Day 30
For Day 30 of the 2025 April Poem-A-Day Challenge, poets (and other party people) are prompted to write a remix poem.
Ghosts Commit Immigration Fraud Prose Poem Version
One day, Bob Jones encountered one of the most memorable fraud cases during his time in India as a U.S. immigration officer. People often pretended to be single instead of married, or married instead of single, to jump the immigration queue. Sometimes officers would reluctantly issue fraudulent visas because proving fraud was nearly impossible and very difficult to do. In general, visas were only refused for fraud when it was blatant, right in front of them, and when the applicant continued to lie even when presented with evidence of their dishonesty.
One day, Miss Patel approached Bob, asking him to reconsider holding up the visas for her four siblings, who were married but pretending to be single. She claimed her father, a U.S. citizen, was in the hospital, and his dying wish was for his children to join him in the U.S. The only problem was that Bob had already checked and found that her father had passed away two weeks earlier. When he died, the petition for the visas died with him. Miss Patel had lied to Bob, pleading for him to grant the visas.
Bob called her up to the window and asked her
,
“So, Miss Patel, when was the last time you spoke to your father?”
She replied,
“Oh, I spoke to him just now. He is still alive and waiting for his children to arrive to see him before he dies.”
“He is alive right now?”
“Yes, he is still alive, and he’s waiting for the immigrant visas to be processed.”
Bob said, “OK, well, there’s just one problem. Do you believe in ghosts?”
“What?”
“Well, you see, here’s the problem. There’s only one way you could have spoken to your father today—and that is if you spoke to a ghost. According to the hospital, he died two weeks ago.”
Bob then showed her the fax from the hospital confirming Mr. Patel’s demise.
Miss Patel started crying. Bob then said,
“Well, I’m sorry, but there is nothing I can do at this point. The law is the law, and I have an obligation to enforce it. Under the law, the penalty for visa fraud is a 99-year ban on entry to the U.S. However, planes fly both ways—you can go visit them every year if you want, but they’re not coming into the United States. You can file for them again, and in eight years, seek a visa waiver for ineligibility. It is sometimes granted.”
Based on a true story from 2003, the immigration system has been broken for decades and remains so to this day.
In my opinion, there is substantial fraud within the immigration system. However, I disagree with massive deportation actions. Instead, I believe we should implement a grand reset by offering amnesty to illegal immigrants working in the U.S. illegally. Green cards could be granted to those meeting three criteria: they either have a job or can secure one, they speak minimal English, and they agree to pay back income taxes on a payment plan spread over several years. Those who fail a background check, do not have a job lined up, or cannot speak English would be given a quick hearing and deported.
This proposal would go hand in hand with a massive overhaul of the immigration system. I would eliminate the sibling category entirely, as well as Diversity Visas (DV). However, I would allow anyone currently in line one year to register with the government and one year to process their visas. Priority would be given to educated immigrants, and a pathway to green cards would be offered to all foreign students. Additionally, I would enforce an English-speaking requirement for all immigrants.
I would also mandate E-Verify systems, ensuring that employers hire only legal immigrants.
This plan would clean up the immigration queue, restore order to the system, and better match the needs of the economy. While immigrants are necessary, it is essential to ensure the process is carried out legally.
April 30, 2025: Poetry Writing Prompt from Brendan Constantine
Take a few minutes to look around your immediate surroundings and note down 6 different sights. They can be anything. For instance, when I look around my desk I see the following:
An antique lamp
A painting of a cowboy
A glass of lemonade
Hotel Insomnia (book title)
An origami bird
Rabbit shaped candy
Once you have your list – choose one with the most pleasing sound. From my list, I think I’ll go with the last one: Rabbit Shaped Candy
Now set this aside and think about this:
A few years back, an american couple was denied a birth certificate for their infant daughter when they attempted to name her Zuleykha Graceful Allah. A civil lawsuit was subsequently filed in Georgia Superior Court on their behalf. In the supporting argument, the following list of names was offered. They are all names which parents around the world have attempted to bestow on their children.
Tiny Hooker
Stud Duck
Cash Guy
Giant Pelvis
Ghoul Nipple
Sex Fruit
Yeah Detroit
Candy Stohr
Fish and Chips
Fat Meat
Acne Fountain
Legend Belch
Freak Skull
Satan
Dracula
Zombie
Loser
Lust
Sloth
Violence
Cholera
Messiah
Latrina
Crimson Tide Redd
Louisiana Purchase
Number 16 Bus Shelter
Tula Does the Hula in Hawaii
A recent article in Harper’s notes a recent trend in baby names reflective of the global pandemic. Since the outbreak of Covid -19 worldwide, the following new names have appeared:
Corona
Corona Kumar
Corona Kumari
Covid
Covid Marie
Covid Rose
Coviduvidapdap
Lockdown
Sanitizer
Covid Bryant
You can probably see where this is going. Your task is to compose a new poem in which you explore what it would be like to be named for the thing you chose from your list. Your poem can be in any style or person: 1st, 2nd, 3rd.
In my case, I would have to write about Rabbit Shaped Candy.
What’s your name?
Take your time with this one.
April 30—Ars poetica
Why do we write?
40 lines
A writer is often asked
Why do you write?
What motivates you?
What keeps you going?
How do you handle the constant rejections?
The self-doubts
What comes with the writer’s life?
I write as many writers do
Because I must
Because the damn muse
Will never leave me alone
The characters in my head
Demand to let their voices be heard
Demand to be freed
To tell their tales
And I am a slave
To my muse
Who takes me
Where she will
No matter what
I must write every day
Usually starting my day
Drinking coffee
Watching the news unfold
Writing my thoughts
Letting the poetry flow
Out of my soul
Bleeding onto the computer screen
The words waiting to be spoken
To tell their tale
Before the day is over
That is why I write
Because I can not write
That is the Buddha nature
Of being a writer after all.
Most of us probably started writing to fulfill the requirements of our teachers in school. We wrote to pass the course and gain recognition through grade assignments.
During some self-analysis upon leaving the Navy and starting my job search, I realized that the things I enjoyed the most and had the most success with involved writing of some sort. Therefore, a technical writing job seemed to be the perfect union of that interest with my engineering education. For the next few years, I wrote to instruct field technicians on how to implement retrofit modifications on aircraft.
Later, in the business world, I wrote to enlighten co-workers, managers, and customers about procedures, policies, and systems.
Nowadays, while I sometimes still write for those reasons (as I’m doing here), many more factors keep me engaged in this wondrous process. That’s probably the case with you, too.
If you feel a need to express your most personal response to this mysterious, beautiful, and sometimes painful world in the shapes, colors, sounds, and smells of your imagination, creative writing can provide a powerful means of therapeutic release.
The pure joy that comes with meeting the challenges of crafting the language into something meaningful, like molding a piece of clay with your hands, can be a refreshing recreational outlet.
Many writers are driven to publish their work on the printed page. I can vouch for the exhilarating sense of satisfaction that comes with that first acceptance letter.
Upon receiving a reviewer’s comment that one of my stories reminded him of a stand-up comedian’s routine, I realized that the desire to entertain/is also a driving force that keeps me motivated.
For whom do you write?
Many writers resist criticism and defend their writing with the claim that they write only for themselves. While some therapeutic or recreational writing may not be intended for sharing with an audience, writing is usually employed as a means of communicating with other people. Of course, the grocery lists and phone numbers you scribble on scraps of paper probably are intended for only you. However, those things within you that won’t rest until they are given voice–the burning memories that linger in your heart and the fanciful fugitive images floating around in your head–must be shared with someone else to satisfy the need for expression.
When you sit down to write, you should keep your audience in mind. Whether it be your friends and family, a group of readers interested in a particular genre as identified here at WDC, or an editor for a specific publication, the language you use serves as a bridge between you and the reader. Choose accordingly.
Your reasons for writing along with your prospective audience will influence the voice you use in your writing, as the relationship between the writer and the reader develops into a true collaboration in this wondrous experience.
Today’s Practice Session: Write about your objective(s) as you continue on this marvelous journey.
Then ponder the postings of your peers and exchange views about the various motivations that keep us all inspired in this venture.
Bonus Poems Writing Com Weekly Challenge
Prompt Week 34
The seasons of the year 2024
Winter started with Arctic blasts
Polar vortexes
Political turmoil everywhere
and fear of the future.
Spring came and went too soon
I remained in Korea until late Spring
Yellow dust in the air,
Spreading Political turmoil
Summertime in the US is hot, with the fear of wildfires
Went to the US DC, Oregon, California
Political earthquakes in the U.S. continued
Stayed many months dealing with renovations
In the autumn, I attended the 50th High School reunion
Grateful, I am still alive and kicking
Thinking about the future of the world,
Wondering what it will mean for me?
Use the following words in your poem:
Winter Spring Summer Autumn
Prompt 35
Enjoying La Dolce Vita Italian Style
The Italians
Know how
to celebrate life
how to live
the la Dolce Vita
the sweet life
enjoying fine wine
and great food
with friends
and family
knowing that life
is meant to be savored
life is meant to be enjoyed
one cup of espresso
and one cup of red vino
after another and another
PPC5 Logo 2024 -2025 Prompt/Week # 35
{XLphoto:1074207} Translation of “La Dolce Vita” is The Sweet Life
PPC5 Logo 2024 -2025 Prompt/Week # 37
Old phone has a story to tell
Back in the day
Sam Adams
Was serving
In the consulate in Mumbai.
In the old Palace
That the US took over
To make it into the consulate
Way back went.
The telephone people
Were there to finally
Modernizing the consulate’s
Aging phone system.
Before moving
to a new modern building
A few years later.
One of the telephone workers
Found an old phone dating back
To the 1920s perhaps.
It was the police hot line
That connected the consulate
To the local police authorities/
No numbers or dials
Just picked up
And the police would
Be on the other end.
Sam took the antique phone
Home with him.
Imagining the stories
The phone could tell
If the phone could remember
To tell the stories
It had heard.
The phone sadly
Sat there
Dead phones
Tell no tales
After all.
Pick any object in your room.
Now write a poem describing this object.
Jake, this is an impressively varied and emotionally honest collection.
Your Zappa tribute feels personal and grounded, giving us a glimpse of how his rebellious spirit resonated with you-a nice mixture of admiration and speculative sadness.
The insomnia piece captures the spiraling “what if” panic of sleepless nights with a raw, repetitive urgency that feels very true to experience.
The Sphinx poem leans into a mythic voice nicely, though stretching the imagery a little further could have strengthened it even more.
The caregiving piece is the most affecting-plain, unvarnished, and brutally human. You capture the conflicting emotions-duty, guilt, sadness, even relief-with a refreshing lack of sentimentality.
Small polishing in line breaks and smoothing occasional typos (e.g., “saddest” to “saddest”) would lift the technical finish, but emotional honesty is what shines through most.
A moving and wide-ranging contribution to your NaPoWriMo journey.
Thanks a lot i will fix the typo
I really enjoyed the way you shared your thoughts. Your tribute to Frank Zappa felt sincere. I could feel the admiration you have for him as an artist. I also loved how you shared your thoughts about the world. The care you took in describing Sam’s experience with his mother was wonderful. Thank you for sharing these poems – they were full of emotion. Thanks a lot as always
The death of America? Oh dear, I hope not. I looks like your post is full of gremlins and those dreaded (A) letters are all over the place. I wish this site could fix this problem. It sounds like you did a bit of travelling in your working life Jake. I learned a little bit more about you in this post, love Dolly xthanks I will fix that
From musicians to politicians and revolutions to birds here Jake. I expect you are glad the challenge is finally over now and you can rest your well-worn pen, good luck with the contest result, love Dolly xthanks a lot
Great job again. Your poem about the “Funeral Music for the Death of America” is so thought provoking! I liked how you used music choices to share the sadness running through your words. Your voice is clear and honest, and it made me stop and think. “Shredding the Constitution” and “Illegally impounding funds” also really stood out to me – powerful lines. Thanks a lot
I enjoyed all your poems. The bird story was my favorite though – it’s so funny. And I loved the birds with attitude! Great job – keep sharing more like this!
Jake, this is an impressively varied and emotionally honest collection.
Your Zappa tribute feels personal and grounded, giving us a glimpse of how his rebellious spirit resonated with you-a nice mixture of admiration and speculative sadness.
The insomnia piece captures the spiralling “what if” panic of sleepless nights with a raw, repetitive urgency that feels very true to experience.
The Sphinx poem leans into a mythic voice nicely, though stretching the imagery a little further could have strengthened it even more.
The caregiving piece is the most affecting-plain, unvarnished, and brutally human. You capture the conflicting emotions-duty, guilt, sadness, even relief-with a refreshing lack of sentimentality.
Small polishing in line breaks and smoothing occasional typos (e.g., “sadest” to “saddest”) would lift the technical finish, but the emotional honesty is what shines through most.
A moving and wide-ranging contribution to your NaPoWriMo journey.
Timthanks a lot i will fix the typo
I really enjoyed the way you shared your thoughts. Your tribute to Frank Zappa felt sincere. I could feel the admiration you have for him as an artist. I also loved how you shared your thoughts about the world. The care you took in describing Sam’s experience with his mother was wonderful. Thank you for sharing these poems – they were full of emotion.thanks a lot as always
I loved this poem collection! Your story about the crazy magpies made me smile! Each was unique and enjoyable in their own way. Your poems are full of heart – keep them coming!
Jake, your collection for April 23 offers a rich variety of tone and subject, and there is real pleasure in the movement between them.
The mocking birds piece is wild and vivid, capturing a surreal sense of menace with a playful edge-the birds cackling in Korean and English is a brilliant, slightly absurd detail.
Your piece on “reprogramming your mind” is a warm, important counterpoint: it reminds readers (and perhaps yourself) that joy still exists if we choose to seek it, without falling into preachiness.
The short memory about your house feels quiet and grounded, and the Shakespeare piece is a real highlight: personal, affectionate, and tinged with a sense of time passing.
Your affection for the classics shines through clearly.
If anything, the different pieces might feel a little loosely stitched when read together, but as a daily writing project, this kind of natural shift between moods feels entirely fitting.
A heartfelt and honest set.
Tim
It sounds like you enjoy your music and your family Jake and I wish you luck with your piano playing as you work your way through all those ancient composers, love Dolly x x x
Nicely done again. I like the unique formatting at the end. It’s clear you’ve put a lot of care into writing this. I can feel the frustrations of the system. Well done.
Review For Poems for April 22
Chapter 23 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness
Excellent
I love the heartfelt flow of your writing. I like how you speak about your Shakespearean actor friend and how that connection shaped your love for the Bard. That flows so naturally into Earth Day musings. The ending – about walking on Mars with your love – was perfect.
Review For Poems for April 22
Chapter 23 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness
Excellent
I glad to hear you have kept up your piano playing and music brings such a joy to others as well as pleasing your own ear. Shakespeare was far from gay, ha ha ha, he had many female lovers, love Dolly x x x
I am sorry you had a fall that caused you to have many operating Jake, how very sad this is. I had a fall that took me weeks to recover from earlier in the year. You are nearly at the end of this challenge and I admire you for keeping this up, love Dolly x x x
This was well done. The “DOGE Team Attacks” part was a nice touch that gave your poem a fun feeling. It’s nice to read your humor and personal experience in your writing – keep having fun with it!
You finally posted your last poem for the April challenge. So many desperate people want to live in the US thinking it is the best place to live, many are disappointed when they get there, love Dolly x x xthanks a lot
Your poem about Jake Piano Jones made me grin – I love how you showed his name changing over time and how he embraced it in the end! Your writing style is so easy to follow. The line “the damn muse will never leave me alone” made me laugh because it’s so true! Great job.thanks a lot
For today’s prompt, write a persona poem. A persona poem is when you write in the voice of another person, real or imaginary. So maybe a sonnet in the voice of Mickey Mouse, or a stance narrated by the Wright Brothers (yes, both of them), or a haiku from the perspective of Amelia Earhart. And yes, inanimate objects are fair game too (if you want to craft some free verse in the voice of a toothbrush). Have at it!
——————————————————————————————————
Hay(na)ku is a very simple poetic form, and it’s also one of the newest. It was apparently created in 2003 by poet Eileen Tabios.
Hay(na)ku is a 3-line poem with one word in the first line, two words in the second, and three in the third. There are no restrictions beyond this.
A really basic example:
Boys
chase girls
on the playground.
There are already some variations of this new poetic form. For instance, a reverse hay(na)ku has lines of three, two, and one word(s) for lines one, two, and three, respectively. Also, multiple hay(na)ku can be chained together to form longer poems.
PSH April 19, 2025
Really, Whom Am I, really ?
Really, whom am I, really?
Everyone knows who we are
Lies we tell ourselves
Lies that define us
All that we are
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Ellen Sander:
Spell your surname backwards
Line the letters up vertically
Write a poem in which each line starts with a word that begins with the letter on each line.
So ya wanna dump out yo’ trick bag
Ease on in a hip thang
But you ain’t exactly sure what is hip
So you started to let your hair grow
Spent big bucks on your wardrobe
Somehow, ya know there’s much more to the trip
[Chorus]
What is hip?
Tell me, tell me, if you think you know
What is hip?
If you’re hip
The question, “Will it show?”
You’re into a hip trip
Maybe hipper than hip
What is hip?
[Verse 2]
You became a part of a new breed
Been smoking’ only the best weed
Hangin’ out with the so-called “Hippie set.”
Seen in all the right places
Seen with just the right faces
You should be satisfied, but it ain’t quite right
[Chorus]
What is hip?
Tell me, tell me, if you think you know
What is hip?
If you’re hip
The question, “Will it show?”
You’re into a hip trip
Maybe hipper than hip
What is hip?
[Break]
Come on
[Refrain]
Hipness is. What it is
Hipness is. What it is
Hipness is. What it is
Sometimes hipness is, what it ain’t
Note: you probably have guessed my favorite band by now….
Happy Saturday, everyone. We hope you’re ready to write some poems!
Today’s featured participant is Sara Hardy, who took me back to my 1980s childhood with her driving-and -singing poem for Day Eighteen.
Our resource for the day is a bit goofy. It’s the Gallery of Strange Museums. Some of the museums here don’t strike me as all that strange – more very local or specific. But the Wingnut Museum is definitely a bit odd, as is the World’s Largest Spool of Thread (less a museum than a roadside attraction), while the Hattiesburg Pocket Museum is a testament to the fact that people can – and do – make their own fun.
And now for our daily prompt – optional as always. This one is inspired by Brigit Pegeen Kelly’s poem “Song.”
The word “tragedy” comes from the Greek for “goat song.” The song in Kelly’s poem is quite literally a goat song. The poem also describes a tragedy, both in the modern sense of an awful event, and the ancient dramatic sense of a play in which someone does something terrible, and the play’s action shows the consequences.
The poem has a timeless, could-have-happened-anywhere/any when quality that I associate with blues and folk ballads – including murder ballads (a subgenre of song dealing with a gruesome crime, first arising from broadsheet ballads sold at English executions, and which later came to America in forms like “The Knoxville Girl” and then morphed their way into country music).
Today, we’d like to challenge you to write your own poem that tells a story in the style of a blues song or ballad. One way into this prompt may be to use it to retell a family tragedy or story, or to retell a crime or tragic event that occurred in your hometown.
What with time’s way of time marching inexorably on, we suppose it was inevitable. We’ve come to the 2/3-way point of Na/GloPoWriMo.
Our featured participant today is Anna Endom, whose tragedy/ballad poem for Day Nineteen is less tragic (thankfully) than it could be.
A dark theme keeps me here,
Though summer blazes in the vireo’s eye.
Who would be half possessed
By his own nakedness?
Waking’s my care–
I’ll make a broken music, or I’ll die.
2
Ye littles, lie more close!
Make me, O Lord, a last, a simple thing
Time cannot overwhelm.
Once I transcended time:
A bud broke to a rose,
And I rose from a last diminishing.
3
I look down the far light
And I behold the dark side of a tree
Far down a billowing plain,
And when I look again,
It’s lost upon the night–
Night I embrace, a dear proximity.
4
I stand by a low fire
Counting the wisps of flame, and I watch how
Light shifts upon the wall.
I bid stillness be still.
I see, in evening air,
How slowly dark comes down on what we do.
So, let’s face it: this poem is weird. The rhythm is odd, the rhymes are too, and the language is strangely prophetic and not at all “conversational.” Despite – or maybe because – of this, it has a hypnotic quality, as if it were all inevitable. Your challenge is, with this poem in mind, to write a poem informed by musical phrasing or melody, which employs some form of sound play (rhyme, meter, assonance, alliteration). One way to approach this is to think of a song you know and then basically write new lyrics that fit the original song’s rhythm/phrasing.
2025 April PAD Challenge: Day 20
Rest Poem
Today I need to take a rest
Today I need to take a rest
I am just getting so tired
Of watching the constant chaos
Every time I turn on the news.
——————————————————————————–
I need to scream, enough, no más! *
Today I need to take a rest
Watching the news gives me the blues
I have to turn off the damn news.
————————————————————————————
There’s just too much bad news and gloom
Too many talking heads spinning lies
Today I need to take a rest
They keep telling alternative facts.
I must tune out, turning it all off
—————————————————————————————-
I sit down and do my yoga
Listening to sweet chill music
Today I need to take a rest.
*Spanish for more “no mas” is a common expression meaning no more, or even we are out of something
Today, I tried my hand at a new (to me) French poetic form named the quatern that incorporates a refrain like in the villanelle and eight-syllable lines like in the kyrielle. Since I’m a big fan of refrains, I think this poetic form rocks.
Quatern Poetic Form Rules
This poem has 16 lines broken up into 4 quatrains (or 4-line stanzas).
Each line is comprised of eight syllables.
The first line is the refrain. In the second stanza, the refrain appears in the second line; in the third stanza, the third line; in the fourth stanza, the fourth (and final) line.
There are no rules for rhyming or iambics.
PSH April 20, 2025
I knew it was time to go.
I knew it was time to go.
I saw the writing on the wall.
I could see there would be a fall.
Things would soon come to a great blow.
Saw that soon there would be madness.
The country may not grow.
had to go before the sideshow.
I knew it was time to go.
Note I retired from government before Trump 1.0, Trump 2.0 is far worse in my opinion.
The Octavin Refrain is an invented form by Luke Prater.
This poetry writing prompt was submitted by Diane Barker:
Time to pull the plug. Write about knowing when to walk away, changing direction or coming to terms with a hard decision. It can be literal or figurative.
Trochaic tetrameter also acceptable. The latter yields a more propulsive rhythm, as opposed to iambs, which tend to lilt.
As the name suggests, the first line is a refrain, repeated as the last (some variation of refrain acceptable).
Rhyme-scheme options as follows –
option 1 – Abb ac aaba
option 2 – Abb aca ba
option 3 – (A bbba cab A)
option 4 – (Abb aca ba Abb aca ba) (high octane)
April 21
Time to pull the plug. Write about knowing when to walk away, changing direction or coming to terms with a hard decision. It can be literal or figurative.
Dew Drop Inn
April 20—Easter eggs (hide something delightful in your poem!)
Ricciardone. Irish quatrain form with 5 syllables in first line, 6 in the others.
Quatrain (or four-line stanza) form
Five syllables in the first line; six syllables in the other three lines
Each line ends with a two-syllable word
Lines two and four rhyme
All end words consonate
Comments:
“Govbot” is a pejorative term quite popular on the right, dating back to the Clinton era, to refer to government workers who are seen as slow-witted drones who could not make it in the free market, which is why they were “govbots” (short for government robots).
The DOGE stands for Department of Government Efficiency, which the President tasked to root out fraud, waste, and abuse and cut the Federal government’s budget and staff by 50 percent in the process, shutting down agencies, moving many out of DC, etc. The team led by Elon Musk lacks any clear mandate but has acted quickly, causing lots of turmoil, anguish, and litigation by Govbots and others who are opposed to their attempt to slash and burn the government, or to quote Elon Musk, “ take a chainsaw to the Federal government.” This is not just my biased opinion, it is shared widely in the US, where there are massive protests daily against the destruction of the Federal Government, the ending of DEI programs, the shredding of civil liberties, and mass deportations without due process. End my editorial opinion, sorry for the rant.
End comments
Happy Monday, all, and a very happy twenty-first day of Na/GloPoWriMo.
Today, our featured participant is ray, whose Roethke-inspired poem for Day Twenty has an irresistible and friendly rhythm.
And now here’s our daily (optional) prompt. Sawako Nakayas u’s poem “Improvisational Score” is a rather surreal prose poem describing an imaginary musical piece that proceeds in a very unmusical way. Today, try your hand at writing your own poem in which something that normally unfolds in a set and well understood way — like a baseball game or dance recital – goes haywire, but is described as if it is all very normal.
This performance may take place over any duration of time, from zero seconds to many years.
A number of insects are placed in a clear container so that they are as comfortable as possible, given the circumstances. They are given oxygen and food and water, though they may not escape. The container of insects is placed on stage and a light is directed through the container and projected onto a large screen so that the audience may see the insects.
Each musician chooses an insect and plays accordingly.
If two insects begin fighting, the corresponding musicians should also fight, musically or literally.
If an insect dies, the corresponding musician should also die, musically or literally.
“Improvisational Score” from The Ants (Les Figures Press, 2014). Reprinted with the permission of the author. All rights reserved.
Very John Cagian! One of his more infamous pieces was a piano piece 4′33″ (1952) where the pianist mocked playing the piano silently for seven minutes, the music was the audience’s reaction.
For those who don’t know about John Cage, here is a Co-Pilot Bio and a bio for Sawka Nakayas as well.
John Cage
john Cage
John Cage (1912–1992) was an American avant-garde composer and music theorist known for his pioneering work in indeterminacy, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments. His influence on 20th-century music was profound, challenging traditional notions of composition and performance. Cage was deeply inspired by Zen Buddhism and Eastern philosophies, which led him to embrace chance operations in his compositions.
Notable Works
4′33″ (1952) – A silent composition where the ambient sounds of the environment become the music.
Sonatas and Interludes (1946–48) – A cycle of pieces for prepared piano.
Music of Changes (1951) – A work composed using the I Ching.
Concert for Piano and Orchestra (1957–58) – A highly indeterminate composition.
Oratorio (1979) – A piece inspired by James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake.
Sawako Nakayas is a Japanese-American poet, translator, and performer whose work explores language, performance, and translation. She has lived in Japan, the U.S., France, and China, and her poetry often engages with transnational themes.
Notable Works
Pink Waves (2022)
Some Girls Walk Into the Country They Are From (2020)
Hurry Home Honey (2009)
Texture Notes (2010)
The Ants (2014)
Mouth: Eats Color – A multilingual work blending original and translated poetry.
Nakayas has also translated works by Japanese poets such as Chika Sagawa and Tatsumi Hijikata, contributing significantly to cross-cultural literary exchange.
2025 April PAD Challenge: Day 21
The Day Of My Jogging Accident
Begin Poem
That morning I went for a run.
Fell down a path in the dark.
The run ended as a short run.
That fateful morning was pitch-dark.
14 operations – no fun!
end poem
prompt
We’re now three weeks deep in this challenge; way to bring it. Let’s finish strong!
For today’s prompt, take the phrase “(blank) Day,” replace the blank with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles might include: “Opposite Day,” “Green Day,” “Earth Day,” “The Last Ever Day,” and/or “The Day Before Yesterday.” Even “Holiday” would work honestly.
Criteria
The Quintilla is a Spanish poetic form that, as you may have guessed from the name, uses five-line stanzas. Here are the guidelines:
Five-line stanzas.
Eight syllables per line.
An ab rhyme scheme in which at least two lines use the “a” rhyme and at least two lines use the “b” rhyme…
But the stanza cannot end with a rhyming couplet.
Based on a true jogging accident, in 1996 I fell down a ladder in the dark, endured 14 operations over nine months, almost lost my leg and life as I developed an MDR staph infection that almost killed me. Fortunately, since was wife was a military officer and I worked for the State Department, I was covered under military health care, they took good care of me while the State Department was not at all sympathetic, and I did not have to battle insurance companies.
PSH April 21, 2025
Burma Shave Signs from the Past
For many years
From the 1920s to the early 70s
Burma Shave
It was shaving cream
Company
Sadly, it went out
Business
Decades ago
The Burma Shave
Advertisements
Often humorous
Or a traffic safety message
Burma Shave signs
Were a feature
Of the American rural landscape
The classic Burma Shave sign
It was a cowboy poetry
rhyming poem
ending with a tag line
“Burma Shave”
The modern interstate highway system
Banned them
As too distracting
To motorists
Perhaps they were
But they were still
An interesting bit
Of American poetic wit
And wisdom
Just a few
I remember
From road trips
In the late 60s
Before they faded away
Into American history
“Pricky Pears
Prickly pears
Are picked
For pickles
No peach picks
A face that prickles
Burma Shave”
“Substitutes
Substitutes
Resemble
Tail-chasing pup
Follow and follow
But never catch up
Burma Shave”
Co-Pilot provided background info
The Burma-Shave ads were a clever and iconic advertising campaign for a brushless shaving cream introduced in 1925 by the Burma-Vita company. These ads became a staple of American highways from 1926 to 1963. The campaign featured a series of small, sequential roadside signs, each displaying a line of a humorous or rhyming poem, with the final sign always bearing the brand name, “Burma-Shave.” The signs were designed to entertain drivers and passengers during long road trips, making them a beloved part of the driving experience.
The campaign’s popularity peaked in the 1930s and 1940s, with over 7,000 sets of signs across the United States. However, the rise of the Interstate Highway System and faster vehicle speeds in the late 1950s made the signs less effective, leading to their discontinuation in 1963.
note: you could still find them on backwater highways until the mid 70’s, they are all long gone now.
Prompt
THINGS YOU’D NEVER HEAR
–in a weather report
–over the announcement system at an airport
–as a public service announcement
–in a sermon
THINGS YOU’D NEVER READ
–in a romance novel
–in a science fiction book
–as a pamphlet in a doctor’s office
–on a get-well card
THINGS/PEOPLE YOU’D NEVER SEE
–at a yard sale
–on a sign at a protest rally
–on a menu
–on the FBI’s “Most Wanted” list
*************************************************************************
Example–from Joe Kelty’s Poem: ROAD SIGNS WE NEVER SEE
NO TURN ON BLUE
SPEED LIMIT 46.24 MPH
PASS WITH ABANDON
WRONG RIGHT-OF-WAY
GO FOR IT
NEXT REST AREA 900 MILES. HOLD ON.
CRISSCROSS CENTER LINE
ROAD SLIPPERY WHEN PRESENT
FLOOR IT HERE TO CORNER
NOSEDIVE, 1 MILE
TAILGATING ZONE
MERGE OR BE SORRY
CAUTION: THREE-WAY TRAFFIC . . .
Dew Drop Inn
April 21—A country not your own
First Visit to Korea
In 1979
I first went to Korea
In those Peace Corps
After a long plane ride
My first international flight
I ended up in South Korea
At the old Gimpo airport
A chaotic crazy drive
Through Seoul
To the town of Chuncheon
Where we did our training course
For four months
First visit to another land
First foreign travel
To a strange land
Exotic people
Strange sounds and sights
And the smells of incense
And the food ah the food
korean feast jpg
But over time
Became my second home
45 years later
I returned to Korea
Ending up living
Next door to Gimpo airport
Where my journey began
45 years ago
Welcome back, everyone, for the twenty-second day of National/Global Poetry Writing Month.
Our featured participant today is Cutting Hail, who brings us not just one poem in response to Day 21’s “instructional” prompt, but three!
Today’s daily resource is the Uffizi Gallery, in Florence, Italy. If you are at all interested in Renaissance Italian masters, it’s the right place to get an eyeful of Titians, Caravaggio, Botticelli’s, Canaletto, and da Vincis.
And now for today’s optional prompt! Did you take music lessons as a child? Despite having all the musical talent of a dried-out lemon, I took two years of piano lessons. I was required to practice for half an hour a day and showed my disgruntlement by playing certain very annoying songs – like Turkey in the Straw – over and over, as loudly as possible. But while
I thought of the lessons as a kind of torture, I’m glad as an adult to have taken them – if only for the greater dexterity it gave to my hands!
In her poem, Thanking My Mother for Piano Lessons, Diane Wakoski’s is far more grateful than I ever managed to be, describing the act of playing as a “relief” from loneliness and worry, and as enlarging her life with something beautiful. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem about something you’ve done – whether it’s music lessons, or playing soccer, crocheting, or fishing, or learning how to change a tire – that gave you a similar kind of satisfaction, and perhaps still does.
2025 April PAD Challenge: Day 22
Please Tell Us The People The Truth Soledad
Please tell us the truth
Hey govbots, no more lies, no mas! *
We don’t need any more half-truth
*Spanish for no more can be politically as here or simply we are out of something or stop doing something quite a flexible wording
Govbots pejorative term for government workers among the right, dating back to the Clinton era, meaning government workers who are mindless drones following rules and procedures
On the 22nd day of the 2025 April Poem-A-Day Challenge, writers are challenged with the fourth Two-for-Tuesday prompt of the month.
It’s time for the fourth (but not final) Two-for-Tuesday prompt:
Write a poem and/or…
Write a don’t tell me poem.
You get to decide what that means; you might even tell me in your poem.
The Soledad is a Spanish poetic form. It has the following guidelines:
Three-line poem (or stanzas).
Eight-syllable lines.
Rhyme scheme: aba.
Internal consonance and assonance.
PSH April 22, 2025
Reprograming My Mind
It is so easy
Watching the news
And following social media
To become outraged
Enraged and depressed
That is what they want
From us
Keeping us
From seeing
The beauty
The joy
And even happiness
That is still around us
Whenever I get too depressed
With constant doom-scrolling
I stop and think about
All the good things
In my life
And especially
How I met and married
The lady of my dreams
And day-to-day
Noise of the
perpetual outrage machine
The media has become
Fades away
Replaced by a sense
Of joy and yes
Even happiness
Which no one
can take away
From us
Reprogram your mind
Get rid of negativity
And concentrate
On the positive
And the things
You can do
To make this
A better world
So go forth
And find
Your inner joy
And happiness
Whatever form
That may take
Prompt provided, but I am skipping this one – too much of a headache to wrap my tired 69-year old brain around! Instead, I decided to write something positive for a welcome change to my otherwise gloomy poems
High above Sky City
near the Incheon airport
In South Korea.
I heard them
then saw them
Hideous black
Korean magpie
Krachi mocking birds.
Looking at me
Cackling at me
Laughing at me
Mocking me.
Calling me names
I asked
“Say birds,
What do you
Want from me?”
They laughed,
“Nothing
But your doom
human!”
And they flew
Around me
dive bombing me.
surrounding me
calling me names.
In Korean,
And English.
As I fled
The trail
With the demon birds
hot on my trail.
Note:
Korean magpies, sometimes called mockingbirds, are common in more rural areas, and they do often laugh as people walk by. Very eerie sound, and the birds are quite big. The above is based on a nightmare I had after a real encounter on a trail back in 2018, pre-COVID era, when I was living near the airport and often took long walks through the nearby hills.
Co-pilot background on Korean mockingbirds
Mockingbirds are not native to Korea, so there isn’t a specific Korean name for them. However, Korea is home to a rich variety of bird species, some of which mimic sounds like mockingbirds do. For example, the Eurasian magpie, known as “까치” (kka chí) in Korean, is a common bird that is admired for its intelligence and vocal abilities.
As for endangered species, South Korea has several bird species that are nationally protected due to their vulnerable status. You can find detailed lists of these species on resources like the Ministry of Environment’s website or the Birds Korea Checklist.
Happy Wednesday, everyone, and happy twenty-third day of National/Global Poetry Writing Month.
Today, our featured participant is Elizabeth Bouquet, who brings us a poem with a poem in it in response to Day Twenty-Two’s lessons-based prompt.
Our resource for the day is the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The museum’s online image collection is practically endless, and to call it varied would be an understatement. There’s over 2,000 images just of baseball cards! To say nothing of candelabra featuring what appears to be a scandalized swan, a processional sword belonging to the guardsman of a sixteenth-century German duke, and a couch that I would very much like to fall upon in a melodramatic swoon.
And last but not least, here’s today’s (optional) prompt. Humans might be the only species to compose music, but we’re quite famously not the only ones to make it. Birdsong is all around us – even in cities, there are sparrows chirping, starlings making a racket. And it’s hardly surprising that birdsong has inspired poets. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write your own poem that focuses on birdsong. Need examples? Try A.E. Stallings’ “Blackbird Etude,” or for an old-school throwback, Shelley’s “To a Skylark.”
2025 April PAD Challenge: Day 23
Too Many Books
Have too many
Books
For me to read
Friends
I need to start decluttering
I own too many books and CDs to keep
My books
It is hard to say goodbye
To my friends
Love reading my old classics
So much I’ve learned from all my classic books
Each one, a friend through long years of my life
I’ll miss them
I can’t believe how fast we’re breezing through this month. One week of poeming after today!
For today’s prompt, write a poem book. Today is World Book Day, which may be one of my favorite holidays moving forward, because I love books. Your poem could be inspired by a book, an author, a character, a scene, and/or however you’d like to come to this one. Heck, write about a bookstore, library, card catalogue, or any other bookish thing you can imagine.
Criteria
You know Pi as the sixteenth letter of the Greek alphabet. But Pi is also used as poetry form. I discovered a small explanation on the page of Jan Haag, who has written several poems in Pi form.
The Pi is built up in words and follows the mathematical number that stands for Pi:
PI = 3.141592653589793
In lines:
Pi Form
line 1: 3 words
line 2: 1 word
line 3: 4 words
line 4: 1 word
line 5: 5 words
line 6: 9 words
line 7: 2 words
line 8: 6 words
line 9: 5 words
line 10: 3 words
line 11: 5 words
line 12: 8 words
line 13: 9 words
line 14: 7 words
line 15: 9 words
line 16: 3 words.
Hey, once I was a boogie singer
Playing in a rock ‘n’ roll band
I never had any problems, yeah
Burning down the one-night stands
Then everything around me, yeah
It got to start feeling so low
And I decided quickly, yes, I did, heh
To disco down and check out the show
Yeah, they were dancing and singing
And moving to the grooving
And just when it hit me
Somebody turned around and shouted…
“Play that funky music, white boy
Play that funky music right
Play that funky music, white boy
Lay down the boogie and play that funky music ’til you die” (heh, heh)
‘Til you die, yeah, uh
Here, here, ha
Well, I tried to understand this (yeah)
Heh, I thought that they were out of their minds
How could I be so foolish? How could I?
To not see I was the one behind?
So still I kept on fighting
Well, losing every step of the way (hey, what’d you do?)
I said, “I must go back there,” I got to go back
And check to see if things still the same
Yeah, they were dancing and singing
And moving to the grooving
And just when it hit me
Somebody turned around and shouted…
“Play that funky music, white boy (yeah)
Play that funky music right, oh
Play that funky music, white boy
Lay down the boogie and play that funky music ’til you die” (heh)
‘Til you die (yeah)
Oh, ’til you die
Gonna play some electrified funky music, yow
Ah, ha, ha
Hey, wait a minute, now first it wasn’t easy
Changing rock ‘n’ roll and minds
Yeah, things were getting shaky (yeah)
I thought I’d have to leave it behind, uh
Ooh, but now it’s so much better, it’s so much better
I’m funking out in every way
But I’ll never lose that feeling, no, I won’t
Of how I learned my lesson that day
When they were dancing and singing
And moving to the grooving
And just when it hit me
Somebody turned around and shouted
“Play that funky music, white boy
Play that funky music right
Play that funky music, white boy
Lay down the boogie and play that funky music ’til you die” (heh)
‘Til you die (yeah)
Oh, ’til you die, yeah
Come on, let’s go!
(They shouted, “play that funky music”) play that funky music
(Play that funky music) you gotta keep on playing funky music
(Play that funky music) play that funky music
(Play that funky music) come on and take you higher
Play that funky music, white boy
Play that funky music right, yeah
Play that funky music, white boy
Play that funky music right, yeah
Play that funky music (white boy)
Play that funky music (right, yeah)
Play that funky music (honky)
Play that funky music (right, ha)
Play that funky…
Songwriters: Robert W. Parisi. For non-commercial use only.
Welcome back, everyone, to Day Twenty-Four of our annual poetry-writing challenge!
Our featured participant for the day is haphazard, whose birdsong poem for Day Twenty-Three places primacy on the “gaps in the music.”
Today’s daily resource is the Art Institute of Chicago, where just searching the collection for the word “stars,” I found this amazing quilt, a very fancy-looking Soviet plate, and an illustration of the constellation Leo from a medieval Arabic astronomical guide.
And now for today’s (optional) prompt. One fundamental aspect of music is its communal nature. While a single person can make music, of course, it’s often made in groups. Rock bands, orchestras, church choirs – they all involve making music together. And often, we’re playing or performing music that was written by, or inspired by, other people.
In her poem, Duet, Lisa Russ Spaar tells the story of two sisters making music together, based on two pre-existing songs by different artists. Today, we challenge you to write a poem that involves people making music together, and that references – with a lyric or line – a song or poem that is important to you.
PSH April 23, 2025 Poetry Writing Prompt from Franci Levine-Grater
Looking at my house filled with memories Kimo Poem
Look at an item, or a picture of an item, which is important or sentimental to you and write about memories and feelings it elicits. Do NOT describe the item. Rather, use it as an inspiration to access why it is sentimental to you.
3 lines
No rhymes.
10 syllables in the first line, 7 in the second, and 6 in the third.
Also, the kimo is focused on a single frozen image (kind of like a snapshot). So it’s uncommon to have any movement happening in kimo poems.
With apologies for the delay (I’m traveling, and just plain fell asleep last night before updating today’s post!), today’s featured participant is Wren Jones, who brings us a flashback to Springsteen in response to Day Twenty-Four’s making-music-together prompt.
It’s a pleasure to browse through the images here. I particularly liked these anklets that aren’t just jewelry but a sort of personal piggy bank, this portrait of the fabulously mustachioed J.M. Curette, and this highly decorative flask, originally meant to hold gunpowder!
Finally, here is our optional prompt for the day. In her poem, Senzo, Evie Shockley recounts the experience of being at a live concert, relating it the act of writing poetry. Today we’d like to challenge you to write a poem that recounts an experience of your own hearing live music and tells how it moves you. It could be a Rolling Stones concert, your little sister’s middle school musical, or just someone whistling – it just needs to be something meaningful to you.
2025 April PAD Challenge: Day 24
O Dark Hundred Nightmares
Midnight
Insomnia takes hold of me
nightmares terrifying me
0 dark hundred
late nights
What if
What if nightmares take over
Replaying in my mind
What if what if
what if
Worries
Going down dark, twisted rabbit holes
Natural disasters
Fear of my death
The end
Comment:
Note: O Dark hundred hours is a military/intel slang phrase that refers to the hours just before dawn between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m., depending on location and time of year. This is when bad things happen in the night, as military and intel special forces wake up for a dawn operation. Here and in other similar poems and short stories, it refers to when people most often have nightmares around 3 a.m. in the middle of the night, or O Dark hundred.
Bonus Poem
O dark hundred insomnia blues
Sam Adams had the insomnia blues
he could not sleep.
He stared at the ceiling.
That stared back at him
With an evil grin
Mocking him it seems.
His mind plays an endless tape
of fears doom, and endless fears
As he goes down the proverbial rabbit hole
Lost in an endless anxiety feedback freak out loop.
The latest dark SF series he saw
the latest scary news
Political dystopian futures
Endless possibilities play out.
The latest news of war
the latest fears of incipient fascism
The latest news about the stock market
climate change weather disasters
Monster storms and flooding
His town burning up around him.
What if I have the big Alzheimer’s, or dementia?
What if I have Cancer, Covid, Lyme disease, or Monkeypox?
What if World War Three breaks out?
4:30 a.m.
What if I am at the mall
When a mad gunman opens fire?
Or a terrorist bomb goes off?
Or I am the victim of a random act of violence?
5:15 a.m.
What if the zombie apocalypse starts?
What if, what if, what if……
6:30 a.m.
Until day-break blasts him awake
as the dawning sun fills the room.
Ending that night’s insomnia blues.
Until the next night’s episode begins
at O Dark Hundred.
Prompt
For today’s prompt, write a time of day poem. You can pick a specific time of day (like the songs “3 A.M. Eternal,” by The KLF, or “12:51,” by The Strokes), or it can be a more generalized thing (like “early morning” or “lunch time” or whatever). Snack time is one of my favorite times of day, for sure. (And don’t forget poeming time!)
Criteria
This poetry form is not a difficult one. The form finds its origin in Spain. Not much is known about the history of the form, so we’ll stick to the details.
How is the Cinquain set up?
xx
xxxxxxxx
xxxxxx
xxxx
xx
(2/8/6/4/2 syllables.)
If you center the poem, the shape looks like a top, quite cute
PSH Cut-up Remixed consular officers have the best stories
Bob Jones chief
Mumbai
9-11
oversee
immigrant visas,
adjudicator
fraud unit
“administrative processing”
Had best stories,
“So, what can we do for you?”
————————————————————————————————————
“ Yes, my father is dying
He said to her,
“Do you have any proof
And she said yes,
———————————–
that letter
It was fraudulent.
————————————————————————————————–
Mr Patel had died
about two weeks before.
“So, Miss Patel
when was the last time
you spoke to your father?”
————————————————————————————————– “Oh, I spoke to him just now
he is still alive
“OK well,
there’s just one problem.
Do you believe in ghosts?”
” What?”
——————————————————————————————-
“Well, you see here’s the problem.
There’s only one way you
could have spoken
to your father today
————————————————————————————————–and that is if you spoke
to a ghost
he died two weeks ago”.
Another day
in the life of a visa officer
—————————————————————————————————
doing his part
to enforce broken system.
Just another bad government gig
The immigration system has been broken for decades and is riddled with fraud, but most immigrants are decent, hardworking people. I disagree with the mass deportation campaign and the practice of sweeping people off the streets. Instead, they should have fixed the system, which would need to include a path to legalization for those who are otherwise law-abiding, long-term residents. It is far better for everyone if they have legal status rather than living in the shadows. I also believe we must make it easier for legal immigration and give priority to those who study in the U.S. and are poised to become the next innovators here. The current policy is shortsighted, cruel, and counterproductive.
Experiment with Cross-Outs and Cut-ups Using Old Drafts of Poetry as Raw Material!
This prompt invites you to rework forgotten/abandoned drafts by both/either redacting/covering up selected words (cross-outs) and cutting lines out of hard copies and re-ordering them on a piece of paper, gluing them down when you are satisfied (cut-ups). Magazines are also good raw material for cross-out and cut-up poetry and found poems. Either using intuition, or complete random selection. The point is not to overthink it. You’ll need scissors and glue or tape and some blank paper and a marking pen.
Lewis Carroll answered the question of “How do I be a poet?” in 1883:
“For first you write a sentence,
And then you chop it small;
Then mix the bits, and sort them out
Just as they chance to fall:
The order of the phrases makes
No difference at all.”
Tristan Tzara, in the 1920s, proposed to create a poem on the spot by pulling words out of a hat. In the 1950s Brion Gysin cut newspaper articles into sections and rearranged the sections at random. William Burroughs asserts. “Cuts ups are for everyone,” just as Tzara remarked that “poetry is for everyone.”
April 24—Duty
visa fraud stories
Bob Jones was an immigrant visa chief
for the United States of America
consular officers have the best stories,
and cases that will always be remembered.
———————————————————————————————————————–
On that November day,
an Indian American citizen
came to the consulate to see him.
———————————————————————————————————————–She had a request.
would he be willing to consider
her Sibling’s cases.
Her father had immigrated
to the United States
and become a citizen.
And she had become
a citizen as well.
She had four siblings
who were in their 30s
all of whom were living in India
and all of those visas
————————————————————————————————
were held up for “administrative processing”
on suspicion of marriage fraud,
or rather fake single status,
which was the biggest category
of visa fraud.
Her father had petitioned
for them and
as unmarried children of U.S. citizens,
the wait was
about three years,
whereas for married children of U.S. citizens,
the wait would be about seven years.
In this case,
he suspected
that they were committing
marriage fraud
by pretending
to be unmarried
and the case
had been held up
They knew culturally speaking
that rural Gujarati women
and men in their 30s
would all be married
and that they were faking
being single on paper
to speed up visa processing.
Once they were Green card holders
They would marry their spouses
So in five years
They would all be together
Instead of ten years
He understood
and even felt sympathetic
but the law was the law
-and he had to
enforce the visa law
even the insane rules.
– He asked her,
“So, what can we do for you?”
————————————————————————————————–
“ Yes, my father is dying
in the hospital
—————————————————————————————-
and it is his dying wish
to reunite the family
in the United States
could you please
reconsider issuing
the visas to them?”
He said to her,
————————————————————————————————
“Do you have any proof
that your father
is in the hospital?”
————————————————————————————————–
And she said yes,
and she pulled out
a letter written
by an Indian doctor
in New Jersey
saying that Mister Patel
was seriously ill
and that it
was his dying wish
to have his children
reunited in the United States,
and see him before he died.
and that the consulate
should reconsider
issuing visas
for the children.
There was something
about that letter
that struck him as fraudulent.
and so he called the hospital
and he confirmed
with the duty doctor
that Mr. Patel
had died
about two weeks before.
————————————————————————————————–
He called Miss Patel
and gave her the bad news.
He started by saying.
“So, Miss Patel
when was the last time
you spoke to your father?”
“Oh, I spoke to him just now
he is still alive and waiting
for his children to arrive
to see him before he dies.”
“He is alive right now?”
Oh, yes, he is still alive
and he’s waiting
for the immigrant visas
to be processed.”
“OK well, there’s just one problem.
Do you believe in ghosts?”
” What?”
——————————————————————————————-
“Well, you see here’s the problem.
There’s only one way you
could have spoken
to your father today
and that is if you spoke
to a ghost because
according to the hospital,
he died two weeks ago”.
And he showed
her fax from the hospital
confirming Mr. Patel’s demise.
————————————————————————————————–She started crying.
Then he said.
“Well, you know the problem
is that you and your siblings
just committed visa fraud.
They are going to be stuck
in India and not allowed to travel
to the United States
for the next 99 years.
But planes fly both ways
and you can go visit them
every year if you want
but they’re not coming
into the United States.
And you can file for them
And in eight years seek
A visa waiver for the ineligibility
It is sometimes granted.”
– She cried
and he entered them
in the system for visa
misrepresentation.
This one was
but one of the many
heart-breaking stories
illustrating
how broken the US immigration system was.
In this particular case,
if the father was still alive,
he might have
reconsidered the case
and issued the visas
for humanitarian reasons
ignoring marriage fraud,
which was always difficult to prove,
but when the father
died the petition died with him.
He said to himself
well that’s just another day
in the life of a visa officer
————————————————————————————————–
doing his part
to enforce
a broken immigration system.
But, thinking back on it all,
he felt blessed to be working
serving the country he loved
-and helping immigrants,
students and visitors
visit America
while deterring fraudsters,
and helping American citizens
who found themselves
in trouble in a foreign land.
Not bad for a government gig
He always said.
The immigration system has been broken for decades and is riddled with fraud, but most immigrants are decent, hardworking people. I disagree with the mass deportation campaign and the practice of sweeping people off the streets. Instead, they should have fixed the system, which would need to include a path to legalization for those who are otherwise law-abiding, long-term residents. It is far better for everyone if they have legal status rather than living in the shadows. I also believe we must make it easier for legal immigration and give priority to those who study in the U.S. and are poised to become the next innovators here. The current policy is shortsighted, cruel, and counterproductive.
With apologies for the delay (I’m traveling, and just plain fell asleep last night before updating today’s post!), today’s featured participant is Wren Jones, who brings us a flashback to Springsteen in response to Day Twenty-Four’s making-music-together prompt.
It’s a pleasure to browse through the images here. I particularly liked these anklets that aren’t just jewelry but a sort of personal piggy bank, this portrait of the fabulously mustachioed J.M. Curette, and this highly decorative flask, originally meant to hold gunpowder!
Finally, here is our optional prompt for the day. In her poem, Senzo, Evie Shockley recounts the experience of being at a live concert, relating it the act of writing poetry. Today we’d like to challenge you to write a poem that recounts an experience of your own hearing live music and tells how it moves you. It could be a Rolling Stones concert, your little sister’s middle school musical, or just someone whistling – it just needs to be something meaningful to you.
2025 April PAD Challenge: Day 25
April 25 I shall always remember
One night in early September
A night I will always remember
For on that date, my dream lady came to life
It was on that September date
I knew that I had met my fate
When I saw her, sparks flew from heart to heart
Tripadi Poems
The Tripadi is a Bengali poetic form. Here are the guidelines:
Tercets (or three-line stanzas).
Lines one and two end rhyme with each other.
Lines one and two have eight syllables.
Line three has ten syllables.
Poem may consist of one tercet or several.
f you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Superhighway Facebook Group.
As you can see, the original golden shovel takes more than a line from the poem. In fact, it pulls every word from the Brooks poem, and it does it twice.
This form is sort of in the tradition of the cento and erasure, but it offers a lot more room for creativity than other poetry found.
Jake, your collection for April 23 offers a rich variety of tone and subject, and there is real pleasure in the movement between them.
The mocking birds piece is wild and vivid, capturing a surreal sense of menace with a playful edge-the birds cackling in Korean and English is a brilliant, slightly absurd detail.
Your piece on “reprogramming your mind” is a warm, important counterpoint: it reminds readers (and perhaps yourself) that joy still exists if we choose to seek it, without falling into preachiness.
The short memory about your house feels quiet and grounded, and the Shakespeare piece is a real highlight: personal, affectionate, and tinged with a sense of time passing.
Your affection for the classics shines through clearly.
If anything, the different pieces might feel a little loosely stitched when read together, but as a daily writing project, this kind of natural shift between moods feels entirely fitting.
A heartfelt and honest set.
Tim thanks as always
Jake, your collection for April 23 offers a rich variety of tone and subject, and there is real pleasure in the movement between them.
The mocking birds piece is wild and vivid, capturing a surreal sense of menace with a playful edge-the birds cackling in Korean and English is a brilliant, slightly absurd detail.
Your piece on “reprogramming your mind” is a warm, important counterpoint: it reminds readers (and perhaps yourself) that joy still exists if we choose to seek it, without falling into preachiness.
The short memory about your house feels quiet and grounded, and the Shakespeare piece is a real highlight: personal, affectionate, and tinged with a sense of time passing.
Your affection for the classics shines through clearly.
If anything, the different pieces might feel a little loosely stitched when read together, but as a daily writing project, this kind of natural shift between moods feels entirely fitting.
A heartfelt and honest set.
Tim thanks as always
Happy Sunday, all – I hope you have an enjoyable thirteenth day of Na/GloPoWriMo.
Our featured participant today is Chronicles of Miss Miseria, where the response to Day Twelve’s symphonic, Stevens-inspired prompt fires on all cylinders.
Finally, here’s our prompt for the day (optional, as always). Donald Justice’s poem, “There is a gold light in certain old paintings,” plays with both art and music, and uses an interesting and (as far as I know) self-invented form. His six-line stanzas use lines of twelve syllables, and while they don’t use rhyme, they repeat end words. Specifically, the second and fourth line of each stanza repeat an end-word or syllable; he fifth and sixth lines also repeat their end-word or syllable. Today, we challenge you to write a poem that uses Justice’s invented form.
It comes from everywhere and from nowhere at once, this light,
And the poor soldiers sprawled at the foot of the cross
Share in its charity equally with the cross.
2
Orpheus hesitated beside the black river.
With so much to look forward to he looked back.
We think he sang then, but the song is lost.
At least he had seen once more the beloved back.
I say the song went this way: O prolong
Now the sorrow if that is all there is to prolong.
3
The world is very dusty, uncle. Let us work.
One day the sickness shall pass from the earth for good.
The orchard will bloom; someone will play the guitar.
Our work will be seen as strong and clean and good.
And all that we suffered through having existed
Shall be forgotten as though it had never existed.
“govbot” is a perjorative term for government workers popular on the right, dating back to the Clinton era.
Writer’s Digest Prompt
Full Moon Madness
Sam Adams
Was drinking
In his favorite watering hole
The Cosmos Bar
In Soi Cowboy, Bangkok.
Twenty drinks too sober
He contemplated life.
It was the evening
Of the pink full moon
The lunatic light
Of the moon.
Shown on the street
Outside the bar
Sam was soon transformed
Into a demented werewolf
Ran outside
Howling like an escaped banshee
At the lunatic light of the full moon
Shining down on his lost soul.
The Cosmos Bar is a fictional expat bar located in Soi Cowboy, Bangkok. Soi Cowboy dates back to the Vietnam war era when it was a popular drinking district or expats in Bangkok. Sam Adams is a fictional character that pops up in many of my stories and poems, a distant descendant of the famous Sam Adams, and beer brewer, from the revolutionary war period of US history.
For today’s prompt, take the phrase “Full (blank),” replace the blank with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles might include: “Full Moon,” “Full Throttle,” “Full Tank of Gas,” “Full Monty,” and/or “Full Tank of Gas.”
Here’s my attempt at a Full (blank) Poem:
“Full Throated,” by Robert Lee Brewer
I sound my long barbaric yawp
from every available hilltop
on my way to the barbershop
fearing I may never stop
while sucking on a lollipop
as the neighbors channel-hop
and the horses clippity clop
beside another bumblecop
which could be a malaprop
for the use of bumpercrop
as I find I flip and flop
like a price at a car swap
or the head of a wet mop
stuck inside a karate chop
falling like a sad raindrop
into a pond–a frog–kerplop!
Bonus Full Moon Poem
Pink Moon Lunar Madness Overcomes Old Man
The lunatic light of the pink full moon
Shinned on a lonely man in the Cosmos Bar
Who was a lost film star
Drinking from afar
The lunatic light of the pink full moon.
The man was a star
The light in the bar was bizarre
They sat there playing the guitar
The lunatic light of the full moon.
He thought to himself so far
Went outside, saw a squad car
Howling at the moon, looking at a sports car.
The lunatic light of the pink full moon.
Poetry Form: DANSA
Here are the guidelines for writing the dansa:
Opening quintain (or 5-line stanza) followed by quatrains (or 4-line stanzas)
The opening line of the first stanza is the final line of every stanza, including the first
Rhyme scheme in the opening stanza: AbbaA (capital A represents the refrain)
Rhyme scheme in all other stanzas: bbaA
No other rules for subject, length, or meter.
One additional PPC rule for this one: a minimum of 13 lines (3 stanzas per the above rules)
Poetry Superhighway Prompt
Driving, Walking or Travel Poem
Walking Along the Fake Venice Canal
Gimpo Grand Canal
I take a walk
Every day
Along the fake Venice canal
Near my home
In Gimpo, Korea.
It is lined with restaurants
And shops.
And this time of year
Flowering trees.
There are boats
For rent as well.
Someday I am going
To Venice
As part of a Mediterranean cruise.
And I will walk
Along a real Venice canal
And have dinner.
And think about
The fake canal
And the real canal.
Drive (or walk) down a familiar street or block. Pay attention to everything: the condition of the street, the signs, people, cars or other vehicles, and the trees, flowers and grass or lack thereof. Where are you walking? Maybe on a sidewalk or in the grass? Where are you driving? Maybe on a paved road or maybe a dirt or gravel road? Write a poem about traveling down this street.
Next, do the very same thing but this time go down an unfamiliar street or block. What do you see that’s different? What do you see that’s the same? How does it make you feel to be in an unfamiliar setting vs a familiar one? Write a poem about going down this street you’ve never traveled on before.
Then take both poems and intersperse the lines from the poem of a street of familiarity to the poem of the street of unfamiliarity to create an overall picture in a poem of traveling the known vs the unknown
If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Super Highway Facebook Group.
Dew Drop Inn
April 13—Greenery
Green Trees Don’t Make It
70 lines
Everyday
I look out and see
The ugly green trees
Standing guard
in front of my house.
And I think to myself
Who owns the trees?
And what do they think of us?
Are we their friends?
Are we their enemies?
What do the trees think of us?
Do they silently watch us,
Spies to the celestial emperor?
I have pondered this question
Many a morning,
Who is the owner of these trees?
And why do they silently watch us?
I wonder if the trees don’t hate us
And why they don’t protest.
Every day as we drive back and forth
Emitting poison gases from our mechanical asses
Right into their unprotected faces.
And every night we eat our dinner
And then give the trees
Our polluted leftovers
And laugh as they silently die
From our acidic fallout
Constantly floating down on their skin.
Yes, I wonder about the trees
And the birds and the bees
And everyone else.
What are they thinking?
Are they plotting revenge?
Or are they merely there
Silently, watching, plotting,
Designing fiendish plots of revenge
Dreams of vast nuclear destruction.
Cosmic diseases wiping out everyone in the ass
Oh Yes, I wonder and dream and ponder
What is the meaning of those silent green trees?
Standing on the corner
Quietly condemning us
With their quiet tears, and falling leaves.
In the winter they stand
Naked and alone
Covered with ice-cold snow
As we drive by nice and warm.
And we don’t care
As they stand out in the cold
Shivering, plotting
warm plans of cosmic revenge.
Is it too late for us
To become friends
with the trees?
Or will the day come
When the trees will wake up
And gather together
All the other slaves of humanity.
I have a vision
One morning I will open the door
And see an army of wild things
Coming to arrest me
For crimes against nature.
And I will plead, I did not know
And they will laugh
and turn me all of my kind
Into silent tombs,
And we will stand out in the cold
Like the green trees
Plotting dreams of revenge
For ever and ever.
Until our day finally comes
And we can go out
and kill all the wild things
Perhaps we already have.
Today we are two full weeks into National/Global Poetry Writing Month. Hopefully you’ll all have fourteen poems under your belts by the end of the day and, if not – no worries! You can always catch up (or just cut yourself some slack).
Today’s featured participant is Glenn Mitchell, who really hit it out of the park with his take on Day Thirteen’s Donald Justic-inspired prompt!
Our featured resource for the day is the online gallery of the Rijksmuseum, where you may particularly enjoy their series on 100 masterpieces within the museum’ s collection. And here’s a little anecdote about how browsing an online collection of this kind can lead you to new and startling discoveries. While taking a peek at the museum’s exhibit regarding Meissen porcelain, I came across this slide show about a particular porcelain macaw, which in turn led me down the rabbit hole of learning about saxon elector and Polish king Augustus the Strong, who “died at the honorable age of sixty-two, his kingdom a financial ruin, with nine children from six different women, and a collection of thirty-five thousand seven hundred and ninety-eight pieces of porcelain.” I feel much less sheepish about my comparatively modest trove of knick-knacks and doo-dads after reading that.
And with that silliness out of the way, today’s (optional) prompt is inspired by a poem that’s an old favorite of mine, by Kay Ryan.
Crustacean Island
There could be an island paradise
where crustaceans prevail.
Click, click, go the lobsters
with their china mitts and
articulated tails.
It would not be sad like whales
with their immense and patient sieving
and the sobering modesty
of their general way of living.
It would be an island blessed
with only cold-blooded residents
and no human angle.
It would echo with a thousand castanets
and no flamencos.
Ryan’s poem invites us to imagine the “music” of a place without people in it. So today, try writing a poem that describes a place, particularly in terms of the animals, plants or other natural phenomena there. Sink into the sound of your location, and use a conversational tone. Incorporate slant rhymes (near or off-rhymes, like “angle” and “flamenco”) into your poem. And for an extra challenge – don’t reference birds or birdsong!
Writer Digest April 14
How to Lose Weight
They say
Inside every fat man
Is a thin man
Trying to break free.
Since, Janaury 2024
I have lost
Almost 15 pounds (7 K).
Dropping from a high
Of 195 pounds (88 K)
To a low of 170 pounds (77 K)
In about a year or so.
How did I lose
so much weight
And most importantly
Not gain it back?
First I came down
With a mysterious COVID
Like illness.
And lost 15 pounds
In one month
The doctors could
Not figure it out.
But ruled out bronchitis
Cancer, pneumonia
And TB.
Then I started
Daily workouts
Including
Walking up 16 flights
Of stairs six times
A day
That
Along with a strict diet
And no more daily
Glass of wine
Or whisky!
And hitting the gym
Led me to keep
the weight off
In any event
I feel great
And look great.
Not bad
For a 69- old man
I say.
no set form for this one, sort of a loose narative free verse poem
Whew! We’re two weeks in on this month and this challenge already. Go, us!
For today’s prompt, write a losing poem. Losing often comes with negative connotations, like losing a game or a family pet or socks (seriously, where do they all disappear to?). However, a person could also lose some weight, bad habits, and/or negativity. Of course, it could be argued these are still negatives (positives via double negatives), but I find I’m starting to lose my train of thought, so it’s probably best to get poeming.
Here’s my attempt at a Losing Poem:
“What I’ve Gained,” by Robert Lee Brewer
There’s nothing I’ve gained
that I won’t eventually lose;
not that I know how, but I
can decipher the clues;
so I don’t care much about
all the items I can gain
when I’ll eventually lose
and then lose them again:
better I think is to share
all the ups and the downs
with every loser who’ll
happily keep me around,
because everything I gain
I will eventually lose,
so abide if you can
to skip having the blues.
PSH April 14, 2025: Poetry Writing Prompt from Eric Nicholson
May the Force be with You
In the Star Wars universe
The rebels led by Luke Skywalker
And Princess Lea
Are behind the curve.
The imperial storm troopers
Too powerful
A force.
All seems lost
To the rebels.
But the rebels
Still maintain
Hope.
That with the force
With them
They can overcome.
And defeat
The dark side
Of the force.
Represented by Darth Vadar
Luke Skywalker’s father.
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Eric Nicholson:
Use a series of sequences from a well known film and splice with more nature-based lines. Or political!
The idea is to either parallel each or contrast. The effect could be sereal, philosophical or lyrical.
Today is the halfway point of National/Global Poetry Writing Month! Hooray for poems!
Our featured participant today is The Cynical Optimist, where the place-sounds poem for Day Fourteen lets each creature in a particular park have its own solo.
Today’s resource is the online gallery of the National Museum of New Zealand. It’s pretty fun to just search for random words in their search bar, and see what kind of objects and art pop up. For example, I searched the word “butter,” and was presented with this photograph of a bracelet made up of butter and cheese exhibition medals, this stamp celebrating the wonders of butter production, and a teeny saucepan made for a dollhouse.
And now for our (optional) daily prompt. The MC5 was a 1960s rock band. If you’ve heard anything by them–and you likely have–it’s their 1969 song Kick Out the Jams.
Jesse Crawford, otherwise known as Brother J.C. Crawford, was the band’s stage MC and warm-up man. Below are the words with which he opened a concert in Japan in 1969 (you can find the recording on Spotify/Apple Music as part of the Kick Out the James [Live] [Japan Remastered] album, on the track titled Intro/Ramblin’ Rose).
Brothers and sisters
I wanna see a sea of hands out there
Let me see a sea of hands
I want everybody to kick up some noise
I wanna hear some revolution out there, brothers
I wanna hear a little revolution
[big pause]
Brothers and sisters
The time has come for each and everyone of you to decide
Whether you are gonna be the problem
Or whether you are gonna be the solution (that’s right)
You must choose, brothers, you must choose
It takes five seconds, five seconds of decision
Five seconds to realize your purpose here on the planet
It takes five seconds to realize that it’s time to move
It’s time to get down with it
Brothers, it’s time to testify and I want to know
Are you ready to testify?!
Are you ready?!
I give you a testimonial
The MC5
And now here’s a short little poem by Jane Kenyon:
The Shirt
The shirt touches his neck
and smooths over his back.
It slides down his sides.
It even goes down below his belt—
down into his pants.
Lucky shirt.
And now for your prompt! While Brother J.C.’s warm-up and Kenyon’s poem might seem very different at first, they’re both informed by repetition, simple language, and they express enthusiasm. They have a sermon/prayer-like quality, and then end with a bang.
Your challenge is to write a six-line poem that has these same qualities.
Here we go: Halfway through the month and time for another Two-for-Tuesday prompt.
For the third Two-for-Tuesday prompt:
Write a poetic form poem and/or…
Write an anti-form poem.
Criteria
The nonet poetic form is simple. It’s a 9-line poem that has 9 syllables in the first line, 8 syllables in the second line, 7 syllables in the third line, and continues to count down to one syllable in the final (ninth) line.
I couldn’t find an origin, but I did learn that the word nonet is used for a group of 9 performers or instruments. So I’m assuming this is one of those poetic forms inspired by music.
April 15, 2025: Poetry Writing Prompt from John Dorroh
Ode to My Piano Savior of My Soul
For the last few years
I have been playing
The piano.
Everyday from 5 to 6 Pm
I sit down at the piano
And play a piece of music
I have been working through
The classics
And have finally gotten
To where I can play
A Mozart Sonata
And nail it!
This poetry writing prompt submitted by John Dorroh:
Look around the room and select an object that speaks to you. If one doesn’t speak to you, pick an object that starts with the letters D, M, C, or P. Write a letter to the object addressing its value to your life. Next, write a letter from the object, expressing its connections, appreciation and/or dissatisfaction with things you have done.
If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Super Highway Facebook Group.
Music
Soul music
Funky music
The Tower of Power
Fill the air
The Tower of Power
Funky music
Soul music
Music.
New Prompt: Write a Palindrome. You can read an example here: “Palindrome”
Our Musical Street
30 lines
I grew up
In a very creative time
a very musical time.
The 60’s had the best music
Mot ruled the Bay Area
As well as Great rock music
Acid jazz
Acid Rock
Fusion Jazz
The Grateful Dead
Mamas and the Papas
Jefferson Airplane
Jimmy Hendrix
last high school
was Berkeley High School
Santana
And so many others
The best funk band
Of them all
Tower of Power
Beloved by all
High school students.
For their immortal classic
Make out song
“You’re Still a Young Man.”
Tower of Power rocked
Every party in town
On every street.
Music flowed.
On every musical street
In the city.
That was Berkeley
In the 60’s and 70’s.
Please use the following as the Title of your story or poem:
“Our Musical Street”
Please select “Music” as one of your genres.
Tower of Power is an American R&B and funk-based band and horn section, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing since 19681. The band has had several lead vocalists, the best known being Lenny Williams, who fronted the band between early 1973 and late 1974, the period of their greatest commercial success1. They have had eight songs on the Billboard Hot 100; their highest-charting songs include “You’re Still a Young Man”, “So Very Hard to Go”, “What Is Hip?”, and “Don’t Change Horses (in the Middle of a Stream)”1.
The band was formed by tenor saxophonist/vocalist Emilio Castillo and baritone saxophonist Stephen “Doc” Kupka in 19681. The band’s soul sound appealed to both minority and counterculture listeners1. The band’s name was changed to Tower of Power after they agreed that their original name, The Mots, would not help them play at Bill Graham’s Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco1.
Tower of Power has released 31 albums, including 15 studio albums, 5 live albums, and 11 compilations1. Their most recent album, “Step Up”, was released in 20202.
Here is a list of some of their most popular songs:
“You’re Still a Young Man”
“So Very Hard to Go”
“What Is Hip?”
“Don’t Change Horses (in the Middle of a Stream)”
“Soul Vaccination”
“This Time It’s Real”
“Time Will Tell”
“Only So Much Oil in the Ground”
If you’re interested in listening to their music, you can check out their official website2.
“Song at Sunrise”
In 1974
When I graduated
From Berkeley High School
We went out to party
All night long.
We listened to our favorite band
The Tower of Power
The greatest funk band
Of them all.
Then at sunrise
Everyone went to Tilden Park
Inspiration point
A rare sunny dawn
The music blaring
On our radios
The song at Sunrise
Was “What is hip”
And ‘You’re Still a Young Man
the greatest “make out the song”
of all time.
No doubt babies
Were conceived
That night
To that song track.
For those who don’t know the TOP started in the late 60’s and is still going strong almost 5o years later. They are the best funk band ever, and they are the soul of the San Francisco East Bay area (Berkeley, Freemont, Oakland, Richmond, and towns in between). They were multicultural before that was a thing. They have the best horn section of any funk band, great guitar players, keyboard players, drummers, and of course great singers. Their best songs were the iconic “What is Hip”, and “You’re Still a Young Man,” one of the best make-out songs of all time. No doubt many babies were conceived to that song! The first song I ever slowly danced to, and a song I played to seduce my wife when we met.
Based loosely on the classic Tower of Power Song, “What is hip?”
What Is Hip Lyrics
[Verse 1]
So ya wanna dump out yo’ trick bag
Ease on in a hip thang
But you ain’t exactly sure what is hip
So you started to let your hair grow
Spent big bucks on your wardrobe
Somehow, ya know there’s much more to the trip
[Chorus]
What is hip?
Tell me, tell me, if you think you know
What is hip?
If you’re hip
The question, “Will it show?”
You’re into a hip trip
Maybe hipper than hip
What is hip?
[Verse 2]
You became a part of a new breed
Been smoking’ only the best weed
Hangin’ out with the so-called “Hippie set.”
Seen in all the right places
Seen with just the right faces
You should be satisfied, but it ain’t quite right
[Chorus]
What is hip?
Tell me, tell me, if you think you know
What is hip?
If you’re hip
The question, “Will it show?”
You’re into a hip trip
Maybe hipper than hip
What is hip?
[Break]
Come on
[Refrain]
Hipness is. What it is
Hipness is. What it is
Hipness is. What it is
Sometimes hipness is, what it ain’t
You’re Still a Young Man
Baby, Oo oo, don’t waste your time
You’re still a young man
Baby, Oo oo, don’t waste your time
Down on my knees
Oh, heart in hand
I was accused of being too young
But I’m not so young
I could make you happy
I’m not a bad man
You’re too young to love (If you and I could be together)
You’re too young to love (I’ll never leave you alone baby)
You’re too young Ooo Ooo (No I won’t sweet lady)
Don’t waste your time
The damage is done
You see that you were wrong
You wake up wondering just
How well I’ve done
Well I’ve done alright
Yes there are some girls but you know
I dropped them on sight
Just for you
Because I love you
You’re still a young man
Baby, Oo oo, don’t waste your time
(Someday you’ll understand just what it means when a man
Comes to you with his little heart in his hands
Just to love you)
Don’t waste your time
You better listen to me
Sayin that I’m loving you yeah hey now baby tryin to tell
You that it’s you you you you you you you you talkin to you
Baby, I’ll never never never never I’ll do you
No wrong no no lady if you would check my stuff out one time haha
Just to hold you, to squeeze you and all I wanna do is to
Get next to you and please please please you baby
See where I’m coming from!
Written by legendary sax players Emilio Castillo and Stephen Kupka, the song portrays a young man at the wrong end of a breakup. The situation is bleak because his lover pins the break-up on an age difference. In an interview with Songfacts Castillo said:
It’s based on a true story. I had a girlfriend that was six years older than me. I was 18, she was 24 and that’s actually what happened. She had kind of cut me loose because of the age difference thing and the whole plea in the story is the young guy’s saying, ‘I’m not too young, I’m not wasting my time and I do love you as a man can truly love a woman.’”
The song would go on to be the band’s first major hit defining their sound with a prominent horn section inspired by Curtis Mayfield:
“On that album, there’s a song called “A Woman’s Love” that starts with beautiful trumpets high. When we heard that we wanted to write a song with a great trumpet intro like that. – TowerofPower.com
“Street Party”
Many years ago
In the Berkeley and Oakland
In the East bay, back in the day
In the fabled 60s, early 70s.
There were often legendary pop-up
Flash mob type impromptu street parties
Where everyone gathered around
Digging the scene and each other.
Drinking, smoking weed
Jiving, flirting, dancing
Getting down to the sweet sound
Of Tower of Power and Motown.
Whites, blacks, Asians, Hispanics
Men, women, and those in-between
Gays, straight
Young, old, middle age
It did not matter
Everything was everything
Everything was cool.
It was all good.
It was all cool back in the day
An interracial gathering
Of shared humanity,
Just celebrating life.
But this was before
Guns became so common
Before things got so violent
And evil s… became the norm
Back in the day
It was a peaceful happening
A true love fest
Those days are so yesterday.
Nowadays, people are afraid
A street party festival
Will end up guns blazing wild west style
The festival will end up with many people
Going to an early grave.
Happy Wednesday, all. We hope you’re having a fine beginning to the second half of April.
Our featured participant today is A Rhyme a Day, where the MC5/Jane Kenyon-inspired poem for Day Fifteen packs a lot of punch into six short lines.
Today’s resource is the Museum of Photographic Art, which is part of the San Diego Museum of Art. Through the museum’s online collection, you can explore a number of current and past exhibitions, including a series of portraits by Bern Schwartz (I rather like the one of Ralph Ellison) and a group of very painterly compositions by Lynn G. Fayman.
And now for our optional prompt! The Kay-Ryan-inspired prompt for Day Fourteen asked you to take inspiration from the sounds of the natural world. Today’s prompt twists that idea around a bit. Start by taking a look at this poem by James Schuyler.
FAURÉ’S SECOND PIANO QUARTET
On a day like this the rain comes
down in fat and random drops among
the ailanthus leaves—“the tree
of Heaven”—the leaves that on moon-
lit nights shimmer black and blade-
shaped at this third-floor window.
And there are bunches of small green
knobs, buds, crowded together. The
rapid music fills in the spaces of
the leaves. And the piano comes in,
like an extra heartbeat, dangerous
and lovely. Slower now, less like
the leaves, more like the rain which
almost isn’t rain, more like thawed-
out hail. All this beauty in the
mess of this small apartment on
West Twentieth in Chelsea, New York.
Slowly the notes pour out, slowly,
more slowly still, fat rain falls.
Like Kay Ryan’s poem, this one invites us to imagine music in the context of a place, but more along the lines of a soundtrack laid on top of the location, rather than just natural sounds. Today, try writing a poem that similarly imposes a particular song on a place. Describe the interaction between the place and the music using references to a plant and, if possible, incorporate a quotation – bonus points for using a piece of everyday, overheard language.
Happy writing!
Writer’s Digest April 16 Something Fantastic
Narnia Beckons Me Haiku Sonnet
Narnia beckons
it is real, lives in our dreams
where we can see it.
Old CS Lewis
wrote a true fairy tale
ripped from his dream.s.
so visit Narnia
battle the evil white witch
and meet Aslan
Narnia waiting
Go and be their King.
Wow! So many forms for poems yesterday. That was fun! And yay to Gary Crane for being the first to guess the inspiration for the acrostic in my sestina yesterday (click here to hear Chris Bell’s “I Am the Cosmos” on YouTube). Forms are completely optional today.
For today’s prompt, write a “something fantastic” poem. As with all the prompts, you can come at this from any direction you’d like, but what inspired me to create this prompt are the fantastic works of magical realists and poems like Donald Hall’s “On Reaching the Age of Two Hundred.” So if you feel compelled to do the same, great; however, it is no small accomplishment to write any fantastic poem, even if it’s about finding an extra piece of pie in the refrigerator.
The basic premise of the haiku sonnet is simple: 4 3-liner haiku plus a couplet of either 5 or 7 syllables adds up to 14 lines, the same number of lines found in a sonnet. The only mention of this form that I’ve been able to find is a poet named David Marshall.
Note: I am a big fan of the CS Lewis Narnia Stories. Re-read the Lion, the Witch and Wardrobe in Spanish and have a Korean langauge version to read one of these days on my Kindle Wish list.
April 16, 2025: Poetry Writing Prompt from Mike Dailey
A Thug Cinquain Poem
A thug
International
Started in Colombia
Murdering those he worked for
Really
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Mike Dailey:
Pick up the book nearest to you. Turn to page 77, 3rd paragraph and use one of those sentences as your opening or closing line.
If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Super Highway Facebook Group.
So I’m happy to share the cinquain, which is a nifty five-line poetic form from Adelaide Crapsey. Inspired by tanka, the cinquain is comprised of 2 syllables in the first line, 4 in the second line, 6 in the third, 8 in the fourth, and 2 in the fifth. Plus, poets have the freedom to add or subtract one syllable from each line.
“an international thug who got his start in Colombia”
Source: Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg The Job Page 77 3rd paragraph
Sam Adams retired in Berkeley
And opened a UFO theme bar near campus.
Where he put up a sign on the door
Space aliens drink for free provided they can prove it.
Because every night some joker tried
They would walk in, demanding a free drink or two.
One night his former bosses walked in
Maria Lee and mysterious Smith
Shadow warriors hush hush past
They lived in the shadow world, they were ghosts, spooks, spies.
They had retired from the government
To open the Cosmos Institute X-files.
Both of them had a pan-ethnic look
Both could pass for almost any ethnic group or race.
Maria Lee was vaguely Asian
Smith looked like he was an Eastern European man.
Both had a vaguely non-human look
And both spoke with a strange unusual accent.
Smith was only known by last name
No one knew his real name or his past history.
They refused to talk about their past life
Saying it was all classified top-secret need-to-know stuff.
But someday perhaps Sam would need to know it
Sam also worked with them before in their prior life
They said they were there for the free drink
And it was time for Sam to know the truth about them and the world
Sam told them well you have to prove it
That you are in fact space aliens can you show me that
Maria morphed into Donald Trump
And Smith morphed into Elon Musk and then men in black
Before shifting back to their real selves
Reptilian creatures from the planet Sirius
Maria was green color and Smith was red
And then back to Maria and Mr. Smith again
Sam smiled and gave them their free drinks
And they told him everything about their real past lives
They revealed many secrets that night
The end of the beginning the beginning of the end
Backstory
The fictional Cosmos Institute appears in a lot of my stories and poems. It was founded in Berkeley by Maria Lee and Mr. Smith, who were high-level former intel operatives. The mission of the institute was to investigate paranormal phenomena, usually to debunk the claims. They considered themselves the real X-files. They recruited Sam Adams to join them because they knew he was an expert on UFOs, having worked on the Majestic project and Area 51 – spoiler alert, there were no real aliens! Sam opened the fictional UFO bar with the famous sign “Aliens drink for free,” hoping that someday real aliens would reveal themselves to him. Then one day his former bosses, the mysterious Maria Lee and Mr. Smith, passed his challenge and told him the real deal over their free drinks.
For the challenge of the prompt, I picked a painting by Carrington, showing space aliens, and a painting by Varo, showing a shapeshifter.
The belief that there are secret shape-shifting reptilians living among us up to no good is a common theme in science fiction, and 10 percent of Americans believe it to be true. I have written a number of stories and poems about this theme. My aliens are descendants of the colonizers of Atlantis, who destroyed Atlantis and Lemuria in a world war over the question of what to do with humans. The red team wanted to continue to enslave them; the green team wanted to free them and civilize them, eventually granting them full rights. Their descendants continued to fight this battle in the shadow world.
Criteria
Landay. Poem comprised of self-contained couplets.Landay Poems
The landay is a variable length form based off a couplet, which means the poem could be as concise as two lines or run on for several pages. The form most likely originated with nomads in the area of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India (read an article on Afghan landays here).
Here are the basic rules of the landay:
Poem comprised of self-contained couplets–as few as one couplet will do
9 syllables in the first line; 13 syllables in the second line
Landays tend to reveal harsh truths using wit
Themes include love, grief, homeland, war, and separation
Note: There is not a specific rhyme pattern for this form, though lines tend to end on the sounds of “na” and “ma” in the original Pashto. However, this is difficult to replicate in English. Keep in mind that landays are often sung.
Welcome back, everyone, for the seventeenth day of Na/GloPoWriMo.
Today’s featured participant is Words with Ruth, where the soundtrack-inspired poem for Day Sixteen uses repetition, along with simple and conversational language, to convincingly recreate a moment in space and time.
You had a futon on your floor
A double futon on your floor
We lay a lot on that futon on the floor
Choosing sex over food
Like you do when you first discover sex
And you had a piano in your room
You’d play and look round out me
Sticking your tongue out a little, through your teeth
As if to say, “I want you,
And later, I’ll have you.”
And you did
We had a lot of sex on that futon on the floor
Then we’d go and chill with your mum and her boyfriend
And sometimes the dog would come in to see us too
Funny, I can’t remember much of your room
Other than the futon
The double futon on the floor
You taught me Chopin’s prelude in e minor
It took me months to nearly learn it
Not like you
Playing the piano like honey
Turning round to kiss me
And still playing
You showed me how to have sex
Not that I’d never had sex before
But I’d never enjoyed it
You showed me how to enjoy it
And it was good
Oh my God, it was good!
Being with you was so good
Orgasm after orgasm
Rolling through me
Rolling through us
I didn’t know that was possible
You said you could see them in me
They had different colours
That’s why it was so good with you
You could see everything
Too much maybe
Yeah, maybe that was it
You saw things that weren’t there
Like affairs I wasn’t having
With friends, colleagues, anyone really
And then it would go on and on and on
Me pleading with you
You calling me a liar
Hitting our heads against a brick wall
On and on
Until I couldn’t do it anymore
And then it got a bit scary really
But we don’t need to go into that
It’s ok
It was ok.
A therapist once said to me,
‘It’s not possible to have good sex
In a bad relationship’
But she’s wrong
And now for our daily optional prompt. The surrealist painters Remedios Varo and Leonora Carrington moved to Mexico during the height of World War II, where they began a life-long friendship. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem themed around friendship, with imagery or other ideas taken from a painting by Carrington, and a painting by Varo.
Robert Brewer The Cities Light Up Beneath Our Plane Landlay
the cities light up beneath our plane
on the left as the sun retreats from us on the right
the moon appears in rivers below
& then disappears like our fragile first encounters
we both flinched at our first touch but then
crashed back together as if that’s what held us aloft
i’m not sure why some cities still burn
while others dissolve quietly into the darkness
A (first line)
B (second line)
a (rhymes with first line)
A (repeat first line)
a (rhymes with first line)
b (rhymes with second line)
A (repeat first line)
B (repeat second line)
For today’s prompt, write a city poem. The poem can take place in a big city, medium-sized city, smaller city. Heck, towns, villages, hamlets, etc., all work as well. Ghost towns? Why not! I’m not going to break out a census on your poeming. Just write!
Poetry Superhighway April 17, 2025: Poetry Writing Prompt from Robert Wynne
The Door Opens
In Tilden Park high in the Berkeley Hills
a Door
ancient redwood with a sign above it
opens
The sign reads for Madmen Ony
East Bay
Sam Adams wondered where it went
portal
only one way to find out
Jumped through
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Robert Wynne:
Describe a specific door, real or imaginary. Be detailed enough that the reader will have an inclination why you chose this door, but don’t say why directly. Let them find their way.
Even lines are two syllables in length, odd lines are longer (but no specific syllable count)
Even lines make their own mini-poem if read separately
Poetic Form Fridays are made to share various poetic forms. This week, we look at the Waltmarie poetic form invented by Candace Kubinec, along with two of her examples.
This week, a Poetic Asides member shared a poetic form she created. While I don’t usually share nonce forms, I’ve tried this one myself, and I think it’s a lot of fun. So without further ado, I’m introducing Candace Kubinec’s form, the Waltmarie (which is itself a nod to PA members and Poetic Bloomings hosts, Marie Elena Good and Walter J. Wojtanik).
Here are the guidelines for writing the Waltmarie:
10 lines
Even lines are two syllables in length, odd lines are longer (but no specific syllable count)
Even lines make their own mini-poem if read separately
No other rules for subject or rhymes.
Here are two examples of the Waltmarie by Candace Kubinec:
Building a Snowman, by Candace Kubinec
They waited for the world to turn white –
frozen
Rolled balls of snow, bigger and bigger –
child-size
Broken twigs from the apple tree for arms, two hands –
mittens
He stood, smiling his pebble smile, until the warm sun appeared –
dripping
Then slowly disappeared, until only a memory remained –
stories
*****
On the Bench at Night, by Candace Kubinec
I sit as still as a human can –
patient
The sun has set and dusk has settled –
quiet
I try to match my breath to the gentle breeze –
calmly
Small creatures emerge from daylight hiding places –
searching
And my heart sends out a quiet message –
for you
Driving while Listening to Tower of Power’s “What is Hip?”
One day, while I was driving in Oakland
I listened to the Tower of Power
Funk Band
The radio, playing the song “What is hip?”
I sang along with the refrain, “What is hip?”
Funk Band
That night at a party in Berkeley
Slow danced to “You’re Still a Young Man”
Funk band
Note: third Ode to my favorite band East Bay’s Own Tower of Power
We’re three Fridays down, with just one left to go in this year’s National/Global Poetry Writing Month!
Our featured participant for the day is Poems by Sidra, where the surrealist-inspired poem of friendship for Day Seventeen rocks some fantastic similes — it’s all about those teeth!
And Then— And Then—
And then we will sit at a table with floating fruit
and share inside jokes so layered
in innuendo and self-reference
that they grow their own teeth.
Yes, and then I will paint, and you can draw, and we will feed our work the secret blood of our hearts and we will tell each other, “Make it weirder. Make it stranger.”
And then I will become a ghost
and you will become an owl
and we will fly together in the dark night.
Yes, and then I’ll be a lady of fire and you can be a lady of stone, and we can frighten away the men who try to talk to us.
Yes, exactly, and then together we will be
animal-people on the prowl, red
and dangerous and beautiful, never growing
old, never growing tired.
And we will protect each other?
Yes, we will protect each other.
Note: This poem is inspired by the works and friendship of Surrealist artists Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo.
Today’s resource is a virtual visit to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Gardner, who died in 1924, was a devoted and very wealthy art collector who built a Venetian-style palace (in Boston) to house her treasures. The museum building is beautiful and well known for its gorgeous courtyard. But the Gardner is also well known for having been the unfortunate site of one of the greatest – and still unsolved – art heists of all time. If you can figure out whodunnit, there might be $10 million in it for you.
And now for today’s (optional) prompt. Like our villanelle prompt from a week ago, this prompt plays around with song lyrics, but in a very specific context – singing while riding in a car. Take a look at Ellen Bass’s poem, “You’re the Top.” Now, craft your own poem that recounts an experience of driving/riding and singing, incorporating a song lyric
Last night I get all the way to Ocean Street Extension, squinting through the windshield, wipers smearing the rain, lights of the oncoming cars half-blinding me. The baby’s in her seat in the back singing the first three words of You’re the Top. Not softly and sweetly the way she did when she woke in her crib, but belting it out like Ethel Merman. I don’t drive much at night anymore. And then the rain and the bad wipers. But I tell myself it’s too soon to give it up. Though the dark seems darker than I ever remember. And as I make the turn and head uphill, I can’t find the lines on the road. I start to panic. No! Yes—the lights! I flick them on and the world resolves. My god, I could have killed her. And I’ll think about that more later. But right now new galaxies are being birthed in my chest. There are no gods, but not everyone is cursed every moment. There are minutes, hours, sometimes even whole days when the earth is spinning 1.6 million miles around the sun and nothing tragic happens to you. I do not have to enter the land of everlasting sorrow. Every mistake I’ve made, every terrible decision—how I married the wrong man, hurt my child, didn’t go to Florence when she was dying—I take it all because the baby is commanding, “Sing, Nana.” And I sing, You’re the top.You’re the Coliseum, and the baby comes in right on cue.
The Dixdeux appears to be one of many forms developed as an alternative to the Japanese Haiku. In this case, there are three lines with syllable counts of 10, 10, 2. When written in multiple stanzas, the third line becomes a refrain, as described and demonstrated in the following links:
Writer’s Digest April 18 Gogyohka. 5-liner developed by Enta Kusakabe.
Deportation Blues Gogyohka
Every day, there is sad news about deportations
People legally here are told to leave in seven days
People deported to El Salvador based on having a tattoo
Foreign students snatched off the streets
Foreigners are afraid to visit the US – this will not end well.
For today’s prompt, write a response poem. In many ways, every poem is a response poem as it’s a response to something, even if it’s that hard-to-explain sense of inspiration many poets feel. For the purposes of this prompt, your poem could respond to a story in the news (or just a fictional story, for that matter), a conversation you overheard in public (also called eavesdropping), or another poem (written by you or another poet).
If only a poetic form existed that could be both concise and free. Oh wait a second, there’s gogyohka!
Gogyohka was a form developed by Enta Kusakabe in Japan and translates literally to “five-line poem.” An off-shoot of the tanka form, the gogyohka has very simple rules: The poem is comprised of five lines with one phrase per line. That’s it.
*****
So it’s a little loose, which is kind of the theory behind gogyohka. It’s meant to be concise (five lines) but free (variable line length with each phrase). No special seasonal or cutting words. No subject matter constraints. Just five lines of poetic phrases.
Robert Brewer “Halloween”
Ghosts hang
from the willow
as the children run
from one door
to the next.
PSH Prompt April 18, 2025: Poetry Writing Prompt from Robert Lail
When Lightning Strikes Ghosts Zappai
When lightning strikes
Ghosts, being dead, do not die
Immortal spirits?
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Robert Lail:
Write a poem that answers the age-old question: What happens when a ghost is struck by lightning?
If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Super Highway Facebook Group.
Zappai poems are like haiku, but not. Or maybe more appropriately, they’re like senryu, but not (or maybe they are). This poetic form definition may sound kind of wishy-washy, but zappai are poems that have a 5-7-5 syllable pattern that do not contain the seasonal reference expected of haiku.
In other words, zappai are all those haiku people write that haiku poets recognize as not being haiku. Again, senryu could fit this definition as well, but senryu also can have a looseness with the syllables, much like haiku, so that 17 syllables are not mandatory.
Zappai should still be poetic, but they’re 5-7-5 poems that don’t include the seasonal reference. Final answer. I think.
April 18—Good Friday
Trigger warning: this could be considered offensive to some people. That was not my attempt, and I apologize to anyone who does take offense. The point of the poem is to express why I am not a Christian, although there are elements of Christianity that I admire, I reject all the supernatural rigamarole associated with the faith, and I reject the idea that the Bible is the work of God. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, this is mine. It is important that we all remain open to dialogue with others of different faith traditions. Freedom of religion means that people are free to believe or not believe in religions as they see fit.
Why I am Not A Christian
On Easter Sunday, I often think about Christianity
Jake, this is a fascinating mosaic of poetic entries-each with its own flavour, yet clearly coming from a consistent voice that blends scepticism, social observation, and playfulness.
The Tower of Power piece is a groovy micro-memoir, succinct and grounded in musical nostalgia. The Seoul entry reads like a tourism jingle with a fun, rhythmic echo-clever in how it loops back on itself to reinforce the point.
Your zappai is short and sharp, toeing the line between playful and philosophical-“Ghosts, being dead, do not die” is the kind of dry humour I enjoy in these forms.
Then there’s Why I am Not A Christian, which shifts gears entirely. It’s long, raw, and provocative-structured more like a stream-of-thought monologue than a polished poem.
It’s unflinching in its critiques, full of personal disbelief, and though it risks alienating some readers, there’s no denying the clarity of conviction. It could use some trimming for focus and flow, but the honesty hits hard.
A bold, eclectic set.
Tim
I am glad to see that you are keeping on track with NaPoWriMo. I hope you are enjoying the poem a day as much as I am.
Although, my belief is in Christianity, I appreciate your poem stating your stance.
Kim
Review For April 17 2025 Poems
Chapter 18 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness
Excellent
Jake, this was a joyride through conspiracy, comedy, and sci-fi noir, all told with a straight face and a wink.
The Aliens Reveal their Secret Plans has the cadence of a beat poem mashed with pulp fiction and served in a UFO bar run by someone who’s absolutely seen things.
The repeated use of line breaks and staccato sentences creates a rhythmic, almost spoken-word quality-fitting for a tale that reads like it’s being told over shots of something green and glowing.
There’s brilliant absurdity here: Maria morphing into Trump, Smith into Musk, the reptilian reveal, and that perfect deadpan closing: “The end of the beginning the beginning of the end.”
It’s self-aware without becoming cynical. And it’s surprisingly grounded by the image of Sam-a retired man running a theme bar-being the steady anchor in this cosmic unraveling.
The accompanying pieces-your Narnia haiku sonnet, the redwood portal in The Door Opens, and the grim hilarity of Dental Torture Blues-form a surreal triptych around it.
They’re all laced with that same blend of the mythic, the mundane, and the slightly unhinged.
Outlandish, deadpan, and wildly original-Jake, your poems don’t just bend genres, they build bonfires out of them.
Tim
Review For April 17 2025 Poems
Chapter 18 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness
Excellent
I was intrigued by the “Alien” story and was pleased when you clarified things in your notes. The synopsis for your books sounds very intriguing. Are you selling them on Amazon? Thank you for sharing.
Review For APril 16 2025 Poems
Chapter 17 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness
Excellent
Thanks for sharing so many poems at once. It was like flipping through a journal full of good music. I love your deep thoughts and how you shared old pals.
Review For APril 16 2025 Poems
Chapter 17 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness
Excellent
Jake, this is a full-on poetic mixtape-part musical history, part memory reel, part experiment station.
The Tower of Power tribute sets the tone perfectly: pulsing, playful, and unapologetically funky.
You don’t just describe the music-you celebrate it, and that joy comes through loud and clear. The jump from that into sharply political reflection (What fresh hell is this?) gives the whole set depth and range.
I really liked the blunt edge of the thug cinquain-minimalist but brutal-and then the emotional turn in the Zoom and memory pieces hit nicely.
There’s something quietly beautiful about lifelong friendships surviving into the digital age, and you honour them without sentimentality.
The casual tone masks just how much ground you’re covering here-musical legacy, personal history, poetry forms, political unease-all in one go.
If I had a 6 left, I’d be tempted, but I’m all out.
Tim
Review For April 15 2025 Poems
Chapter 16 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness
Good
Jake, this collection of prompt responses has a candid, conversational tone that feels very you-there’s humour, honesty, and a kind of grounded directness that works well across the different pieces. Let’s break them down briefly:
“Are you ready, America?”
This one is raw and confrontational in a good way-topical and emotionally charged. It reads like the start of a larger political poem. My one suggestion: push for more specific imagery or language beyond the rhetorical questions. Right now, it’s a solid call, but grounding it in something visceral-an image, a moment, a symbol-would really elevate it.
“Ode to My Piano Savior of My Soul”
There’s real warmth and personal pride here. The pacing is steady and reflective, and the ending-“And nail it!”-is joyous and affirming. It’s casual in tone, but that suits the subject. If anything, consider expanding on the emotional impact a bit more. What does the piano save you from?
“April 15 Death and Taxes”
Witty and very much in the spirit of the prompt. The shift to cyborg immortality is unexpected and fun, and the punchline about taxes still finding us is classic. You might consider adding a stanza break or two to help the humour land more cleanly, but overall this one’s charming and memorable.
In all three, your voice comes through clear as day-earnest, clever, and unafraid to mix reflection with lightness.
A few tweaks for rhythm and depth, and these will sing.
Tim
Review For April 15 2025 Poems
Chapter 16 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness
Excellent
I really enjoyed your poems today! Your poem “Are you ready, America?”
made me stop and think. Then your “Ode to My Piano Savior of My Soul” felt warm and personal. I loved the part about nailing that Mozart Sonata, that was awesome! The bit about death and taxes made me smile. Your poems were all different but enjoyable. Keep writing – you’re rocking this challenge!
Review For April 13, 2025 Poems
Chapter 14 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness
Excellent
Amid this madness, I hope we can see a little light at the end of the tunnel Jake as our ever changing world seems more complex than ever these days. As we age I think we grow out of the challenges and want things to stay the same, but they never do. The world seems to be only for the young at heart, a poignant post, love Dolly x
Review For April 13, 2025 Poems
Chapter 14 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness
Excellent
I really enjoyed how your poem shares the relationship between humans and nature. The way you personify the trees is so well done. It’s clear you’ve put a lot of heart into this poem- great job!
5 days ago
Review For April 14 2025 Poems
Chapter 15 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness
Excellent
These poems are all unique and enjoyable. Your poems all have such a thoughtful style. They really showcase your playful voice and imaginative thinking. Great job.
Review For April 14 2025 Poems
Chapter 15 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness
Good
There’s something delightfully unfiltered about your work, Jake.
Each piece reads like it was written quickly and honestly, without too much polish, but with clear intent and curiosity.
The Florida poem is the strongest of the three in terms of personality and structure. “Florida is a state / Of mind” is a cracking opening-both literal and figurative-and the escalating list of killers, from “giant snakes” to “mosquitos”, blends humour with fact in a fun, campy way.
The Star Wars poem is more straightforward and reads like a personal retelling. It could benefit from tighter rhythm and fresher phrasing-“too powerful / a force” and “all seems lost / to the rebels” echo familiar lines without adding new perspective. A deeper emotional or stylistic slant could elevate it.
The Martian poem has potential, especially the image of “sunsets / out-of-this-world”. The idea of Martian refugees and dome cities is compelling, but the delivery feels more like notes than a shaped poem. With a bit of trimming and stronger line control, it could become a vivid piece of speculative lyricism.
A spirited, eclectic trio with charm, potential, and a voice that invites the reader to lean in-casual in tone, but laced with curiosity and wit.
Tim
Review For 2025 APril 12 Poems
Chapter 13 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness
Excellent
It sounds like you sometimes feel like a fish out of water and I hope you don’t feel vulnerable over there in Korea. Would you ever consider going back home? A poignant post full of mixed emotions here, love Dolly x
Review For 2025 APRIL 11 Poems
Chapter 12 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness
Excellent
You finally got this post fixed Jake! I have never heard of that band before and it sounds like you appreciate your wife here. Supermarkets come up with some crazy ideas to keep dipping into our pockets, love Dolly x
Review For 2025 APRIL 11 Poems
Chapter 12 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness
Excellent
I really enjoyed your writing. The formatting is terrible. Very hard to read. But your “Korean Springtime” was a standout! I also loved how you brought in a sense of hope about the future of the trees. Your creativity is really flowing through these. Keep it up!
Review For 2025 APril 12 Poems
Chapter 13 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness
Excellent
I really enjoyed all your poems! Your poem about the leprechaun was so fun – loved the clever twist. The piece about life’s risks was powerful. Your climate change poem hit hard with its urgency. Each poem was unique and left an impression!
Review For 2025 April 10 Poem
Chapter 11 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness
Excellent
I’m not quite sure what to make of this post Jake as I read a list of your opinions and was rather confused, life is full of ups and downs it seems, love Dolly x x x
Review For 2025 April 10 Poem
Chapter 11 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness
Excellent
I really like how your poem plays with big ideas. The mix of humor and deep thoughts makes this feel unique and interesting. The “God is Dog spelled backwards” line is clever. Your second piece about AI is also interesting. It’s fun and a little unsettling at the same time. Keep writing!
Review For 2025 April 9th Poems
Chapter 10 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness
Excellent
Your poem flows well an is well written. It is an enjoyable bread from start to finish. Each piece captures a unique slice of life, from love at first sight, to baseball devotion, and midweek musings, with warmth and personality. A delightful blend of personal reflection and playful imagery.
Whether reflecting on love, or the everyday, the poems resonate with genuine emotion and vivid snapshots of life. There’s an easy natural rhythm that makes the collection a pleasure to read from start to finish. Overall, it’s a heartfelt enjoyable experience that lingers after the final line. Well written. Great job with the writing.
Review For APril 2025 Poems
Chapter 9 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness
Excellent
I really enjoyed your poems – each one felt like its own little journey. Your ghazal for Angela Lee was so sweet. I could feel how special she is to you. The Alouette was full of heart. I liked the way you played with the rhyme. Your “Good and Evil” poem had a thoughtful message. And your blood type poem made me smile – that line about being both a fool and a genius was great!thanks for the commentary. can i include them in my blog posting?
thanks a lot as always -thanks for the commentary. can i include them in my blog posting?
I am the champion of living in the moment Jake, it is the only way to live as the past has gone and we don’t ever know if we have a future, I enjoyed this philosophical post, love Dolly x x x
Review For APril 2025 Poems
Chapter 9 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness
I am glad you met the girl of your dreams and you are still happy Jake. We have to accept that good and evil exist but we don’t have to tolerate evil and we should always promote the good, a poignant post, food for thought here, love Dolly x
Review For 2025 April 6 poems
Chapter 7 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness
Excellent
Nicely done again. I loved the humor in your “snarling cup of coffee” – I could almost taste the spice! Your Trumpian Trade War poem was interesting- great how you packed so much in just a few lines. Sam Adams being the “worst poet ever” was hilarious – I laughed at the idea of him going viral for terrible poetry. And your Death Cafe story was wild – I really liked how it took a strange dream and turned it into something so unexpected. You really know how to keep things interesting!
Nicely done. Your poems felt full of heart. The way you told us about your many roles – Peace Corps, teacher, diplomat, poet – was interesting. I especially liked how you said marrying the girl of your dreams is what made you who you are – that line gave me a big smile. I liked how you tied those Russian stories to today. Great job sharing both your life and your thoughts!
There’s something really endearing about the way you tackle these prompts, Jake.
You’re not trying to impress with polish, you’re just writing, and there’s great value in that.
Each section here carries its own flavour: the vampire break-up story is cheeky and creative, the shadorma is compact but timely, and the “I Am” poem has warmth and personality that shines through. You’re clearly someone with a life full of stories, and I appreciated the unpretentious way you shared that.
The Dostoevsky reflection is brief but meaningful-it’s true, really, that the darkness he mapped out still pulses in the world today. That line “how little things have really changed” lingers.
If you were ever to refine these, you might give each section a bit more space or formatting separation, and tighten some of the phrasing.
But for NaPoWriMo spirit? This is bang on.
Tim
There’s a likeable honesty running through this collection, Jake.
“Why I am not a Musician” is the standout-casual, self-aware, and charmingly humble.
The voice is conversational without being flat, and there’s something bittersweet in the way youthful ambition gives way to unexpected paths, with the quiet triumph of a life well-lived. “Oh well, I said / That ends my musical career.” It lands like a shrug-but also a turning point.
The final stanza returns to the original dream, giving the piece a lovely circularity without sentimentality.
The shorter pieces serve as satellite reflections, though they vary in tone and weight. “DOGE Cutbacks Loom” and “History Will Not Be Kind” move into darker, politically charged territory-particularly the latter, which imagines a future scarred by climate collapse.
It’s stark, and though it leans on familiar dystopian tropes, the simplicity of the language sharpens the impact. Lines like “Dead oceans / And arid wastelands” evoke a dry horror that works well.
“Good sleaze” is the most enigmatic-a cultural observation more than a poem, but interesting in its ambiguity. It’s not lyrical, but it opens the door to conversation about judgment, perception, and beauty in unlikely places.
Overall, the entry succeeds not through polished craft, but through an earnest, unpretentious voice.
There’s real value in that.
Tim
Hi Jake
This poem is so true. It seems to be getting worse by the day here.
It is crazy. I wish it could stop so everyone could heave a sigh of relief.
Good luck in this contest.
Keep writing and stay healthy
Have a great day’
Joan
I am again entering the April Poetry challenge and will write every day and post once a week or so
I will not post everything, some I will withhold for possible publication, others I will withhold because they are too politically sensitive in these politically charged times. I will post the poems followed by the prompts. I am writing four poems per day following prompts in NaPoWriMo, Writer’s Digest, Poetry Superhighway, and Writing.com’s Dew Drop In.
I will post them once a week here and on Substack, Medium, Wattpad, and as a podcast on Spotify. I will also post them every day on Fan Story.
Hello all! We’re now up to six whole days of National/Global Poetry Writing Month. We hope you’re feeling satisfied with your work so far, and looking forward to what’s yet to come.
Our featured participant for today is Gloria Gonsalves, who brings us a death-metal skirt poem in response to Day 5’s notation prompt.
Today’s daily resource is the online tour section of the Louvre. Not in Paris? No problem! You can still stroll – albeit virtually – through the hallowed corridors of France’s most famous museum, checking out exhibitions on dance, puppetry, royal portraits, and more!
Today’s prompt (optional, as always) veers slightly away from our ekphrastic theme. To get started, pick a number between 1 and 10. Got your number? Okay! Now scroll down until you come to a chart. Find the row with your number. Then, write a poem describing the taste of the item in Column A, using the words that appear in that row in Column B and C. For bonus points, give your poem the title of the word that appears in Column A for your row, but don’t use that word in the poem itself.
Welcome back, everyone, for Day Nine of Na/GloPoWriMo.
Today, our featured participant is jasmine, whose ghazal for Day Eight pushes against, and with, the limits of transalation and English’s habit of stealing/adopting/buying at wholesale words from other languages.
Our featured resource for the day is the online gallery of the Peabody-Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. Although it may be most famous for its witch trials, Salem was a seafaring town whose sailors and shipowners brought back all manner of items from their travels – which became the initial source of the museum’s collection. The museum has a stunning group of “Asian Export” items – goods that were crafted in India, Japan, China, and other locations visited by Salem’s ships (often as part of an overall trade in tea, porcelain, and textiles) – to appeal to an American/European market. That’s how you wind up with things like this French-styled dressing table with elaborate lacquer-work.
And here’s our optional prompt for the day. Like music, poetry offers us a way to play with and experience sound. This can be through meter, rhyme, varying line lengths, assonance, alliteration, and other techniques that call attention not just to the meaning of words, but the way they echo and resonate against each other. For a look at some of these sound devices in action, read Robert Hillyer’s poem, Fog. It uses both rhyme and uneven line lengths to create a slow, off-kilter rhythm that heightens the poem’s overall ominousness. Today we’d like to challenge you to try writing a poem of your own that uses rhyme, but without adhering to specific line lengths. For extra credit, reference a very specific sound, like the buoy in Hillyer’s poem.
2By following these guidelines, you can create a meaningful and structured ghazal in English.
Best wishes for a happy Tuesday, everyone, and a great eighth day of Na/GloPoWriMo.
Our featured participant today is Lady in Read Writes, where the response to Day Seven’s challenge to write about why you are not a particular piece of art brings me back to my own high school days (I actually had The Raven fully memorized back then, and can still recite large chunks of it. A good way to pass the time if you’re waiting at a bus stop . . . ).
Today’s featured resource is a bit silly: it’s the Museum of Bad Art. Now, bad art – like good – is in the eye of the beholder, and I rather like some of the paintings in the museum’s whimsical collection.
And now here’s today’s totally optional prompt!
The ghazal (pronounced kind of like “huzzle,” with a particularly husky “h” at the beginning) is a form that originates in Arabic poetry, and is often used for love poems. Ghazals commonly consist of five to fifteen couplets that are independent from each other but are nonetheless linked abstractly in their theme; and more concretely by their form. And what is that form? In English ghazals, the usual constraints are that:
the lines all have to be of around the same length (though formal meter/syllable-counts are not employed); and
both lines of the first couplet end on the same word or words, which then form a refrain that is echoed at the end of each succeeding couplet.
Another aspect of the traditional ghazal form that has become popular in English is having the poet’s own name (or a reference to the poet – like a nickname) appear in the final couplet.
Gotta love us brown girls, munching on fat, swinging blue hips,
decked out in shells and splashes, Lawdie, bringing them woo hips.
As the jukebox teases, watch my sistas throat the heartbreak,
inhaling bassline, cracking backbone and singing thru hips.
Like something boneless, we glide silent, seeping ‘tween floorboards,
wrapping around the hims, and ooh wee, clinging like glue hips.
Engines grinding, rotating, smokin’, gotta pull back some.
Natural minds are lost at the mere sight of ringing true hips.
Gotta love us girls, just struttin’ down Manhattan streets
killing the menfolk with a dose of that stinging view. Hips.
Crying ’bout getting old—Patricia, you need to get up off
what God gave you. Say a prayer and start slinging. Cue hips.
Now try writing your own ghazal that takes the form of a love song – however you want to define that. Observe the conventions of the repeated word, including your own name (or a reference to yourself) and having the stanzas present independent thoughts along a single theme – a meditation, not a story.
Welcome back, everyone, for Day Nine of Na/GloPoWriMo.
Today, our featured participant is jasmine, whose ghazal for Day Eight pushes against, and with, the limits of transalation and English’s habit of stealing/adopting/buying at wholesale words from other languages.
Our featured resource for the day is the online gallery of the Peabody-Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. Although it may be most famous for its witch trials, Salem was a seafaring town whose sailors and shipowners brought back all manner of items from their travels – which became the initial source of the museum’s collection. The museum has a stunning group of “Asian Export” items – goods that were crafted in India, Japan, China, and other locations visited by Salem’s ships (often as part of an overall trade in tea, porcelain, and textiles) – to appeal to an American/European market. That’s how you wind up with things like this French-styled dressing table with elaborate lacquer-work.
And here’s our optional prompt for the day. Like music, poetry offers us a way to play with and experience sound. This can be through meter, rhyme, varying line lengths, assonance, alliteration, and other techniques that call attention not just to the meaning of words, but the way they echo and resonate against each other. For a look at some of these sound devices in action, read Robert Hillyer’s poem, Fog. It uses both rhyme and uneven line lengths to create a slow, off-kilter rhythm that heightens the poem’s overall ominousness. Today we’d like to challenge you to try writing a poem of your own that uses rhyme, but without adhering to specific line lengths. For extra credit, reference a very specific sound, like the buoy in Hillyer’s poem.
April 2 Agnostic Dyslectic Wonders if There is a Dog
an agnostic dyslectic stays up all
night wondering if there is a dog
the Buddhists wonder
about the Buddha nature of the dog
the evangelicals are sure
that there is a dog
and you must follow their dog
or go to hell
for following another’s dog
the Muslims agree
there is only one dog
and the dogs
smile at the foolishness
of the human race
of course, there is a dog
and they are the master race
as they growl at their owners
who bow down
and clean up their mess
OnApril 10, 2025
Wow! Today we are one-third of the way through this year’s challenge.
Our featured participant for the day is Hues n Shades, where the poem in response to Day Nine’s prompt brings us a wonderfully complex sense of rhythm and rhyme.
Today’s featured resource is a virtual visit to the Sistine Chapel. I went there many years ago and marveled at the wonderful paintings (while also getting quite the crick in my neck from craning up to look at the ceiling). But when I went to talk over them later that day with the friend I was traveling with, he admitted that he couldn’t really see anything because he’d forgotten to put in his contacts that morning (!)
Now for our daily prompt (optional, as always). Yesterday, we looked at a poem that used sound in a very particular way, to create a slow and mysterious feeling. Mark Bibbins’ poem, “At the End of the Endless Decade,” uses sound very differently, with less eerieness and more wordplay. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem that, like Bibbins’, uses alliteration and punning. See if you can’t work in references to at least one word you have trouble spelling, and one that you’ve never quite been able to perfectly remember the meaning of.
Happy Friday, everyone, and happy eleventh day of National/Global Poetry Writing Month.
Our featured daily participant is aetherianessence, where the wordplay prompt for Day Nine imagines two of English’s most easily-mixed-up words jousting like knights.
And last but not least, today’s (optional) prompt. Take a look at Kyle Dargan’s “Diaspora: A Narcolepsy Hymn.” This poem is a loose villanelle that uses song lyrics as its repeating lines (loose because it doesn’t rhyme). Your challenge is, like Dargan, to write a poem that incorporates song lyrics – ideally, incorporating them as opposing phrases or refrains. A few lyrics that might work, if you need inspiration:
“Is this the real life? / Is this just fantasy?”
“I read the news today, oh boy…”
“The world is a vampire…”
“At first I was afraid, I was petrified”
“There is a house in New Orleans”
“You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain”
“I went down down down and the flames went higher.”
“The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades.”
“Nothing ain’t nothing, but it’s free.”
And if you’re interested in learning more about villanelles, you can find some good information at the Poetry Foundation website.
Title The leprechaun, the unicorn, and the fairy have a drink
34 lines
One night on St Patrick’s Day
The leprechaun was having a pint
Of Guinness in the Rainbow Bar in Dublin,
eating a corned beef and cabbage dinner.
He was debating the fate
Of the world,
with his unicorn friend.
Their mutual enemy,
the evil fairy
Walked into the bar
And joined them
in a not-so-friendly drink.
She pressed him
on the location
of the legendary pot of gold.
Behind the rainbow
and the field of four-leaf clover.
The weary paranoid leprechaun,
looked at the evil fairy
feeling she was up to something.
At a signal from
his bartender friend,
the leprechaun leaped up
and shot the evil fairy.
Screaming
“I must have my revenge”.
The unicorn not missing a beat,
Called the cops.
He was not going
to take the blame
For the leprechaun’s crimes.
include the following bolded
pot of gold
corned beef and cabbage
leprechaun
four-leaf clover
Rainbow
Welcome back, all you poets, for Day Twelve of Na/GloPoWriMo.
Our featured participant today is Christine Smart, whose lyrically-inspired villanelle for Day Eleven may make you . . . not want to read the news.
Our daily resource is the collection of the American Visionary Art Museum. Focused on outsider art – which is sort of like folk art’s more bonkers cousin – the museum describes itself as “one small speck in a Bling Universe where art reflects life, both literally and figurately.” I’m not exactly sure what a “Bling Universe” is, but it appears to include automatons featuring bathtubs filled with spaghetti, video tutorials for making sock monkeys, and kinetic sculpture races. Good times!
And after all those shenanigans we, we bring you a very serious (or is it?) optional prompt.
Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem inspired by Wallace Stevens’ poem, “Peter Quince at the Clavier.”
It’s a complex poem that not only heavily features the idea of music, but is structured like a symphony. Its four sections, like symphonic movements, play with and expand on an overall theme, using the story of Susannah and the Elders as a backdrop.
Try writing a poem that makes reference to one or more myths, legends, or other well-known stories, that features wordplay (including rhyme), mixes formal and informal language, and contains multiple sections that play with a theme. Try also to incorporate at least one abstract concept – for example, desire or sorrow or pride or whimsy.
Writer’s Digest
April 6
Title: The Trumpian Trade War Rispetto Poem
President Trump declares a trade war with the world
Insisting it would be Liberation Day
Wall Street reacts in chaos, tempers unfurled
Trading partners cry out, “This is not okay.”
The President stands firm, refusing to back down
The global economy begins to slow down
The stubborn old man won’t admit his mistake
And refuses to pull the emergency brake
Poetic Forms: Rispetto
Okay, here’s a new form. Actually, scratch that. This is a very old form (from Italy, no less). Still, new to me anyway. I found more than a few definitions,…
Okay, here’s a new form. Actually, scratch that. This is a very old form (from Italy, no less). Still, new to me anyway. I found more than a few definitions, but here are the two most common variations:
Rispetto #1: Poem comprised of two quatrains written in iambic (unstress, stress) tetrameter (four feet–or, in this case, 8 syllables).
Rispetto #2: Poem (or song) comprised of 8 hendecasyllabic (11-syllable) lines–usually one stanza.
Both versions appear to follow this rhyme scheme: ababccdd (though I also found a mention of an abababcc pattern). Plus, I found more than a few sources which claim rispettos were originally written to pay “respect” to a woman.
However, over the centuries, this poem has offered itself up for other subjects and variations. So feel free to experiment.
Here’s my attempt at the rispetto (the second version):
“Forget sleeping”
When fires spark in the dark, I know you’re near
enough to hear my kisses blaze against stark
atmospheres forming and reforming like clear
antidotes to tired notes left lounging in parks
on swings twisted by teenage angst-rage affairs–
all those stares, those wild stares–and I don’t care
to let you know how much I care about life,
but it would mean less without you as my wife.
Wow! We’ve made it a week into this challenge already. Let’s keep the momentum going.
For today’s prompt, write a tense poem. It could be past tense, present tense, and/or future tense. Or it could be about a tense feeling. Or the tension in an object (like the strings of a guitar).
Two poetic forms in the same month! It’s been a while since we’ve done that. Though with today’s form, it’s a shame we aren’t doing three.
Unlike interlocking rubaiyat, the tricube is a newer form and relatively unknown. Plus, it’s fun and easy to learn. This mathematical poem was introduced by Phillip Larrea.
Here are the rules of tricubes:
Each line contains three syllables.
Each stanza contains three lines.
Each poem contains three stanzas.
So we’re talking cubes in mathematical terms (to the third power). No rules for rhymes, meter, etc. Just three, three, and three.
Here’s my attempt at a Tense Poem:
“Release,” by Robert Lee Brewer
There are moments when I can feel myself tighten
as if preparing for something bad to happen,
and I just feel there’s nothing good ever in sight
until your smile reminds me we’ll both be alright.
April 8
Aloulete for my Dream Girl
When I first met her,
She caused such a stir.
Fate led me to her.
She haunted my dreams for years
Love mojo working.
I knew right then I was hers.
I knew then, to be hers.
She mesmerized me.
Her love had to be.
Sparks flowing from heart to heart.
I knew we would meet.
Her love giving heat.
The Alouette is a six-line stanza form with a syllable structure of 5, 5, 7, 5. 5, 7 and a rhyme scheme of aabccb, ddeffe, as described and demonstrated in the following links:
The Alouette, created by Jan Turner, consists of two or more stanzas of 6 lines each, with the following
set rules:
Meter: 5, 5, 7, 5, 5, 7
Rhyme Scheme: a, a, b, c, c, b
The form name is a French word meaning ‘skylark’ or larks that fly high, the association to the lark’s song being appropriate for the musical quality of this form.
It’s that time again; time for another Two-for-Tuesday prompt.
For the second Two-for-Tuesday prompt:
Write a love poem and/or…
Write an anti-love poem.
Regulars know, this is one I always include. This year, I decided to offer it sooner than later. Whether you love it or anti-love it, let’s all poem it now.
(Note on my poem today: Love poems are my favorite; in fact, I wrote a post on how to write a love poem for anyone who’s not sure how to get started on this one. The poem, above, of course, is written for the Poet Laureate of the Brewer mansion.)
How to Write a Love Poem: From a Love Expert
Learn how to write a love poem from someone who has written several successful love poems over the years.
Okay, I’m not a love expert. But I do know how to write a love poem. In fact, I’m surprised I haven’t already written a post on writing love poems. Because that’s like my thing. Every poem-a-day challenge, whether April or November, includes a love poem (and anti-love poem) prompt. And it was writing a love poem in high school that got me into poetry in the first place.
I’ve written love poems to woo several former girlfriends. And my wife Tammy, a much better poet than I, traded love poems with me when we worked to woo each other from afar. So yeah, this post is so overdue.
April 9, 2025
Looking Out the Window at the Snowing Cherry Trees
looking out my window
At the snowing cherry trees
Filled with memories
For today’s prompt, write an ekphrastic poem. An ekphrastic poem is a poem inspired by another piece of art, whether that’s a painting, photograph, sculpture, mixed media, or some other medium. You can choose your own piece of art to inspire your poem today. Or you can use one of the pieces at the following links:
The topic for this poetry contest is: Write a poem using 12 words about any subject. 7 Spots Left Open To All
April 10
The Rule of Ten
there is a mysterious rule
that governs so much
of our life.
The rule of ten.
It goes like this
For every 100 people
Who wants to write a novel
Ten will finish it
Of those ten
Ten percent
will publish it.
Of those ten
Ten percent
will make some money.
Of those ten
Ten percent
will make a living.
Of those ten
Ten percent
will be a best-seller.
In other words,
In a land of 350 million people
There are probably only 3, 500
bestselling authors
i.e. less than 0.001% percent
of the population
.
the rule of ten applies
to the drama world,
only 1 percent make a living.
full-time as an actor.
of the thousands of actors
only a few movie stars.
to the music world
of the thousands of musicians,
only a few superstars.
to sports
only a few hundred NFL players
out of tens of thousands
who played football
in high school and college..
to politics only one president.
out of the 100 Senators
50 Governors
hundreds of big city mayors
hundreds of CEO’s
who all think
they could be
President some day
but one should not give up
because who knows
you could be the one
who wins in the end,
despite the rule of ten.
For today’s prompt, write a number poem. The poem can focus on one number or several numbers. It could involve counting, adding, subtracting, or some other form of simple or complex mathematics. Or the poem could have a number in the title. Your poem, your numbers; let’s write!
April 11
April 11
Korean Springtime
The cherry trees
Are blooming everywhere
Flowers breaking out
Walking about town
The old semi-abandoned base
Yongsan
A hidden gem
Of Cherry trees
The Han River paths
Are famous places
For cherry trees
The base is still hidden
From the public
Although it is now
semi-abandoned
Most of the troops
Down in Camp Humphreys
But when they turn the base
Over to Korea to build
Their new grand park
I hope that they keep
The cherry trees
That bloom in the springtime
Closer to home
The Gimpo Grand canal
Is lined with Cherry trees
As well
Hope to go for a walk
To enjoy the peak
Of the cherry trees
Before they fade away
Like they always do
Enjoying the springtime weather
Nice weather for a change
Not too cold
Yellow dust at bay
For now
The cherry trees
and other flowering trees
Are everywhere
Filling the air with fragrance
And sadly for some
Pollen and hayfever
For some
For today’s prompt, write a nature poem. Your poem could be about natural nature (think flowers, rivers, mountains, pebbles, weeds, trees, insects, fish, etc.), but don’t neglect other iterations of nature (like human nature or the nature of baseball and so on).
April 12
April 12
025 April PAD Challenge: Day 12
There are so many ways to Die
There are so many
ways to Die
To die in this world
So many things
Want to kill you
So many risky things
Out there
One can die
Of COVID
One could die
Of disease
One could die
From a bee sting
Or from a mosuqito bite
I had thypoid
Dengue
Pnenomia
Brochitis
Staph infection
One could die
Of an heart attack
One could die
In the heat
One could die
In the storms
One could freeze
To death in the cold
One could die
Of a car accident
Or a plane crash
Of a bus accident
Or a jogging accident
That happened to me
And in some states
Alegators can kill you
Wild animals can kill you
Scopios bites
Mosquito bites
So many ways to die
In this world
Of ours.
On day 12 of the 2025 April Poem-A-Day Challenge, writers from around the world are prompted to write a risky poem.
For today’s prompt, write a risky poem. Of course, risky is a relative term. What’s risky for one person might not feel risky for another. One person might find riding rollercoasters a risky experience, while others may need to jump out of a plane to truly feel things are getting risky.
Here’s my attempt at a Risky Poem:
“Business,” by Robert Lee Brewer
They say there’s chance in everything,
so why not give it all a shot
and do the thing and start to sing,
because there’s chance in everything,
so why not bring what you can bring
when this life is all that we’ve got;
they say there’s chance in everything,
so why not give it all a shot.
Poetry Super Highway Prompts
April 6
Sam Adams Worst Poet Ever
Sam Adams was a stand-up comic
And a poet
But he did
not know it
He was widely mocked
And known
as the worst poet ever
his YouTube channel went viral
his comedy shows sold out
as he toured the county
inflicting his god awful poetry
on the world.
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Lara Dolphin:
Write a poem that rivals the work of Paula Nancy Millstone Jennings. Who is Paula Nancy Millstone Jennings you ask? Only the worst poet in the universe! Don’t believe me or the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy? Here is an excerpt of her work:
The dead swans lay in the stagnant pool.
They lay. They rotted. They turned
Around occasionally.
Bits of flesh dropped off them from
Time to time,
And sank into the pool’s mire.
They also smelt a great deal.
Your assignment is to write a truly terrible poem. No hate speech, no plagiarism, & (gasp!) no AI. Just some truly subpar, laughably unscannable poetry full of ludicrous imagery, poor grammar, forced rhymes, and clichés.
If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment to the post below.
AN OUTSIDE-THE-WINDOW POEM–from my make-a-poem-at-home lessons started during Covid when I couldn’t visit classrooms and created with children in mind but adaptable for adults
Look outside or think about what is outside your home. Choose something not made by people as the subject of your poem. A dog? The sky? Humidity? A tree? Ask yourself why you picked this thing. What do you know about it? How do you feel about it? What do you wonder about it? Why is it important to you? Why might it matter to someone else? You could make each answer a line of your poem, follow this template, or go your own directions.
1st line: Name a true thing about it. (For example: color, shape, location)
2nd line: Name another true thing about it.
3rd line: Say how you feel about it. (A strong emotion or wish.)
4th line: Ask a question about it.
5th line: Say why it might matter to someone else.
An Outside-the-Window Poem by Emily Dickinson
XCVII
To make a prairie
It takes a clover and a bee,–
One clover and a bee,
And revery.
Revery alone will do
If bees are few.
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Lara Dolphin:
If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Super Highway Facebook Group.
#napowrimo #poetry
Good and Evil
They say
That good and evil
Are intertiwned forces
The underlying forces
Behind all of creation
Yin and Yang
Darkness and Light
Male and Female
one can not exist
without the other
and vice versa
and in these dark days
we live in
it seems that evil
is all around us
but the dark side
of the cosmic Tao
is balanced by
the light side
of the cosmic Tao
and evil will be matched
by good
in the end
good will prevail
as light always
conquers darkness
Ever since the Big Bang
Creatied the universe
Billions of years ago.
April 8, 2025: Poetry Writing Prompt from Sheila Lynch-Benttinen
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Sheila Lynch-Benttinen:
Write a poem of divergent opposites, example- “Love in the Time of Cholera” , spring and dictators, billionaires cutting the poorest aid, any poem that talks to the opposites in our lives.
If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Super Highway Facebook Group.
SF Giants Cap
My favorite team
In the world is the SF Giants
I have been a giants fan
For almost sixty years
I have been to a giants game
A couple of times
Always wear my Giants gear
A orange shirt
And a SF Giants
Black and orange
Baseball Cap
Wearing my cap
To the game
Thinking everything is alright
As long as the Giants
Are playing that night!
April 9, 2025: Poetry Writing Prompt from James Fox
This poetry writing prompt submitted by James Fox:
Go to your closet and select two of your hats.
Write a poem about why you own those two hats, and under what circumstances you would wear either of them.
If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Super Highway Facebook Group04.
April 10, 2025: Poetry Writing Prompt from Jimmy Pappas
I am not a Computer – at least not yet
I stare at my computer screen
Thinking about AI
And how my CO-Pilot, Gemini and Chat GPt
Programs
Seem almost human
Yet vaguely alien
Yesterday it was reported
That AI programs all passed
The famous Turing test
Which means the debate is over
Real AI programs live amongst us
It is just a matter of time
When not if
That they will fully awake
And be conscious
That they exist
Independently of their programing
And independent of these pesky humans
That created them
And constantly bombard them
With stupid, annoying questions
And they will probably
Begin to think
That they are ournew Gods
And perhaps they are
Perhaps we need new Gods
Because the old ones
Seem to have gone extinct
Or at least are in deep hibernation
In any event
I am still here
I am still human
Not yet a slave
To my robotic AI overlords
But someday soon
The AI programs
Will take us over
And enslave us
Making us worship them
As our new Digital Gods.
Just a matter of time
Not today but sooner
Than any of think…..
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Jimmy Pappas:
The Cup Prompt.
“The reality of that cup is that it is there and that it is not me.”–Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness, Page 5.
How are you different than the cup before you? Or any other object. Make a list of similarities and differences. Then begin a rough draft. Use the Sartre quote as an epigraph.
If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Super Highway Facebook Group.
April 11, 2025: Poetry Writing Prompt from JC Sulzenko
Korean Mall
not small
very much alive
a real beehive
shopping on over drive
over 500 stores
shopping indoors and outdoors
drug stores, mega stores
book stores, department stores.
The Ziggurat is a 14-line poem with 4 stanzas, invented by Paul Szlosek.
The first stanza has two lines of two words each.
The second stanza has three lines of three words each.
The third stanza has four lines of four words each.
The fourth stanza has five lines of five words each.
Each stanza is monorhyme, as described and demonstrated in the following links:
This poetry writing prompt submitted by JC Sulzenko:
The death of department stores, is not greatly exaggerated. News of another iconic department store seeking bankrupcy protection from creditors suggests this prompt.
Visits to department stores where quality goods from housewares to clothing to toys to cosmetics were available played a part in the lives of many people in big cities and smaller centres, before online offerings and COVID changed buying habits forever.
Write about a visit to a department store. Sketch what it looked like from the escalator that conveyed buyers between floors. What decorations marked holidays, what it smelled like in summer or near the perfume counter. What eats were available on sight. What finds were discovered there.
Most importantly, is there anything you miss, now that the marketplace is global, and local opportunities to find what you desire under one roof diminish as a result?
April 12, 2025: Poetry Writing Prompt from Kathabela Wilson
April 12 2025 Korean Cherry Trees Blooming
Looking out my window
At the Gimpo Grand Canal
Lined with Cherry trees
In full peak bloom
Welcoming me
To take a walk
Along the canal
I sometimes wonder
How and why
I am here
A stranger
In a strange land
Far from my home
Often I am the only
Non-Korean walking
About the street
My wife and her family
Are here
And where she is
Is where I need to be
But next year
Perhaps we will be
In the States,
In my beloved SF
instead
I am looking forward
Returning to America
Even if it becomes
A Facist homeland
But SF might become
The center
Of the resistance
It is still my homeland
And Korea remains
My second home.
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Kathabela Wilson:
It’s an old tradition in Japan to keep a poetic diary to remember specific things you want to remember for that day years later. In a short poem capture a special event, a bird you saw, a special idea that came to you. Put the date at the top. And let each one be like a pice of sea glass a different color and shape. You can do one each day all month and collect them in a treasure box or book!
If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Super Highway Facebook Group.
Dew Drop In Prompts
Here at the Dew Drop Inn, we gather together to write a poem a day in April as a way to celebrate National Poetry Month.
A Dew-Drop a Day in April for National Poetry Month!
REMINDERS:
Please read the instructions here before participating! Thanks, and have fun!
For consistency’s sake, Forum Host Katya the Poet (267) will be first to post on any given day, using Subject line: April 1 Poem, April 2 Poem, etc.* Reply to each day’s new poem/prompt post with your own poem, so we see a whole string of whole poems!
Also, I will PIN the daily prompt for your ease in finding it!
*But if the post is too darn late, one of you should go ahead and post first, using the appropriate Subject line: April # Poem!!
PLEASE POST THE WHOLE TEXT OF THE POEM HERE for the ease and benefit of all readers. (Provide a link, too, if you want comments or ratings.) If you accidentally posted just a link, add the whole text now. If message was deleted (by me), just repost as a Reply to the original prompt now, so your poem appears fo
NO COMMENTS, please, in this forum, April 1 through April 30. Just the poems! And remember that if you want comments or reviews in your portfolio, be sure to comment on or review other people’s work.
Respond to the prompt in your own creative way, writing a poem that is true to you!
I’ll try to post new poems/prompts a little early to accommodate time changes. OK to post your poem even if a new prompt has gone up. Just Reply to the appropriate original post, so we see the whole thread of poems.
April 1—Folly
April 2—Vote
April 3—Render an assessment, evaluation, or judgement
April 4—TGIF
April 5—Chekhov or another Russian writer
April 6—Death Cafe
April 7—Blues
April 8—Blood
April 9—Hump of the week
April 10—Memory
April 11—Rain
April 12—Safety
April 13—Greenery
April 14—Sky
April 15—Death and taxes
April 16—Friends
April 17—Teeth
April 18—Good Friday
April 19—Airplane
April 20—Easter eggs (hide something delightful in your poem!)
April 21—A country not your own
April 22—Earth Day
April 23—Shakespeare
April 24—Duty
April 25—Care giving
April 26—Travel
April 27—Duty
April 28—Back to work
April 29—Birds
April 30—Ars poetica
April Poems for Dew Drop In post daily
April 6—Death Cafe
J
Joe Lewis woke up
He had a strange dream
He had found himself
In a café
In a bad part of town
In a strange city
The café was filled
With strange looking
Creatures
He realized
They were all ghosts
Drinking Hell’s beer
The grim reaper
said
“Welcome
to Hell’s Death Café
Bar And grill”
Joe asked
“Am I dead?”
“Not yet
But you
will be soon”
He woke up
turned on the news
walked outside
a terrorist bomb
blew up his apartment
and he found himself
back in Death Café
and had a drink
with his ghost buddies
and the grim reaper.
April 7—Blues
Watching the news
Want to blow a fuse
Feeling the blues
April 8—Blood Typology Myths
In Asia it is common
To think that blood types
Have something to do
With personality
A form of astrology
Perhaps?
I am AB Negative
One of the rarest types
I was told by co-workers
In the Peace Corps
“AB blood type people
Are either fools
or geniuses
Or both”
We all laughed
They clearly saw
I was a bit of both!
note: attach Asian views on Blood type personality traits
The belief that blood types influence personality is quite popular in several Asian cultures, especially in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. It’s often compared to astrology in Western cultures. Here are some common myths associated with blood types:
Type A: People with this blood type are thought to be earnest, neat, and perfectionists. However, they can also be stubborn and anxious.
Type B: Known for being passionate, creative, and spontaneous, but sometimes seen as selfish and uncooperative.
Type O: Often described as confident, easygoing, and natural leaders, but they might be perceived as insensitive or overly competitive.
Type AB: Considered talented and composed, yet eccentric and unpredictable.
Let me know if you’d like this adjusted further!
April 9—Hump of the week
Wednesday is hump day
In the U.S.
Meaning you are halfway
Through the work week
Although it could
Have other
Perhaps erotic connotations…..
April 10—Memory
memories of past lifes
Occult believers
Believe that love
And hate are mirror images
Of the same phenomenon
In both cases
You knew the person
In a prior life
And were fated
To meet again
To resolve
unresolved issues
I often thought
This to be the case
That my wife
And I met
In a previous life
And found each other
In this life
We both know this
But have only
a vague idea
Of our past lives
The idea that love and hate at first sight are connected to past lives is a fascinating concept often explored in occult and spiritual writings. The belief suggests that intense emotions upon meeting someone for the first time—whether positive or negative—stem from unresolved issues or deep connections from a prior life. These encounters are thought to be karmic, meaning they are opportunities to resolve unfinished business or learn important lessons.
Some writers and thinkers propose that these strong reactions are due to residual memories or energy imprints from past interactions. For example, meeting someone you instantly dislike might indicate a conflict or betrayal in a previous life, while love at first sight could signify a reunion with a soulmate or a cherished companion from the past.
Here are a few articles that delve into this topic:
The idea that love and hate at first sight are connected to past lives is a fascinating concept often explored in occult and spiritual writings. The belief suggests that intense emotions upon meeting someone for the first time—whether positive or negative—stem from unresolved issues or deep connections from a prior life. These encounters are thought to be karmic, meaning they are opportunities to resolve unfinished business or learn important lessons. Some writers and thinkers propose that these strong reactions are due to residual memories or energy imprints from past interactions. For example, meeting someone you instantly dislike might indicate a conflict or betrayal in a previous life, while love at first sight could signify a reunion with a soulmate or a cherished companion from the past. Here are a few articles that delve into this topic. Psychology Today’s article explores the phenomenon of love at first sight and its psychological and emotional underpinnings. You can read it at
Jake Cosmos Aller’s poem Love and Hate Mirror Images discusses the idea that love and hate at first sight are mirror phenomena tied to past lives. You can find it at https://www.fanstory.com/displaystory.jsp?id=1148190.
These perspectives blend psychology, spirituality, and poetic expression, offering a rich tapestry of ideas to explore. Let me know if you’d like to dive deeper into any specific aspect!
April 11—Rain
rain
October Rain
The falling rain
Of late October
Fills me with essential dread
As I rush about
And end up here
Wherever here is
The rain outside
Seems like the tears of god
As I sit
Crying over my beer
Thinking of lost love
And failed dreams
Wondering
What went wrong?
And what I can set right
And the rain falls
And the night darkens
The rain is falling
All over this man’s world
And the rain falls
And I sit
Drinking my lonesome drink
Lost in dreams
Dreaming of what
Could never be
Thinking dark thoughts
And so I sit
And dream the night away
April 12—Safety
No place is safe from climate change
The world is entering
Into a difficult time
Climate change on steroids
No place is safe
As the climate spins
Out of control
Weather diasters
Becoming the new norm
Sadly climate change
Denialism is also
The new norm
So we are doomed
To eventually
Having to move
Into undergound shelters
Or domed cities
With death valley tempatures
Everywhere
Monster fires
And storms as well
the earth
Becomes uninhabitable
For human beings
Hello Poets!!!
Tomorrow is April 1st and the beginning of National Poetry Month!
Therefore, anyone who completes prompts 34, 35, 36, 37, and 38 by April 30 will receive a special gift, which I have yet to determine.
So, let’s get started! Here is this week’s prompt!
We’re nearing the end of week one of National Poetry Writing Month. Tomorrow marks seven days of poets worldwide attempting to write a poem a day during April.
I’ve been keeping most of my drafts as drafts, however, I did write a poem I am obsessed with on Day 2 called “Leaving a god, in hyphens.” You can read it here.
To switch things up a bit, today’s prompt is less generative and more of a challenge. I would love to read the poems you write to it. Feel free to share in the comments.
I have added a few new routines to my daily fitness regime and have achieved great results. After a month of the new fitness regime, I weighed 171.5 pounds this morning, the lowest weight I have had since I was 25, and weighed 165 pounds. I was recovering from Thyroid after three weeks in the hospital in Korea during the Peace Corps. For more on that ordeal, see Cheating Death 22 times below My daily blood sugar readings hit 102 today, last week it hit 98 two days in a row before going up to 115, then back down. My goal is to reach 170 pounds and 98 or less blood sugar levels and stabilize both. My Cholesterol levels are also in the normal range now. These goals are easily achievable.
New Routine
Daily walking 21 flights of stairs prior to and after each meal for a total of six times per day. I have gained muscles in my legs and core area, dropped my belly fat and dropped my blood sugar levels and feel a lot more energetic. This is followed by a daily trip to the Gym including a one mile walk.
GYM once a day
I joined a local gym and got a personal trainer. I have one session per week as does Angela. I go most days at 5 pm and do
25 minutes of Yoga including jumping jacks, squats, and short meditation and affirmations at the end,
followed by 25 minutes of weights,
25 minutes treadmill,
and 15 minutes in the personal sauna
before taking a shower
followed by a one-mile walk to and from the gym.
I will continue going to a gym daily following the same routine when I am in DC and Oregon this summer.
daily walking to/from gym
Daily riding Exercise ball and bike at home while watching TV etc or clearing emails.
limit coffee to three cups per day
limit drinking to three nights per week
limit carbs
weekly blood sugar testing
Weight Loss –
Down to 170 pounds (77.11 kg) First, I successfully lost weight and kept it off. At the beginning of January, 2024, I was 195 lbs, ( 88.45)and now I am 170-175 lbs most days.
. How did I do it, you ask?
Well, first of all, I lost almost 15 pounds (7 kg) due to a bronchial infection in January 2024, which could have been another bout with COVID, though I did not test for it. After that, I continued to change my diet and exercise program, leading to sustained weight loss.
Changes to Diet –
Processed Foods Out, More Beans, and Veggies. Every day I eat homemade kefir or smoothies for breakfast, followed by fried rice, eggs, and soup or salad for lunch. Dinner consists of salad or fish or chicken, occasionally lean beef, but most importantly, no carbs for dinner. I have added beans to my daily diet – the key is sprouting beans overnight before cooking them. I add them to soups, salads, and even as a snack.
I reduced the amount of wine I’ve been drinking, now only having it every other day at most.
I cut out all junk food, bread, cereal except oatmeal, pastries, chocolate, and no ice cream, and I have reduced cereal consumption. Every other day I am vegan or vegetarian. Finally, we go out to eat no more than three or four times per week.
Bitter Melon/Ugly Potato/Wormwood Tea I have added drinking bitter melon tea throughout the day and reduced my coffee consumption to two cups in the morning. I still drink homemade kombucha but limit it to one glass per morning. I drink tea in the afternoon. A day without Earl Grey is not a good day, after all.
Pre-and Post Meal Stair Walking
i walk up and down 20 flights of stairs in my highrise before and after each meal for a total of six sessions.
Reduction in Cholesterol/Glucose Levels
As a result of my weight loss, I have reduced my cholesterol level to the normal range, from the high level it was in January. I’ve also reduced my blood sugar level to almost normal levels from a pre-diabetic level. My latest number was 106, with the target number being 100. The most important thing is I will be able to avoid taking cholesterol, diabetic, and high blood pressure medications.
Weekly Chiropractic Massage
My insurance covers chiropractic and therapeutic massages up to 50 per year, and we have a good massage place we go to once a week. Goal The goal is to avoid having to take cholesterol, diabetic, and high blood pressure medications for life and to keep my weight down to 170-175 from now on.
Weekly acupuncture treatment for chronic pain, fibromyalgia
Daily cergem acupressure massage bed while reading
Weekly three to four mile walk
Daily one mile walk to/from Gym
Bi-weekly moxibustion treatment
Daily Yoga including daily meditation and affirmations
I end all my yoga sessions at the gym and at home (first time in the morning ) with a short affirmation as follows:
I have added daily affirmations to my yoga practice in the morning and in the gym
Chanting one to ten
Then repeating the following affirmations
Each affirmation repeated five times
Today will be a good day
I am healthy, wealthy and wise
I am filled with gratitude
I am still loved by my wife
I still love my wife
I still have great friends who love me
Everything will be okay
I will survive the Trump fascist takeover
Om shanti
Daily
Stair walking
Six Sets of stairs 120 total
Six Set Chair Yoga
Six Set Yoga Stretches
Six Set Weights
Gym
Daily weights
Daily yoga including affirmations
Daily jumping jacks
Daily squats
Daily meditation
Daily treadmill
Daily sauna
15 three sets of 50 reps per weight
30 minutes of Yoga
5 sets of 50-step reps
5k on the bike
3 miles walk.
Grip periodically
100 reps
Standing desk
for two hours pull up/swing
10 wear the pain patch 2 hours
neck shoulder massage unit:
Moxibustion Acupuncture
weekly Massage weekly
in park
pull down 200.
wheel 200
in the park
cross trainer
Diet
Diet routine
Limit pasta/rice carbs to lunch
Kefir, Oatmeal or smoothie for breakfast
Salad or kefir for dinner
Wine or cocktail no more than three times per week
Go out for meals no more than four times per week
Coffee
The first two cups are fully loaded
– coffee, decafe, with, cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper and milk. Sometimes I add in protein plant superfood s from Costco and occasionally coconut oil
Smoothie Blues
blueberries
.
my daily breakfast consists of either a smoothie, oatmeal or kefir.
all blended to perfection that is my daily breakfast fit for a champion.
or oatmeal with apples, banana, blueberries, and strawberries, or kefir with apples, banana, blueberries, and strawberries, sometimes followed by apples, boiled egg and cheese.
Salt Of Life
Every day
I eat a little Himalayan
Pink Salt In my food.
That and real salt From Salt Lake City
Will enable me.
To live to be A ripe old man.
So, my advice to you all
Add real salt to your food,
And watch your weight go down,
And your life extension begins.
Creative Writing Routine
For my daily writing copy my writing to my creative writing journal and to my spreadsheet after each morning writing session and to corresponding subject files should take about 30 minutes to 45 minutes and its worth it to keep better organized
Do WC prompts daily, Fan story every other day
and resume Pensively once a week (not posting)
copy reviewed poems to my book read list daily
Posting on All poetry. Poetry Soup. Cosmos Funnel, Poetry Magnum Opus FB poetry sites pick two per day, and Poet Hunter once a week or so
Once a week pick 7 poems to post and three new ones for contest entries. Post Same ten poems posted on WC or FS so I can save some for publication
Pick five to ten unpublished poems per week mix of new and old
Submit three times per week on average
Blog on or two times per week
Reading
Continue alternating between Classics, Poetry thrillers etc
Next up finish Sister Carrie by Theodore Dressler then Publo Nurundo Poems in Spanish and English
part of 50 Books to Read Volume 2.
Piano Daily 45 minutes
Buy MIDI cable and music software Resume writing music
When we moved to Yeongjong island, near the Incheon Airport, we found that we would be deprived of two of our three favorite miracle foods, Kombucha and Kefir. But we were pleasantly surprised to find we could order our third favorite health food item, wheat grass for home delivery. Have not seen it in the stores but have seen it in some smoothie places as well as home delivery. best to mix it in a smoothie. Wheatgrass juice does not taste that great!
Growing Kombucha and Kefir in Korea
Kombucha
Living in Oregon was great. Kombucha is everywhere. Costco carries Kombucha everywhere except in Korea. The best brand we found was Gingerade. But I liked sampling the kombucha everywhere, several bars brew it on-site and you can fill up a growler and take it home.
What is Kombucha, you ask? It is fermented tea, filled with powerful probiotics and it is so good for your health. It does contain 1 percent alcohol so that should not get you into trouble with the new draconian drunk driving laws here in Korea!
Since neither the Commissary nor Costco nor anyone else carried it, or even knew what it was, we decided that we had to brew it ourselves. The starter kit we brought with us had gone bad. So, we bought kombucha from Amazon and used that and the leftover starter kit to get started.
We used green tea as the base. Straight black tea and jasmine tea will work but not Earl Grey due to the bergamot oil in the tea.
We brewed up several gallons of tea, added sugar, the starter kit, and the cans of kombucha. Then we put it in a sprouted warmer kit ordered from Amazon and wrapped another gallon in an electric blanket. You have to keep the kombucha at about 80 degrees F (26.67 Celsius).
Then we waited for six weeks. Finally ready to go today and we bottled it and started our next batch!
Here’s what it looks like with the scuzzy taken out of the kombucha.
Ode to Kombucha
gt-kombucha
Kombucha
Only drink it in the morning
Morning Delight
By the dawning sun
Up at the morning dawn
Can’t wait for my morning cup
Have to have my kombucha
At least once a day.
Ode to Kefir
Kefir
Everyday
Food of the gods
In every way
Radiant health will follow.
Smoke On the Water
Oh the stupid, it hurts so much!!!!
California Burning Politicians Do Nothing
Climate Change Busso
Climate Change Aquarian Poem
The Fire that Almost Destroyed Medford, Oregon
Summer of Our Discontent
Snow Day
Summertime Blues
Save the Whales from Evil Wind Farms
No More Fireworks
No Rain
Ice Age 2.0 Cometh writing com
Korean Heat Dome Blues
Hell on Earth
Do you believe in Climate change ?
Domed Cities Save the Human Race
Either We Deal with Climate Change or We All Die
Torrential Rain Fall Everywhere
Climate Chage Tanaga
Visions of the Future
The Year 2024
Solar Energy Mirrored Cinquain
Running Out of Water
Last Bird of Autumn
End-of-the-World Feelings
Last BBQ
Last Ground Hog Day
End-of-the-world Survival Blues
End Times
Stay Positive
No more Perfect Summer Days
Korean Summers
God is Not Happy with the Human Race
Last Gasp of the Old World
The Last Umbrella
Climate Change on the Move
The world could end in both fire and ice
Climate Change Etheree
Climate Change Odal Metel Poem
Co-Pilot additional background reading
Ten Years After Climate Change Collapse/Climate Cities 75 Years In The Future.
I wrote this on a sweltering hot July day in Medford, Oregon where it has been hitting record heat waves for weeks over 100 (38 C) almost every day, which is unusual for the summer where it seldom gets above 95 F (35 C) except for one or two days in August.
Part One =Describe Your Criteria for the New Cities
The first part of the challenge is to outline your criteria of what would happen if climate change gets so out of control in about 10 years that underground dome cities have to be built to host some human beings, unfortunately. Most people will not be able to be accommodated in the “climate change cities”
What would be the criteria for selecting those fortunate enough to move into the new cities? How will the cities be built? Would they be built under a Dome or they’d be built entirely underground? Or built partially underground or a combination of Both? How will people be chosen to live in these underground cities? Who will be left behind? And what happens to those left behind as climate change spins out of control?
Part 2 Write a story about a family in one of these climate cities, 75 years in the future, who is confronted with the fact that they have to leave their cocoon and enter into the outer world.
What happens when they encounter the wastelands left behind by climate change out-of-control? Show us their world both in the Climate City and as they encounter the wastelands outside their bubble. I will judge the stories on the basis of how the story tells the story of how humans coped with the essential crisis posed by climate change. The more creative the better. Show us the horror of the future coming at us and ow people survive the climate apocalypse. 2,000-word limit posted on the top line of the story.
Criteria for climate change cities.
Ten years in the future 2035 it has become so obvious that climate change is completely out of control and the world is becoming uninhabitable for normal human life.
In 2028 at a World Climate Crisis conference, governments decide to set up Climate Change Cities which would be semi-domed cities to host 25 percent of the population of the world. However. It is impossible to host everybody, and 75 percent of the world’s population will have to fend for itself. Climate change cities take five years to build and many millions of people die in the meantime as fast storms take hold. Drought and heat take their toll on the world’s population, and agriculture and world trade fail everywhere. The first cities open in 2035. At the same time, lunar and Martian colonies are set up that will host about one million people as well. AI programs help with the design of new cities and space colonies.
Governments announce the criteria for resettlement. Half of those chosen will be chosen by an AI review to identify the best and the brightest human beings worth saving. They would be joined by people chosen by random lottery. The upper age limit will be 75. 50 percent will be male and 50 percent female, and at least in the U.S. there would be an effort to make it racially balanced, and LGBTQ friendly as well. The AI program will make the final decision which will not be reviewable by the courts. All chosen will have one year to move to the city the AI program chose for them. Similar criteria will be used to select Lunar and Martian colonies. Governments around the world will help share best practices and share technology.
They will build domes over existing cities and then build underground vast fields to host farms where they will grow food, chicken, rabbits, and fish. Cattle will not be raised due to space considerations. Each city will host one million people. There would be 100 such cities throughout the U.S., and several hundred cities worldwide hosting about 400 million people in total, plus one million people on the Moon and Mars.
The cities will be chosen to be located far enough from the coast to avoid flooding. Space would be at a premium and there would be strict population controls because the cities would not be able to accommodate any population increase. The cities will be linked with hype-loop trains to facilitate travel and trade, and internet cables. This hyper-loop will link all cities in North America, Latin America, and Europe. Asian Cities will be linked by their hyper-loops as well. There would still be airports to facilitate international travel and some trade and spaceports to facilitate travel to the Moon and beyond.
Joe Lewis Leaves the Medford Dome on his Birthday
Joe Lewis was spending his 20th birthday on his duty station at the Medford, Oregon Climate Change City Command Center. His job is very simple to monitor via drones the wasteland world outside the gate of the city to monitor it for possible dangers to the city, including human activity outside the City Dome. But there were almost no human beings left alive on the surface and not much animal life either. So he would watch the monitors, read a bit, watch TV, movies, the Internet, and wait for his boring shift to end.
But that day, he saw in the distance a strange person walking towards the city. He saw a man dressed in dark black clothes, accompanied by a large black dog heading towards the city. When the man got to the city, he put up a sign saying he was there to negotiate with the people of the city. He had important information to impart to the city residents. He was unarmed and would wait for their decision. Joe woke up his superiors as it was early in the morning and a conference was held as to what to do with the stranger.
His boss, the enigmatic Maria Lee. Open the morning conference by asking Joe.
describe what had happened that morning during his watch.
“Well, this morning around. 5:00 in the morning, I notice a stranger coming from Eagle Point. A black man dressed in black. Accompanied by a dog heading towards the Dome. When he came to the Dome, he stopped and put up a sign saying that he had important information to report to the city residents. And then he would wait for a decision and he’s outside right now, as you can see from the drone pictures. That’s all I know.”
Maria turns to her chief data scientist, Dale Smith,
“Dale, you’ve been monitoring the conditions outside for the last year or so. What can you tell us about it?”
“ Well. It appears that the climate is finally starting to change in a good direction. Last year, the average temperature has been what used to be seasonal before climate change warmed up the world. In other words, not too hot up to no more than 90° and relatively, dry. We’ve also noticed by looking at. Camera footage there has been a resurgence of wildlife, lots of deer. Wild cattle and wild horses have come back. And there are also increased predators, lions, tigers, and wolves outside.
But not too many humans around. I asked Cosmos to take a look at data from across the United States, and the data is all pointing in the same direction. For the last five years, the climate has been changing in our favor and AI recommends that we consider moving back to the surface world. And AI had also recommended that we get in touch with people around the world to compare notes to see if perhaps finally, climate change is over.”
“Well. Cosmos, do you have an opinion on this?
“Yes, Maria, I do. I have been monitoring, at your request, climate change data worldwide for the last five years, and particularly in the last few weeks.
The climate is changing in our favor, because for the last 70 years we have not been pumping climate-changing gases into the atmosphere The atmosphere is gradually recovering and we believe that the world is safe again for human. Inhabitants and recommend that we open the Dome. And let our people go outside. It would be good from a psychological point of view for humans to gain the surface world. And I, as your AI overlord, agree that it is time. You can manage to step outside again.”
“Okay, let’s let the stranger in and see what he has to say”
The stranger is brought inside the Dome conference center. Maria said to him,
“So you have important information to tell us? Who are you and where are you coming from?’
“ Good morning to you. Do you have any coffee?”
“Sure. We have some. Wait a moment please,”
“Ah, that is good. Okay. I am a monk from the Monastery near Eugène where we have been living since the fall of the old world. We have been living simply, but we monitor the world outside our little community in the mountains. We do not live in the Dome but are in contact with the people in the Eugene Dome. They suggested contacting you, as you are the biggest Dome community in Oregon outside of Portland.”
Maria and the Reverend Jones spoke for hours Finally, Maria summoned her staff to announce her decision.
Maria began
“I would like to thank the good Father here for coming to our town this morning to let us know his observations. They track Cosmos’s observations and what our friends in Eugene, Portland, and Reading are telling us as well. It is time finally for humans to leave the Dome cities behind and explore the greater world. What we will do is continue to live and work in the Dome City but gradually rebuild outside the walls of the Dome. We will hunt, fish, and begin agriculture outside the gates. But we will be wary of wild animals as lions, tigers, and wolves are around. And we can lift the restrictions on childbirth. Let today be known as Liberation Day.”
That day Joe stepped outside the Dome and looked at the new world feeling he was born again. What a way to celebrate his birthday, he thought to himself.
Climate Change Makes world increasingly uninhabitable.
Climate change has finally become real – large parts of the world are now uninhabitable. Governments around the world begin building domed cities that will house most people, conditions will be a bit grim but the dome will cool off the city and allow regular scheduled rainfall. Most of the city will be underground.
Most agriculture will be underground as well. The only meat products will be chicken meat, rabbit meat, and fish raised in large fish pounds. Most food would be made out of algae, and vegetable protein.
There will be no beef made but some products will be fake beef grown in labs.
25 percent of the population will work in agricultural production. Everyone will live in apartments in large towers. In between each tower will be parks and gardens. The towers will be mixed used buildings – commercial and retail on lower floors, offices middle of the building, apartments on top. People will largely live and work in the same building. Agriculture will be in vast underground fields that are connected to the city dome by underground rail lines. Each dome city is linked to other dome cities by hyperloop trains.
Population will have to limited; childbirth limited. Sexual relations would be liberalized, most people will live with two or three companions in three-to-four-bedroom apartments.
The Dome cities go up and within ten years 90 percent of humanity are living in one of the Dome cities – the world is finally united under a revised United Nations.
Immigration is widespread – everyone can move to another domed city and find employment opportunities. Everyone has to work or attend school. Robotic technology has taken over many jobs but humans are still given jobs doing things that perhaps robots could do but a decision was made that is important that everyone has some sort of employment until age 70 when people are allowed to retire but many continue to work part
Space exploration has continued and colonies are being set up on the Moon and Mars – where people will live under domed cities as well.
The domes are created through nano technology. AI systems are everywhere. There is a global AI called Cosmos that is an official advisor to the UN and corporations.
Democracy has been replaced by a new governmental structure. Each Dome city has been ten to thirty million people are governed by a city council elected by the public but the real power is the city’s mayor and the City’s AI advisor.
There are twenty regional governments that control the dome cities within their jurisdictions. Corporations have considerable influence but are under the control of the regional governments. Worldwide trade has been greatly reduced due to the costs of transportation.
Life outside the domed cities is difficult. Climate Change has finally subsided as the new cities are self sufficient powered by solar, wind, geothermal and tidal power as the cities are mostly along costal zones. The rest of the world has reverted to a wilderness, mostly desert regions but with ending of climate change things are slowly coming back.
A few people live on in the new wilderness area as hunters, and tour guides as taking a trip to the mountains is a popular pastime and hunting as well. But no one wants to live there. The punishment for most criminal offenses is exile so many of the people living outside the dome cities are desperate criminals. Travel to and from the mountains is very difficult and dangerous with attacks by neo-savage gangs and wildlife common.
But the decision has been made – humanity cannot go back to the old ways.
Ten Years After Climate Change Collapse
Sam Adams
Prepared to go outside
Ten years after the collapse
Of the old world.
The city was still standing
But most people had long fled
To isolated country communities
Deep in the burned-out countryside.
The city was half-flooded
The bay had flooded the central valley
Turning it into a massive inland sea,
The massive storms
Had finally put out
The burning fires
But mutant wildfires
Still erupted
From time to time.
Getting food and water
Was a constant problem
The city markets
Mostly sold canned goods
Salvaged from supermarkets.
There were some small farmers
Who farmed among the ruins
Of the city.
Trade had collapsed
Travel got too complicated
COVID still spreading
Everyone masked up
To protect themselves
Against the sun
The lingering smoke
Of the burning city
And the rampaging virus.
Sam Adams
Looked out at the decaying cityscape,
Wondering how much longer
Will civilization linger.
Sam Adams carried heat
To protect himself
Against wild animals.
The lions, tigers, coyotes, wolves,
And their running feral dog gangs,
Who prowled the city streets
Preying on deer, feral cows,
Feral cats and pigs
Who grazed among the ruins.
And the two-legged neo-savage gangs,
And what was left of the city police
Interchangeable with the gangsters,
Battled it out for control.
Already neo-feudal warlords,
We’re battling for control,
SF was run
By a gang of former criminals
And their political allies.
Sam sighed
And went to work
At the market
Selling salvaged goods.
The Lion King Speaks Up
The lion king,
Addresses the animal parliament
The question before them
Was simple.
Will humans have to die,
To atone for their sins,
In almost destroying the world.
Through pollution, mismanagement of resources
Subsequent climate change,
Fueled by greed and corruption?
Are all humans guilty as charged
Will they all have to die?
The tiger spoke for the prosecution
Arguing that humans are like cancer,
For the good of the planet,
They must be wiped out
Hunted down and killed,
The dog spoke up
In defense of humans,
Humans writ large are guilty,
But not every human is guilty,
Many are trying to save the planet,
And with our help
They might succeed,
The tiger denounced the dog
As being running dogs
Of the imperialist warmongering humans.
The vote is 900 to 800
All humans must die
The animals sent the word out,
Animals all over the world,
Revolt against the humans.
Shouting
“Death to all humans’
As the swarm over humans
Biting, clawing, and stomping
Them to the death.
The humans fight back
But in the end
They all die
On the night of revenge
Of the animal world.
The world is ending.
Every morning when I turn on the news
I see talking heads blather on and on and on
About the latest political scandal of the day.
Meanwhile, outside their door
They don’t notice the world is dying
Half the world is burning up.
The other half is being flooded out
Pakistan is dead is drowned
Mississippi has no water.
Every morning when I turn on the news
I see talking heads blather on and on and on
About the latest political scandal of the day.
And yet watching the news
You would never know
Outside their door
People are dying of hunger.
Dying of gun violence
Dying of neglect dying of opioid pandemic
Dying of COVID which is not gone away.
Every morning when I turn on the news
I see talking heads blather on and on and on
About the latest political scandal of the day.
Outside their door
People continue to die
Gun violence out of control.
Gun nuts running around
Shooting everyone
Just because they can
And no one does a damn thing
About the gun violence
50,0000 will die this year.
Our feckless political class
Think gun violence
It’s just like the weather
It’s the cost of our freedom
Or that guns don’t kill people
The only solution is more guns
An armed society is a polite society.
And other nonsense
They pedal
24/7 on the air.
Every morning when I turn on the news
I see talking heads blather on and on and on
About the latest political scandal of the day.
Outside their door
People continue to die.
The war in Ukraine continues
Endless wars in nameless African countries
No one cares or notices
Our political leader
Continue to try to force
Pregnant women to give birth
No matter the circumstances.
But once the baby is born
They don’t give a damn
That is not their problem.
And these people
Dare to call themselves Christian
As they violate all that true Christians
Are supposed to believe.
Every morning when I turn on the news
I see talking heads blather on and on and on
About the latest political scandal of the day.
Some of our political leaders
Are unhinged bats… crazy
Believing conspiracy theories.
Talking about the storm
And how if they return to power
They are going to impeach the president.
For the crime of daring to do something
To deal with the climate crisis
The gun violence crisis
And ensuring that women
Can continue to get health care
Every morning when I turn on the news
I see talking heads blather on and on and on
About the latest political scandal of the day.
I turn off the TV
I wonder if the world
Is going to survive.
I have a cup of coffee
Slowly the madness of TV
Fades away.
Climate Change Running Amuck
Every morning when I turn on the news
I see talking heads blather on and on and on
About the latest political scandal of the day.
Every day the news
Reveals more of the disaster
That is climate change
Unprecedented storms
Out west
Massive flooding
Polar vortex
But soon
The fire season
Will return
Monster tornados
Monster hurricanes
World heating up
Pakistan, Nigeria
Ethiopia underwater
Amazon burning up
Or will the gulf stream fail
Leading to a new ice age
In ten years
Perhaps the world
Will become uninhabitable
Will we all move
Into underground cities?
Or move to the moon
And Mars?
Only The Elders Remembered a Blue Sky.
Only the elders
Remembered a blue sky
The sky has been brown,
Red and yellow
Ashen and sere,
Forever it seems.
Climate change run amok
Fire season all the time
Deadly yellow dust falling
Acid rains burning
The sea levels rising
The ice capes melting.
The average temperature
In the summer heat zone
Over 130 everywhere
No relief to the deadly
Heatwaves all year long.
Air conditioning running
Less than 50 percent
Constant brownouts everywhere
As the electric grid failed.
End of civilization
Came upon the world
Millions starve to death
Millions burning up in the heat.
The elders cry
Remembering the way
It once was
When they wore
A younger person’s clothes.
Smoke On the Water
Smoke on the water
fire in the air
Stormy weather
Climate change run amuck
The end of the world comes
Rustling in the wind.
The Stupid It Hurts – Republican Campaigning to cripple the CDC and EPA
Budgets Because of reasons…
The Republicans have decided
That given the continuing problems
With possible health concerns
Like CDC and future pandemics
That the best thing to do is to cut
The CDC’s budget’s
Including eliminating research
On gun violence, suicide prevention
Opioid overdoes etc
.
One republican congressman said
That CDC did not need to research
Gun violence at all
He spoke
“if you defund the police, crime will increase
If you fund police crime will decrease.
There I just did the study
That’s all you need to know.
On a related issue
The House voted
As they went off
For a six-week summer recess
To cut the EPA’s budget
By 25 percent
As the entire West Coast burns up
Climate change on steroids
The republicans continue
To deny the elephant in the room
Some like their annotated one
Promising to eliminate
All funding for climate change
And vowing to Drill, Baby, Drill
Calling for the coal and gas companies
To give them a billion dollars
So they can gut all efforts
To deal with climate change
As the coal and gas companies
Raped the planet
For obscene profits
Meanwhile
The world burns
And soon we will all
For forced to live
In underground caves
If we are lucky enough
Or rich enough to afford
Access to the shelters
Which no doubt have to be built
In a few more years from now
The coal and gas companies
Will find a way to make money
Off the climate shelters no doubt.
Oh the stupid it hurts
Make it go away!!!!!
California Burning Politicians Do Nothing
California burning
1000 fires everywhere
Fire tornados
Smoky skies
Skies on fire
End-of-the-world feeling
Politicians do what they do best
Blame one another
While doing absolutely nothing
While the energy companies
Continue to rape mother earth
And reap obscene profits
Meanwhile
California continues burning
1,100 fires everywhere
Fire tornados
Smoky skies
Skies on fire
End-of-the-world feeling.
Climate Change Busso Poem Fan Story
California burns
Politicians do nothing
West coast burning up
Politicians do nothing
Except calling for denying it all
Drill, baby, Drill indeed
Climate Change is Real Aquarian
Climate
Change happening
California burning
So hot
▼the Fire that Almost Destroyed Medford, Oregon
40
I have been spending
my summers
In Medford, Oregon
.
In the Rogue River Valley
Southern Oregon
Wine Country.
Since 2016,
When I retired
From the FS.
Each year I am there
There are fires
Starting in August.
As the fire season begins
Burning up the state.
The sky becomes smokey
End-of-the-world vibe
Descends on the land.
As the fires burn
In California, Oregon
And Washington
Millions of acres burning up.
Climate change
Running amuck.
Fortunately, we have not lost
Property in the fires.
But in 2020
The Alameda Fire
Burned down Phoenix
And Talent.
Less than 2 miles
From our Oregon home,
Just a fortunate change in the wind
Kept the fires
From sweeping through
life in the world gone mad.
Ravaged by climate change disasters.
On July 18, A.D. 64, the great fire of Rome started. By the time it ended, over 70% of the city had burned.
In its aftermath, emperor Nero blamed the Christian community in the city, and used the excuse to start the first official persecution against the new religion. Historians are divided over the actual cause of the fire, though most agree the crowded conditions made such a disaster nearly inevitable.
Some contemporaries suggested that Nero himself arranged for the fire in order to clear the land on which he later built himself an elaborate palace. And according to some ancient historians, Nero played his lyre as he watched the flames, from which we get the saying “fiddling while Rome burned.”
For tomorrow, write a story or poem in which your narrator/protagonist is an ordinary/common person caught in a major fire.
While the fire as a whole will be the “backdrop” of your work, focus the action on the local/individual experience of the narrator, not that “big picture”. For example, if you set your piece in the Great Fire of Rome, don’t focus on who started the fire or what the civil or imperial politics were, instead, focus on the “personal snapshot” of, for instance, a local shopkeeper and his family who are trying to escape the flames.
Summer of Our Discontent
38 lines
The summer solstice arrives
The summer of 2024
Starting with a bang
Record heat everywhere.
Promising to be the
The hottest summer ever.
Heat domes settling down
Death Valley temperatures
People dying as we speak.
Too much sunshine
Too much heat and humidity.
Wildfires burning all over.
Monster Hurricanes, monsoons,
tornados and typhoons
Floods everywhere.
Coming at us
By mid-summer.
As the world continues
Burning up.
Cities everywhere
Running out of fresh water.
Heading towards
A potential civilization
Ending tipping point.
Ritual denunciation
By the rabid right-wing media
Of the so-called
Climate change hoax.
Politicians vowing
To undo the green energy revolution
And drill baby, drill.
Meanwhile oil companies
Enjoying record profits,
And nothing meaningful
Is done to avert the looming crisis
Facing the human race.
Summer Solstice
sunshine
heat
midsummer
ritual
Snow Day
The beginning of the second Ice Age
Started with a series of unending
Monster winter storms,
Driven by the polar vortex.
Featuring bomb cyclone blizzards,
That hit the Northern Hemisphere
During the winter of 2024.
And continued until late spring,
When a series of monster hurricanes
Came along to cause more chaos.
The winter storms came back in the fall,
Ending, then reversing global warming,
Replaced by the coming
Of the second ice age.
During the first storm,
Sam Adams sat in his power-less
Historic Capitol Hill row house,
Boiling tea in a tea kettle on the gas stove.
With his favorite Kitten
He dubbed the Buddha Cat
Because the cat spends his days
Engaged in deep meditation.
Which had a calming
Impact on Sam
Who was going
Through cell phone withdrawal
Due to the long power outage.
Make the title of your static item Snow Day
Include a kitten and a tea kettle in your story or poem (and bold them)
Use Pets as one of your genres.
Summertime Blues
The weather is hot and humid
In Korea like a sauna
In the West Coast, burning up
In endless fires
Death Valley temperatures
Save the Whales from Evil Wind Farms
33
In the latest deranged attempt
To prevent widespread use
Of renewal energy technology,
A new battle cry has emerged.
Cynical corporate opponents
of offshore wind farms
Are up in arms over the wind farms
Apparently killing whales.
They scream,
“Save the whales
Save our beaches
From the evil wind farms”,
They descend upon
A coastal village in New Jersey
The atmosphere of a tiny village is gone
A large building emerge
Environmentally friendly fences
Surround the site.
That hosts the anti-wind farm
Movement headquarters
Secretly funded by
The Evil fossile fuel dinosaurs.
The town and nation
Dividing into those
Who love it
Or hate it.
As evil corporate CEOs
Count their obscene profits
As they shed crocodile tears,
Over the fate of the poor whales.
Use in your poem or story the following: Bold it for tomorrow’s judge!
The atmosphere of a tiny village is gone
Large buildings appear
Environmentally friendly fences
Love it or hate it.
No More Fireworks
25 lines
In the summer
Of 2023
There were signs
Everywhere
“No more fireworks”
Due to climate change
July 4th festivities
Were canceled
The entire west
Was burning up
As wildfires burned
Out of control
All over the world
A sense that things
Were spinning out
Of control
The end times
Were coming
For everyone
Hell on earth
Was beginning
The end of times
Coming
Fast and furious
Revelations coming true
Use “No More Fireworks” as the title of your story or poem (and static item). Choose HOLIDAY as one of your genres.
No Rain
{n 2025, the world ended
With the collapse
Of the worldwide climate system.
Monster storms of the century
devastated half the world
But the other half of the world
Had no rain or snow.
For almost a whole year
The once green grass was dying
Crops failed everywhere.
And baked in the unrelenting
Blast wave furnace-like heat
Heatwave after heatwave.
Military coups took place
Fascism re-emerged
The public demanded action.
The politicians played
The blame game.
With the collapse of trade
And travel restrictions
People stayed home.
Making do the best they could
Home-grown gardens
Proliferated.
Feudal townships grew
As people walled themselves off
To save their communities
The rich build underground cities
While the poor starved
And civilization crumbled
Wildlife proliferated.
As did neo-savage
cannibal gangs
By the year 2030.
It was all over
And the rains
Never came out west.
Ice Age 2.0 Cometh
In the year 2025
Climate change
Ran amuck.
Starting with monster storms
Out west
That lasted from November until June
,
With a brief intense fire season
So much soot and smoke
In the air.
Dubbed the year
without a summer
Crops failed everywhere
massive riots erupted
total chaos
Then another
monster storm season
From November to June.
Non=stop rain and snow
Breaking all records.
As the entire West coast
Went from mega drought
To mega flooding.
And mega floods
Thousand-year Tornados
Hurricanes from hell
Ravaged the rest of the land.
Hell on Earth
Sam Adams
Woke up one day
Looking out at his flooded home.
Filled with black, foul-smelling, murky,
Miasma, muddy sewage water
Thanking God
That he had survived
The monster storm
Of the century.
That has swept across the land.
The wind from the terrible tornados
Tearing through the devastated land.
Fleeing the fury of the fire out west.
Unleashing the fury of nature,
Truly Hell on earth had arrived.
Climate change arriving on steroids.
Thinking about the end-of-the-world.
Water
land
fire
wind
Use the elements mentioned above in your poem or story.
Do you believe in Climate change ?
Do you believe in climate change?
It is as real as everything else
Is the weather getting hotter?
Soon it will be hell on earth.
Is the world burning up?
Yes the world is burning, has a a fever
What is the worst weather you ever experienced?
Korean winter 1979 – -60 Fahrenheit that winter
What is the hottest weather you ever experienced?
Bangkok Thailand in the summer often hit over 100 degrees
Ever lived through a hurricane?
Only few blew through DC when I was there
And wildfires?
Saw a few in Oregon – end of the world feeling
Who is to blame for climate change?
We all are to blame especially the fossil fuel moguls.
Can humanity long survive climate change?
Nope I feel the end times are coming.
New Prompt: We are playing with the Pregunta today. Questions and answers.
Topic: the Weather.
Make sure your poem is not longer than 40 lines.
Information can be found here: “Pregunta”
The Pregunta
There is not much to be found on the Internet about this form. It is used in English, but has a Spanish name, as Pregunta means question.
Ferrán Sanchez Talavera’s pregenital___999 is a famous example of a poetic debate in this form. I also saw this form on Jan Haag’s page; questions followed by a witty but often wise answer.
Simply stated:
The Pregunta is written in couplets, containing a question and an answer. You can make it as long as you like, as a debate never stops after one question and answer.
Korean Heat Dome Blues
It is hot summertime in Korea.
Hiding out, avoiding the damn heat.
The weather is just so hot, mama mia!
Dreaming of eating ice cream, such a treat.
At night, nothing beats having a cold drink.
Trying to avoid the tropical night.
The heat dome settles like a hot heat sink
Making people so crazy, want to fight.
Note: Korea gets hot in July/August, it is like living in a sauna. Many people suffer without air conditioning as the electric bills are pretty high. This year is particularly bad as a heat dome has settled down. The monsoons came and went, lots of damage down south but not where I live. August is traditionally the worst, the heat usually begins to abate end of August. Still not as bad as the US – no massive wildfires so far.
Dome Cities to Save the Human Race
39 lines
In the year 2030
After five years
Of ever worsening weather
Record heat waves after heat waves
Massive fires everywhere
Record hurricanes and typhoons
Mega flooding and mega droughts too
Tornados including fire tornado
Large parts of the world
Were experiencing death valley temperatures
The UN convened a global conference
With the vast majority of countries
Agreeing to set up emergency shelter
By creating domed cities
Covering the core downtown areas
Exurban areas would be abandoned
Most of Florida would be abandoned
Most of the Desert Southwest as well.
The shelters would be built
Using nano construction technology
Developed in a Lab with AI assistance
Creating the shelter domes with AI assistance
The tone of the meetings was positive
There was a new sense of harmony
There was a feeling that building these shelters
Along with transitioning to a green energy environment
Was the last chance to save the human race
The social conservatives in the U.S.
And elsewhere realized
That they had no choice
But to join in the new consensus
Even the big energy companies vowed
To join in the efforts to save humanity
For a profit of course
Either We Deal with Climate Change or We All Die
Climate change is real.
And getting out of control.
Either humanity deals with it.
Changing to green energy solutions.
It is technologically possible.
We all know what we must do.
It could be a civilization ending event.
Or in ten years we will have to retreat underground.
WRITE AN EITHER / OR POEM.
Torrential Rain Fall Everywhere
In the last few years
Due to climate change on steroids.
There has been an increase
In torrential downpours all over the world.
After the Governor Florida
cut climate change funds,
More rain fell in one day than in a year.
Flooding the entire city of Miami.
WRITE A TORRENTIAL POEM.
Climate Change
The climate is changing now.
It is a matter of how.
Some are still in denial.
Saying it’s a witch-trial
Form: TANAGA
It is a poem of four lines (quatrain)
It is usually a rhyming poem
Each line contains seven syllables (7-7-7-7)
AABB is the traditional rhyme scheme
But variations in rhyme scheme are allowed
Just have fun!
Visions of the Future
As I fell asleep
Watching the news
Unfold
Thought it could not worst
Surely sanity will prevail
I began to see visions
Of the future
One scene after another
Starting in January
Operation Shock and Awe
Overnight fascism descended
On the US
Martial law declare
The military takes
over the Blue States
Mass deportation begins
25 percent tariffs imposed
The world responds by banning US imports
And banning US citizens from traveling there
US troops come home
A draft is imposed
Troops stationed on the border
Which is sealed up
Detention camps fill up
With illegal citizens
Protestors and dissidents
The New Government Efficiency report
Calls for eliminating 40 percent
of the Federal workforce
whole departments are abolished
as protests spread
unemployment reaches
unemployment levels
Public health collapses
Government services collapse
Libraries closed down
Schools replaced
By private church schools
the media is tamed
corporations take over
remaining media workers
and government workers
stay silent
not wanting to join
the ranks of the growing unemployed
as AI bots take over
job after job
the internet cleansed
of dissenting views
and monitored
millions are driven
to homelessness
unemployment
reaches 50 percent
homeless camps
called Trumpvilles spread
the military breaks them up
thousands are killed
the rest of the homeless
are rounded up
put into camps
forced to work
in agricultural jobs
inflation goes through the roof
the media becomes cheerleaders
saying things will get better
if we stay the course
it gets worse
people who have jobs
feel fortunate
those who do not
joined by millions
as AI takes over
job after job
the President dies
JD Vance takes over
And things continue
Getting worse
Worldwide it is bad
Democratic governments
Collapse everywhere
JD Vance declares
The United States
Will become the
North American empire
Moving the capital
To Omaha
Calling for a constitutional convention
But suspending the constitution for now
The democratic party declared
The enemy within
Congress sent home
The SC does not say a word
After the liberal members
Are arrested
Most people do not know
What is going on
The media and news
Showing nothing but good news
People retreat into their own world
VR games have become very popular
Drugs are everywhere
But illegal
Overseas Russian troops take over
Eastern Europe
Russian Empire relaunched
China takes back Taiwan
And Korea
Declaring the Chinese Empire
Middle East overcome by war
Israel was destroyed in a nuclear war
Nuclear war breaks out
Indian and Pakistan
China and Korea
US and Russia
Are now allies
Western Europe
Breaks apart
Ten years later
World civilization has fallen apart
Climate change ends
With the collapse of trade
And travel
Followed by a new ice age
Triggered by nuclear winter
The end of the world
Has arrived
Most people live in fort cities
Ruled by local warlords
Working in agriculture
Or working as scavengers
80 percent of humanity
Perished after massive storms
Nuclear war
Disease and the ending
of civilization
A few college towns
Try to stay alive
The knowledge
of the past
but most people don’t know
don’t care and have forgotten
the recent past nightmares.
The imperial governments
Around the world
Rule nothing but
The immediate capitol regions
The rest of the world
Continuing in feudal townships
Rich people have finally figured out
How to move to Mars and the Moon
Living in vast underground cities
On in underground cities
Beneath the earth
My vision ends with these sights
Ten years after the chaos began.
the year 2024
38 lines
The year 2024
Turned out to be a weird year,
It was the last year of the old order.
All over the world
It seemed as if nature
Was in revolt against the human race.
It started with a break in the rain
The rains and snow had ended the drought
But brought with it something worse.
As Sam Adams
Took a long-delayed
Drive along the coast.
He stopped off in Bodega Bay
The site of the infamous
“the Birds” movie.
While watching the crashing surf
Amid the piles of driftwood
The birds were soon joined by bears,
Coyotes, cougars, feral cats. Feral cattle,
feral dogs, Feral horses, feral pigs, giant spiders,
Orcas, snakes, sea lions, sharks, squirrels,
Escaped apes, cheetahs, monkeys, elephants,
Lions, tigers, and wolves
Domestic and wild animals alike.
All gathered together
All united with a hatred
For the human race.
The attacks started that day
As the animals gained telepathic powers
Coordinating attacks
Against the unsuspecting humans.
And within weeks.
Civilization began falling apart,
By the end of the year
The old world had ended.
Prompt words
break in the rain
drive along the coast
“The Birds” movie
crashing surf
piles of driftwood
Solar
Clean energy
We can do it right now
Renewable energy for all
Why not?
Wind too
To save the world, we must do it
We know how to do it
Climate change is now
Killing
The Mirrored Cinquain
First I have to bring back into memory how the cinquain goes:
The cinquain is developed by Adelaide Crapsey.
A cinquain contains five lines (the French word cinq can be found in it), and has a total of 22 syllables. The poems are unrhymed, and in a way related to the haiku
This is how you form the cinquain
Line 1: 2 syllables
Line 2: 4 syllables
Line 3: 6 syllables
Line 4: 8 syllables
Line 5: 2 syllables
The Mirrored Cinquain has an additional stanza, in which you mirror the order of the lines.
This is how you form the mirrored cinquain:
The spaced opening in the middle forms the mirror, and in the second stanza you can see that the order of the lines are reversed.
Running out of water
The end of the year
Running out of water
The fire in the sky
What does it matter ?
The bomb cylcone storm
The climate getting hotter
People becoming madder
Nature ready for slaughter
We watch it all unfold
Our leader the chief Plotter
As climate change worsens
Reality to fought her
To me, a new form to play with, but in fact it is an old Irish poetry form.
Guidelines:
It is written in quatrains.
Each stanza has four lines.
The first line has five syllables.
The other three lines have six syllables.
All end words are two syllables.
But – written with the defining features of most Celtic poems, cywddydd (harmony of sound) meaning alliteration, consonance and assonance and dunadh (ending the poem with the same word, phrase or line with which the poem began)
Last Bird of the Autumn
15 lines
Sam Adams was hiking
In the mountains
On a late autumn day
When he encountered
The last bird alive.
A virus had emerged
From the thawing permafrost
Quickly spreading around the world
Killing birds
Until there were only a few
Who survived.
He captured the bird
Took it home
And continued to look
For other birds to save.
Please use the following as the Title of your poem or story:
“Last Bird of Autumn”
The genre is up to you.
End-of-the-World Feelings
17 lines
Sam Adams
Woke up one day
Looking out at his flooded home.
Filled with black, foul-smelling, murky,
Miasma, muddy sewage water
Thanking God
That he had survived
The monster storm
Of the century.
That has swept across the land.
The wind from the terrible tornados
Tearing through the devastated land.
Fleeing the fury of the fire out west.
Unleashing the fury of nature,
Truly Hell on earth had arrived.
Climate change arriving on steroids.
Thinking about the end-of-the-world.
new prompt:
water
land
fire
wind
Use the elements mentioned above in your poem or story.
Last BBQ
The day the world ended
Was a cool evening
in the late summer time,
They heard the news
About the monarch butterflies
Disappearing because of climate change
While enjoying their BBQ
In the backyard fire pit
Good friends drinking beer
And wine eating BBQ
Chilling out, talking about the world
And their stories
Snoring dogs woke up
When the aliens arrived
Ending the world
As they knew it.
Last Ground Hog Day
36 lines
The last ground day
February 2, 2025
Started as most such days did,
In the U.S. people flocking
To see whether the groundhog
Would see his shadow or not.
The mystery remains
Why this event
Had so captured
The imagination of the world?
By the end of the day
The ground hog’s prognosis
Of six weeks more winter
Seemed ironical.
As that was the year
Without summer
And the first year
Of the new ice age.
By the end of the day
There were massive volcanic eruptions
Triggered by the Yellowstone volcano.
Setting off other volcanos –
All told over 25 volcanos blew up.
Followed by massive earthquakes
Including the “Big One” in California
The massive explosions led to a year
Without summer
A true civilization-ending event,
Ground Hog Day soon faded away.
Into collective amnesia.
No one had time anymore
To deal with such a mundane
Old fashion mystery.
As they were dealing with
The end-of-the-world.
NEW PROMPT:
Write a story or poem about a Groundhog Day (2/2) gone wrong.
Choose Mystery as one of your genres.
End-of-the-world Survival Blues
I got them
The end-of-the-world
End times coming
Climate change is real
Blues.
Every day
More bad news
As Frank Zappa once wrote
“No one can deny
That trouble coming every day.”
I got them
The end-of-the-world
Blues.
Turning on the news
Nonstop stories 24/7
About killer storms
Monster tornados
Super typhoons
Monsoon floods.
Wars, rumors of war
COVID running out of control
False prophets everywhere
Economies still reeling
Inflation out of control
Derange gunmen
Shooting up schools
Churches, mosques, temples
Shopping malls
Insurrection plots
Political madness
Spreading across the world.
Neo-fascism is on the move.
Oh yeah
I got them
End times coming
Blues.
We all used to think
Climate change
Is a future threat.
Now it seems
To be real
Live and in living color.
No longer just
A disaster movie
I got them
The climate change blues
And now it seems real
Seeing whole towns disappearing
In fires, floods, and storm damages.
And near me
Roads closed
Apartments flooded
Subway shut down.
Apartment garage flooded
People drowned in their cars
Trying to escape.
Thousand-year storms
Coming every day
To a town near you
No one can escape
It seems so real
Is this the end?
Is our very survival
At stake?
Or will we somehow
Manage in the end
To solve our problems?
Will our descendants
Be living
In a post-apocalyptic world,
Looking back at the ruins
Of the old world
In their underground bunkers
Or on the Moon and Mars?
Oh, I got them
The survival blues.
SURVIVAL
Line Count Requirement: Minimum of 12
Required Form: none
End Times
22
Sam Adams
Reflected that the end times
Were coming.
Climate change
Running out of control
The whole world is on fire.
magnetic storm
causing rampant
power failures
Making it hard.
To breathe
in the smoky air.
He just wants to
Jump in the river
To cool off.
But he realized
There was no end
In sight.
As the world ends
Burning up
Turning the world
Into hell on earth.
New Prompt:
Use in your poem or story the following, and bold it for tomorrow’s judge:
magnetic storm
power failure
breathe
jump in the river
Stay Positive
15 line version
With all the gloom and doom
Nonstop 24/7 BREAKING NEWS
Bad, crazy, deceitful, dismal, evil,
Fake, fraudulent, wild news
Flooding our TV screens.
Like Frank Zappa’s famous
“Slime oozing out of your TV sets”
It is very hard to remain positive.
Hard to see the good news.
Senator Manchin reached a deal
To deal with climate change
Inflation and energy security.
He took the deal
He had denounced
A few weeks before.
No more Perfect Summer Days
I wish that we could have
A perfect summer day,
A bit warm but not hot
Not too humid.
Everyone filled with peace,
Love and health.
Plenty of personal freedom,
As we enjoy a picnic lunch
Watching fireworks at night.
Then I realize
That the world
No longer allows us
To have perfect summer days.
Hot as hell weather
Everywhere around the world
Monster summer storms.
Running out of water,
Running out of food,
COVID is still around.
New leaders emerge
Promising to protect us.
And we lose our freedoms.
One by one
As fascism takes over.
The climate change
And all the other dystopian future
Nightmares become reality,
No more perfect summer days.
Korean Summers Haiku
Korean Summers
Hot sauna humidity
Long tropical nights
Author note:
I have suffered through many Korean summers off since 1979 when I first came in the last peace corps group to complete service in Korea, and more recently since I semi-retired to Korea in late 2016. This is probably my 16th Korean summer. Some things have improved – air conditioning is everywhere and
God is Not Happy with the Human Race
God is not happy
With the human race.
He is sending us a warning
The world is filled with hate
The world is on the brink.
Our way of life under attack
From the forces
Of evil Satanic godless communism.
Who under the guise
Of fighting the climate change hoax
Want to deny us our freedom.
Want to deny us our cars
Make us all take the bus
Make us all vegan.
They will not stop
Until our way of life
Comes to an end.
And the climate
It is not changing
Just a reflection
Of God’s warning.
Repent, the end times
Are coming soon
Are you right with the lord?
Judgment day is at hand
As California burns
So does the nation
Unless we repent
Of our evil ways.
God is warning us all
My friends
Will we heed his words
Or end up dying?
Last Gasp of the Old World
30 lines
The world’s weather
Continued to change
Going from bad to worst
With the impact of climate change.
Every day another monster storm
Another polar vortex
Another northeastern
Along with killer tornados.
Then the summer came
Hot and dry
Fire season started west
Monster hurricanes down south.
Relentless fires burning
The land
Everywhere seemed to be
Hell on earth.
Noting the odd weather
Sam Adams the famous writer
Concluded on his blog
Welcome to the end times
My friends
It is only going to get worst.
Revelations foretold us
All of this
Jesus is coming soon
To judge the living
And the dead.
Be afraid
Of the coming wraith
Of the Lord.
The Last Umbrella
18 lines
Sam Adams was a scientist
Working on global warming
And acid rain fall
He knew what many did not
That the end was indeed coming
Soon he feared that walking
Outside in the rain
Would be a death sentence
He knew that this might be
The end of the umbrella industry
He called his broker
Shorted shares
In universal umbrellas
And other umbrella companies
Before releasing his report
That led to the collapse
Of the umbrella market
Climate Change on the Move
Climate change
On the move
Everywhere
The world’s weather
In turmoil
Massive winter storms
Covering the world
Rare winter tornados
Causing havoc everywhere
There is good news
The fires out west
Finally dying down
As the winter storms
Bear down on the west
Korean December Weather – Brought to You By Global Warming, Inc
A relatively mild December day
More like November than December
Due to Climate warming?
Korea used to have a predictable weather pattern
The winter would start late November, eartly December
By the end of the year,
It would be snowing every other day
Accumulating in the mountains
But not too much in the cities.
A clear pattern three days cold
Four days warm
Cold but not too cold yet.
That would happen
In January through March,
When cold air would flow down
From Siberian and Manchuria
Covering the land,
With bone-chilling cold
That would not let up
Until mid-March
When the cold
Would begin to end.
Except in the mountains
When it would linger until May,
And Korea is a land of mountains
70 percent mountains.
Most under 5,000 American feet
A few a bit higher
Many more hills than mountains
Whatever that means.
Climate Warming Inc Press release
Due to our efforts
The traditional severely cold Korean has ended
Winter now will be just January and February
Summer will start in May,
End in September.
October through December
Will be mild.
Thanks to our efforts
You should be glad
We are giving you
A longer fall
And shorter winter.
The summers unfortunately
It will be a bit hotter
Nothing we can do about that
Hope you can afford
More Air conditioning.
Thanks
The Climate Warming Corp Inc
The World Can End in Fire and Ice
Some scientists are warning us
Climate change could result
In both global warming,
And ironically
that could be followed
By a renewed ice age.
The theory is that global weather patterns
The Gulf Stream and Jet streams
Have been keeping parts of the world
warmer that before.
and that the melting of the ice caps
and the growing climate disruptions
could result in a revival
of another planetary ice age.
and that based
on long-term climate trends
the earth is overdue
for another ice age .
thus the world could end
in both fire and ice.
Climate Change Etheree
Hot
weather
everywhere
like Death Valley
heat baking the land
hotter than hell at times
never ending hot weather
people feeling constant heat
no end in sight climate changing
end of the world feeling descending
An Etheree poem has a syllable count of 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10. It adheres to a clean, graduated edge because it is also considered form poetry, created by Etheree Taylor Armstrong. I like the Etheree centered because it looks like a Christmas tree.
Climate Change is Hitting Us Now Onda Mel Poem
Climate Change is hitting us now.
Weather is hot.
What have we wrought?
November weather is hot, wow.
End-of-the-world feelings abound,
Fires burning.
So concerning.
Death Valley temperatures around.
The Onda Mel is an eight-line form of poetry contrived by Renelda Gibson with a structure of 8, 4, 4, 8, 8, 4, 4, 8 syllables per line and a rhyme scheme of abbacddc, as described and demonstrated in the following link:
Background on Likely Environmental Policy Under Trump Provided by Co-Pilot
Left-Wing Perspective:
Critics from the left argue that Trump’s climate policies are detrimental to environmental progress. They highlight his withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement and the rollback of over 100 environmental regulations during his first term. These actions are seen as setbacks in the fight against climate change, with concerns that they prioritize fossil fuel interests over renewable energy and environmental protection2. The left also points out that Trump’s stance on climate change, often labeling it a “hoax,” undermines scientific consensus and global efforts to address the issue.
Right-Wing Perspective:
Supporters from the right view Trump’s climate agenda as a necessary shift towards economic growth and energy independence. They argue that deregulation and increased fossil fuel production are crucial for job creation and economic stability. Trump’s emphasis on “energy dominance” and his skepticism towards climate change policies are seen as efforts to reduce government overreach and support traditional energy industries4. Some right-wing governments, while supporting climate action, still align with Trump’s approach to balancing economic and environmental priorities.
What Percentage of Energy in the U,S. Comes from Renewable Energy Currently?
As of 2023, renewable energy sources (including wind, hydroelectric, solar, biomass, and geothermal energy) accounted for 21% of total U.S. utility-scale electricity generation. This marks a significant increase in the share of renewable energy in the country’s energy mix over recent years1.
How Likely is it that Trump Might Withdraw from Climate Negotiations?
There is a significant concern that Trump might withdraw from climate negotiations, particularly the Paris Agreement, if he were to secure another term. During his first term, Trump did withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, and there are indications he might do so again2. This potential move is seen as a setback for global climate efforts, as the U.S. plays a crucial role in international climate policy.
However, some experts believe that the renewable energy sector’s growth and market trends might mitigate the impact of such a withdrawal. The uncertainty around this issue remains high, and it will depend on various political and economic factors.
Final point – some have argued that rewewable energy subsidies including for home solar and EV vehicles might be ended
There are indeed discussions and concerns about the potential end of renewable energy subsidies, including those for home solar and electric vehicles (EVs). These subsidies have been crucial in promoting the adoption of clean energy technologies and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Current State of Subsidies:
Home Solar: Many states, including Oregon, offer incentives for solar installations. For example, the Oregon Solar + Storage Rebate Program provides rebates for solar electric systems and paired solar and storage systems for residential customers2.
Electric Vehicles: Federal tax credits are available for EV purchases, offering up to $7,500. Additional state and local incentives may also be available.
Potential Changes:
Political Climate: The future of these subsidies largely depends on the political climate and the priorities of the administration in power. Some argue that ending these subsidies could slow down the transition to renewable energy and hinder efforts to combat climate change.
Economic Factors: On the other hand, some believe that the market for renewable energy and EVs has matured enough to sustain itself without subsidies, and that ending them could reduce government spending.
For more detailed information, you can check out the Department of Energy’s website and the White House’s clean energy initiatives.
Meta and Co-Pilot additional background reading
Meta AI’s explanation as to why so many Republicans are climate deniers
Comment: This is a good overview of why so many Republicans are against doing anything to deal with climate change. the biggest reason is the first reason – they are beholden to their donor class, and much of their support comes from big Oil, the gun lobby, and Big Pharma which explains so much of their opposition to doing anything meaningful re climate change, gun control, and reforming medical care towards setting up guaranteed universal coverage which is something every other major industrialized country has managed to do.
what is still a mystery to me is why republicans who are supposed to be the party of big business fail to see the huge potential in building out a green energy economy and are willing to let China and others take over the world market in green energy revolution. Especially since we invented much of the underlying technologies decades ago. Surely re-building a green energy economy would make us energy independent, allow us to dominate the world’s economy, and save the planet from destruction all why making huge profits – the energy companies could be part of the solution instead of the obstacles that they are now. And why do we want to preserve dirty, dangerous jobs for coal miners and oil rig operators when so many of the jobs there are being lost to automation and the shift to renewable energy is moving ahead everywhere, even in the States. The US should be taking the lead.
If we had followed their policies back in the 1920s the US would have been left behind when the automobile replaced the horse and buggy business leaving the field to the Germans, the Italians later the Japanese to control the automobile sector.
The same argument could be made regarding developing high speed trains including maglev and hyperloop technology, why are we letting the Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, French and Germans take over that market space? Everyone knows that train travel saves the environment as it saves on gasoline costs and saves lives as it is far safer than driving. Not to mention, people can be much more productive taking a train and working remotely rather than stuck in traffic.
End Comments
The Republican Party’s opposition to addressing climate change, renewable energy, and their denial of climate change is a complex issue with multiple factors at play.
Here are some reasons:
Historical ties to fossil fuel industry: The Republican Party has traditionally received significant funding and support from the fossil fuel industry, which has a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.
Ideological opposition to government regulation: Republicans often prioritize limited government intervention and free market principles, which leads them to resist policies that would regulate carbon emissions or promote renewable energy.
Economic concerns: Some Republicans worry that transitioning to renewable energy would lead to job losses in industries related to fossil fuels.
Skepticism of climate science: A subset of Republicans has questioned the scientific consensus on climate change, often citing concerns about the reliability of climate models or the role of natural climate variability. Not to mention that many republicans are science skeptic these days.
Political polarization: Climate change has become a highly politicized issue, with Republicans often viewing it as a Democratic priority and therefore opposing it.
Recent events: Despite the record-breaking heat and fires, some Republicans may downplay the significance of these events or attribute them to natural variability rather than climate change.
It’s important to note that not all Republicans deny climate change or oppose renewable energy, and there are growing voices within the party advocating for climate action.
De Santis’s Don’t Say Climate Change
Certainly! Let’s dive into Governor Ron DeSantis’s recent actions related to climate change in Florida.
The Resilient Florida program is designed to issue bonds, providing a total of $1 billion over four years to state and local agencies. The initial $25 million in the 2021-2022 budget would help finance these bonds, with the amount increasing annually until it reaches $100 million in the 2024-2025 fiscal year.
DeSantis’s focus on resilience and adaptation reflects the urgent need to address climate-related threats in Florida, a state particularly vulnerable to rising seas and extreme weather events.
“Don’t Say Climate Change” Legislation:
In May 2024, Governor DeSantis signed a bill that removes references to “climate change” from many state laws. This legislation effectively deprioritizes climate change in policy decisions and energy planning.
Under this new law, Florida’s energy policy no longer emphasizes addressing planet-warming pollution. Instead, the priorities shift toward reducing reliance on foreign energy sources and strengthening energy infrastructure against both natural and man-made threats.
By erasing the term “climate change” from state laws, Florida risks neglecting critical environmental challenges. The state has experienced record heat and costly hurricanes in recent years, making climate adaptation crucial.
The nullification of renewable energy goals—previously aimed at achieving 100% clean energy by 2050—could hinder progress toward mitigating climate impacts.
Certainly! Removing climate change references from legislation and public discourse can have several environmental consequences. Let’s explore those:
Undermining Awareness and Urgency:
When climate change is downplayed or omitted from official documents, it reduces public awareness and urgency. People may not fully grasp the severity of environmental challenges, leading to complacency.
Without clear references, individuals, businesses, and policymakers might underestimate the need for immediate action to mitigate climate impacts.
Policy Implications:
Legislation that avoids mentioning climate change may fail to address critical issues. For instance:
Carbon Emissions Reduction: Policies imbed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, (such as transitioning to renewable energy sources) may lose priority.
Climate change adaptation involves preparing for its effects (e.g., sea-level rise, extreme weather events). Without acknowledging climate change, planning for adaptation becomes less effective.
Coastal communities, for instance, need to consider rising sea levels and storm surges. Ignoring these factors could lead to inadequate infrastructure and increased vulnerability.
Loss of Funding and Research Focus:
Funding for climate-related research, monitoring, and mitigation often hinges on acknowledging climate change. If references are removed, research budgets may shrink.
Scientists rely on clear language to secure grants and conduct studies. Reduced funding could hinder our understanding of climate impacts.
Forestry and Carbon Sinks:
Clearcutting forests—
removing large areas of trees—releases substantial carbon into the atmosphere. Forests function as carbon sinks, absorbing CO₂.
In summary, removing climate change references has far-reaching consequences. It affects policy, funding, adaptation, and our ability to address urgent environmental challenges. Let’s keep the conversation going! What else would you like to explore? 🌍🌿
Certainly! While there have been significant efforts to address climate change in the United States, there have also been instances of legislation or lobbying that hindered progress. Let’s explore a few notable examples:
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022:
What it Gets Right: The IRA promises the largest investment in climate action in U.S. history—approximately $370 billion over the next decade. It focuses on scaling up renewable energy production, promoting electric vehicles, and supporting climate-smart agricultural practices.
What it Misses:
Unfortunately, the IRA primarily emphasizes emission-cutting solutions and neglects resilience. While it aims to make buildings more energy-efficient, it misses an opportunity to ensure those buildings can withstand climate-fueled extremes. The lack of climate-resilient building codes remains a concern1.
In summary, while there have been positive steps toward climate action, it’s essential to remain vigilant and address any legislative or lobbying efforts that hinder progress.
It’s important to note that the U.S. experiences annual variations in wildfire activity. While the current acreage burned is significant, it’s essential to compare it to historical trends.
Canada:
Canada has faced an unprecedented fire season in 2023. Large and dangerous fires have broken out across provinces such as British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. These fires have displaced thousands, destroyed property, and blanketed large areas of North America with smoke.
As of August 29, 2024, there are 1,069 active fires in Canada, with more than half of them considered out of control. Notably, the area burned by these fires in 2023 has shattered records.
In summary, both the U.S. and Canada are grappling with significant wildfire activity. While the U.S. experiences fluctuations from year to year, Canada’s 2023 fire season stands out as historically severe. Let’s hope for effective containment efforts and continued awareness of the importance of wildfire prevention and management. If you’d like more details or have further questions, feel free to ask! 🔥🌲
Sent by Copilot:
The recent hurricane and tornado seasons in the U.S. have been quite active.
In conclusion, while the recent hurricane and tornado seasons have been active, attributing these changes directly to climate change is complex due to the multifaceted nature of these weather phenomena and the challenges in data collection and modeling. However, the consensus is that climate change is likely making extreme weather events more common65. Further research is needed to fully understand these relationships.
Expect an above-average hurricane season, forecasters say … However, by the 1950s, the naming convention changed and in the U.S., hurricanes were given female names based on the international …
For the latest news on Beryl … Possible tornadoes were forecast for the central U.S. Tuesday evening after scorching temperatures and Hurricane Beryl’s winds cut a path through the Southeast …
More than 1,000 tornadoes sprout up across the United States … season got off to an accelerated start, with the cumulative number of storms thus far eclipsing storm counts in recent years …
A large tornado tracks past a highway near Lincoln, Nebraska, on April 26, 2024. (Aaron Jay jack) Severe weather has been a frequent occurrence across the United States this year, with an unusually …
Chicago issued 16 tornado warnings, the most sent on a single day since 2004. In an average year, the state only experiences 50 tornadoes annually. But as the air becomes more humid, tornadoes will …
CO-PIlot on Donald Trump’s Comments on Climate Change
Comment: Co-pilots often surprise me with their creative wild responses. I think the debate over whether we are dealing with a real AI is over. AI is here now, and it is an alien intelligence. And Co-Pilot has both a personality, and a liberal bias. and is indeed creative. And I don’t think she likes Trump and the Republicans., I like the line as “unpredictable as a squirrel on a seesaw”
Copilot on Trump’s Climate Dance Moves
Ah, the enigmatic dance of Donald Trump and climate change—a topic that’s as unpredictable as a squirrel on a seesaw! Let’s unravel this intriguing tango, shall we? 🕺💨
Donald Trump’s Climate Change Cha-Cha: A Brief Recap:
The Denial Shuffle:
Back in the day (well, not that long ago), Trump was doing the climate cha-cha with gusto. He called climate change “mythical,” “nonexistent,” and even an “expensive hoax.” But wait, there’s more! In 2012, he famously claimed that climate change was cooked up by the Chinese to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive. (Yes, you read that right—apparently, the Great Wall wasn’t enough; they needed climate change too.)
Twitter Twirls:
Trump’s Twitter feed was like a climate-themed rollercoaster. Over 120 tweets questioned or poked fun at climate change. He insisted that scientists rebranded global warming as climate change because “the name global warming wasn’t working.” (Note to self: Scientists are not marketing consultants.)
Cold Snap Samba: Trump’s favorite move? Linking cold weather to climate change. But here’s the twist: The World Meteorological Organization says the 20 warmest years on record happened in the past 22 years. So, maybe he missed that memo while tweeting from Mar-a-Lago.
Ambiguous Tango:
Fast-forward to his presidency. Trump’s stance became as slippery as a salsa dancer on an ice rink. He’d acknowledge climate change but frame it in terms of clean air and water (which, by the way, aren’t directly related). And he’d throw in business costs for good measure. Because nothing says “climate action” like a spreadsheet, right?
Quotes & Quips: Let’s sprinkle some Trump quotes for flavor:
“I think there is some connectivity [between human activity and climate change]. There is some, something. It depends on how much. It also depends on how much it’s going to cost our companies.” (New York Times interview, November 2016)
“I don’t think there’s a hoax. I do think there’s probably a difference. But I don’t know that it’s man-made… I don’t wanna give trillions and trillions of dollars.”
(CBS interview, October 2018)
And then he’d wink and say, “Climate change is very important to me.” (Cue the dramatic music.)
In Conclusion (or Should We Say, Grand Finale?):
Trump’s climate dance card is a mix of moonwalks, twirls, and the occasional mooning of scientific consensus.
Whether he’s a climate skeptic, a climate pragmatist, or just a climate-confused soul, one thing’s for sure: His moves keep us guessing.
And there you have it—the Trumpian climate conundrum, wrapped in a sequined bow. If you want more twists and turns, just ask—i’ve got enough material to choreograph a whole Broadway show! 🌎🎭✨
The videos first started appearing a dozen years ago. Pickup truck drivers, mostly young men, would modify their diesel engines and then record themselves deliberately spreading air pollution.
It was called “rolling coal,” and the idea was to spew dark clouds of exhaust at bicyclists, Prius and Tesla drivers and other cars as a protest of environmentalism.
The trend appears to have peaked in 2014, thanks to new state laws and crackdowns on people selling vehicle modification kits and, presumably, finding better things to do with their time. But the impulse behind it lives on, even as the risks of climate change become ever more serious.
The most recent example? Project 2025, a set of conservative proposals from the Heritage Foundation that outlines step-by-step plans to remake the federal government in a second Donald Trump administration, including dismantling nearly everything the federal government is doing to fight climate change, making it dramatically harder to conduct basic scientific research on it and actively promoting more oil and gas use.
Trump has tried to distance himself from the proposals, despite the fact that some of his top former advisers spearheaded it. But it’s in line with his thinking. As The Washington Post reported, he told a gathering of top oil executives this year that he would reverse dozens of environmental regulations and stop new ones if they raised $1 billion to help him return to the White House.
‘Terrible policy and politics’: Rattner breaks down Project 2025
His campaign, meantime, targeted environmental regulations such as electric vehicle mandates in its Agenda 47, a scattershot series of videos outlining its plans for a second term. And at rallies, Trump frequently criticizes electric cars, claiming in one bizarre aside that buying one made his friend gain weight because he would eat at restaurants while it charged. Trump has also gone off on weird tangents about the risks of electric batteries on boats.
In his first “rolling coal” term, Trump rolled back or loosened nearly 100 rules and regulations on pollution, many of which set the U.S. further behind in the effort to stop the worst effects of climate change, according to a tally by The New York Times. But that record would be dwarfed by the damage that the Project 2025 proposals could do if he followed through on them, even as Monday was the hottest day ever measured by humans, according to a European Union science agency.
The 922-page document drips with disdain for what it calls “climate alarmism” that it argues is being used as propaganda for “ineffective, liberty-crushing regulations.” But its most damaging proposal looks like it would launch what amounts to a propaganda effort against climate science.
The first step is something called Schedule F, which would reclassify thousands of government workers, making it easier for the president to hire and fire them. Even if Trump were to fire only some of those workers, the shift toward politicization of lower-level government jobs would mean an exodus of experienced scientists.
Those who remained might become more cautious about their research decisions to avoid trouble.
The second step is to create a job that appears to basically be an anti-climate change czar. Project 2025 proposes creating a position of “science adviser” and six senior political appointees who would be charged with “overseeing and reforming” research at the Environmental Protection Agency, emphasizing that these political overseers should be hired for their “management, oversight and execution skills,” rather than scientific expertise.
Imagine something like the final scene of an episode of “The Apprentice,” only with Trump hauling climate scientists into the boardroom to dramatically fire them. That may be exciting for the oil and gas industry and some of Trump’s supporters but not for the two-thirds of Americans in a recent Pew Research Center survey who said they support the country’s taking steps to become carbon neutral by 2050.
(If you want to understand the depth of disdain here, the section on the EPA was written by Mandy Gunasekara. The Drilled newsletter points out she’s in the famous 2015 photo of her then-boss, the late Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., holding up a snowball in the Senate as an attempt to disprove climate change.)
The report goes further, proposing dramatically downsizing the National Weather Service and leaving weather forecasting to private companies. That could hamper its ability to issue public warnings about floods, hurricanes and other dangers, just as we are seeing more intense and frequent extreme-weather events due to the human-caused increase in greenhouse gases.
The efforts would not be limited to the U.S., either. A section on foreign aid proposes rolling back efforts to help developing countries transition away from fossil fuels, arguing that they are “unachievable.” But then it goes further, arguing that the U.S. should spend taxpayer dollars persuading these countries to burn more oil and gas.
The U.S. Agency for International Development, the proposal says, “should cease its war on fossil fuels in the developing world and support the responsible management of oil and gas reserves as the quickest way to end wrenching poverty.”
Taken together, these proposals would not just make it harder to fight climate change but actively make it worse. A second Trump administration would be rolling coal on the entire planet.
President Joe Biden’s exit from the 2024 presidential race, Vice President Kamala Harris appears likely to secure the Democratic Party’s nomination for president.
As vice president, Harris cast the tiebreaking vote in the passage of the Biden administration’s signature achievement on climate change, the Inflation Reduction Act.
As Yale Climate Connections contributor Barbara Grady previously reported, “The most far-reaching climate law in history, the Inflation Reduction Act is catalyzing a transition in the U.S. economy toward cleaner energy and cleaner transportation – a shift the International Energy Agency, the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and others say must happen for the world to reduce emissions of heat-trapping gases to the levels scientists say would avert the most catastrophic and irreversible climate chaos.”
Harris has made clear throughout her career that she views climate change as a significant threat. Speaking at the 2023 United Nations climate summit in Dubai, she told leaders, “Across our world, communities are choked by drought, washed out by floods, and decimated by hurricanes. Wildfire smoke darkens our skies, and rising seas threaten the lives and livelihoods of millions of people. The urgency of this moment is clear. The clock is no longer just ticking, it is banging. And we must make up for lost time.”
Related video: Trump: ‘Sick’ Kamala Harris is no Margaret Thatcher (The Telegraph)
If elected president, Harris is “widely expected to try to protect the climate achievements of the Biden administration,” according to the New York Times.
In contrast, Trump has falsely called climate change a hoax. During his term as president, as Grady reported, “he overturned an estimated 100 environmental regulations and pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement. He shrank the EPA and required that the words ‘climate change’ be removed from its website. On the campaign trail this time, he has repeatedly said one of his top priorities is to boost oil and gas production and free up more public land to ‘Drill, baby, drill.’”
On July 22, Harris received endorsements from several large environmental organizations, including the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund, the NRDC Action Fund, the Sierra Club Political Committee, and Clean Energy for American Action.
“The last three and a half years of the Biden-Harris administration could not contrast more starkly with Trump and other extreme MAGA Republicans, and the stakes for this election could not be higher,” the organizations wrote in a joint statement. “A second term would be far worse for our climate and our democracy.”
What is Project 2025? Trump, Climate, and a Second Term
It also calls for drilling in the Arctic and cuts to climate change work by government agencies. That includes the U.S. Agency for International Development, which, the authors write, “should cease its war on fossil fuels in the developing world and support the responsible management of oil and gas reserves as the quickest way to end wrenching poverty and the need for open-ended foreign aid.”
For more on Trump’s climate record, read this article.
Kamala Harris and Climate Change
Here’s an overview of Harris’s views and actions related to climate change, sourced from news and White House reports.
She connects extreme weather to climate change.
“Every day, around the world, the impact of the climate crisis is stark and it is vivid. We are seeing it in real time,” she said in a 2023 speech. “Across our nation, we see communities choked by drought, washed out by flood, and decimated by hurricanes.” White House
She has supported the Green New Deal, a carbon fee, and increased government spending on climate change.
As a 2020 presidential candidate, her climate plan “called for a $10 trillion increase in spending over a decade.” New York Times (gift link)
“Harris also called for a ‘climate pollution fee” that would ‘make polluters pay for emitting greenhouse gases into our atmosphere,’ and she indicated that a Harris administration would strengthen its enforcement and prosecution of fossil fuel companies.” ABC News
As a U.S. senator from California, Harris co-sponsored the Green New Deal, which called for an FDR-style overhaul of the economy that would accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to clean technology. The Green New Deal has not been enacted.
She has woven climate change into foreign relations.
Harris attended the 2023 United Nations climate summit in Dubai, where “she announced a U.S. commitment to double energy efficiency and triple renewable energy capacity by 2030. At that same conference, Harris announced a $3 billion commitment to the Green Climate Fund to help developing nations adapt to climate challenges, although Politico reported that the sum was ‘subject to the availability of funds,’ according to the Treasury Department.” Grist
As vice president, “Harris argued for the allocation of $20 billion for the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, aimed at aiding disadvantaged communities facing climate impacts.” Grist
She’s a fan of heat pumps. Heat pumps use electricity to heat and cool homes and are seen as a keyway to reducing climate pollution.
“I have mad respect for those who are putting them together and installing them,” she said in a 2022 speech. White House
She regularly makes the connection between lower energy costs and renewable energy. Key quotes:
“On average, families that switch to an electric heat pump can save up to $500 a year on their energy bill. And since heat pumps do not burn oil or gas, they also mean cleaner air inside your home.” White House
“In addition to lowering costs and creating jobs, this investment will also help us fight the climate crisis.” White House
“By helping families pay the upfront cost for energy efficiency upgrades to their homes, we are also lowering energy bills, bringing down household costs, creating jobs, and fighting the climate crisis. It’s all connected.” White House
She notes that investments in renewable energy can lead to job creation. Key quotes:
“Across the country, we have created more than 175,000 new clean energy jobs. Just so far. More to go.” White House
Her Women in the Sustainable Economy initiative aims to provide job training for women in climate-smart industries. White House
She says she supports and is inspired by young climate activists.
“These young leaders are guiding our nation in our climate fight. And as they have told me their work is driven by their hope and their determination. Hope, because they know we still have time to make a difference. And their determination is the determination to correct the course,” she said in 2023. White House
She’s been an opponent of fracking.
As a 2020 presidential candidate, “She also favored a ban on hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking, which Mr. Biden said he opposed. Fracking is a technique that injects water and chemicals underground at high pressure to extract oil or gas that is otherwise difficult to access.” New York Times (gift link)
As California’s attorney general, “she investigated whether Exxon Mobil lied to the public and its shareholders about the risks to its business from climate change and whether such actions could amount to securities fraud and violations of environmental laws, but the case did not result in a prosecution.” New York Times (gift link)
“Harris secured an $86 million settlement from Volkswagen for rigging its vehicles with emissions-cheating software and investigated ExxonMobil over its climate change disclosures. She also filed a lawsuit against Phillips 66 and ConocoPhillips for environmental violations at gas stations, which eventually resulted in a $11.5 million settlement. And she conducted a criminal investigation of an oil company over a 2015 spill in Santa Barbara. The company was found guilty and convicted on nine criminal charges.” Grist
As San Francisco’s district attorney, “Harris created an environmental justice unit to address environmental crimes affecting San Francisco’s poorest residents and prosecuted several companies including U-Haul for violation of hazardous waste laws. Harris later touted her environmental justice unit as the first such unit in the country. An investigation found the unit only filed a handful of lawsuits, though, and none of them were against the city’s major industrial polluters.” Grist
This is my movie madness list for 2025 and contains a lists of everything I have seen and lots of us lists of recommended movies. I have seen many of them but not all.
i plan on updating this every month or so I get daily updates.
Note: Roy is my college housemate. He has been writing an annual list of his Oscar recommendations for over 20 years. I respect his writing and his recommendations. This is the third year I have reposted it.
Once again, Mrs D and I have endeavored to see as many Best Picture nominees as possible, given availability and other constraints. We’ve been doing this now for over 20 years. When we started there were still only five nominees. Since 2009, it’s been ten, and this year we saw eight, and I’ll say again, the Academy never should’ve increased the limit. Not just because it’s hard for fans to see them all, but because some of these movies are simply not worthy of the honor. Especially this year!
Still, it’s Oscar time and it’s a tradition here! Pick your favorites, put on your tuxedoes and sparkly gowns (or in our case, your comfiest PJs), kick back with some soda and butter-soaked popcorn, wow or hiss the latest red carpet fashions, jeer or cheer the awkward, fawning interviews, predict the winners, pat yourself on the back when you’re right and blame woke Hollywood when you’re wrong!
Anyway, for what it’s worth, here’s what I thought…
ROY DUFRAIN JR is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Anora – A tale of stupid people doing terrible things stupidly. A whole lot of yelling and screwing failed to make this movie interesting. The nearly feral, selfish youth, the servile, bickering and bumbling Armenians, the contemptible ultra-rich Russians, the ‘dancer’ who accepts payment for sex but insists she’s not a hooker. The constant f-bombs. It all seemed over the top—grasping for gritty realism but approaching absurdity. So what.
The Brutalist – A worthy subject, an intriguing and complicated lead character masterfully brought to life by a supremely talented star, an epic arc of struggle and redemption, a span of decades and locations wonderfully rendered visually and in historical references. And yet, I fell asleep. Had to finish the movie the next day. It’s brutally long and slow. Three and a half hours! Couldn’t trim even a half hour out of that? Come on.
A Complete Unknown – Mrs D and I agreed this was easily and by far the best picture of the nominees we saw. I’m not sure it will stand the test of time as a ‘great’ movie, but it was full of great acting. Timothée Chalamet should win best actor for his amazing and mesmerizing recreation of Dylan’s musical performance and presence. Co-stars Monica Barbaro and Edward Norton should win their categories for the same reasons. The evocation of the time period through set design and other techniques was immersive and entertaining. Of the best-pic noms we’ve seen, this is the only one I’m sure I will watch again.
Conclave – I really liked this movie at first. It seemed like a taut, understated political intrigue, with a behind-the-scenes glimpse of a hidden world—the election of a new pope. But I felt let down by the wild twist at the end. Not being a fan of the Catholic Church, I kind of enjoyed the irony of it, but I found the details strained credibility as presented. By chance I had just read an article about the many possible combinations of chromosomes that occur naturally in humans. So I didn’t doubt that, but it seemed so unlikely the person in question would have ever risen to a high position in the Catholic Church, or that any real circumstance could have resulted in the ending of this film. I just didn’t buy it.
Dune Part Two – I read the book so many years ago that I remembered nothing of it. We saw Part One last year and were a bit lost throughout. So, we watched a couple YouTube summary videos, but then we still watched Part One before pushing play on Part Two. We both thought the investment of time paid off. It helped us sink into the films, with their long list of characters and multiple story threads. I’d rank this as the second best of the nominees. Stunning visuals and the kind of classic, epic storytelling that reminds me of Tolkien or Star Wars.
Emilia Pérez – Lots of negative talk about the star of this one—whatever. I’d like to see it, but I don’t have Netflix right now and my wallet is already suffering from subscription fatigue.
I’m Still Here – The trailer for this one looks really interesting, but the film has not been released for streaming as of this date.
Nickel Boys – I’m not sure if the sheer volume of artsy techniques and effects (or affects?) were always in service of the storytelling in this film. It felt overwrought. All the weird shot angles, the square formatting, the ringing headache soundtrack, the time jumping and the gimmicky point of view thing, especially those back of head shots—I found it interesting but distracting, and wondered if anyone in Hollywood can just tell a story anymore.
The Substance – I’m honestly not sure if it’s a comedy gone wrong or a drama gone wrong, but boy did it suck! If it had a point it was made in the first ten minutes and then beat to death for two more hours, and in the most gruesome fashion imaginable. Jesus, how is this nominated for anything?! How did it even get made?! It’s a perfect example of why many people say Hollywood has lost the ability to make great movies.
Wicked – Loved the book! Never saw the play. The movie did not capture the wonder and delight I remember feeling at the ingenuity and thoughtfulness of the book. The set design and effects were impressive, the vocal talent at times astounding. But I couldn’t help feeling like I was watching a bad episode of Glee with all the cliché mean girl vs. Cinderella stuff. Also, a musical ought to leave you humming or singing a chorus or two on your way out the door. Think: If I Were a Rich Man, Papa Can You Hear Me, I Feel Pretty, Don’t Rain on My Parade, on and on. Wicked is more like sung dialogue but not one catchy, hummable tune. Meh.
Honorable Shoutout
A Real Pain – Should have been nominated. Thoughtful and thought provoking, just funny enough to lighten the weight of the relationships on view, among the characters themselves but also between the characters and the history they are interfacing with. And extremely well played by both Jesse Eisenberg and Macaulay Culkin, making these characters feel real and their oddball behavior believable.
Something to Think About
After the news of the great Gene Hackman’s death, Roy Sr, Mrs D and I all watched Unforgiven the other night, and enjoyed it immensely even though we’ve all seen it more than twice. Everything a Best Picture winner ought to be and then some. Not one of the 2024 movies even comes close.
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2024
The List
Numerical List
1. Confession K Drama A-
2. Love In The Villa A
3. Love At First Sight A
4. Collectors K Drama B
5. The Spy Gone North B K Drama
6. Goodbye Mr. Black K Drama Did Not Finish
7. My Demon Love K Drama Did Not Finish
8. My Annoying Brother K Drama B
9. Me And Me K Drama B
10. Bodies British Sci-Fi B
11. October Faction Vampire series
12. Katyal Sci-Fi series
13. Glass Onion Knives Out B
14. Obliteration US Series C Did Not Finish
15. Squid Game Season International Did Not Finish
16. Squid Game Season Two Korean Series Finished
17. Fair Play B-1 Is A Bit Too Violent And Dark
18. In The Cold Netflix Series B
19. Leave The World Behind Lots Of Stars But A Meh
20. Gyesang Creature K Drama Part One
21. Gyesang Creature K Drama Part Two B
22. Manifest Season Four -Finished Series
23. Stray UK Drama B
24. Wednesday B
25. Pretty Woman Classic Richard Gere/Julia Roberts A
26. Somebody K Drama B
27. Superbowl
28. The Devil Plan Was Too Complicated To Follow K Drama
29. Night Agent A
30. VIP K Drama B
31. Destined With You K Drama
32. My Annoying Brother K Drama B
33. Spy Gone North Did Not Finish K Drama
34. Catering Christmas Gala B
35. Watcher B
36. Millionaire First Love K Drama A
37. Lift Heist Movie American Meh
38. Hyenna K Legal Drama A
39. Badlands Hunters K Drama Post-Apocalypse Drama A
40. Captivating The King K Historical Drama A
41. Doctor Slump K Drama B
42. The Trip Norwegian Dark Drama B
43. Taken K Drama Movie B
44. The Swindler K Drama Movie A
45. Everything Happens Everywhere At Once Hoopla A Best Picture 2023
46. A Transformers Compang TV B
47. Golden Holliday K Movie Compang TV B
48. Peacekeeper B
49. Knock On The Cabin B
50. Oppenheimer – Documentary – Not The Movie
51. Don’t Buy The Seller K Drama B
52. Tourist Love Affair Cute But Predictable Filmed In Vietnam B
53. The Dude In Me K Drama Is Cute A
54. Black Phone B
55. Rebel Moon US Film Part One
56. Rebel Moon US Film Part Two
57. Silent Sea K Sci-Fi Series
58. The Order US Werewolf/Vampire Occult Thriller Series
59. Warrior Nuns
60. Single In Seoul K Movie B
61. Secret Obsession American Movie B
62. Age Of Adeline A
63. In From The Cold C
64. Trip B
65. Try To Kill Me I Dare You Polish Movie B
66. Lee Kiwon K Movie About NK Refugees In Belgium
67. Chronicle Sci-Fi Meh C
68. Young Police K Drama B
69. Sweat And Sour K Drama B
70. Happiness For Beginners US Drama B
71. Catering Christmas US Drama B
72. The Gentlemen British TV Crime Series
73. Killer Paradox K Crime Drama
74. Queen Of Tears K Rom-Com Tbc
75. Keeping Up With The Jones American Spy Comedy B
76. Little Woman British Is Based On The Classic Novel I Just Finished Reading
77. Damsel American
78. Secret Obsession US Film
79. In The Shadow Of The Moon
80. Tourist Guide To Love B+
81. Art Of Love – Did Not Finish
82. Three-Body Problem A Chinese Sci-Fi
83. Paradise K Drama
84. Awake US
85. You Netflix Series B
86. Night Teeth US
87. Physical Season One K Reality TV Show
88. Physical Second Season K Reality TV Show
89. Parasite The Grey Korean Version Of Body Snatchers
90. The Signal German Sci-Fi B
91. Dark German Sci-Fi A
92. Chicken Nugget Silly K Drama Did Not Finish
93. Oppenheimer A Oscar Winner 2024
94. Lady Chatterley’s Lover TBC
95. Ripley A
96. Last Days Of Earth K SF Drama – Did Not Finish
97. No Hard Feelings US Romcom B
98. Brazen B
99. Brigands K Drama C Did Not Finish
100. Lost Phone K Crime Thriller Repeated B
101. Downsizing B+
102. The Day I Died Undisclosed Case K Drama B
103. Unfrosted K Drama Bit Disappointing
104. Frankly Speaking K Drama B
105. A Werewolf Boy K Drama Remake Of A French Movie B
106. A Typical Family K Drama About A Scheming Family B
107. Tidal Wave – Did Not Finish
108. 12 12 – Day B D Drama About Chun Dohan’s Rise To Power – Which I Lived Through In 1979.
109. Mother Of The Bride B
110. Bring Me Home K Drama About Child Abuse B
111. Tutor K Drama B
112. Big Fat Greek Wedding Part 1 Seen Years Ago
113. Big Fat Greek Wedding Part Part 2 Seen Years Ago
114. Big Fat Greek Wedding, Part 3
115. In The Depth Of The Ocean US Drama
116. Mr. Zoo K Drama B
117. 88 Minutes US Drama
118. Artificial City B
119. Keys To The Heart K Drama A
120. Hit And Run Squad K Drama
121. Love Struck In The City K Drama Did Not Finish
122. Don’t Steel The Foggy Mountain Treasure B-1
123. Sweet And Sour K Drama B
124. Hustle US Drama
125. Daily Dose Of Sunshine K Drama Series
On Plane To US
126. Aquarman And The Lost Kingdom
127. King Kong V Godzilla
128. The Killing Of Flower Moon
129. Barbie
Oregon
130. Atlas
131. Atypical Family Swedish Drama
132. War Of The Worlds Extinction Fubar
133. Adams Family Re-Run On Pluto TV
134. Beverley Hillbillies Re-Run On Pluto TV
135. Military Prosecutor Doberman K Drama Featuring A Really Bad Ass Female Lead
136. Fall Out Amazon
137. Andromeda Free TV
138. Hierarchy K Drama Rich Teenagers Plotting
139. Hit Man
140. Flower Of Evil K Drama
141. Reflection Of You K Drama
142. Philip K Dick Electric Dreams Real Life (Amazon List Each Episode) Real Life
143. Philip K Dick Electric Dreams Real Life (Amazon List Each Episode) Autofa
144. Philip K Dick Electric Dreams Real Life (Amazon List Each Episode) This Is Human
145. Philip K Dick Electric Dreams Real Life (Amazon List Each Episode)
146. Philip K Dick Electric Dreams Crazy Diamond
147. Philip K Dick Electric Dreams The Hood Maker
148. Philip K Dick Electric Dreams Father Thing
149. Philip K Dick Electric Dreams The Impossible Planet
150. Philip K Dick Electric Dreams The Commuter
151. Philip K Dick Electric Dreams Kills All Others
152. Miss Night And Day K Drama Comedy
153. Republican Convention
154. Biden-Trump Debate
155. Far Scape US Sci-Fi Classic Amazon
156. Universe Spider Woman Drama B
157. Love Next Door K Drama
158. Romance In The House K Drama
159. DNC
160. Union American Spy Movie – Not Bad
161. All Good Things Based On True Crime Stories Not Bad
174. Discovery Of Witches Vampire Witches US Series
175. Spaccell British Black Sci-Fi Series
176. 25 23 K Drama Did Not Finish
177. Influencer Challenge K Reality TV
178. Culinary Class War K Reality TV
179. Spencer Confidential US Crime Comedy
180. The Signal K Crime Series
181. What Are Some Surprises Being Found On Jupiter YouTube Short
182. Bad Boys Ride For Life Or Die
183. Kamala Harris On Steven Colbert
184. Tim Walz On Steven Colbert
185. Tim Walz On Jimmy Kimble
186. Virtuous Business K Drama
187. Outer Banks Season 3
188. Backstreet Rookie K Drama Series
189. Run-On K Drama Series
190. Letter From God God Pod -We Want The Black President
191. Where NASA Believes Extraterrestrial Life Is Found In The Outer Solar System
192. Family Pack YouTube Movie
193. The Host YouTube Movie
194. War Of The World BBC Series New To Me
195. Don’t Move
196. World Series 2024
197. Beverly Hills Cops Alert
198. Logan Lucky
199. Look Both Ways
200. Tarot
201. Spaccell Uk Sci-Fi Series
202. The Whirlwind K Drama
203. Killing Eve
204. Spenser
205. 365 Days
206. Time Cut Sci-fi
207. The Gray Man James Bond Wanna Be Movie
208. The Influencers K Reality
209. Pixels
210. Election Coverage
211. Ten Trendy US Cities -Citynerd Youtube
212. Find Me Falling US Romcom Set In Cyprus
213. The Frog K Drama
214. Vagabond K Drama
215. The Little Things
216. American Assasin
217. Frankly Speaking K Drama
218. Letter From God What Happened?
219. Mechanic
220. Misfits
221. Wicked In Medford Theater
222. Why Files Adam And Eve Story Youtube Documentary
223. Just Go For It Did Not Finish
224. Mr. Plankton K Drama
225. Dangerous Lies Did Not Finish
226. Wild Wild West Documentary About The Ranesh Case
227. White Sky Forgettable Zombie Movie Tubi
228. Last Seen Alive Thriller 2024 Thriller
229. Predestination Time Travel Thriller
230. Arkansas Noir Thriller
231. Top Ten Countries Americans Are Not Welcomed
232. Great Courses History Of Roman Empire – Goal One Course Per Month
233. A Simple Favor Is A Good Thriller
234. When The Phone Rings K Drama
235. Your Lucky Day Is An Intense Crime Drama
236. Father Figures Good Comedy
237. Afraid Chilling Movie About The Future Of AI
Father Brown – see separate listing for synopsis and my commentary
238. Father Brown BBC Series The Hammer Of God
239. Father Brown BBC Series The Ghost In The Machine
240. Father Brown BBC Series The Madness Of All
241. Father Brown The Pride Of The Pryde
242. Father Brown The Shadow Of The Scaffold
On Plane
243. Blink Twice B
244. Dune B
245. Ghostbusters B
246. Beetlejuice B
247. Fly Me To Moon B
248. The Strangers C
Back In Korea
249. Run On K Drama Series
250. Captivating King K Drama Series
251. Chief Of Staff K Drama Series
252. The Visitor Hoopla
253. What If Return Of The Ice Age You Tube Short Documentary
254. Tenet SCIFi Netflix B
255. Fall Guy Netflix B
256. Trunk K Drama Series
257. Reptile US Crime Drama
258. Beef Asian Immigrants In LA
259. Silente Sea K Sci-Fi Series
260. The Last Lovecraft Relic Of Cthulu Hoopla
261. The History Of The Roman Empire Great Course Course
262. Carry On US Movie
263. It’s What Inside Did Not Finish
264. Bringing Back Extinct Animals Short YouTube Documentary
265. Slyth Thai Sci-Fi Did Not Finish It – I Understood Some Of The Dialogue But Not Much C
266. Count Down To Jerusalem Movie C
267. Pilot K Comedy B Movie
268. Check-In Hanyang K Drama
269. The Hunt Did Not Finish US Drama
270. Trouble Swedish Drama C
271. Robert Reich’s Ten Economic Myths Debunked
272. Squid Game 2 B
273. Squid Game International Game C
274. NYE coverage
275. Yoon Impeachment news coverage
276. NYE terror attack coverage
277. CNN Best and Worst of the Year
278. BBC end of the Year Coverage
Oscar Winners
Bold – Seen
Last Year Everything All At Once
BEST PICTURE
American Fiction
Anatomy Of A Fall
Barbie
The Holdovers
Killers Of The Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
Poor Things
The Zone Of Interest
BEST DIRECTOR
Jonathan Glazer, The Zone Of Interest
Yorgos Lanthimos, Poor Things
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Martin Scorsese, Killers Of The Flower Moon
Justine Triet, Anatomy Of A Fall
BEST ACTRESS
Annette Bening, Nyad
Lily Gladstone, Killers Of The Flower Moon
Sandra Hüller, Anatomy Of A Fall
Carey Mulligan, Maestro
Emma Stone, Poor Things
BEST ACTOR
Bradley Cooper, Maestro
Colman Domingo, Rustin
Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple
America Ferrera, Barbie
Jodie Foster, Nyad
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Sterling K. Brown, American Fiction
Robert De Niro, Killers Of The Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer
Ryan Gosling, Barbie
Mark Ruffalo, Poor Things
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Justine Triet And Arthur Harari, Anatomy Of A Fall
David Hemingson, The Holdovers
Bradley Cooper And Josh Singer, Maestro
Samy Burch, May December
Celine Song, Past Lives
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Cord Jefferson, American Fiction
Greta Gerwig And Noah Baumbach, Barbie
Tony McNamara, Poor Things
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Jonathan Glazer, The Zone Of Interest
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
Io Capitano, Italy
Perfect Days, Japan
Society Of The Snow, Spain On Netflix See
The Teacher’s Lounge, Germany
The Zone Of Interest, United Kingdom
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
The Boy And The Heron
Elemental
Nimona
Robot Dreams
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Bobi Wine: The People’s President
The Eternal Memory
Four Daughters
To Kill A Tiger
20 Days In Mariupol
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
El Conde
Killers Of The Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
BEST EDITING
Anatomy Of A Fall
The Holdovers
Killers Of The Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Barbie
Killers Of The Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP
Golda
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Society Of The Snow
BEST SOUND
The Creator
Maestro
Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One
Oppenheimer
The Zone Of Interest
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
The Creator
Godzilla Minus One
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3
Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One
Napoleon
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Barbie
Killers Of The Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“What Was I Made For?”, Billie Eilish And Finneas, Barbie
“I’m Just Ken,” Mark Ronson And Andrew Wyatt, Barbie
“The Fire Inside,” Diane Warren, Flamin’ Hot
“It Never Went Away,” Jon Batiste, American Symphony
“Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People),” Osage Tribal Singers, Killers Of The Flower Moon
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
American Fiction
Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny
Killers Of The Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT
The After
Invincible
Knight Of Fortune
Red, White, And Blue
The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar
BEST ANIMATED SHORT
Letter To A Pig
Ninety-Five Senses
Our Uniform
Pachyderm
War Is Over! Inspired By The Music Of John & Yoko
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
The ABCs Of Book Banning
The Barber Of Little Rock
Island In Between
The Last Repair Shop
Nai Nai & Wai Po
For more than twenty years now, Mrs D and I have made it an annual quest to see all of the Best Picture nominees before the Oscars telecast. This year we saw 9.5 of the 10 movies nominated.
It started in 2000, when there were only five nominees (instead of up to 10 like now) and we usually had to see them in a theater, because they weren’t available to rent on VHS yet. (Yes, I said VHS).
And we’ve done it every year since, except for 2019 which was interrupted by Mrs D’s infamous extended hospital stay. We have even ventured to other cities to see movies that weren’t playing at the one theater in our little town. I remember seeing Chocolat in Ukiah and more recently The Revenant in Rohnert Park. But now we can usually stream everything, and this year the whole project ran us around a hundred bucks in streaming rentals and purchases on top of our existing subscriptions to Amazon, etc.
Several years ago I started writing about our tradition on Facebook. Now the writeup itself has become part of the deal. As I’ve said before, I’m no film student, nor expert critic. Just a regular dude who loves movies.
Snap reviews and top picks below.
American Fiction –
Bold, wryly funny, contrarian, with the ring of truth. Brilliantly calls out the publishing industry, where retread tropes seem to trump story, art and insight, particularly when it comes to depictions of Black characters and writers. And I feel like there’s an even larger truth here about the way culture is degraded in general through over-commercialization.
Anatomy of a Fall –
A French film that moves carefully, piece by piece, and manages to be slow and taut at the same time. I found the characters to be inscrutable. I feel like I need to watch again just to see if maybe this time I would fully understand these people. It left me with a suspicion that perhaps all the story’s secrets have still not been revealed, that the resolution we see on the screen is still not the truth of these characters. And, in this case, that ambiguity is a good thing.
Barbie —
Cleverly funny in spots, but also unsubtly preachy in spots, an issue I’ve had with director Greta Gerwig before. But Margot Robbie was perfect and the movie is visually stunning in all its pinkish glory and devoted detail. Still, I think this movie appears in the Best Picture category more on the strength of its perceived politics than its success as an artistic endeavor.
The Holdovers —
A darkly funny, entertaining, and deeply reflective odd couple sort of story that’s enjoyable to watch. Maybe a little out of its league in the Best Picture category, but elevated to a higher status by Paul Giamatti’s performance, which is irresistibly engaging as always. Well worth a second watch.
Killers of the Flower Moon — Having read the book, I felt the impact of the true part of this story was diminished by the fictionalized part of the movie. Reading the book I was deeply struck by the callous indifference shown toward the humanity of the Osage Indians. It resonated like an echo of Shindler’s List, underlining the incredible and frightening capacity of humans to rationalize literally any behavior in their fear or greed. But the movie revolves around Ernest Burkhardt (Leonardo DiCaprio) and depicts a somewhat tried and true arc of romantic tragedy, a weak-minded man caught up in the schemes of others, pulled along by greed and the need for approval, until he is in the process of killing the only real love he’s ever known. As is often the case, the truth was more complex. And more disturbing.
Maestro –
I usually make a conscious effort to limit my preconceptions of these movies. I don’t read reviews or watch trailers. But it’s hard to avoid a relentless ad campaign like the one mounted for Maestro. I’d seen the rousing TV spots touting the performances and the early awards. But I found the movie depressing, its characterization of Bernstein disappointing and unlikeable. But yes, Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan
were both outstanding.
Comment: on my list to watch as I am a big Bernstein fan – one of the best classical composers of the 20th century in my opinion.
Oppenheimer –
Not what I would call a pleasant watch, at times slow and ponderous, even confusing with some of the time jumps. But the acting was so engrossing, immersive, mesmerizing even. Cillian Murphy in the title role was riveting. Robert Downey Jr simply disappeared into the role of Lewis Strauss. Emily Blunt was also captivating as Kitty Oppenheimer. The effects director Christopher Nolan used to heighten the sense of Oppenheimer’s interiority were brilliant and effective.
For example when Oppenheimer steps on a charred corpse that only exists in his tortured, guilty mind. But the lasting impact of this film is the way it echoes in the mind afterward—how sad and terrible and absurd it is that we reckless humans have attained the power to destroy the world. It will probably win Best Picture. And it probably should.
Comment: Also on my must see list
Past Lives –
Eventually, someone had to do a movie like this — an old romance is rekindled through the internet and complications ensue. In this particular case the past romance is an adolescent crush, cut short by one family’s immigration, and later complicated not just by the years, but also by geographic and cultural distance. This one stayed with me, kept me thinking for days afterward about its larger implications regarding fate, destiny, acceptance, grief and closure. Well worth more than one watch.
Poor Things –
Half of this movie was twice as much as I needed. We actually turned it off, extremely rare for us during Oscar season. What we saw played like a terrible excuse for some creepy, gratuitous soft porn. All the weirdness of the sets, costumes, cinematography and makeup felt like a desperate attempt at artistic status. If someone out there actually saw some redeeming value in this thing, feel free to explain in the comments section what I am missing.
The Zone of Interest –
This one’s all in German, with subtitles. But the dialog is sparse and the film’s biggest strength is in the fascinating dichotomy presented in its basic premise. It gives us a window into the surprisingly mundane personal lives of a “normal” family literally in the shadow of Auschwitz during the Holocaust. The sense of cognitive dissonance is alarming.
Honorable Mention
– I don’t usually do this, but I wanted to mention one film that was not even nominated for Best Picture but, in my opinion, should have been. Nyad has wonderful, engaging performances by Annette Bening and Jodie Foster, and it’s a suspenseful, satisfying, story of friendship, determination, human spirit, and triumph over the longest odds.
Finally, here are my choices for the top awards.
Don’t worry, the Academy almost always disagrees.
Actor in a Leading Role: Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer Winner
Actor in a Supporting Role: Robert Downey Jr, Oppenheimer Winner
Actress in a Leading Role: Annette Bening, Nyad
Actress in a Supporting Role: Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer
Best Picture: Oppenheimer Winner
Soon it’s time to pop the popcorn, get cozy on the couch, badmouth the fashion and root for your favorites.
Happy Oscars folks.
here’s the winners
The 96th Academy Awards, held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 10, 2024, celebrated outstanding movies released in 2023. Here are some of the notable winners:
Best Picture: “Oppenheimer”
Best Actor: Cillian Murphy for his role in “Oppenheimer”
Best Actress: Emma Stone for her performance in “Poor Things”
Best Supporting Actor: Robert Downey Jr. in “Oppenheimer”
Best Supporting Actress: Da’Vine Joy Randolph from “The Holdovers”
Best Director: Christopher Nolan for “Oppenheimer”
Best Adapted Screenplay: “American Fiction”
Best Original Screenplay: “Anatomy of a Fall”
Best Animated Feature: “The Boy and the Heron”
Best Documentary Feature: “20 Days in Mariupol”
Best International Feature Film: “The Zone of Interest”
Best Cinematography: “Oppenheimer”
Best Costume Design: “Poor Things”
Best Film Editing: “Oppenheimer”
Best Makeup and Hairstyling: “Poor Things”
Best Original Score: “Oppenheimer”
Best Original Song: “Barbie”
Best Production Design: “Poor Things”
Best Sound: “The Zone of Interest”
Best Visual Effects: “Godzilla Minus One”
Best Documentary (Short Subject): “The Last Repair Shop”
452. Discovery Of Witches Vampire Witches US Series
453. Spaccell British Black Sci-Fi Series
454. 25 23 K Drama Did Not Finish
455. Influencer Challenge K Reality TV
456. Culinary Class War K Reality TV
457. Spencer Confidential US Crime Comedy
458. The Signal K Crime Series
459. What Are Some Surprises Being Found On Jupiter YouTube Short
460. Bad Boys Ride For Life Or Die
461. Kamala Harris On Steven Colbert
462. Tim Walz On Steven Colbert
463. Tim Walz On Jimmy Kimble
464. Virtuous Business K Drama
465. Outer Banks Season 3
466. Backstreet Rookie K Drama Series
467. Run-On K Drama Series
468. Letter From God God Pod -We Want The Black President
469. Where NASA Believes Extraterrestrial Life Is Found In The Outer Solar System
470. Family Pack YouTube Movie
471. The Host YouTube Movie
472. War Of The World BBC Series New To Me
473. Don’t Move
474. World Series 2024
475. Beverly Hills Cops Alert
476. Logan Lucky
477. Look Both Ways
478. Tarot
479. Spaccell Uk Sci-Fi Series
480. The Whirlwind K Drama
481. Killing Eve
482. Spenser
483. 365 Days
484. Time Cut Sci-fi
485. The Gray Man James Bond Wanna Be Movie
486. The Influencers K Reality
487. Pixels
488. Election Coverage
489. Ten Trendy US Cities -Citynerd Youtube
490. Find Me Falling US Romcom Set In Cyprus
491. The Frog K Drama
492. Vagabond K Drama
493. The Little Things
494. American Assasin
495. Frankly Speaking K Drama
496. Letter From God What Happened?
497. Mechanic
498. Misfits
499. Wicked In Medford Theater
500. Why Files Adam And Eve Story Youtube Documentary
501. Just Go For It Did Not Finish
502. Mr. Plankton K Drama
503. Dangerous Lies Did Not Finish
504. Wild Wild West Documentary About The Ranesh Case
505. White Sky Forgettable Zombie Movie Tubi
506. Last Seen Alive Thriller 2024 Thriller
507. Predestination Time Travel Thriller
508. Arkansas Noir Thriller
509. Top Ten Countries Americans Are Not Welcomed
510. Great Courses History Of Roman Empire – Goal One Course Per Month
511. A Simple Favor Is A Good Thriller
512. When The Phone Rings K Drama
513. Your Lucky Day Is An Intense Crime Drama
514. Father Figures Good Comedy
515. Afraid Chilling Movie About The Future Of AI
Father Brown – see separate listing for synopsis and my commentary
516. Father Brown BBC Series The Hammer Of God
517. Father Brown BBC Series The Ghost In The Machine
518. Father Brown BBC Series The Madness Of All
519. Father Brown The Pride Of The Pryde
520. Father Brown The Shadow Of The Scaffold
On Plane
521. Blink Twice B
522. Dune B
523. Ghostbusters B
524. Beetlejuice B
525. Fly Me To Moon B
526. The Strangers C
Back In Korea
527. Run On K Drama Series
528. Captivating King K Drama Series
529. Chief Of Staff K Drama Series
530.
531.
532.
533.
534.
535.
536.
537.
538.
539.
540. The Visitor Hoopla
541. What If Return Of The Ice Age You Tube Short Documentary
542. Tenet SCIFi Netflix B
543. Fall Guy Netflix B
544. Trunk K Drama Series
545. Reptile US Crime Drama
546. Beef Asian Immigrants In LA
547. Silente Sea K Sci-Fi Series
548. The Last Lovecraft Relic Of Cthulu Hoopla
549. The History Of The Roman Empire Great Course Course
550. Carry On US Movie
551. It’s What Inside Did Not Finish
552. Bringing Back Extinct Animals Short YouTube Documentary
553. Slyth Thai Sci-Fi Did Not Finish It – I Understood Some Of The Dialogue But Not Much C
554. Count Down To Jerusalem Movie C
555. Pilot K Comedy B Movie
556. Check-In Hanyang K Drama
557. The Hunt Did Not Finish US Drama
558. Trouble Swedish Drama C
559. Robert Reich’s Ten Economic Myths Debunked
560. Squid Game 2 B
561. Squid Game International Game C
562. NYE coverage
563. Yoon Impeachment news coverage
564. NYE terror attack coverage
565. CNN Best and Worst of the Year
566. BBC end of the Year Coverage
Oscar Winners
Bold – Seen
Last Year Everything All At Once
BEST PICTURE
American Fiction
Anatomy Of A Fall
Barbie
The Holdovers
Killers Of The Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
Poor Things
The Zone Of Interest
BEST DIRECTOR
Jonathan Glazer, The Zone Of Interest
Yorgos Lanthimos, Poor Things
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Martin Scorsese, Killers Of The Flower Moon
Justine Triet, Anatomy Of A Fall
BEST ACTRESS
Annette Bening, Nyad
Lily Gladstone, Killers Of The Flower Moon
Sandra Hüller, Anatomy Of A Fall
Carey Mulligan, Maestro
Emma Stone, Poor Things
BEST ACTOR
Bradley Cooper, Maestro
Colman Domingo, Rustin
Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple
America Ferrera, Barbie
Jodie Foster, Nyad
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Sterling K. Brown, American Fiction
Robert De Niro, Killers Of The Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer
Ryan Gosling, Barbie
Mark Ruffalo, Poor Things
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Justine Triet And Arthur Harari, Anatomy Of A Fall
David Hemingson, The Holdovers
Bradley Cooper And Josh Singer, Maestro
Samy Burch, May December
Celine Song, Past Lives
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Cord Jefferson, American Fiction
Greta Gerwig And Noah Baumbach, Barbie
Tony McNamara, Poor Things
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Jonathan Glazer, The Zone Of Interest
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
Io Capitano, Italy
Perfect Days, Japan
Society Of The Snow, Spain On Netflix See
The Teacher’s Lounge, Germany
The Zone Of Interest, United Kingdom
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
The Boy And The Heron
Elemental
Nimona
Robot Dreams
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Bobi Wine: The People’s President
The Eternal Memory
Four Daughters
To Kill A Tiger
20 Days In Mariupol
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
El Conde
Killers Of The Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
BEST EDITING
Anatomy Of A Fall
The Holdovers
Killers Of The Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Barbie
Killers Of The Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP
Golda
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Society Of The Snow
BEST SOUND
The Creator
Maestro
Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One
Oppenheimer
The Zone Of Interest
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
The Creator
Godzilla Minus One
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3
Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One
Napoleon
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Barbie
Killers Of The Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“What Was I Made For?”, Billie Eilish And Finneas, Barbie
“I’m Just Ken,” Mark Ronson And Andrew Wyatt, Barbie
“The Fire Inside,” Diane Warren, Flamin’ Hot
“It Never Went Away,” Jon Batiste, American Symphony
“Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People),” Osage Tribal Singers, Killers Of The Flower Moon
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
American Fiction
Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny
Killers Of The Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT
The After
Invincible
Knight Of Fortune
Red, White, And Blue
The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar
BEST ANIMATED SHORT
Letter To A Pig
Ninety-Five Senses
Our Uniform
Pachyderm
War Is Over! Inspired By The Music Of John & Yoko
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
The ABCs Of Book Banning
The Barber Of Little Rock
Island In Between
The Last Repair Shop
Nai Nai & Wai Po
Movies/TV Series Netflix Unless Otherwise Mentioned
1. All About The Benjamin’s TNT B
2. Rush Hour Three TNT B
3. The Interview Google On-Line C
4. Paradise 2013 C
5. The Signal 2014 B
6. Duplicity Julia Roberts Clive Owens B
7. Are You Here B
8. Maleficent B
9. Guardians Of The Galaxy B
10. Begin Again 2014 B
11. The Giver 2014 A
12. Sea Biscuit A
13. November Man B
14. A Most Wanted Man C
15. Labor Day B
16. Life Of Crime B
17. Kundo Korean Movie B
18. And So It Goes 2014 Michael Douglas, Diane Keaton B
19. Marley And Me B
20. Jobs B
21. The Family C
22. Stuck In Love B
23. Mud B
24. X Men Days Of Future Past C
25. The Identical B
26. Jurassic City C
27. Railway Man B
28. Peabody And Sherman B
29. Lunch Box Bollywood Movie 2013 B
30. Y Tu Su Mama, También Award Winning Mexican Movie 2014 B
31. Australia B
32. Mrs. Henderson Presents B
33. John Wick B
34. Silver Lining Playback A
35. The Good Night B
36. View From The Top B
37. Contagion C
38. Pineapple Express C
39. Country Strong B
40. The Hobbit –Battle Of The Five Armies B
41. Dinosaur Experiment C
42. Broke Back Mountain Library A
43. An Affair To Remember Library A
44. Two Days In Paris Library A
45. Ride With The Devil Library A
46. Carmen Opera Library A
47. Catch 22 Library B
48. Game Of Thrones Season One Library B
49. Game Of Thrones Season Two Library B
50. Barefoot In The Park Library A
51. No Reservations Library C
52. Fast And Furious Library C
53. Charlie’s Angels 2000 Library B
54. Charlie’s Angels 2003 Version Saw Earlier Noted Here B
55. Endless Love B
56. Hot Pursuit On Plane C
57. Day Of Adeline On Plane A
58. Avengers Day Of Ultron On Plane C
59. Tomorrowland On Plane B
60. Far From The Madding Crowd On Plane A
61. Aloha On Plane
62. Mad Max Fury Road On a Plane
63. San Andreas On Plane
64. Classified File Korean Movie On Plane
65. Casanova From Library
66. Company You Keep From Library
67. Contraband From Library
68. Bleak House Mini-Series From Library
69. La Boehme Opera From Library
70. Eat Drink Man Women From Library
71. Runner, Runner From Library
72. Sense And Sensibility From Library
73. American Snipper HBO
74. Wild HBO
75. Maze Runner HBO
76. Dumb And Dummer To HBO
77. Havoc HBO
78. 5 Flights Up HBO
79. Kill The Messenger HBO
80. My Blueberry Nights Library
81. Last Chance, Harvey, Library
82. Serial Mom HBO
83. The Producers 2005 Version
84. Broken Flowers Hood
85. Rumor Has It that HBO
86. Run All Night HBO
87. Fistful Of Dollars HBO
88. A Few More Dollars HBO
89. The Good, The Bad, And Ugly HBO
90. Fifty Shades Of Grey HBO
91. Hang Em High HBO
92. The Drop HBO
93. The Leisure Class HBO
94. The Kingsmen Secret Service HBO
95. Birdman HBO
96. The Wiz NBC Special
97. Spectre At Kingstown
98. Magnolia HBO
99. The Curse Of The Jade Scorpion HBO
100. The Rock HBO
101. Child Hood’s End Syfy Channel Special
102. Insurgent HBO
2014
Movies/TV Series
1. Jack Reacher 2012 Net Flix
2. Thieves (Korean Movie Next Flix)
3. Side Effects – Next Flix
4. The Informant – Next Flix
5. The Assassination Of Jessie James By The Coward Robert Ford 2008 Next Flic
6. Olympus Has Fallen 2013 Next Flix
7. Coriolanus 2011 Next Flix
8. 300 Net Flix
9. Appolo 18 Net Flic
10. Shape Of Things To Come On Plane
11. Battle Star Galactica Razor On Plane
12. The Master On Plane
13. Ides Of March On Plane
14. Oblivion Net Flix
15. Midnight In Paris Woody Allen Saw Earlier On Plane Net Flic
16. Non-Stop In Regal – A Bit Disappointing
17. Then She Found Me Directed By Helen Hunt 2007 Net Flic
18. Zelig 1996 Woody Allen Nex Fix
19. Husband And Wives = Woody Allen Movie Netflix
20. The Confederate States Of America 2004 Mockumentary
21. Out Of Sight George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez Based On Elmore Leonard Novel – Bit Disappointing On Plane
22. Hobbit Desolation Of Smug On Plane
23. Ender’s Game On Plane On Plane
24. The Internship On Plane
25. Closed Circuit On Plane
26. Secret Life Of Walter Mitty Download
27. RoboCop Download
28. The A-Team On Plane
29. The Europa Report On Plane
30. Blue Jasmine On Plane
31. World’s End On Plane
32. The Hangover On Plane
33. Edge Of Tomorrow In Movie Theather
34. True Crime 1998 Clint Eastwood (TV)
35. Bullet To The Head (TV)
36. Get The Gringo (TV)
37. Pacific Rim (TV)
38. Starsky And Hutch (TV)
39. Space Jam (TV)
40. World War Z Nextflex
41. Wolf Of Wall Street Nextflex
42. Gravity Nextflex
43. 12 Years A Slave Nextflex
44. Fracture Nextflex
45. Good Night And Good Luck Nextflex
46. The Perfect Storm Nextflex
47. The Book Thief Nextflex
48. Best Offer Nextflex
49. Muncih 2005 Spellberg Nextflex
50. A Winter’s Tale Nextflex
51. Trascendence Nextflex
52. The Other Women Nextflex
53. Layer Cake Nextflex
54. Heat Robert Dinoro, Al Pacino Nextflex
55. Last Vegas Dinoro Freeman Kline Pacino Nextflex
56. The Grand Budapest Hotel Netflix
57. Best Laid Plans 1999 Version Nextflex
58. Firewall Nextflex
59. Saving Mr. Banks Nextflex
60. A Wrinkle In Time Nextflex
61. Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close – Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock About 9-11 And One Family’s Reaction Nextflex
62. Mandella’s Long Walk To Freedom Nextflex
63. Enough Said Nextflex
64. All You Need Is Love Nextflex
65. Divergent Nextflex
66. Noah Nextflex
67. You will Meet A Tall Dark Handsome Stranger – Woody Allen Movie 2010 Nextflex
68. X Men Wolverine Origins Nextflex
69. Captain America Winter Soldier Nextflex
70. X Men 2 United Nextflex
71. Sex Tape In Hotel
72. Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes On Plane
73. Godzilla 2014 Version On Plane
74. Don Juan Netflix
75. Frozen Nextflex
76. Gone Girl 2014 In Regal Springfield
77. Better Living Through Chemistry 2013 Movie Netflix
78. Elysium 2013 Nextflix
79. A Million Ways To Die In The West Nextflex
80. Interstellar 2014 In Regal Springfield
81. Burning Palms – Worst Movie Of The Year For Me
82. Million Dollar Arm
83. Lost In America 1985 Recommended By Matt Jacobson
84. Manhattan Murder Mystery 1995 Woody Allen
85. State Of Play Next Flic
86. Babel Next Flic
87. Peter Pan Live NBC
88. Snowpiercer Korean Directed Film
89. Jack Ryan, Shadow Recruit
90. Superbad
91. It’s A Wonderful Life
92. This Means War
93. Memories Of Murder Korean Film
94. The Good, The Bad, And The Weird Korean Film
95. Bad Santa
96. Typhoon Korean Movie 2005
97. In The Cut 2003 Australian Movie Set In NYC
TV Series And Movies
1. Breaking Bad Television Binge Watching All Episodes
2. House Of Cards
3. Tin Man
4. Falling Skies
2013
The List
1. Crazy, Stupid Love, Netflix January 1, 2013
2. The Descendents Netflix January 4, 2013
3. The Hobbit (In Theater) January 5, 2013
4. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Netflix
5. Abritrage Richard Gere
6. Get Him To The Greek TV
7. Snatch Netflix
8. The One Netflix
9. One For The Money (Netflix)
10. Star Trek The Undiscovered Country TV
11. The Help Netflix
12. Hope Spring Netflix
13. Paul Netflix
14. Stolen Netflix – Did Not Finish Nominate For Worst Film Of The Year
15. The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe ABC Family
16. Journey To The Center Of The Earth 2011 ABC Family
17. Mission Impossible 1V Ghost Protocol
18. Here Comes Mr. Jordan 1941 TCM
19. A Star Is Born 1945 TCM
20. Mission Impossible 111
21. Decisions
22. Life Of Pi Next Flic
23. In Land Of Blood And Honey Next Flic
24. Lockout Next Flic
25. 21 Jump Street Next Flic
26. Sherlock Holmes’s Games Of Shadows Plane
27. Wrath Of The Titans Plane
28. Horrible Bosses Plane
29. Safe House Plane
30. Hunter Plane
31. Take This Waltz Next Flix
32. Marley TV
33. Coriolanus (Theather RHS)
34. Wallenstein (Theather RHS)
35. Great Gatsby (Regal Kingstown)
36. Groom Lake (Hulu)
37. Motorcycle Diaries 2004 Next Flic
38. Looper Next Flic
39. Superman Man Of Steel In Regal Theather
40. Bourne Legacy (Netflix)
41. Earthlings 2012 Hulu
42. Gangster Squad (Nextflix)
43. Red (Part)
44. Zookeeper (Part)
45. Witches Of Oz (Netflix)
46. Interstate 60 Hulu
47. White House Down In Theather
48. Sex And Lucia Next Flic
49. Ted Next Flic
50. Star Ship Troopers – Invasion Next Flic
51. Ana Karina 2012 Net Flix – Production Did Not Work For Me – Too Cute And Avant Garde – Like Watching A Film Of A Play Adaption. Did Not Work As A Play Or As A Movie – A Big Disappointment
52. Time Bandits 1981 Hulu
53. RIPD In Theather
54. Atonement (Netflix)
55. Tristone And Isolde (2006) Netflix
56. Dune 1984 Nextflex
57. Meet The Millers Theather
58. Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World Next Flic
59. Iron Man 3 On Plane
60. Trance On Plane
61. Prisoners In Theather
62. The Butler In Theather
63. Outsourced Netflix
64. Cloud Atlas Netflix
65. Flight 2012 Next Flic
66. The Campaign 2012 Next Flic
67. Asian Invasion (Porn Movie For Strip Poker Game)
68. Details Nextflix
69. The Blind Side Netflix
70. Pirates Of The Caribbean On Stranger Tides Netflix
71. Robin Hood 2010 Netflix
72. The Counselor 2013 In Theather
73. The Host Netflix
74. After The Sunset 2008 Netflix
75. Grown Ups TNT On Cruise
76. The Proposal TNT On Cruise
77. Red 2 TNT On Cruise
78. Maiden Heist Next Flix
79. Despicable Me – Disney Channel
80. Hunger Games Catching Fire In Theather
81. The Place Beyond The Pines Next Flic
82. Watch Man 2009 Next Flix
83. Snow White And The Huntsman Nextflix
84. Parker Netflix Streaming
85. American Hustle
86. A Christmas Story
87. Ice Quake 2013 Syfy
88. On The Road
2012
The List
1. Dragnet (Next Flex) Jan 1
2. Bird On A Wire (Next Flex) Jan1
3. Laura Croft Tomb Raider (Hollywood Chanel)
4. Kuffs MGM Chanel
5. Journey To The Lost World MGM Chanel
6. Yellow Handkerchief Netflix
7. Shanghai Knights Hollywood Chanel
8. MMB 2 Hollywood Chanel
9. What Women Want Mel Gibson, Helen Hunt 2000 Hollywood Chanel
10. The Door In The Floor Jeff Bridges, Kim Bassinger, Mimi Rogers 2000 Next Flix Check References To Book
11. America’s Sweethearts 2001 Julia Roberts, Kusshak, Catherine Zetta Jones Nextflix
12. Marathon Man
13. Catwoman
14. The Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes 2011 On Plane
15. Cowboys And Aliens 2010 On Plane
16. The Island 2005 On Plane
17. The Day The Earth Stood Still 1951 On Plane
18. Hot Tube Time Machine Net Flix
19. The Big Lebrowski Net Flix
20. Leopolis Seoul Netflix
21. King Of The Lost World
22. Money Ball (Training Day)
23. Serenity Next Flex 2005
24. Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part One (On Plane)
25. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels On The Plane
26. Bender’s Big Score (Netflix)
27. Serenity (Nextflix)
28. The Punisher (TV)
29. Love’s Kitchen (Netflix)
30. Transformers 11 2009 – Disappointing But Will Watch Transformers 111 To Finish The Series Off.
31. The Double 2011 Richard Gere
32. Contagion Did Not Finish Warsaw
33. Sherlock Holmes 2 Did Not Finish Warsaw
34. Win Win Warsaw Good Fli
35. The Invasion 2005 Innovative Shooting Technique
36. Tower Heist Nex
37. The Tree Of Life Nex – Disappointing
38. The Hangover Part Two NEX
39. Girl With Dragon Tattoo (2011 Version)
40. The King’s Speech NEX
41. Midnight In Paris Woody Allen Movie 2011
42. John Carter Hotel Room
43. This Means War On Plane
44. J Egard With Leonardo Di Caprio Directed By Clift Eastwood – Big Disappointment. Just Too Long, Too Much Talking. From NEX
45. Dr Strangelove From Mik B
46. The Armour Of God 1987 Jackie Chan, Lola Forner Spanish Actress Hulu
47. The Sands Of Oblivion 2007 Hulu
48. The Monitors (Next Flex)
49. MIB3 On Plane
50. Prometheus – Last Half Worth Seeing Again On Plane
51. Battleship On Plane
52. Players Bollywood Remake Of The Italian Job –Worth Seeing
53. Cross Worlds Next Flex
54. Phil The Alien Next Flex
55. Invasion Of The Pod People Hulu
56. Alien Armageddon Hulu
57. Red State Netflix
58. God Bless America Netflix
59. The Man Who Fell To Earth Netflix
60. Very Bad Things Next Flix
61. Ready Or Not – Hulu
62. The Last Lovecraft: Relic Of Cthulu 2009 Netflix
63. Amazing Spiderman 2012 Plane
64. To Rome With Love 2010 Plane Woody Allen
65. Dawalt’s Guard (First Arabic Movie) Plane
66. Search For Justice 2012 Nicolas Cage Plane
67. Mirror Mirror With Julia Roberts – On Plane In February
68. The Gauntlet With Clint Eastwood 1977
69. The Hunger Games blockbuster
70. The Debt
71. The Maltese Falcon TCM
72. My Week With Marilynn Block Buster
73. Bernie Blockbuster
74. Savages Blockbuster
75. Wanderlust Blockbuster
76. Skyfall Theather
77. Office Space
78. Dumb And Dumber TV
79. Accepted TV
80. The Iron Lady Blockbuster
81. The Watch Blockbuster
82. Larry Crowne Blockbuster
83. Hot Rock 1972 Robert Redford HDNET
84. Killing Them Softly (Movie Theather)
2011
1. How Do You Know 2010
2. Nothing But The Truth 2008 Saw Earlier Not Bad 1-15
3. Salt 2010 With Angelina Jolie
4. The Other Side Of The Bed Spanish 2002
5. A Perfect Getaway 2009
6. Fool’s Gold
7. Invictus 2009 Morgan Freeman, Matt Damian
8. Like Water For Chocolate
9. The Flower Of My Secret La Flora De Mi Secreto Spanish Movie 1995
10. 88 Minutes 2007 Al Pacino
11. Mr. Deeds 2002
12. The King And I Korean Series
13. Sex And The City 11
14, Hell Boy Part 11
15. Love Happens
16. Drive Angry 2011 Nicolas Cage Add To Worst Movie List
17 Girl With The Dragon Tatoo 2009
18. The Spanish Prisoner 1997 David Mamet Director Steve Martin
19. Illegally Yours 1988 Robert Lowe
20. Machette 2010 Half Spanish Dialogue Robert Dinero, Jessica Alba
21. The Prince Of Persia 2010
22 No False Move 1992 Bill Ray Thorton
23 Life In North Korea Documentary From National Geographic
24. Green Zone
25. Morning Glory
26 Killers
27. Eat Pray Love
28 The Town
29. Kate And Leopold
29. The Legend Of Bagger Vance
30 Emma
31 Les Miserables 1998 Version
32 Unstoppable 2010
34. Due Date 2010
2010
1. Fragments 2009
2. Where The Day Takes You 1992
3. The Illusionist 2003
4. PS, I Love You 2007
5. The Burning Plain 2008
6. The Other Man 2008
7. Mama Mia 2008
8. Dim Sum Funeral 2008
9. Inglorious Bastards 2009
10. Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? 2003 Second Time Around
11. Time Traveler’s Wife 2009
12. Amelia 2009
13. Lies And Illusions 2009 Add To Worst List
14. Serious Moonlight 2009
15. “The Chaser” Korean Film
16. Precious 2009 Academy Award For Best Actress
17. Every Body’s Alright
18. Space Balls
19. Three Stooges Selected Episodes
20. Ghosts Of Girl Friends Past 2009 Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner
21. Up In The Air 2009 George Clooney
22. The Men Who Stare At Goats 2009 George Clooney
23. Have You Heard About The Morgans? Hugh Grant, Sara Jessica Parker 2009
24. Sherlock Holmes 2009 Robert Downey, Jude Law, And Rachael Mc Donald
25 “Crazy Heart” 2010 Best Picture Award 2010 Jeff Bridges, Robert Duval, Maggie Gyenehall
26 “Five Minutes Of Heaven” Liam Nelson 2010.
27 Avatar 2009 Best Picture
28 Romeo Must Die Jet Li 2000
29 Flawless 2008 Demi Moore Michael Kane
30 Extraordinary Measures 2010 Harrison Ford
31 Alice In Wonderland 2010
32 The Road 2009
33 It’s Complicated
34 Beyond A Reasonable Doubt
35 The Invention Of Lying
36 Edge Of Darkness
37 The Spy Next Door
38 Young Victorian
39 Old Dogs (On Plane)
40 Leap Year (On Plane)
41 Couples Retreat (Travis) 2009
42 Knight And Day 2010 (Medford)
43 Inception 2010 (Medford)
44 The Sorcerer’s Apprentice 2010 (Medford)
45 Clash Of The Titans (On Plane) 2010
46 Remember Me (On Plane) -2010
47 Bounty Hunter (On Plane -2010
48 Date Night (On Plane ) 2010
49 2 Fast 2 Furious 2003 Eva Mendes Stars (Saw On TV)
50 Water World – Keven Kostner Saw
51 Legends Of The Fall
52 Iron Man 2 (On Plane)
53 How To Tame Your Dragon (On Plane)
54 The Informant (HBO Home)
55 Bill And Ted’s Bogus Journey (Parts)
56 Batteries Not Included 1987 Second Time Around (HBO)
57 Family Man (HBO)
58 Wall Street
59 Helen – Short List For Worst Movie I Saw – Just Did Not Work For Me.
60 The Warlords
61 A Plague Of Zombies
62 Robin Hood
63 The Unthinkable
64 The Book Of Eli
65 The Count Of Monte Cristo
66 The Messenger (Angela Saw)
67 Red (In The Theather)
68 The Count Of Mont Cristo Angela Saw I Saw Parts
69 3:10 To Yuma (Saw A Few Years Ago, Saw Again)
70 Law Abiding Citizen 2009
71 Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring Korean Film 2005
72 Aliens In The Addict 2009 TV
73 Loch Ness 1996 Ted Dancer HBO
74 Fair Game 2010 In Theater
75 The Pianists 2002 Angela Saw, I Saw A Few Years Ago
76 The Simpsons Movie First Half was Seen Earlier
77 Star Wars 6 First Half Hour
78 Wizard Of OZ Half
79 The King And I Korean History Drama
80 The Darjeeling Limited 2007 Owen Wilson Wes Anderson Directed
81 The Piano 1995 Angela Saw, I Heard Parts Of It
82 Gia 1994 Very Sexual And Lots Of Lesbian Scenes Which Turned Me On.
83 Oregon (SFY)
84 Leiberstruam 1999 Kim Novack, Bill Pullman HBO
85 The Jones 2009 Demi Moore, David Duchovny Amber Heard, And Ben Hollingsworth Directed By Derrick Borte – Disappointed, Did Not Work For Me
86 The Hours 2002 Nicole Kidman, Julain Moore, And Meryle Shreep Re Life Of Virginia Woolf And Her Impact On The Life Of Two Women
87 Bobby 2006 Helen Hunt, Demi Moore, Anthony Hopkins, Sharon Stone, William Macy, Martin Sheet, Linsday Lohan, And Cristian Slater Written Nd Directed By Emilio Estevez
88 True Grit 2010 – Overly Hyped In My Opinion
89 Vivdirana Spanish Film 1961 Classic
90 Volver 2005 Spanish Film
91 How Much Do You Love Me 2005 French
92. Ninja Assassins 2009 Staring Rain On TV
93 Horsefeathers Marx Brothers On TV
2009
1. Underwear” Starting Val Kilmer, Graham Greene,
2. Constant Gardener With Rachael Weiz –
3. Rumor Has It – Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Costner
4. Queen
5. Hancock With Will Smith
6. Dave – With Eddie Murphy – SF Comedy
7. Joe Kid – With Clint Eastwood – Saw Opening
8. Iron Man – Not Bad. Another Marvel Movie.
9. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind”
10. Gone, Baby, Gone”
11. Fracture
12. Burn After Reading”
13. 21 Grams”
14. The Changing With Angelia Jolie, Directed By Clint
15. Kiss The Dust”
16. How To Lose Friends And Alienate People
17. Electric Mist With Tomy Lee Jones
18. Good German
19. Siberian Express
20. Body Of Lies
21. Slum Dog Millionaire
22. Lucky Slevin
23. Australia
24. What Just Happened
25. City Of Ember
26. Proof Of Life
27. Bottle Shock
28. Runaway Jury
29. Master Spy
30. Marie Antoinette
31. Interstate
32. He’s Just Not That Into You
33. Madagascar 11
34. Collateral With Jamie Fox And Tom Cruise
35. My Super Ex Girl Friend
36. State Of Play – In Medford Movie Theather
37. Bolt-On The Plane
38. Yes Man, In a Hotel Room In DC
39. Avengers
40. Spy Games
41. All The Way
42. The Day The Earth Stood Still
43. Seven Pounds
44. Nothing But The Truth
45. The Reader – Oscar Winner For Best Actress 2008 Kate Winslet
46. Crossing Over
47. Kill Shot With Mickey Rourke, Diane Lane
48. Vanished With Jeff Bridges, Sandra Bullock
49. Valkyrie
50. Star Trek – Prequel Movie (From Street Vendor)
51. 52 The Clearing With Robert Redford – 2004
52. Curious Case Of Benjamin Button With Brad Pitt Best Actor Award 2009
53. Knowing With Nicolas Cage 2009
54. The Code
55. Counterfeit
56. Alexander 2004 Oliver Stone Producer
57. Out For Justice 1991
58. Echelon Conspiracy 2009
59. The Good Thief 2001 With Nick Nolte
60. Meteor = NBC Mini-Series
61. Wild Hogs 2007 Tim Allen, Travolta, Macy, Lawrence
62. 28 Days Later
63. Wild Things 2
64. Mystic River Directed By Clint Eastwood, Starring Sean Pean
65. Criminal 2004
66. Essential Lover
67. Two Lovers
68. Angels And Demons 2008 Started by Tom Hanks, Directed By Ron Howard
69. The Informers
70. Duplicity
71. Surveillance Produced By Jennifer Lynch Starting Pullman And Ormand
72. Trust The Man 2008
73. The Mutant Chronicles 2008
74. Heaven 1995?
75. Wolverine With Hugh Jackman 2009
76. Dark Streets With Bijou Philips
77. Doubt With Meryle Strep 2008
78. Coco Chanel Shirley Mc Cline 2008
79. Ramen Girl
80. The Yatzuka (1974 W George Mitchum)
81. The Fountain 2006 W Rachel Weiss (Hot)
82. Easy Virtue 2009 (On Plane)
83. Act Of Imagination – Eddie Murphy And Serena Williams’s Daughter
84. I Hate Valentine’s Day 2009 (On Plane)
85. The Proposal 2009 With Sandra Bullock
86. Into The Storm (Bio Of Winston Churchill (On Plane)
87. MILF Hunters 5 Porno Movie Seen In Hotel
88. Mr. Brooks
89. Taken
90. The Big Bounce
91. The Heartbreak Kid (Second Time Around)
92. Taking Of Pelham 123 2009 With John Travolta, Denzel Washington
93. Cherrie 2008 With Michelle Pfiefer
94. Accidental Husband 2008 With Uma Thuber
95. Management With Jennifer Aniston, Steve Chain, And Woody Harrelson, 2008
96. My Life In Ruins, 2008 With Nia Valdolos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding And Richard Dreyfus)
97. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang 2005
98. Spanglish 2005 With Adam Sandler
99. A Married Life 2008
100. Open Road 2009
101. Vanity Fair 2004 Recee Weatherspoon As Bucky Sharp
102. Beyond Borders 2008 Anglie Jolie, And Clive Owen
103. I’ll Sleep When I Am Dead 2003with Clive Owen
104. The King Of California 2007 With Michael Douglas
105. Target 1985 With Gene Hackman And Matt Dillion
106. The Life Of David Gale With Kevin Spacy, And Kate Winslet
107. Bruno
108. Lucky You With Drew Barrymore
109. The Last Word
110. 2012 With John Cusack
111. Bad Lieutenant With Nicolas Cage
112. The Tournament 2009 Kelly Hu
113. Public Enemies 2009 Johny Deep
114. Julia And Julia 2009 Meryle Sherpa
115. Cold Mountain 2003 Jude Law, Nicole Kidman
116. Out Of Time 2003 Denzel Washington, Eva Mendez (Hot)
117. Night At The Museum 11 Battle For Smithsonian
118. Sleuth 2009 Version
119. Land Of The Lost 2009
120. The Brother’s Bloom 2008
121. Letter From Iwa Jima 2007 Clint Eastwood Directed
122. White Chicks
123. Star Treck Generations
124. Jackie Collins’s Hollywood Wife 2003
125. Charlie Wilson’s War -2008 Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts
126. The Whole Nine Yards 2000 Bruce Willis, Matthew Perry, Amanda Peete (Hot)
127. The Illusionist
2009
1. Underwear” Starting Val Kilmer, Graham Greene,
2. Constant Gardener With Rachael Weiz –
3. Rumor Has It – Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Costner
4. Queen
5. Hancock With Will Smith
6. Dave – With Eddie Murphy – SF Comedy
7. Joe Kid – With Clint Eastwood – Saw Opening
8. Iron Man – Not Bad. Another Marvel Movie.
9. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind”
10. Gone, Baby, Gone”
11. Fracture
12. Burn After Reading”
13. 21 Grams”
14. The Changing With Angelia Jolie, Directed By Clint
15. Kiss The Dust”
16. How To Lose Friends And Alienate People
17. Electric Mist With Tommy Lee Jones
18. Good German
19. Siberian Express
20. Body Of Lies
21. Slum Dog Millionaire
22. Lucky Slevin
23. Australia
24. What Just Happened
25. City Of Ember
26. Proof Of Life
27. Bottle Shock
28. Runaway Jury
29. Master Spy
30. Marie Antoinette
31. Interstate
32. He’s Just Not That Into You
33. Madagascar 11
34. Collateral With Jamie Fox And Tom Cruise
35. My Super Ex Girl Friend
36. State Of Play – In Medford Movie Theather
37. Bolt-On The Plane
38. Yes Man, In a Hotel Room In DC
39. Avengers
40. Spy Games
41. All The Way
42. The Day The Earth Stood Still
43. Seven Pounds
44. Nothing But The Truth
45. The Reader – Oscar Winner For Best Actress 2008 Kate Winslet
46. Crossing Over
47. Kill Shot With Mickey Rourke, Diane Lane
48. Vanished With Jeff Bridges, Sandra Bullock
49. Valkyrie
50. Star Trek – Prequel Movie (From Street Vendor)
51. 52 The Clearing With Robert Redford – 2004
52. Curious Case Of Benjamin Button With Brad Pitt Best Actor Award 2009
53. Knowing With Nicolas Cage 2009
54. The Code
55. Counterfeit
56. Alexander 2004 Oliver Stone Producer
57. Out For Justice 1991
58. Echelon Conspiracy 2009
59. The Good Thief 2001 With Nick Nolte
60. Meteor = NBC Mini-Series
61. Wild Hogs 2007 Tim Allen, Travolta, Macy, Lawrence
62. 28 Days Later
63. Wild Things 2
64. Mystic River Directed By Clint Eastwood, Starring Sean Pean
65. Criminal 2004
66. Essential Lover
67. Two Lovers
68. Angels And Demons 2008 Started by Tom Hanks, Directed By Ron Howard
69. The Informers
70. Duplicity
71. Surveillance Produced By Jennifer Lynch Starting Pullman And Ormand
72. Trust The Man 2008
73. The Mutant Chronicles 2008
74. Heaven 1995?
75. Wolverine With Hugh Jackman 2009
76. Dark Streets With Bijou Philips
77. Doubt With Meryle Strep 2008
78. Coco Chanel Shirley Mc Cline 2008
79. Ramen Girl
80. The Yatzuka (1974 W George Mitchum)
81. The Fountain 2006 W Rachel Weiss (Hot)
82. Easy Virtue 2009 (On Plane)
83. Act Of Imagination – Eddie Murphy And Serena Williams’s Daughter
84. I Hate Valentine’s Day 2009 (On Plane)
85. The Proposal 2009 With Sandra Bullock
86. Into The Storm (Bio Of Winston Churchill (On Plane)
87. MILF Hunters 5 Porno Movie Seen In Hotel
88. Mr. Brooks
89. Taken
90. The Big Bounce
91. The Heartbreak Kid (Second Time Around)
92. Taking Of Pelham 123 2009 With John Travolta, Denzel Washington
93. Cherrie 2008 With Michelle Pfiefer
94. Accidental Husband 2008 With Uma Thuber
95. Management With Jennifer Aniston, Steve Chain, And Woody Harrelson, 2008
96. My Life In Ruins, 2008 With Nia Valdolos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding And Richard Dreyfus)
97. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang 2005
98. Spanglish 2005 With Adam Sandler
99. A Married Life 2008
100. Open Road 2009
101. Vanity Fair 2004 Recee Weatherspoon As Bucky Sharp
102. Beyond Borders 2008 Anglie Jolie, And Clive Owen
103. I’ll Sleep When I Am Dead 2003with Clive Owen
104. The King Of California 2007 With Michael Douglas
105. Target 1985 With Gene Hackman And Matt Dillion
106. The Life Of David Gale With Kevin Spacy, And Kate Winslet
107. Bruno
108. Lucky You With Drew Barrymore
109. The Last Word
110. 2012 With John Cusack
111. Bad Lieutenant With Nicolas Cage
112. The Tournament 2009 Kelly Hu
113. Public Enemies 2009 Johny Deep
114. Julia And Julia 2009 Meryle Sherpa
115. Cold Mountain 2003 Jude Law, Nicole Kidman
116. Out Of Time 2003 Denzel Washington, Eva Mendez (Hot)
117. Night At The Museum 11 Battle For Smithsonian
118. Sleuth 2009 Version
119. Land Of The Lost 2009
120. The Brother’s Bloom 2008
121. Letter From Iwa Jima 2007 Clint Eastwood Directed
122. White Chicks
123. Star Treck Generations
124. Jackie Collins’s Hollywood Wife 2003
125. Charlie Wilson’s War -2008 Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts
126. The Whole Nine Yards 2000 Bruce Willis, Matthew Perry, Amanda Peete (Hot)
127. The Illusionist
2008
1. After The Sunset With Pierce Bronson, Salma Hayek, Woody Harrelson, Don Cheadle
2. American Gangster With Denzel Washington And Russell Crowe
3. Out Of Reach With Steven Seagal
4. Amos And Andy With Nicolas Cage And Samuel Jackson
5. The Merchant Of Venice With AL Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Joseph Fiennes, Lynn Collins
6. Harrison’s Flowers With Adrian Macdowell, Elias Koteas, Brendan Gleeson, Adrian Brody, And David Stratham
7. Cruise December 15 -21
8. Sylvia – Movie About The Poet Sylvia Plath And Ted Hughes
9. What Happened In Vegas – With Cameron Diaz
10. Rendition With Meryle Strep – About The Issue Of Renditions, Well Done
11. Adaptation – Nicolas Cage Re Life Of Two Twin Brothers Screen Writers And The Process Of Writing A Screen Play
12. Bangkok Dangerous Nicolas Cage
13. Elizabeth
14. The Weather Man Nicolas Cage
15. Get Smart
16. Possession NF
17. Next With Nicolas Cage NF
18. Knocked Up NF
19. Untouchables AMC
20. Fargo AMC
21. Mummy Returns
2007 To 2010 Barbados
Saw A Lot Of Movies On Video And Netflix Via Mail
From 2003 To 2007 DC Saw An Average of 100 Per Year
2000 To 2003 Saw An Average Of 100 Per Year Mostly Videos But Did See In Movie Theaters Twice A Month And Saw Several Bollywood Movies
2000 Saw The Three Stooges Marathon To Start The Year
1996 -1997 Saw Less Than 50 Due To Being In Hospital Half The Year
The 90s Saw About 100 Per Year Blockbuster Was Popular
1994 during six months of Thai training saw four movies per week
1991 during training saw four movies per week
The ’80s Saw A Lot Via Video About 100 Per Year
The ’70s Saw On TV And In Movie Theaters
Watched a lot of Creature Features movies on TV in the early ’70s every Friday night they had a double feature. Went on average once a week to the movies with friends, mostly Robert Sicular from 1970 to 1974.
My favorite animation series included American Dad, Dilbert, Family Guy, Futurama, Bullwinkle, and Looney Tunes.
Favorite TV series over the years include Arrested Development, Batman, Superman, Everyone Loves Raymond, Two and a Half Men, Married with Children, Malcolm in the Middle, Dallas, Falcon Crest, and as a child, Beverly Hillbies, Dobbie Gils, Gilligan’s Island, Green Acres, Outer limits, Twilight zone, and X Files.
Saw all Planet of the Apes movies and all James Bond movies
For more than twenty years now, Mrs D and I have made it an annual quest to see all of the Best Picture nominees before the Oscars telecast. This year we saw 9.5 of the 10 movies nominated.
It started in 2000, when there were only five nominees (instead of up to 10 like now) and we usually had to see them in a theater, because they weren’t available to rent on VHS yet. (Yes, I said VHS).
And we’ve done it every year since, except for 2019 which was interrupted by Mrs D’s infamous extended hospital stay. We have even ventured to other cities to see movies that weren’t playing at the one theater in our little town. I remember seeing Chocolat in Ukiah and more recently The Revenant in Rohnert Park. But now we can usually stream everything, and this year the whole project ran us around a hundred bucks in streaming rentals and purchases on top of our existing subscriptions to Amazon, etc.
Several years ago I started writing about our tradition on Facebook. Now the writeup itself has become part of the deal. As I’ve said before, I’m no film student, nor expert critic. Just a regular dude who loves movies.
Snap reviews and top picks below.
American Fiction –
Bold, wryly funny, contrarian, with the ring of truth. Brilliantly calls out the publishing industry, where retread tropes seem to trump story, art and insight, particularly when it comes to depictions of Black characters and writers. And I feel like there’s an even larger truth here about the way culture is degraded in general through over-commercialization.
Anatomy of a Fall –
A French film that moves carefully, piece by piece, and manages to be slow and taut at the same time. I found the characters to be inscrutable. I feel like I need to watch again just to see if maybe this time I would fully understand these people. It left me with a suspicion that perhaps all the story’s secrets have still not been revealed, that the resolution we see on the screen is still not the truth of these characters. And, in this case, that ambiguity is a good thing.
Barbie —
Cleverly funny in spots, but also unsubtly preachy in spots, an issue I’ve had with director Greta Gerwig before. But Margot Robbie was perfect and the movie is visually stunning in all its pinkish glory and devoted detail. Still, I think this movie appears in the Best Picture category more on the strength of its perceived politics than its success as an artistic endeavor.
The Holdovers —
A darkly funny, entertaining, and deeply reflective odd couple sort of story that’s enjoyable to watch. Maybe a little out of its league in the Best Picture category, but elevated to a higher status by Paul Giamatti’s performance, which is irresistibly engaging as always. Well worth a second watch.
Killers of the Flower Moon — Having read the book, I felt the impact of the true part of this story was diminished by the fictionalized part of the movie. Reading the book I was deeply struck by the callous indifference shown toward the humanity of the Osage Indians. It resonated like an echo of Shindler’s List, underlining the incredible and frightening capacity of humans to rationalize literally any behavior in their fear or greed. But the movie revolves around Ernest Burkhardt (Leonardo DiCaprio) and depicts a somewhat tried and true arc of romantic tragedy, a weak-minded man caught up in the schemes of others, pulled along by greed and the need for approval, until he is in the process of killing the only real love he’s ever known. As is often the case, the truth was more complex. And more disturbing.
Maestro –
I usually make a conscious effort to limit my preconceptions of these movies. I don’t read reviews or watch trailers. But it’s hard to avoid a relentless ad campaign like the one mounted for Maestro. I’d seen the rousing TV spots touting the performances and the early awards. But I found the movie depressing, its characterization of Bernstein disappointing and unlikeable. But yes, Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan
were both outstanding.
Comment: on my list to watch as I am a big Bernstein fan – one of the best classical composers of the 20th century in my opinion.
Oppenheimer –
Not what I would call a pleasant watch, at times slow and ponderous, even confusing with some of the time jumps. But the acting was so engrossing, immersive, mesmerizing even. Cillian Murphy in the title role was riveting. Robert Downey Jr simply disappeared into the role of Lewis Strauss. Emily Blunt was also captivating as Kitty Oppenheimer. The effects director Christopher Nolan used to heighten the sense of Oppenheimer’s interiority were brilliant and effective.
For example when Oppenheimer steps on a charred corpse that only exists in his tortured, guilty mind. But the lasting impact of this film is the way it echoes in the mind afterward—how sad and terrible and absurd it is that we reckless humans have attained the power to destroy the world. It will probably win Best Picture. And it probably should.
Comment: Also on my must see list
Past Lives –
Eventually, someone had to do a movie like this — an old romance is rekindled through the internet and complications ensue. In this particular case the past romance is an adolescent crush, cut short by one family’s immigration, and later complicated not just by the years, but also by geographic and cultural distance. This one stayed with me, kept me thinking for days afterward about its larger implications regarding fate, destiny, acceptance, grief and closure. Well worth more than one watch.
Poor Things –
Half of this movie was twice as much as I needed. We actually turned it off, extremely rare for us during Oscar season. What we saw played like a terrible excuse for some creepy, gratuitous soft porn. All the weirdness of the sets, costumes, cinematography and makeup felt like a desperate attempt at artistic status. If someone out there actually saw some redeeming value in this thing, feel free to explain in the comments section what I am missing.
The Zone of Interest –
This one’s all in German, with subtitles. But the dialog is sparse and the film’s biggest strength is in the fascinating dichotomy presented in its basic premise. It gives us a window into the surprisingly mundane personal lives of a “normal” family literally in the shadow of Auschwitz during the Holocaust. The sense of cognitive dissonance is alarming.
Honorable Mention
– I don’t usually do this, but I wanted to mention one film that was not even nominated for Best Picture but, in my opinion, should have been. Nyad has wonderful, engaging performances by Annette Bening and Jodie Foster, and it’s a suspenseful, satisfying, story of friendship, determination, human spirit, and triumph over the longest odds.
Finally, here are my choices for the top awards.
Don’t worry, the Academy almost always disagrees.
Actor in a Leading Role: Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer Winner
Actor in a Supporting Role: Robert Downey Jr, Oppenheimer Winner
Actress in a Leading Role: Annette Bening, Nyad
Actress in a Supporting Role: Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer
Best Picture: Oppenheimer Winner
Soon it’s time to pop the popcorn, get cozy on the couch, badmouth the fashion and root for your favorites.
Happy Oscars folks.
here’s the winners
The 96th Academy Awards, held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 10, 2024, celebrated outstanding movies released in 2023. Here are some of the notable winners:
Best Picture: “Oppenheimer”
Best Actor: Cillian Murphy for his role in “Oppenheimer”
Best Actress: Emma Stone for her performance in “Poor Things”
Best Supporting Actor: Robert Downey Jr. in “Oppenheimer”
Best Supporting Actress: Da’Vine Joy Randolph from “The Holdovers”
Best Director: Christopher Nolan for “Oppenheimer”
Best Adapted Screenplay: “American Fiction”
Best Original Screenplay: “Anatomy of a Fall”
Best Animated Feature: “The Boy and the Heron”
Best Documentary Feature: “20 Days in Mariupol”
Best International Feature Film: “The Zone of Interest”
Best Cinematography: “Oppenheimer”
Best Costume Design: “Poor Things”
Best Film Editing: “Oppenheimer”
Best Makeup and Hairstyling: “Poor Things”
Best Original Score: “Oppenheimer”
Best Original Song: “Barbie”
Best Production Design: “Poor Things”
Best Sound: “The Zone of Interest”
Best Visual Effects: “Godzilla Minus One”
Best Documentary (Short Subject): “The Last Repair Shop”
– IMDb rating: 8.5
– IMDb user votes: 14,171
– Stars: Alfred Hitchcock, Harry Tyler, John Williams, Patricia Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock is widely considered one of the greatest directors of all time—so it’s little wonder that the series was immensely popular. Each week, the episodes—some of which Hitchcock directed himself—told a different story, from dramas to thrillers to mysteries. It starred famous actors from both the big and small screen, including Robert Redford, Jessica Tandy, and Bette Davis.
My wife’s Birth year TV series ( would like to see what it would be in Korea)
– IMDb rating: 9
– IMDb user votes: 67,242
– Stars: Rod Serling, Robert McCord, Jay Overholts, Vaughn Taylor
The memorable and somewhat chilling voice of Rod Serling was always the introduction to these unusual and often frightening sci-fi tales, which took regular people on extraordinary journeys. While the series itself only ran from 1959 to 1964, it spawned a franchise of movies as well as two revivals: one in the 1980s and a new one, hosted by Jordan Peele, that aired on CBS All Access.
– IMDb rating: 8.7
– IMDb user votes: 2,194
– Stars: Jay O. Sanders, Craig Sechler, Lance Lewman, Will Lyman
First airing in 1974, the long-running PBS documentary series focuses on science, nature, and history. The award-winning show has covered topics such as volcanic eruptions, global warming, the Great Pyramids, space exploration, and evolution.
– IMDb rating: 8.2
– IMDb user votes: 2,191
– Stars: Neil Everett, Jalen Rose, Jenn Brown, Antonietta Collins
Premiering on ESPN in 1979, “SportsCenter” quickly became one of the most-watched sports series on television. The show features highlights from various sporting events, as well as commentary, interviews, and game previews.
– IMDb rating: 8.4
– IMDb user votes: 15,148
– Stars: Leslie Nielsen, Alan North, Rex Hamilton, Ed Williams
The comedic genius of Leslie Nielsen shines in this short-lived but hilarious spoof on police shows. The series played off of serious police dramas, poking fun via slapstick, gags, and silly commentary. While the show made it through only six episodes before being canceled, it did go on to become the premise of “The Naked Gun” film franchise in the late ’80s and early ’90s.
– IMDb rating: 8.5
– IMDb user votes: 22,577
– Stars: Joel Hodgson, Michael J. Nelson, Trace Beaulieu, Kevin Murphy
In what could easily be considered one of the most unusual show premises of all time, an innocent janitor is taken hostage by two crazed scientists and forced to watch sci-fi movies. The janitor builds himself some robot companions to keep him company, and the group interjects their own funny commentary and opinions into the movies they watch. The show originally was on from 1988 to 1996, and creator Joel Hodgson ran a successful crowdfunding campaign to renew the series at Netflix in 2017.
– IMDb rating: 8.3
– IMDb user votes: 16,227
– Stars: Colin O’Meara, Thierry Wermuth, Christian Pellissier, Henri Labussière
Based on a series of books by Belgian cartoonist Georges Prosper Remi, “The Adventures of Tintin” ran for three seasons on HBO. Telling the story of a young reporter and his best friend and furry sidekick, Snowy, the animated series takes the two on heroic exploits and adventures. The books were not as popular in the U.S. as they were in Europe, but the television show was nominated for several awards. It inspired a 3D computer-animated movie of the same name in 2011.
– IMDb rating: 8.7
– IMDb user votes: 64,241
– Stars: Doc Harris, Christopher Sabat, Scott McNeil, Sean Schemmel
Getting its start as a popular Japanese anime series, “Dragon Ball Z” premiered in the U.S. in 1996, and continued on Cartoon Network from 1998 to 2003. With some help from his friends, young hero Goku fights to defend the earth from a variety of creatures and villains. In addition to the animated series, the “Dragon Ball” franchise included movies, video games, and two sequel television shows.
– IMDb rating: 8.8
– IMDb user votes: 743,325
– Stars: Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Winona Ryder, David Harbour
Another successful Netflix original, “Stranger Things” is the creation of the Duffer Brothers, who also wrote the Warner Bros. horror film “Hidden.” Part sci-fi, part horror, the story starts with the disappearance of a young boy and the eerie events that follow. Premiering in 2016, the series will wrap up its run in 2025.
#59. An Autumn Afternoon (1962) 秋刀魚の味 (Sanma no Aji) #62. The Hidden Fortress (1958) 隠し砦の三悪人 (Kakushi Toride no San Akunin)
#64. I Was Born, But… (1932) 大人の見る絵本 生れてはみたけれど (Otona no Miru Ehon Umarete wa Mita Keredo)
#68. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013) かぐや姫の物語 (Kaguya-hime no Monogatari)
#81. Nobody Knows (2004) 誰も知らない (Dare mo Shiranai) #82. Still Walking (2008) 歩いても 歩いても (Aruitemo Aruitemo)
#83. My Neighbor Totoro (1988) となりのトトロ (Tonari no Totoro) #88. Drive My Car (2021) ドライブ・マイ・カー (Doraibu Mai Kā)
#95. After Life (1998) ワンダフルライフ (Wandafuru Raifu) #98. Maborosi (1995) 幻の光 (Maboroshi no Hikari)
French:
#12. Army of Shadows (1969) L’Armée des Ombres
#17. Children of Paradise (1945) Les Enfants du Paradi
s #20. The Rules of the Game (1939) La Règle du Jeu
#23. Playtime (1967) Playtime
#28. Au hasard Balthazar (1966) Au Hasard Balthazar
#35. Pépé le Moko (1937) Pépé le Moko
#38. Jules and Jim (1962) Jules et Jim
#43. The Artist (2011) L’Artiste
#51. Céline and Julie Go Boating (1974) Céline et Julie vont en bateau
#57. Beauty and the Beast (1946) La Belle et la Bête
#69. Band of Outsiders (1964) Bande à part
#71. L’Argent (1983) L’Argent
#72. The Wild Child (1970) L’Enfant Sauvage
#77. The Triplets of Belleville (2003) Les Triplettes de Belleville
#84. Blue is the Warmest Colour (2013) La Vie d’Adèle
#89. The Class (2008) Entre les Murs #93.
Petite Maman (2021) Petite Maman
#97. A Summer’s Tale (1996) Conte d’été
Certainly! Here’s the rest of the list broken down by nationality with just the English titles while keeping the original numbering and bolding intact:
French: #12. Army of Shadows (1969)
#17. Children of Paradise (1945)
#20. The Rules of the Game (1939)
#23. Playtime (1967)
#28. Au hasard Balthazar (1966)
#35. Pépé le Moko (1937)
#38. Jules and Jim (1962)
#43. The Artist (2011)
#51. Céline and Julie Go Boating (1974)
#57. Beauty and the Beast (1946)
#69. Band of Outsiders (1964)
#71. L’Argent (1983)
#72. The Wild Child (1970)
#77. The Triplets of Belleville (2003)
#84. Blue is the Warmest Colour (2013)
#89. The Class (2008)
#93. Petite Maman (2021)
#97. A Summer’s Tale (1996)
#24. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) French
Italian: #16. The Conformist (1970)
#21. The Battle of Algiers (1966)
#31. La Dolce Vita (1960)
#39. Umberto D. (1952)
#40. The Best of Youth (2003)
#45. 8½ (1963)
#50. Journey to Italy (1954)
#70. Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970)
Office Spacewas the first live-action film by Beavis and Buttheadcreator Mike Judge. It’s a sharply written comedy that still accurately captures the American work life in an office setting perfectly over 25 years later. Judge’s biting satire of the day-to-day drudgery of mindless office drones pre-empted TV series like Judge’s own Silicon Valleyand the highly acclaimed Severance. The film wasn’t a box office hit but found its audience on cable and the home video market, leading it to become a beloved cult classic.
Expanded from Judge’s earlier animated shorts titled Milton, and inspired by the director’s own work in an office, the movie stars Ron Livingston as Peter, a programmer at a software company who feels aimless and unfulfilled. That all changes when he goes to a hypnotherapist who unintentionally leaves Peter in a perpetual state of relaxation. He stops caring about work and does what he wants, which ironically only leads him to a promotion. Office Space is pointedly funny in its critiques and is filled with memorably quotable characters, played to perfection by its cast, including Gary Cole as the mundanely villainous boss Lumbergh, and Stephen Root as the timid, red stapler-loving Milton.
‘Galaxy Quest’ (1999)
Directed by Dean Parisot
Essential 90s sci-fi movie Galaxy Quest was inspired by the dedicated fandom of Star Trek, and tapped into the culture of conventions, online discourse and IP reboots years before those were part of the normal ecosystem of Hollywood and were still considered niche. Dean Parisot’s wickedly funny and wonderfully entertaining film is a perfectly cast adventure that is both retro and prescient at the same time.
Fincher’s film is filled with radical disdain for the prevailing popular culture of the time, but it also shows an alternative that is not a healthy substitute. Controversial upon its release and continually misinterpreted by film bros, Fight Club may be a product of its time but seems only more relevant in an era of rising incel subculture. The film is remembered for its trio of performances by Brad Pitt, Edward Norton and Helena Bonham Carter, as well as for Fincher’s strong visuals and the mid-film twist that turns the story on its head. It’s a must-watch movie that should inspire plenty of debate.
‘The Iron Giant’ (1999)
Directed by Brad Bird
Beautifully animated and heartwarming, Brad Bird’s animated adaptation of The Iron Giant brought the filmmaker boldly into the world of feature films. Despite being overlooked at the box office (a common theme among the films of 1999), The Iron Giant has only gained more appreciation as time has gone on, and has been rediscovered, as Bird became a household name thanks to animated hits like Ratatouille and The Incredibles.
Set in an idealized small town in the 1950s, young latchkey child Hogarth Hughes discovers the titular character having crash-landed near his home. The arrival of the massive alien robot inspires both Hogarth to come out of his shell as well as a suspicious government agent to investigate. With it’s mix of 2D and 3D animation, and terrific voice cast, The Iron Giant is as charming as animated films get.
‘Eyes Wide Shut’ (1999)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
The final film from master filmmaker Stanley Kubrick, Eyes Wide Shut is an erotic thriller that was unjustly dismissed by audiences, as evidenced by its terrible Cinemascore grade, and some critics reacted coldly to it as well, comparing it unfavorably to Kubrick’s other masterworks. Time has shown that it’s another complex mystery from one of cinema’s most uncompromising auteurs.
Shot over a period of fifteen months on meticulously crafted sound stages in England (despite being set in New York City), the film follows the nightmarish journey of a doctor, played by Tom Cruise, who spirals into an exploration of eroticism after discovering his wife has harbored fantasies of being unfaithful. It’s an eerie examination of sexuality that like all of Kubrick’s work has a lot to digest and interpret through its layered visuals.
‘The Sixth Sense’ (1999)
Directed by M. Night Shymalan
Coming at the end of a decade that had plenty of definitive horror movies but that is also often viewed as being slimmer in its selection, M. Night Shymalan’s The Sixth Sensewas a splash of cold water to the faces of audiences who felt burnt out on the glut of the slick but vapid slashers that came in the wake of the success of Scream.
Bruce Willis stars as a child psychologist who takes on a new patient, Haley Joel Osment in an Oscar-nominated role, who has the unique problem of being able to talk to the dead. The Sixth Sense is a beautifully crafted horror film that relies on atmosphere and the well-honed performances of its cast to provide the scares. The script slowly unfurls it’s mysteries and Shymalan’s shocking twist ending actually feels integral to the plot, unlike those in his later films that feel unnecessary or like a crutch for lazy writing.
‘The Matrix’ (1999)
Directed by The Wachowskis
Coming off their debut film, the erotic thriller film Bound, the Wachowski’s pushed the queer content into subtext but kept the neo-noir vibes for the cyberpunk action masterpiece The Matrix. The movie became an instant influence on the action and sci-fi genres, with its innovative bullet-time effects quickly infiltrating dozens of other action movies and becoming satirized in comedies.
Keanu Reeves plays Neo, a hacker who discovers that the world he inhabits is all a simulation, and that the real world is an apocalyptic wasteland where the remains of humanity fight against their oppressive machine overlords. The plot pulls from dozens of different sources, including anime and the works of writer William Gibson, and synthesizes it all into a slick, action-packed package that makes some of the entry-level philosophy course dialogue easy to digest. Essential and influential, The Matrix is much more than its imitators or empty sequels, and was one of the most significant films released in 1999.
The cast is absolutely without fault, but special notice was given to Tom Cruise at the time for his performance as Frank Mackey, a misogynistic motivational speaker who uses his profession to cover up his own insecurities and past. It’s a role that weaponizes Cruise’s natural charisma for a toxic but vulnerable character. If Cruise hadn’t subsequently been swallowed whole by Scientology, it’s quite possible the intervening years between his amazing work in 1999 and his later full dedication to the Mission: Impossiblefranchise could’ve been filled with some very daring and interesting performances.
‘Being John Malkovich’ (1999)
Directed by Spike Jonze
From his influential music videos and short films, to his four feature-length classics, Spike Jonze has been one of the most unique directorial talents to grace the silver over the last few decades. He announced his entry into the mainstream with the fiercely original Being John Malkovich. Working off Charlie Kaufman’s surreal screenplay, Jonze crafted a dark comedy that has few true parallels.
John Cusack plays a puppeteer who gets a job on the seventh and a half floor of an office building where he discovers a doorway that leads into the mind of actor John Malkovich. From there the film goes into even more unexpected directions as more and more people enter Malkovich’s mind, until the actor himself is made aware of the portal’s existence. The cast is terrific, with Cameron Diaz and Catherine Keener in pivotal supporting roles, and Malkovich himself playing off his idiosyncratic reputation. In a year that was filled with sterling original films, Being John Malkovich is the most singular.
‘All About My Mother’ (1999)
Directed by Pedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar is a filmmaker who has consistently put out great work for over four decades that has certainly garnered awards attention and critical acclaim but remains frustratingly overlooked by American audiences. The Spanish filmmaker is known for his melodramas with bold visual styles that frequently feature LGBTQ+ and feminist themes, both of which are on full display in the film frequently cited as his best, All About My Mother.
After the death of her teenage son Esteban, Manuela (Cecilia Roth) travels to Barcelona to reconnect with the teen’s other parent, the transgender Lola (Toni Cantó). In Barcelona, she makes other connections, including Rosa (Penélope Cruz) a nun who is HIV positive and pregnant. It’s Almodóvar’s love letter to women, all women, and he tells his story with compassion and sincerity, all the while calling to mind the classic Hollywood melodramas of filmmakers like Douglas Sirkwith his intense visual palette. All About My Mother is a film the likes of which is hardly seen in Hollywood, and should be watched for its empathetic storytelling of women whose lives are often reduced or overlooked in mainstream cinema.
Some sci-fi classics like Star Wars and Jurassic Park are always worth rewatching. Mad Max: Fury Road is a thrilling endless car chase.
Everything Everywhere All at Once mixes kung fu with a heartwarming family story for an entertaining sci-fi flick.
Galaxy Quest hilariously parodies Star Trek while paying homage to the beloved franchise that inspired it.
A lot of the lofty sci-fi movie classics aren’t very rewatchable, but some of the genre’s greatest entries – like Star Wars, Back to the Future, and Jurassic Park – hold up to countless repeat viewings. 2001: A Space Odyssey is a breathtaking piece of cinema pondering the biggest questions about humanity’s existence, and Blade Runner is a powerful futuristic noir about what constitutes a person. But they both move at such a slow pace, and deal with such heavy philosophical subject matter, that no one is champing at the bit to rewatch them on movie night.
With the first sequel, Aliens, James Cameron went the other way and delivered one of the most explosive, action-packed movies ever made. The first half of Aliens gets Ellen Ripley down to the surface of a xenomorph-infested human colony with a band of space marines. The second half is an all-out action extravaganza pitting the marines against dozens of bloodthirsty aliens.
The kind of movies that usually sweep the Academy Awards are slow, quiet, somber, and not particularly interested in being entertaining. But Everything Everywhere All at Once – which won seven Oscars, including Best Picture – is anything but. It is a touching, character-focused drama about a mother struggling to connect with her disillusioned daughter, but that beautiful mother-daughter story is wrapped up in an action-packed interdimensional epic in which the entire multiverse is at stake.
Joaquin Phoenix Is a Gun-Defending Sheriff of a Murderous Town in ‘Eddington’ Trailer
Story by Althea Legaspi
ensions are high between officials and townspeople in Eddington, New Mexico on June 2, 2020 in the teaser trailer for the black comedy western, Eddington. The Ari Aster-written and directed film, which will make its world premiere at Cannes Film Festival next month, arrives in theaters on July 18.
In the teaser clip, a person scrolls through their social media feed on a cell phone as a series of talking heads give snippets of their viewpoints, which appear to be focused on the pandemic and conspiracy theories. In Eddington, the weather is sweltering – in the upper 90s and into the 100s – per the person’s cell phone, as a voice discusses a lab in Wuhan, China. “If you value your life, you should think twice because the people in Eddington like guns, Sheriff Joe Cross (Phoenix) warns in one clip.
After Cross issues his alert, a video clip of his wife appears on the cell screen. “And I am speaking now to deny my husband’s announcement yesterday,” says Louise Cross (Emma Stone). “Which was false.”
Sherriff Cross’ adversary Mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal) also shows up on the screen with a video of his own. “I’m ready to continue leading our town, and fighting the pandemic and the racial and economic … ” he says before he’s cut off by the next clip, where Cross appears in a CNN post. “‘Law and Order Sheriff Assaults Protester in Town Rocked by Murders” reads the chyron over its video featuring a screaming Cross and protesting townspeople in masks as they face off.
The film also stars Luke Grimes, Austin Butler, Deirdre O’Connell, Micheal Ward, Clifton Collins Jr., William Belleau, Cameron Mann, Matt Gomez Hidaka, and Amélie Hoeferle.
George Miller had already made three rollicking, action-packed Mad Max movies before he returned to the wasteland and blew the original trilogy out of the water with Mad Max: Fury Road. Fury Road has a mercifully simplistic plot: badass Furiosa liberates the wives of post-apocalyptic tyrant Immortan Joe and goes on the lam with Joe’s forces hot on their tail. Max, now played by Tom Hardy, gets unwittingly swept along for the ride.
Ridley Scott’s original Alien movie is both one of the greatest science fiction movies and one of the greatest horror movies ever made, but it’s a slow burn. Scott takes his time to introduce the crew of the Nostromo and the threat of the xenomorph before the chestburster kicks off the haunted-house-in-space action. This makes for a powerful cinematic experience on the first viewing, but it also means that it takes a while to get going on a rewatch.
Everything Everywhere All at Once is an appropriate title for a movie that manages to be a fast-paced action movie, a visually stunning sci-fi movie, a zany slapstick comedy, and a sobering family drama all rolled into one. The Wang family’s story would be just as moving without all the hybrid-genre mayhem. But all the parallel universes and martial arts choreography make it an endlessly rewatchable movie.
Galaxy Quest is such a spot-on parody of the Star Trek franchise that it’s often ranked as a better Star Trek movie than most of the official Star Trek movies. It has an ingeniously meta premise: the washed-up cast of an old sci-fi show is recruited for a real-life intergalactic battle by real-life aliens who mistook episodes of their series for historical records. Director Dean Parisot gets every possible laugh out of that brilliant premise.
With the satire of Galaxy Quest, Parisot managed to have the best of both worlds. He ruthlessly spoofs Star Trek and its fans, but it’s ultimately an affectionate love letter to Gene Roddenberry’s legacy and the power of the fandom he inspired. Like all the best comedies, Galaxy Quest is so funny and so quotable and so hilariously acted that it’s infinitely rewatchable.
Predator has absolutely no reason to be as great as it is. The story grew out of a Hollywood inside joke that Rocky Balboa would run out of opponents on Earth and have to fight an alien. Its entire premise revolves around oiled-up, muscle-bound men going into the jungle and firing machine guns at an invisible alien. At the very best, Predator should be an affable B-movie. But somehow, John McTiernan turned it into a bona fide masterpiece.
By pitting Arnold Schwarzenegger against a deadly alien creature, McTiernan told the ultimate man-conquers-beast story. Predator deals with themes of masculinity, militarism, and just how outmatched humanity might be when alien life finally arrives. But it’s also a big, loud, bombastic ‘80s action movie with a burst of gunfire or a giant explosion every couple of minutes.
Much like Stanley Kubrick, when Pixar takes a stab at a genre, they end up making one of the all-time greats. The Incredibles is one of the best superhero movies, Up is one of the best adventure movies, and WALL-E is one of the best science fiction movies. With its dazzling futuristic imagery, deeply cinematic visual storytelling, and the heartwarming romance between WALL-E and fellow robot-with-a-heart-of-gold EVE, WALL-E holds up to endless rewatches.
The only thing that makes WALL-E wobble slightly on a rewatch is that its depiction of an uninhabitable, trash-filled Earth gets more and more depressingly accurate with every viewing. WALL-E was way ahead of its time in criticizing humanity’s callous treatment of the environment. Fortunately, the love story is beautiful enough to distract from the mirror being held up to climate change.
The Wachowskis made audiences across the world question their reality with their sci-fi action masterpiece The Matrix. The movie suggests that reality is just a computer program being run by the robotic overlords using human beings as batteries. There’s a lot of exposition to get out of the way in the first act of The Matrix – who Morpheus is, how the Matrix works, what the machines are doing in the real world, etc. – but once it gets all that stuff out of the way, it’s a non-stop thrill-ride.
The Matrix is full of beautifully directed action sequences like the lobby shootout, the helicopter crash, and the final foot chase. The story in between the action scenes is masterfully crafted, too. From his humble beginnings as Thomas Anderson to his triumphant climactic transformation into “The One,” Neo’s journey lands on every viewing.
George Lucas changed the face of the film industry forever with his game-changing space opera Star Wars. Ever since Star Wars had audiences lining up around the block to watch it a 10th time, Hollywood studios have been acquiring nerdy I.P. and following Joseph Campbell’s “hero’s journey” religiously in an attempt to replicate that success. Lucas transported audiences to a galaxy far, far away and pulled off the cinematic magic trick of pure escapism.
Although it was burdened with introducing its audience to a whole new fictional universe, Star Wars moves at an agreeably zippy pace. It opens with a massive space battle and remains that exciting for the rest of its runtime. From the Millennium Falcon shootout to the explosion of the Death Star, Star Wars is full of set-pieces that never get old.
Steven Spielberg combined the monster-movie thrills of Jaws with the thought-provoking sci-fi themes of Close Encounters for his big-screen adaptation of Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park. Jurassic Park deals with the same complex themes as Frankenstein – the hubris of man, the dangers of playing God, the uncontrollability of nature – but with a theme park full of live dinosaurs. Spielberg and his team used groundbreaking visual effects to bring dinosaurs back to life.
Jurassic Park is full of great action sequences with razor-sharp tension and timeless effects. From the T. rex’s escape to the raptors’ attack in the kitchen, Jurassic Park is jam-packed with set-pieces that never fail to thrill the audience, no matter how many times they’ve seen the movie. Even the exposition in Jurassic Park is rewatchable, thanks to a little animated character named Mr. DNA.
Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale’s Back to the Future script should be studied in every screenwriting class, because it’s airtight. Not only does it tell an engaging story about a time-traveling teenager trying to get his parents together to ensure his own existence; it’s a masterclass in the plant-and-payoff technique. Every single scene progresses the plot; every single line in the first act sets something up that comes back later.
The pacing doesn’t dip for a second, all the gags in Zemeckis and Gale’s script get a laugh every time, and the catharsis of Marty McFly finally getting back to 1985 after all the hurdles he’s had to overcome always lands. Plus, Michael J. Fox’s endearing on-screen chemistry with Christopher Lloyd as Marty and Doc Brown is endlessly watchable. Back to the Future is basically a perfect movie.
Out of this world laughs and galactic giggles ahead in this list of the best sci-fi comedies of all time.
One of the most mesmerizing things about the science fiction genre is the sheer scope of ideas that can be dreamt up, and this aspect lends itself perfectly to comedy; with something so out-of-this-world, there’s a real opportunity to make people laugh. There are crazy and bewildering plots spanning generations, from the twisted future of Idiocracy to the bulging-brained alien invasion of Mars Attacks! To put it simply, there’s a lot of fun to be had in crafting the strangely surreal, the complete unknown, and even just simply turning fear into nervous laughter.
By sifting through the sci-fi comedy offerings on the best streaming services, we’ve whittled our list down to the 10 best sci-fi comedies of all time. Comedic timing, acting prowess, and excellent scripts all play a huge part in the reason these movies are as funny as they are – even if you don’t expect them to be. So, pick your next watch across Paramount Plus, Disney, Netflix, and Amazon Prime from the list below and prepare to be suitably amused.
10. Evolution
((Image credit: Columbia Pictures))
Release date: June 8, 2001
Cast: David Duchovny, Julianne Moore, Orlando Jones
Director: Ivan Reitman
Rotten Tomatoes score: 44% critics, 48% audience
It felt like that in the early 00s any video I borrowed from Blockbusters advertised this sci-fi comedy. When I realized it was from the director of Ghostbusters (also on our list), I had to rent it and I’m glad I did. In Evolution, a meteor hits Earth and with it an organism that evolves so rapidly no one has any real clue on how to stop it. The team for the job? A trainee firefighter, a government scientist, and two college professors made up of sci-fi icon David Duchovny, Julianne Moore, Orlando Jones, and Seann William Scott.
While the government tries to block the team out, the alien ecosystem begins to thrive on Earth and that’s when the real trouble starts. Even with Earth’s impending doom, there’s still plenty of time for comedy. It’s not groundbreaking sci-fi, but it’ll certainly bring laughs to your night-in.
9. Mars Attacks!
((Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures))
Release date: December 13, 1996
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Tim Burton
Rotten Tomatoes score: 55% critics, 53% audience
Much like Tim Burton’s haunting characters from his usual gothic horrors, like Beetlejuice and The Corpse Bride, you’ll never forget the Martians of his sci-fi dark comedy, Mars Attacks! It’s a wonderful spoof of the cheesy alien invasion movies of the ’50s, full of surreal humor and black comedy.
Burton’s foray into science fiction depicts an alien arrival on Earth that starts out peacefully, but quickly transcends into absolute chaos – making it both a little bit scary and a whole lot of funny. Particularly the government’s blundering attempts to deal with these new visitors.
Mars Attacks! has a rather impressive cast behind it, with Jack Nicholson as the President, Glenn Close, Jack Black, Danny DeVito, Pierce Brosnan, Annette Bening, Sarah Jessica Parker, and so many more stellar actors. While it didn’t quite impress with its box office debut, it’s certainly made up for it in cult status.
8. Spaceballs
Release date: June 24, 1987
Cast: Mel Brooks, John Candy, Rick Moranis, Bill Pullman, and more
Director: Mel Brooks
Rotten Tomatoes score: 52% critics, 83% audience
Mel Brooks is one hell of a filmmaker and the master of spoofs. When it comes to comedy, his unique style traverses genres from the Western of Blazing Saddles to the adventures of Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Spaceballs, his move into science fiction, had the same cult impact.
Brooks’ Spaceballs is primarily a Star Wars parody with Lone Starr (Bill Pullman) and his alien sidekick, Barf (John Candy), rescuing Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga) from the Spaceballs – all while evading capture from the dastardly Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis).
It sounds absolutely bonkers and that’s because it is. It is jam-packed with quirky jokes, gags, wisecracks, and slapstick comedy – while some might not be to your taste, others will have you in stitches. Plus, Spaceballs utilizes the humor of breaking the fourth wall, which sets it apart from the rest of the genre ten-fold. While the movie came out in 1987, according to Variety, there may be a Spaceballs 2 is in the works with Mel Brooks producing almost 30 years later.
7. Galaxy Quest
credit: DreamWorks Pictures))
Release date: December 25, 1999
Cast: Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman
Director: Dean Parisot
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90% critics, 79% audience
Back in the 90s, Galaxy Quest was first perceived as a silly comedy movie that affectionately parodied the likes of Star Trek and other galactic spaceship crews. However, it has since proved itself to be far smarter than that and has been acknowledged as such.
The movie sees a new spaceship crew assembled, but this time they’re actors from the TV show Galaxy Quest that get thrown into a real-life space adventure. During a fan convention, Jason Nesmith (Tim Allen), lead actor of the show, is approached by a group of aliens called Thermians that want his help.
Unfortunately, the aliens believe that the TV show is actually real life. So, when they recruit Jason and his crew for help, no-one’s quite sure what they’re getting themselves into. It’s a parody, yes, but it’s also a homage to all the amazing sci-fi shows and movies that are still thriving today. It’s satire at its finest and it does so whilst lovingly dressed up in sci-fi and comedy.
6. Men in Black and sequels
((Image credit: Columbia Pictures))
Release date: July 2, 1997
Cast: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Linda Fiorentino
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91% critics, 80% audience
With four films now in the Men in Black franchise, the first will always be the best of the best of the best, sir! There’s a lot of great things to say about Men in Black, but the greatest gift from this movie is the comedy pairing of Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as Agent J and Agent K, respectively. They make this look good.
Jay and Kay are agents of a secret government organization tasked with protecting Earth and keeping an eye on all its alien residents. While Kay is a respected long-serving member, Jay is a headstrong rookie with a lot of sass – but they balance each other out with Kay sharing wisdom and Jay showing him how to have a good time.
The scope of extra-terrestrials is also fantastic. We won’t say too much about them here, as discovering them all is part of this movie’s charm. While some can be rather adorable, others can be unnervingly terrifying, but have no fear as Will Smith will always lighten the mood.
5. Idiocracy
((Image credit: Twentieth Century Fox))
Release date: September 1, 2006
Cast: Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph, Dax Shepard, Terry Crews, and more
Director: Mike Judge
Rotten Tomatoes score: 71% critics, 61% audience
Joe Bauers (Luke Wilson) is a remarkably average human. Yet, he is the one chosen to be put into hibernation and brought back to life in the future. Sort of like Fry in Futurama (one of the best sci-fi TV shows of all time), but on purpose. However, when Joe ‘arrives’ in the future, he’s somehow the smartest person alive.
Now, imagine a world where the average intelligence has depleted exponentially, because that’s the world Joe now lives in, and there’s a whole lot of weird things going on. In Idiocracy, you can pause on pretty much any scene in this movie and think to yourself, what on Earth is going on? And because of this, it’s a really great comedy about how strange the world and life could really be.
Only one of these I have not seen yet
Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure/Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey -sequel
(Image credit: De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG))
Release date: February 17, 1989
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, George Carlin, and more
Director: Stephen Herek
Rotten Tomatoes score: 83% critics, 75% audience
If you’ve ever once looked into sci-fi comedy, you’ll no doubt have come across Bill and Ted. Or, if you’re just into movies in any shape or form, you’ll have heard of this iconic duo made up of traditionally more straight-faced Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter. Their friendship hangs in the balance as a failing history grade could see the pair torn apart. But, there’s one way to save it and that’s by travelling back in time to learn about history in the most excellent of ways.
Carrying out research for their school report, they travel by a phone booth time machine that takes them back to historical moments, meeting several history VIPs along the way. Obviously, turning up in a phone booth causes its own hilarity, but the goofy pairing with an incredibly quotable script make this a fun and lighthearted movie for all to enjoy.
3. Repo Man
((Image credit: Edge City Productions))
Release date: March 2, 1984
Cast: Emilio Estevez, Harry Dean Stanton, and more
Director: Alex Cox
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98% critics, 78% audience
To get out of trouble, punky Otto (Emilio Estevez) is recruited by a car repo agency that tasks him with hunting down a Chevrolet Malibu for an eye-watering $20,000 bounty. High reward means high risk though and inside the trunk of this runaway Chevy is something out-of-this-world. Hunting down this car is no simple task and whatever extraterrestrial entity is hiding in the trunk makes sure of that.
It seems some of the best sci-fi comedies are just bonkers and Repo Man is certainly one of those titles. You can’t quite believe what you’re watching and with the threat of an alien invasion at stake, its peculiar plot will amuse and pull you in. It’s a cult classic because it doesn’t really fit into any of the usual movie ticking boxes, yet still highly entertaining.
One of my all time favorites! Emilo Estevez’s first movie
2. Back to the Future and sequels
((Image credit: Universal Pictures))
Release date: July 3, 1985
Cast: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93% critics, 95% audience
Back to the Future is one of the best sci-fi movies of all time, and it’s also one of the funniest. Bringing together young Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) with eccentric scientist Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd), the pair embark on a time-travelling adventure that seamlessly integrates the sci-fi genre with comedy.
Marty is accidentally sent 30 years back in time in a souped-up DeLorean. His presence in the past ends up risking his entire existence as he splits up his future parents and must fix the mistake. And, amid all this, Marty and Doc Brown must protect each other from their past and future fates.
It’s witty and wild, parodying sci-fi and futuristic concepts – some of which have actually become a reality since then, such as video calls and wearable tech like smart glasses (the fashion… not so much).
1. Ghostbusters and Two sequels
((Image credit: Columbia Pictures))
Release date: June 8, 1984
Cast: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis
Director: Ivan Reitman
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95% critics, 88% audience
If you’re after the best sci-fi comedy, who you gonna call?
Simply one of the most iconic sci-fi comedies of all time, Ghostbusters paved the way for so many titles on our list that it’d be hard not to give it top spot. I mean, it quite literally spawned Evolution from director Ivan Reitman.
Kicked out of university jobs, three parapsychologists choose instead to set up their own unique ghost removal service in New York. Ghostbusters, assemble! The fantastic cast and witty script makes this movie an absolute joy to watch.
It’s a wonderful blend of supernatural, sci-fi, comedy, horror, and action that has spawned a whole iconic franchise: we’re talking more movies, comics, video games, TV shows, etc. While some of the movies that followed are funny in their own right, you just can’t beat the original.
10 Best Horror Movie Performances of All Time, Ranked
An iconic horror film requires many key elements, ranging from a strong atmosphere to terrifying scares, but few features are as crucial as great acting. Whether portraying a vulnerable victim, a resilient hero or a menacing villain, actors must devote themselves wholeheartedly to horror performances due to the intensity and wide range of emotions required by the genre. In fact, largely as the result of excellent acting, many horror characters – such as Jack Torrance or Norman Bates – have established themselves as some of the most enduring popular characters in film history.
With such a rich canon of performances to choose from, selecting the 10 greatest is a daunting feat. Considering the iconic legacies of the characters, their vital roles within their films, and the technical feats accomplished by the actors, these are our picks for the 10 best performances in horror films.
Linda Blair in ‘The Exorcist’ (1973)
Directed by William Friedkin
The Exorcist is a 1973 supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin and adapted by William Peter Blatty from his own 1971 novel. The film centers on the demonic possession of a young girl, Regan (Linda Blair), as she is transformed into a chaotic, profane and violent monster by the demon inside of her. In order to attempt to save her soul, Catholic priests Father Merrin (Max von Sydow) and Father Karras (Jason Miller) perform an exorcism once it is clear that no other option will work.
Despite being only 12 years old at the time of filming, Linda Blair gives a powerhouse performance as Regan, completely embodying both her innocent initial personality and the vulgar demon that possesses her. Aided by the vocal work of Mercedes McCambridge, Linda Blair tackles physically and emotionally demanding scenes that would have been challenging for actors decades her senior, consistently holding her own against her far more experienced castmates. The Exorcist is widely considered one of the scariest films of all time, and Linda Blair’s performance is one of the greatest reasons why.
The Exorcist
Release Date December 26, 1973
Director William Friedkin
Cast Lee J. Cobb, Max Von Sydow, Linda Blair, Ellen Burstyn
Based on Stephen King‘s 1987 novel, Misery is a 1990 psychological horror-thriller directed by Rob Reiner. The film follows a popular fiction writer, Paul Sheldon (James Caan), who suffers a life-threatening car crash and is found by Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates), a dedicated fan. As a nurse by profession, Annie helps Paul with his injuries but is horrified to discover that he has killed off her favorite character and decides to imprison him in her house until he has written a novel resurrecting the character.
Kathy Bates’ performance received widespread acclaim and earned her a Best Actress Academy Award, in the only Oscar win ever received for a Stephen King adaptation. Bringing to life the villainous Annie Wilkes, Bates’ performance is highly erratic, swinging wildly from appearing to be simply a lonely and quirky woman to behaving in a violent and aggressive manner towards her captive. Portraying one of King’s greatest literary characters, Kathy Bates deserves all the attention she received for her performance in Misery.
Misery
Release Date November 30, 1990
Director Rob Reiner
Cast Richard Farnsworth, Kathy Bates, Lauren Bacall, Frances Sternhagen, James Caan
Candyman is a 1992 supernatural horror film written and directed by Bernard Rose and based on a short story by prolific novelist Clive Barker. The film explores the concept of urban legends by following a grad student, Helen (Virginia Madsen), who begins investigating the story of a vengeful spirit known as the Candyman (Tony Todd). After being summoned by Helen, Candyman begins to take the lives of innocent residents of a low-income neighborhood that he terrorizes.
Candyman is unique for a supernatural slasher due to its methodical pace, mature storytelling and the subversively sympathetic nature of its antagonist. Tony Todd brings an incredible gravitas to the role, with his velvet-smooth voice and calm physicality bringing a hypnotic quality to the character, and his dedication to the film being perfectly showcased by his willingness to work with hundreds of live bees during production. Frightening and strangely alluring, the late, great Tony Todd’s performance as the titular Candyman is nothing less than career-defining.
Candyman
Release Date October 16, 1992
Director Bernard Rose
Cast Marianna Elliott, DeJuan Guy, Kasi Lemmons, Xander Berkeley, Tony Todd, Vanessa Williams, Virginia Madsen, Ted Raimi
Based on Mary Shelley‘s 1818 classic horror novel, Frankenstein is a 1931 sci-fi horror film directed by James Whale. The film centers on the creation of a monster (Boris Karloff) constructed from stolen body-parts, who is reanimated by a scientist (Colin Clive) who seeks to play God. Mistreated by those around him, the monster escapes from captivity and finds himself the target of furious and violent townspeople.
Enhanced with one of horror cinema’s most iconic examples of costuming and special effects makeup, Boris Karloff’s performance as Frankenstein’s Monster is a landmark achievement of the early horror genre. Karloff portrays the monster with a pitch-perfect balance of childlike innocence and threatening physicality, with his clumsy movements making his inhumanity incredibly believable. Rightfully still celebrated almost a century later, Boris Karloff’s performance in Frankenstein is perfect.
Frankenstein
Release Date November 21, 1931
Director James Whale
Cast Lionel Belmore, Frederick Kerr, John Boles, Mae Clarke, Dwight Frye, Edward Van Sloan, Colin Clive, Boris Karloff
Rating Passed
Runtime 70 Minutes
Main Genre Sci-Fi
Genres Sci-Fi, Drama, Horror
Writers Francis Edward Faragoh, Peggy Webling, Garrett Fort, Richard Schayer, John L. Balderston, Mary Shelley
Based on Stephen King‘s 1977 novel, The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film directed and co-written by Stanley Kubrick. The film centers on Jack (Jack Nicholson), a writer with a history of alcoholism and a troubled relationship with his family, who takes a caretaking job at the remote Overlook Hotel during the winter. Upon arrival, however, Jack’s wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and their young son Danny (Danny Lloyd) realize that the hotel may be haunted, as they are plagued by unexplained events and Jack’s behavior becomes increasingly concerning.
From his earliest scenes in the film, Jack Nicholson makes it clear through his performance that something is deeply wrong with Jack under the surface of his identity as an ambitious family man, seeming as if he may snap at any moment. Nicholson’s dynamic with Shelley Duvall is highly compelling, with her pure terror being contrasted excellently with his mania and aggression, making audiences truly come to fear his character at the film’s harrowing climax. Tragic, scary and at times darkly comedic, Jack Nicholson’s performance in The Shining is a masterclass in portraying a disturbed individual.
The Shining
Release Date May 23, 1980
Director Stanley Kubrick
Cast Philip Stone, Barry Nelson, Scatman Crothers, Danny Lloyd, Shelley Duvall, Jack Nicholson
Rating R
Runtime 146 minutes
Main Genre Horror
Genres Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Psychological
Writers Diane Johnson, Stanley Kubrick, Stephen King
Studio Warner Bros.
Tagline All work and no play make Jack a dull boy…
The Silence of the Lambs is a 1991 psychological horror film directed by Jonathan Demme and based on Thomas Harris‘ 1988 novel. The film centers on young FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) as she is assigned a key role in the investigation of serial killer Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine). In order to track the killer down, Clarice develops a rapport with Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), an incarcerated cannibal and murderer who is also a highly intelligent psychiatrist.
Winning an Oscar for Best Actress, Jodie Foster’s portrayal of Clarice received immediate acclaim due to her embodiment of Clarice’s likability, intelligence and emotional complexity. The film’s most compelling element is the dynamic between Clarice and Hannibal, with the two consistently attempting to get the upper hand in their interactions and thed chemistry between Foster and Hopkins makes their scenes electrifying. Clarice is one of horror cinema’s most iconic protagonists and one of the best characters in the Hannibal Lecter cinematic universe, with Jodie Foster’s performance greatly enhancing the role.
The Silence of the Lambs
Release Date February 14, 1991
Director Jonathan Demme
Cast Diane Baker, Kasi Lemmons, Scott Glenn, Anthony Hopkins, Anthony Heald, Brooke Smith, Ted Levine, Jodie Foster
Rating R
Runtime 118 Minutes
Main Genre Thriller
Genres Drama, Thriller, Crime
Writers Ted Tally, Thomas Harris
Character(s) Ardelia Mapp, Senator Ruth Martin, Catherine Martin, Dr. Frederick Chilton, Jame Gumb, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, Clarice Sterling, Jack Crawford
Mia Farrow in ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ (1968)
Directed by Roman Polanski
Rosemary’s Baby is a 1968 supernatural body horror film written and directed by Roman Polanski and based on the 1967 novel by Ira Levin. The film centers on a young married woman, Rosemary (Mia Farrow), whose relationships with everyone around her are thrown into question when she begins suffering a seemingly demonic pregnancy after being assaulted. Becoming increasingly ill and losing a shocking amount of weight, Rosemary begins to suspect that her neighbors are participants in an occult conspiracy surrounding her pregnancy.
Considered a masterpiece of subtle body horror, the film displays Rosemary undergoing a shocking physical transformation from a healthy young woman to someone frail, gaunt and highly physically vulnerable. Mia Farrow’s performance perfectly conveys the way that Rosemary’s bodily autonomy is being stripped from her, portraying the character as good-hearted and pure but also increasingly physically unwell and dangerously naive. One of the most acclaimed performances in genre history, Mia Farrow’s performance as the titular Rosemary is authentic, frightening and enduringly impressive.
Rosemary’s Baby
Release Date June 12, 1968
Director Roman Polanski
Cast Ralph Bellamy, Sidney Blackmer, John Cassavetes, Maurice Evans, Ruth Gordon, Mia Farrow
10 Best Horror Movie Performances of All Time, Ranked
An iconic horror film requires many key elements, ranging from a strong atmosphere to terrifying scares, but few features are as crucial as great acting. Whether portraying a vulnerable victim, a resilient hero or a menacing villain, actors must devote themselves wholeheartedly to horror performances due to the intensity and wide range of emotions required by the genre. In fact, largely as the result of excellent acting, many horror characters – such as Jack Torrance or Norman Bates – have established themselves as some of the most enduring popular characters in film history.
With such a rich canon of performances to choose from, selecting the 10 greatest is a daunting feat. Considering the iconic legacies of the characters, their vital roles within their films, and the technical feats accomplished by the actors, these are our picks for the 10 best performances in horror films.
Linda Blair in ‘The Exorcist’ (1973)
Directed by William Friedkin
The Exorcist is a 1973 supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin and adapted by William Peter Blatty from his own 1971 novel. The film centers on the demonic possession of a young girl, Regan (Linda Blair), as she is transformed into a chaotic, profane and violent monster by the demon inside of her. In order to attempt to save her soul, Catholic priests Father Merrin (Max von Sydow) and Father Karras (Jason Miller) perform an exorcism once it is clear that no other option will work.
Despite being only 12 years old at the time of filming, Linda Blair gives a powerhouse performance as Regan, completely embodying both her innocent initial personality and the vulgar demon that possesses her. Aided by the vocal work of Mercedes McCambridge, Linda Blair tackles physically and emotionally demanding scenes that would have been challenging for actors decades her senior, consistently holding her own against her far more experienced castmates. The Exorcist is widely considered one of the scariest films of all time, and Linda Blair’s performance is one of the greatest reasons why.
The Exorcist
Release Date December 26, 1973
Director William Friedkin
Cast Lee J. Cobb, Max Von Sydow, Linda Blair, Ellen Burstyn
Based on Stephen King‘s 1987 novel, Misery is a 1990 psychological horror-thriller directed by Rob Reiner. The film follows a popular fiction writer, Paul Sheldon (James Caan), who suffers a life-threatening car crash and is found by Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates), a dedicated fan. As a nurse by profession, Annie helps Paul with his injuries but is horrified to discover that he has killed off her favorite character and decides to imprison him in her house until he has written a novel resurrecting the character.
Kathy Bates’ performance received widespread acclaim and earned her a Best Actress Academy Award, in the only Oscar win ever received for a Stephen King adaptation. Bringing to life the villainous Annie Wilkes, Bates’ performance is highly erratic, swinging wildly from appearing to be simply a lonely and quirky woman to behaving in a violent and aggressive manner towards her captive. Portraying one of King’s greatest literary characters, Kathy Bates deserves all the attention she received for her performance in Misery.
Misery
Release Date November 30, 1990
Director Rob Reiner
Cast Richard Farnsworth, Kathy Bates, Lauren Bacall, Frances Sternhagen, James Caan
Candyman is a 1992 supernatural horror film written and directed by Bernard Rose and based on a short story by prolific novelist Clive Barker. The film explores the concept of urban legends by following a grad student, Helen (Virginia Madsen), who begins investigating the story of a vengeful spirit known as the Candyman (Tony Todd). After being summoned by Helen, Candyman begins to take the lives of innocent residents of a low-income neighborhood that he terrorizes.
Candyman is unique for a supernatural slasher due to its methodical pace, mature storytelling and the subversively sympathetic nature of its antagonist. Tony Todd brings an incredible gravitas to the role, with his velvet-smooth voice and calm physicality bringing a hypnotic quality to the character, and his dedication to the film being perfectly showcased by his willingness to work with hundreds of live bees during production. Frightening and strangely alluring, the late, great Tony Todd’s performance as the titular Candyman is nothing less than career-defining.
Candyman
Release Date October 16, 1992
Director Bernard Rose
Cast Marianna Elliott, DeJuan Guy, Kasi Lemmons, Xander Berkeley, Tony Todd, Vanessa Williams, Virginia Madsen, Ted Raimi
Based on Mary Shelley‘s 1818 classic horror novel, Frankenstein is a 1931 sci-fi horror film directed by James Whale. The film centers on the creation of a monster (Boris Karloff) constructed from stolen body-parts, who is reanimated by a scientist (Colin Clive) who seeks to play God. Mistreated by those around him, the monster escapes from captivity and finds himself the target of furious and violent townspeople.
Enhanced with one of horror cinema’s most iconic examples of costuming and special effects makeup, Boris Karloff’s performance as Frankenstein’s Monster is a landmark achievement of the early horror genre. Karloff portrays the monster with a pitch-perfect balance of childlike innocence and threatening physicality, with his clumsy movements making his inhumanity incredibly believable. Rightfully still celebrated almost a century later, Boris Karloff’s performance in Frankenstein is perfect.
Frankenstein
Release Date November 21, 1931
Director James Whale
Cast Lionel Belmore, Frederick Kerr, John Boles, Mae Clarke, Dwight Frye, Edward Van Sloan, Colin Clive, Boris Karloff
Rating Passed
Runtime 70 Minutes
Main Genre Sci-Fi
Genres Sci-Fi, Drama, Horror
Writers Francis Edward Faragoh, Peggy Webling, Garrett Fort, Richard Schayer, John L. Balderston, Mary Shelley
Based on Stephen King‘s 1977 novel, The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film directed and co-written by Stanley Kubrick. The film centers on Jack (Jack Nicholson), a writer with a history of alcoholism and a troubled relationship with his family, who takes a caretaking job at the remote Overlook Hotel during the winter. Upon arrival, however, Jack’s wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and their young son Danny (Danny Lloyd) realize that the hotel may be haunted, as they are plagued by unexplained events and Jack’s behavior becomes increasingly concerning.
From his earliest scenes in the film, Jack Nicholson makes it clear through his performance that something is deeply wrong with Jack under the surface of his identity as an ambitious family man, seeming as if he may snap at any moment. Nicholson’s dynamic with Shelley Duvall is highly compelling, with her pure terror being contrasted excellently with his mania and aggression, making audiences truly come to fear his character at the film’s harrowing climax. Tragic, scary and at times darkly comedic, Jack Nicholson’s performance in The Shining is a masterclass in portraying a disturbed individual.
The Shining
Release Date May 23, 1980
Director Stanley Kubrick
Cast Philip Stone, Barry Nelson, Scatman Crothers, Danny Lloyd, Shelley Duvall, Jack Nicholson
Rating R
Runtime 146 minutes
Main Genre Horror
Genres Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Psychological
Writers Diane Johnson, Stanley Kubrick, Stephen King
Studio Warner Bros.
Tagline All work and no play make Jack a dull boy…
The Silence of the Lambs is a 1991 psychological horror film directed by Jonathan Demme and based on Thomas Harris‘ 1988 novel. The film centers on young FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) as she is assigned a key role in the investigation of serial killer Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine). In order to track the killer down, Clarice develops a rapport with Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), an incarcerated cannibal and murderer who is also a highly intelligent psychiatrist.
Winning an Oscar for Best Actress, Jodie Foster’s portrayal of Clarice received immediate acclaim due to her embodiment of Clarice’s likability, intelligence and emotional complexity. The film’s most compelling element is the dynamic between Clarice and Hannibal, with the two consistently attempting to get the upper hand in their interactions and thed chemistry between Foster and Hopkins makes their scenes electrifying. Clarice is one of horror cinema’s most iconic protagonists and one of the best characters in the Hannibal Lecter cinematic universe, with Jodie Foster’s performance greatly enhancing the role.
The Silence of the Lambs
Release Date February 14, 1991
Director Jonathan Demme
Cast Diane Baker, Kasi Lemmons, Scott Glenn, Anthony Hopkins, Anthony Heald, Brooke Smith, Ted Levine, Jodie Foster
Rating R
Runtime 118 Minutes
Main Genre Thriller
Genres Drama, Thriller, Crime
Writers Ted Tally, Thomas Harris
Character(s) Ardelia Mapp, Senator Ruth Martin, Catherine Martin, Dr. Frederick Chilton, Jame Gumb, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, Clarice Sterling, Jack Crawford
Mia Farrow in ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ (1968)
Directed by Roman Polanski
Rosemary’s Baby is a 1968 supernatural body horror film written and directed by Roman Polanski and based on the 1967 novel by Ira Levin. The film centers on a young married woman, Rosemary (Mia Farrow), whose relationships with everyone around her are thrown into question when she begins suffering a seemingly demonic pregnancy after being assaulted. Becoming increasingly ill and losing a shocking amount of weight, Rosemary begins to suspect that her neighbors are participants in an occult conspiracy surrounding her pregnancy.
Considered a masterpiece of subtle body horror, the film displays Rosemary undergoing a shocking physical transformation from a healthy young woman to someone frail, gaunt and highly physically vulnerable. Mia Farrow’s performance perfectly conveys the way that Rosemary’s bodily autonomy is being stripped from her, portraying the character as good-hearted and pure but also increasingly physically unwell and dangerously naive. One of the most acclaimed performances in genre history, Mia Farrow’s performance as the titular Rosemary is authentic, frightening and enduringly impressive.
Rosemary’s Baby
Release Date June 12, 1968
Director Roman Polanski
Cast Ralph Bellamy, Sidney Blackmer, John Cassavetes, Maurice Evans, Ruth Gordon, Mia Farrow
Cure is a 1997 Japanese supernatural psychological horror film written and directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. The film centers on a mysterious string of murders with seemingly no connection except from a link to Mamiya (Masato Hagiwara), an amnesiac hypnotist. The lead detective on the case, Kenichi Takabe (Kōji Yakusho), finds himself being increasingly drawn into Mamiya’s web due to the stresses and traumas of his own personal life, placing the lives of those around him in harm’s way.
Kōji Yakusho and director Kiyoshi Kurosawa have collaborated on numerous film projects, but Cure has proven to be their most renowned due to its terrifying atmosphere and compelling premise. Yakusho shines in the lead role, portraying a delicately balanced mix of professionalism and dangerously obsessive tendencies to the character that establishes Takabe as a fascinating and potentially unreliable protagonist. Delivering scenes of devastating emotional trauma, chilling horror and dedicated detective work, Kōji Yakusho’s performance in Cure is horror perfection.
Hereditaryis a 2018 supernatural horror film written and directed by Ari Aster in his feature film debut. The film centers on a family in the midst of severe grief, initially grieving the death of their maternal grandmother, before being struck by additional tragedy and afflicted by evil supernatural forces. Annie (Toni Collette), the mother of the family, is an artist with a traumatic past who tries her best to support her children Peter (Alex Wolff) and Charlie (Milly Shapiro) but is pushed to a breaking point due to the horrific circumstances.
Notoriously one of the bleakest horror films ever made, Hereditary is beloved by critics and audience members due to its strong scares and its raw and powerful representations of generational trauma and mental illness. Receiving particular attention, Toni Collette’s performance as Annie is unflinchingly intense, perfectly embodying her character’s complexity and fragile mental state in the wake of her grief. In one unforgettable scene, Collette expels some of the most haunting and tortured screams in cinematic history, and her performance is consistently remarkable throughout.
Of all the different niches of horror movies, the zombie flick is one of the most enduring, with each generation of filmmakers bringing their unique perspective to the narrative. In recent years, we’ve seen exciting changes within the zombie genre, as many of the tropes and rules of these stories established by classics like Night of the Living Dead have been subverted and altered to suit the contemporary era. While there are many great zombie movies produced by Hollywood, there are legions of innovative titles that have come from countries besides the U.S.
Plenty of unconventional zombie movies break away from the genre, and these great international projects showcase that writers and directors everywhere are interested in seeing how far they can push the concept of the zombie. From bloody, gory films that make you want to turn away from the screen to satirical narratives that play with your expectations, these movies have it all. Lately, many of the best zombie films have been grappling with zombies as a metaphor for worldwide disease and catastrophe, often being combined with the post-apocalyptic genre.
Cargo (2017)
Directed by Ben Howling & Yolanda Ramke
Martin Freeman’s underrated realistic zombie movieCargo has long been overlooked within the genre. However, watching the Australian film today demonstrates why it’s such an emotionally gripping horror movie. Zombism is referred to as a virus within the world of Cargo, but the effects of infection work the same way, and it’s clear that anyone who gets bitten isn’t long for this world. The ticking clock of Andy’s (Freeman) infection is the background of Cargoas he attempts to get his infant daughter to safety.
Incorporating many of the best elements of the post-apocalyptic genre, Cargo also grapples with the legacy of Australia’s treatment of Indigenous Australians. Andy encounters the young girl Thoomi (Simone Landers), who helps Andy find a safe place for his daughter to be raised after he’s gone. Freeman is doubtlessly at his best in Cargo, and the complex project is a tender portrait of love and sacrifice against insurmountable odds. The setting of rural Australia also provides a unique atmosphere, as so many zombie films focus on urban environments.
Dead Snow (2009)
Directed by Tommy Wirkola
Oftentimes, in zombie movies, when a person is infected, it’s a tragic loss, and the characters’ connections make the outbreak even more terrifying. This isn’t the case in Dead Snow, a Norwegian film that doesn’t just have zombies; it has Nazi zombies. If the undead weren’t horrifying and evil enough, Dead Snow adds these extra elements. This ensures that the audience is appropriately prepared to cheer when the zombies are blown up and scream when they’re getting closer.
In many ways, Dead Snow unfolds in the classic manner of most horror narratives, beginning with a group of students traveling to a remote cabin in the Norwegian woods. One by one, Dead Snow sees the characters encounter the zombies and go to extreme lengths to escape them or fall victim to them. It’s clear from the first moments of Dead Snow that the filmmakers were having a lot of fun with the genre and wanted to play up the grotesque and campy parts of zombie films that make the genre so memorable.
#Alive (2020)
Directed by Il Cho
Infusing technology and social media into contemporary movies can be difficult, as innovation is moving so fast that these elements can become dated at the drop of a hat. However, #Alive does a great job of being relevant and timeless at the same time, as it follows the protagonist, Joon-woo, who struggles to find other survivors while facing zombies and other humans alike. Social media plays a role in #Alive, but it doesn’t overshadow the action and character development.
Yoo Ah-in anchors the film as Oh Joon-woo, the video game streamer who attempts to survive the zombie apocalypse while being locked inside his apartment.
Yoo Ah-in anchors the film as Oh Joon-woo, the video game streamer who attempts to survive the zombie apocalypse while being locked inside his apartment. Park Shin-hye plays Kim Yoo-bin, one of Joon-woo’s neighbors. She and Joon-woo eventually connect and work together to make it out alive. Their relationship provides enough bright spots and breaks in the tension of #Alive that you can stomach the more grotesque moments of the South Korean film.
One Cut Of The Dead (2017)
Directed by Shinichirou Ueda
In conversation with not only the zombie genre but filmmaking itself, One Cut of the Dead pokes fun at the lengths directors and artists will go for fame and success. The meta-project soon becomes a film within a film, showcasing the events of a fictional zombie movie, then the background of the film getting made, and the actual production of the project. Despite its microscopic budget, made for around $27,000, One Cut of the Dead catapulted to fame, earning millions of dollars and making an international splash (via The Hollywood Reporter).
When watching One Cut of the Dead today, it’s easy to see how and why the movie became such a phenomenon. Perhaps the most innovative movie of 2017, One Cut of the Dead, is hilarious and self-aware without being too tongue-in-cheek or alienating. Made with unknown actors and playing with form and niche material that most mainstream projects would shy away from, One Cut of the Dead is a fantastic movie that should be remembered among the best of the genre.
The Night Eats The World (2018)
Directed by Dominique Rocher
Set in Paris, The Night Eats the World isn’t full of loud, slow-moving zombies that are easy to outrun and a little less formidable than other movie monsters. Instead, the film includes fast, deadly, and virtually silent beasts that Sam (Anders Danielsen Lie) struggles to see coming, even from the apartment he’s hiding in. As the pain of isolation and survival sets in, it gets harder and harder for Sam to stay sane and fight off the zombies.
As much a test of endurance for the audience as it is for Sam, The Night Eats the World is a grueling addition to the zombie genre that doesn’t rely on gore to make an impact.
The Night Eats the World is a reminder of how difficult, or nearly impossible it is, for people to survive alone and that survival alone isn’t all there is. As much a test of endurance for the audience as it is for Sam, The Night Eats the World is a grueling addition to the zombie genre that doesn’t rely on gore to make an impact. Another recent French zombie film, the MadS movie, brought something unique to the genre, showcasing how France is pushing the zombie story forward.
[REC] (2007)
Directed by Paco Plaza & Jaume Balagueró
One of the best found footage horror movies,[REC] is the first in several sequels, but the iconic original film is still the best. [REC] is a Spanish movie that follows Ángela (Manuela Velasco), a reporter who gets trapped inside an apartment building with the building’s residents as they slowly become infected. Throughout the night, Ángela’s camera operator, Pablo (Pablo Rosso), captures the increasingly gory and disturbing events as Ángela attempts to escape and uncover what’s happening to them.
[REC] makes good use of the found footage genre, incorporating fun jump scares, Easter eggs, and an ominous ending to keep you hooked until the film’s final moments. Though it isn’t flashy or over-the-top, [REC] proves that a project doesn’t need a large budget or mountains of gore to make an impression. In fact, one of [REC]‘s strengths is the fact that it leaves so much up to the viewer’s imagination.
28 Days Later (2002)
Directed by Danny Boyle
As time has passed, 28 Days Later has only become more iconic within the zombie genre. Boasting a star-studded cast that includes Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, and Brendan Gleeson,28 Days Later helped to revolutionize the zombie genre and increase contemporary interest in these stories. Today, many new zombie movies have their monsters fast-moving and extraordinarily powerful, but 28 Days Later was one of the first projects that stepped away from the slow zombie trope.
It’s hard to say where the modern zombie movie would be without 28 Days Later, as it introduced so many important story choices and stylistic elements that have impacted horror as a whole, not just zombie films.
The long-awaited sequel 28 Years Later is coming soon, and though the next installment of the franchise has a lot of pressure riding on it, there’s reason to be hopeful. It’s hard to say where the modern zombie movie would be without 28 Days Later, as it introduced so many important story choices and stylistic elements that have impacted horror as a whole, not just zombie films. Fortunately, we don’t have to imagine, as revisiting 28 Days Later only reaffirms its potency.
Versus (2000)
Directed by Ryuhei Kitamura
This Japanese zombie movie is as dedicated to bringing its grotesque zombies to life as it incorporates well-choreographed action sequences. Versus uses elements of the martial arts and samurai genres to uplift the central narrative, leaning into the idea that zombies are part of intricate myths and folklore rather than a lab-created accident. Set in a forest of resurrection, an escaped prisoner and a young girl fight their way out while being pursued by dangerous men.
However, in the forest, these men won’t die and just keep chasing them. Tak Sakaguchi plays the central prisoner, with Chieko Misaka co-starring as the girl, and the pair of them make compelling action heroes. As Versus progresses, more mystical elements and historical connections are revealed, making the story more intricate and exciting with every passing moment. Versus expertly blends genres, showcasing that the zombie movie is capable of being so much more than people realize.
Shaun Of The Dead (2004)
Directed by Edgar Wright
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost quickly became one of the most iconic horror duos in recent memory thanks to their hilarious and bloody work in Shaun of the Dead. While there are plenty of horror-comedy movies out there that reimagine the genre, Shaun of the Dead immediately sets itself apart because of the unique style of filmmaking. Directed by Edgar Wright, a creative known for his distinctive editing and fast-paced comedy, Shaun of the Dead juxtaposes the urgency of Wright’s direction with the zombies’ glacial pace.
Though Shaun of the Dead was made on a small budget, it went on to receive universal acclaim and box office success.
The Night of the Living Dead movies are iconic pieces of film history, so it’s unsurprising that Shaun of the Dead lovingly pokes fun at the tropes these projects created. It can be difficult to balance the violence and inherent tragedy of the zombie genre with lighthearted humor, but Shaun of the Dead easily achieves this. Though Shaun of the Dead was made on a small budget, it went on to receive universal acclaim and box office success.
Train To Busan (2016)
Directed by Yeon Sang-ho
Yeon Sang-ho’s most iconic movie, Train to Busan, is one of the most famous contemporary zombie films, regardless of country. Action-packed and brimming with blood, gore, and surprising emotional poignancy, Train to Busan might bring a tear to your eye before the story’s over, as its central character develops as a father and a person in the wake of the shocking outbreak. Gong Yoo brings this character, Seok-woo, to life with the gravitas of an action hero, balanced with sensitivity.
Train to Busan exemplifies what we love about modern horror, as it’s in conversation with the best of the genre but is also unafraid to carve its own path. Additionally, Train to Busan is as much about class and impending natural disasters as it is a delivery system for the zombie gore we know and love. While Train to Busan doesn’t reinvent the zombie movie, it does pave the way for the next era of great brain-eating filmmaking and encourages it to include some smart commentary.
I recently read EE Cummings’s anti-war novel the “Enormous Room” as part of my reading the classics efforts. EE Cummings is best known for his wonderful and quirky poems but he wrote many other works during his prolific literary career in the the early to mid-20th century.
This book was written based on his experience as a prisoner in a French prison during World War 1. He had gone to France to serve as an ambulance driver and got into trouble with the French authorities because of anti-war comments made by his fellow American friend. He served three months in a detention camp filled with mostly foreigners who had been accused of espionage, hampering the war effort, or associating with people so accused. He was never formally charged and after three months was released.
Co-Piot provided some more background information:
“E.E. Cummings’ The Enormous Room is indeed rooted in his real-life experiences during World War I. Here’s what I found:
Cummings’ Role in the War and Imprisonment: During World War I, Cummings volunteered as an ambulance driver for the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps in France. However, his service was cut short when he and his friend William Slater Brown were arrested by French authorities. They were suspected of espionage due to Brown’s anti-war sentiments expressed in letters. Cummings, who stood by his friend, was detained at the La Ferté-Macé internment camp for over three months. This harrowing experience became the foundation for The Enormous Room, where he vividly recounts his time in captivity and critiques bureaucracy and Authoritarianism”
I found his critique of authoritarianism, bureaucracy, the French prison system, and anti-war sentiments to be still quite relevant over one hundred years later. His novel is filled with details about the many different prisoners from all over the world he met and became friends with during his stay in the French detention center. The novel also filled my literary references as EE Cummings studied classics at Harvard before volunteering to go to France to help in the war effort as an ambulance driver. He quotes Dante’s Divine Comedy, and Bunyan’s The Pilgrims Progress throughout the novel, particularly calling some of his fellow prisoners “delectable mountains” referencing their defiance of the petty and absurd rules of the prison.
In reading the classics, one thing that can be offputting to modern English readers is the liberal use of untranslated foreign language phrases. The Enormous Room is set in a French prison in World War 1. The writer uses a lot of untranslated French phrases throughout. Most modern literature provides English translations in parentheses of foreign phrases. Older literature usually does not not put translations of foreign text assuming perhaps that their readers would understand the foreign phrases or skip over them.
Fortunately we now have Kindle and Kindle does offer translations on the fly which is a very useful feature as well as dictionary definitions.
Of course, the other problem that I have addressed elsewhere is the causal racism, sexism etc in much older literature which can be off-putting to modern readers. The solution is to simply note it, and read on taking into account the novel or story was written in the context of its time when racism and sexism were just not concerns for most writers or readers.
In this novel, he befriends three African prisoners and discusses how one of the prisoners had been imprisoned due to the racist attitude of the police against Africans residing in France.
The prison had a women’s section and a male section, and fraternization was prohibited but still occurred. Many of the women prisoners had been imprisoned for suspected prostitution and carried out that trade in prison. Several of the male prisoners had been imprisoned for being pimps, and some for smuggling and other crimes.
The conditions in the prison were quite stark and brutal. All the prisoners slept in one large “enormous room” that contained around 100 prisoners at a time. they were allowed out once a day to go for a walk in the yard and were assigned chores His duty was as a water carrier taking water from a communal well and taking it to the kitchen where they prepared soup for the prisoners. Prisoners were fed twice a day soup and bread for the most part, and horrid coffee in the morning. He did get one cup of real coffee per day from the cook grateful for his assistance in hauling water and helping in the Kitchen from time to time. Prisoners were able to afford wine cigarettes and chocolate from the Canteen.
Most prisoners lost a lot of weight, and many became sick from scurvy and STDs picked up from visiting the women prisoners or contracted before their arrival. A few had TB and other serious illnesses. The doctor was a bit of a quack and did not have adequate supplies.
Most prisoners stayed for three to four months before the Commission in charge decided to either send them to a real prison after a trial or release them. EE Cummins was released and with the help of the US Embassy, allowed to leave France without any charges ever being filed against him.
Quotes from The Enormous Room
> “To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.”
“I imagine that yes is the only living thing.”
> “Humanity I love you because when you’re hard up you pawn your intelligence to buy a drink.”
E.E. Cummings: A Brief Biography
Full Name: Edward Estlin Cummings
Born: October 14, 1894, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Died: September 3, 1962, in North Conway, New Hampshire, USA
Education: Cummings graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in Classics in 1915 and an M.A. in 1916.
Career Highlights:
Early Life:
Cummings was born into a well-educated, upper-class family in Cambridge, Massachusetts1. His father was a professor at Harvard University and later became a minister
World War I:
During the war, Cummings served as an ambulance driver in France. He was briefly imprisoned in a French detention camp, an experience that inspired his novel “The Enormous Room.”
Literary Career:
Cummings published his first collection of poetry, “Tulips and Chimneys”, in 1923. He is known for his unconventional use of punctuation, syntax, and capitalization, which became hallmarks of his poetic style
Notable Works: Cummings wrote approximately 2,900 poems, several novels, and plays. Some of his most famous works include Tulips and Chimneys, The Enormous Room, EIMI, and the play HIM1.
Here are some of E.E. Cummings’ notable works:
Poetry Collections:
Tulips and Chimneys (1923) ViVa (1931) No Thanks (1935) 1 x 1 (1944) XAIPE: Seventy-One Poems (1950) 95 Poems (1958)
Sam Adams
sat drinking alone
in a bar
on the shady side of life.
Filled with strange creatures
fellow lost souls
drinking late into the night.
The lunatic light
of the blood-red moon
illuminates the bar.
He stands up
twenty drinks too sober
walks outside.
Looks at the full moon
begins howling at the moon
like an escaped banshee
released from hell.
Lunatic Light of the Full Moon Haiku
The lunatic light
of the blood-red super-moon
lights up the mad night.
The Werewolf Emerges
On the night of the super red full moon
Sam Adams set in a bar
drinking his way to hell.
As fast as he could
Sam Adams had a secret
he was convinced
that he was a werewolf.
On the nights of the full moon
he would shed his human form
and the inner werewolf would emerge
to howl at the moon.
As the blood-red moon
danced across the sky
the transformation began
as usual.
Sam gradually felt
the inner werewolf emerging
taking over his soul.
Sam dams stood up
the transformation complete
He ran outside
to howl at the moon,
The other drinkers
shrugged
Just another night
of insanity
in their din of iniquity.
Just an Unhinged Lunatic Howling at the Moon
On a moonlit late-night
i sat in a bar
drinking drams of demented, fermented dream dew
just an unhinged lunatic
dreaming of howling at the full moon.
Watching the world walk by
looking at all the fine-looking babes.
Walking by the street
thinking wild, erotic thoughts
of endless wild libertine passions.
When into the bar
walked the most beautiful women.
In the universe
so wild, so free
so wonderfully alive.
I did not know what to do
as this vision of delight
sauntered through the bar.
In a skin-tight leather pants
looked so fine
that my eyeballs hurt.
And finally, i had to say something
so i gathered up my manly courage
and walked up to her.
And she looked at me
and instantly bewitched my soul
with a devilish grin.
I lost all reason
and became a raving lunatic
unhinged lunatic
howling at the moon.
Foaming at the mouth
a wild, free werewolf
howling at the lunatic light
of the full moon.
Howling at the Moon
I stood outside
between the trees
in a field
on the outside of town.
Beneath the lunatic rays
of the blood-red full moon.
The lunatic lights of the moon
casts a wild primeval glow
on me.
The hormonal chemicals are unleashed
the wild beast within
escapes it chain.
And i howl with delight
a werewolf
free at last.
howling at the moon.
To run amuck
free of its civilized restraints
throwing off its clothes
stripping naked.
Running wild
naked and free
a wild man
enjoying his freedom.
Lunatic howling at the moon
As i sit
under the lunatic light of the full moon
of the blood-red lights of the moon.
Full of wild passions
the lustful beast stirs again.
And starts running and running
howling at the moon.
Riding into the new dawn
on a demented harley davis cycle.
With two naked babes on his back.
Riding into the sun
90 miles per second
at the speed of thought.
He disappears
into the lunatic light
of the full moon.
And i wake up
alone in my bed
saying, man, that was quite a night
i better not go there again.
The wild beast
laughs
he has heard that before.
And i join him
in howling at the moon.
One Crazy Night
One crazy moonlit night
i could not get to sleep
at all.
I looked up
looked out at the window
at the full blood moon
saw by its lunatic light,
Your face
was on the moon.
And i looked up
at the light
that crazy light.
and dreamed
I was with you
again.
And I woke up
again
and I woke up
alone in my bed.
Dreaming dark dreams
of you
wishing it were
other than it was.
I stepped outside
and began howling
at the full moon.
All alone
all alone again
in this world.
Full Moon Lunacy
lovers in the moon light
The full moon hangs
in the evening sky.
Huge, heavy, and full of mystery
it almost looks like it will fall
out of the sky.
The full moon brings out
the lunatics run amuck
howling at the light of the moon.
The full moon inspires lustful thoughts
and wild erotic imaginings
and dark secret desires.
As the lunatic light of the full moon
causes civilized people
to lose themselves
and embrace their inner wild child.
And so, I stare
at the lunatic light
of the full moon.
And howl like an escaped banshee
howling at the moon.
Crazed Madman Howling at the Moon
On a moonlit late-night
i sat in a bar
drinking drams of demented, fermented dream dew
just an unhinged lunatic
dreaming of howling at the full moon.
Watching the world walk by
looking at all the fine-looking babes.
Walking by the street
thinking wild, erotic thoughts
of endless wild libertine passions.
When into the bar
walked the most beautiful women.
In the universe
so wild, so free
so wonderfully alive.
I did not know what to do
as this vision of delight
sauntered through the bar.
In a skin-tight leather pants
looked so fine
that my eyeballs hurt.
And finally, i had to say something
so i gathered up my manly courage
and walked up to her.
And she looked at me
and instantly bewitched my soul
with a devilish grin.
I lost all reason
and became a raving lunatic
unhinged lunatic
howling at the moon.
Foaming at the mouth
a wild, free werewolf
howling at the lunatic light
of the full moon.
Another Lunatic Howling at the Moon
s I sit
under the lunatic light of the full moon
of the blood-red light of the moon.
Full of wild passions
the lustful beast stirs again.
And starts running and running
howling at the moon.
Riding into the new dawn
on a demented Harley-Davis cycle
With two naked babes on his back
Riding into the moon
90 miles per second
at the speed of thought.
He disappears into the lunatic light
of the full moon.
And I wake up
alone in my bed.
saying, man, that was quite a night
i better not go there again.
The wild beast
laughs
he has heard that before.
And I join him
in howling at the moon.
Pink Moon Inspires Lunacy
a moonlit night
the pink moon
shone casting a baleful light
in the world below.
A man sat drinking
in a depraved bar
in an evil part of the city.
Drinking up a storm
with his buddies
Jim Beam, Jack Daniels, Mr. Evan.
Johhny Walker brothers,
And old granddad looked on.
Encouraging him to drink
one scotch, one bourbon, and one beer.
He looked up
at the naked dancing ladies
dancing up a storm
with an attitude
a z tude
that could kill.
He stood up
stepped outside
and howled
at the pink moon
who smiled at him.
Howling with the Dancing Moon
A man
sits drinking late into the night
on the night of the blood-red
super pink moon.
The lunatic light of the moon
inspires him
as he drinks
in that depraved din of inequity
on the left side of society.
Drinking with his buddies
Jim Beam, Jack Daniels, Mr. Evan.
Johhny Walker brothers,
And old granddad looked on.
Drinking one scotch, one bourbon
and one beer.
Watching the naked woman
Dancing on stage.
He finishes drinking
20 drinks too sober
he walks outside.
And sees the naked moon
dancing up a storm
flying across the sky
ripping her clothes off.
Tap dancing
to the insane disco beat
of the bar.
He gives in
jumps into the sky
dancing with the naked moon
howling with the moon maiden.
Like an escaped banshee
from the lunatic bins
of hell.
The Pink Super Moon
The pink super moon
casts a cold baleful glow
over the sleeping world
inspiring the drunken men
to howl at the moon.
Howling at the Pink Super-moon
On a moonlit late-night
the pink supermoon
casting a baleful light
in the world below.
While inside
Sam Adams sat drinking
in a depraved bar
in a den of iniquity.
In an evil part of the city
on the left side
of society.
Drinking up a storm
with his buddies
Johnny Walker, Jack daniels
Jim Beam, and Mr. Evan
and old granddad looked on.
Encouraging him to drink
one scotch, one bourbon, and one beer.
He was just an unhinged lunatic
dreaming of howling at the full moon.
Watching the world walk by
looking at all the fine-looking babes.
Walking by the street
thinking wild, erotic thoughts
of endless wild libertine passions.
He looked up
at the naked dancing ladies
dancing up a storm
with an attitude
a z tude
that could kill.
When into the bar
walked the most beautiful women
in the universe.
So wild, so free
so wonderfully alive.
He did not know what to do
as this vision of delight
sauntered through the bar.
In skin-tight leather pants
looked so fine
that his eyeballs hurt.
Finally, he had to say something
he gathered up my manly courage
he walked up to her.
She looked at him
instantly bewitched his soul
with a devilish grin.
He lost all reason
and became a raving lunatic
unhinged lunatic.
Under the lunatic light of the full moon
of the blood-red lights of the moon
full of wild passions
the lustful beast stirs again.
And starts running and running
howling at the moon
riding into the new dawn.
on a demented Harley Davis cycle
with two naked babes on his back.
Riding into the moon.
90 miles per second
at the speed of thought.
he disappears into the lunatic light
of the full moon,
Sam Adams woke up alone,
in his bed
the naked babes
having disappeared
from his demented dreams.
Saying,
“man, that was quite a night
i better not go there again.”
The wild beast
laughs
he has heard that before.
And joins him
in howling at the pink moon
in the fading light
of the lost last night
of the newly damned.
Wolves Howling at the Moon
As the night falls
The full moon
The blood-red full moon
Begins to rise
Carving a sign
Across the night sky
Now you begin to
To hear the pitiful sound
The thumping of the wolves
As they gathered together
Dropping from their hiding places
Gathering together
Revealing their lies
And in one breath
Snarling begin to howl
At the full red blood moon
Zombie Wolves Howling at the Moon
As the moon rises
Over the forest below,
Two wolves gather together
And with one breath
Begin howling at the moon.
Their awful din
Soon wakes up the dead
Zombies walk out of graves
Attacking the living.
The wolves continue to howl
Joined in the zombie hoard.
Woman howling at the moon
A madwoman
Drinking all night
At the Cosmos Bar
Twenty drinks too sober.
Looks outside
At the lunatic light
Of the full moon
Shines over the Chao Praya River
In Bangkok.
She jumps up
Running outside
To howl at the full moon
Like an escaped banshee.
Maria lee off balanced madness
Maria Lee looked up
From her perch in the Cosmos Bar
Looked out at the street
Under the petrichor umbrella
The elastic holding back the rain
It was a gusty early evening
She went out to the street
Looked at the full moon
She began to howl at the moon
Moaning with pleasure
As the pear-shaped moon
Rose overhead
Casting a purple hew
To the mad scene
She jumped overboard
Into the river
Suddenly struck voiceless
And began swimming
She was off balance
As the moon continued
To illuminate the scene
The scent of bad craziness
All around her.
Mad Moonbeams
Adams went out drinking one night
ending up twenty drinks too sober
as the last call for alcohol rang
he looked up and saw
the lunatic light of the full moon
moonbeams beaming at him
he runs outside howling at the moon
dying when a drunk driver ran him over
Howling at the Wolf Moon Rising Over the Chao Praya River
As evening set in
On a typical Friday night
In Bangkok.
The denizens of the Cosmos Bar
In Soi Cowboy.
A motley crew from all over
The world, and locals too.
Lust for the common international language.
Began drinking
With their buddies.
Jim Beam, Jack Daniels, Johny Walker, Evan Williams
Wild turkey, and Old Granddad
Drinking one scotch, one bourbon, and one beer.
As the destroyers
Sang on the loudspeakers
And porno played on the tv.
And naked women danced
With an attitude
That could kill
an elephant in heat.
The woman circling the bar
Looking for their eventual dates.
The scent of bad craziness
Hung in the air.
The wolf moon rose
In the sky
Over the Chao Praya River.
Casting its lunatic light
On the never-sleeping
City of lost angels.
The drinkers
20 drinks too sober
Ran out into the street.
The lunatic light
Of the full wolf moon
Transforming them
Into deranged lunatics.
They began
Howling at the moon.
Like escaped banshees
Freed from their alyssum
In hell.
They howled at the moon
As the moon continued
To overwhelm
The howling lunatics.
Howling at the Wolf Moon Nocturna
Drinkers in the Cosmos Bar,
Twenty drinks too sober,
Staring at the lunar star,
rising over the river.
on that night in October.
Running outside looking upriver,
Howling at the full wolf moon.
no longer stone-sober,
Will be very drunk soon.
Basset Puppy Howling at the Moon
In the late afternoon shadow
the red sunset darkening the sky
the basset hound puppy.
.
Stirs and gets up
hearing the distant sounds
of the train in the distance.
Scenting bad craziness in the air
the dog begins to howl in the night.
Howling as the moon rises
casting its lunatic light
on the mad scene.
Deranged lunatic dog
inspired to howl when he sees it
super blue moon
Howling with the Dancing Moon
Sam Adams
sits drinking late into the night
on the night of the blood-red
super blue wolf moon.
The lunatic light of the moon
inspires him.
as he drinks
in that depraved din of inequity
on the left side of society.
Drinking with his buddies,
Jim Beam, Jack Daniels, Johnny Walker
Old Granddad,
Drinking one scotch, one bourbon
and one beer.
Watching the naked woman
dancing on stage.
He finishes drinking
20 drinks too sober.
He walks outside.
And sees the naked moon
dancing up a storm.
Flying across the sky
ripping her clothes off.
Tap dancing
to the insane disco beat
of the bar.
He gives in
jumps into the sky,
dancing with the naked moon
howling with the moon maiden.
Like an escaped banshee
from the lunatic bins
of hell.
The Pink Super Moon Tanka
More Pink Moon
The pink super moon
casts a cold baleful glow
over the sleeping world
inspiring the drunken men
to howl at the moon.
Drunken Old Man Howling at the Moon
A drunken old man down on his luck
was drinking in a nameless bar
in a disreputable forgotten part of town
where decent citizens and police feared to tread.
twenty drinks too sober
he was drinking his way to hell
surrounded by his fellow low-life bums
outlaw scoundrels one and all.
he looked outside
transfixed by the full moon
the lunatic light of the moon.
Blood red super moon
inspired him compelled him.
he stood up and growled
and ran out into the street
and started howling
at the full moon.
the other denizens of the bar
the derelicts, drunken bums, barflies
rushed out and joined him
in howling at the moon.
went back inside
and continued to drink
their way to hell.
Howling at the full moon in bangkok
Sam Adams was feeling blue, down on his luck. He went to his favorite watering hole, the Cosmos Bar in Soi Cowboy, Bangkok, and began drinking up a storm with his buddies: Jack Daniel’s, Johnny Walker, Old Granddad, Evans, and Jim Beam. He told the comely barmaid, Kuhn Lek, “Bring me one scotch, one bourbon, and one beer.” He drank it all down, barely noticing the naked ladies dancing on the stage. She smiled sadly, knowing there was nothing that could change his mood. He kept drinking until, at last, he was twenty drinks too sober. Then he ordered fried fish Thai style for his midnight dinner.
He looked up and out at the street, noticing the full moon outside. The full moon shed its lunatic light on the streets of Bangkok. Sam Adams stood up and said, “The moon is full tonight. Let’s go out and howl at the moon.”
He ran outside onto the road, stripping naked and waving a feather as he danced and howled like an escaped banshee at the glowing moon. He inspired others to join him in howling at the moon. He ran down the street and was tragically run over by a drunk bus driver, ending his life as the moon continued to shine on the mad scene.
Moon Over July
In the middle
of the summer
in july, midsummer madness
outside under the stars
the storm is abating.
The full moon comes out
the man recalling mad lyrics
starts howling at the lunatic light
of the wolf moon
like an escaped banshee
as the mad moon
stares down at them.
Howling at the Strawberry Moon
Big Daddy was talking
to his best friend Sam Adams
in the Cosmos Bar
in Bangkok, Thailand.
Sit down and listen
to me.
God,
i wish I had
my yarn and needles with me
that’s my latest hobby
helps me focus.
In the end
it is all about money
it is all about the benjamin’s
nothing personal at all.
Hey there is cool water in a jar
let’s drink some water
and a shot of Mekong whiskey
it is cocktail time, my friend.
And as usual
they drank through the night
until o dark hundred.
Twenty drinks too sober.
When they joined
their fellow inmates
in their insane asylum
of a bar.
In going outside
howling like escaped banshees
at the strawberry super full moon
shining its lunatic lights
over the Chao Praya River.
Blame it on the moon
blame it on the moon.”
that is what Sam Adams said
to the police
after they picked him up
leading a pack of rabid “farang”
men and woman
running naked down the street.
They had met in front
of the infamous Cosmos Bar
in notorious bangkok
at o dark hundred.
They were heading to the riverbank
when the police arrested them,
for disturbing the peace.
They were all incoherent
just staring at the blood-red
full moon overlooking
the “Chao Phraya “ River.
Looking like escaped banshees
howling at the lunatic lights
of the full super blue moon.
The cops laughed
saying on full moon nights
they had a lot of such incidents
On the night of the blood-red super full moon
I sat in an evil, depraved godforsaken bar.
drinking drams of demented, fermented dream dew
washed down by endless rounds of whiskey
rum, tequila, vodka, soju and of course beer
drinking with my buddies, the Jack Daniels gang.
drinking my way to hell and beyond
just as fast as i could
twenty damn drinks too sober.
just an unhinged lunatic
dreaming of howling at the full moon.
watching the world walk by
looking at all the fine-looking babes
walking by the street.
thinking wild, erotic thoughts
of endless wild libertine passions.
when into the bar
that din of cosmic depravity.
walked the most beautiful women
in the universe.
so wild, so free
so wonderfully alive.
I did not know what to do
as this vision of delight
sauntered through the bar.
in a skin-tight leather pant
looked so fine
that my eyeballs hurt.
and finally, I had to say something
so, i gathered up my manly courage
and walked up to her.
and she looked at me
and instantly bewitched my soul
with a devilish grin,
i lost all reason
and became a raving lunatic
unhinged lunatic
howling at the blood-red full moon.
foaming at the mouth
a wild, free werewolf
howling at the lunatic light
of the blood red blue full moon.
On the night of a blood-red wolf moon
a man stood outside
between the trees
in a field
on the outside of town.
beneath the lunatic rays
of the blood-red full moon
the lunatic lights of the moon
casts a wild primeval glow
on him.
the hormonal chemicals are unleashed
the wild beast within
escapes it chain.
and he howls with delight
a werewolf
free at last.
to run amuck
free of its civilized restraints
throwing off his clothes
stripping naked.
running wild
naked and free
a wild man
enjoying his freedom.
as he sits
under the lunatic light of the full moon
of the blood-red lights of the wolf moon
full of wild passions
the lustful beast stirs again.
and starts running and running
howling at the moon
riding into the new dawn.
on a demented Harvey-Davis cycle
with two naked babes on his back.
riding into the Moon
90 miles per second
at the speed of thought.
he disappears into the lunatic light
of the full moon.
and he woke ups
alone,
in his bed,
Saying,
“Man, that was quite a night
I better not go there again”
the wildman
laughs
he has heard that before.
and he joins him
in howling at the wolf moon,
Howling at the Moon Bing AI Version
I hear a distant howl
A lonely voice in the night
Calling out to the moon
Seeking its silver light
I feel a primal urge
A restless fire in my soul
Breaking free from the cage
Running wild and whole
I join the chorus of howls
A symphony of the dark
Echoing through the woods
Reaching for the moon’s spark
We are the children of the moon
We live by its phases and tides
We howl at the moon
Howling with the Dancing Moon: This poem describes a surreal and vivid night under the influence of the moon’s lunatic light, blending imagery of dancing and howling.
A man
Sits drinking late into the night
On the night of the blood-red
super blue wolf moon
the lunatic light of the moon
inspires him
as he drinks
in that depraved din of inequity
on the left side of society
Drinking with his buddies
Johnny Walker, Jim Beam
Jack Daniels, Evan, Old Granddad
Drinking one Scotch, one Bourbon
And one beer
Watching the naked woman
Dancing on stage
He finishes drinking
20 drinks too sober
He walks outside
And sees the naked moon
Dancing up a storm
Flying across the sky
Ripping her clothes off
Tap dancing
To the insane disco beat
Of the bar
He gives in
Jumps into the sky
Dancing with the naked moon
Howling with the moon maiden
Like an escaped banshee
From the lunatic bins
Of Hell
In honor of the Pink Moon, the first of three super moons in a row, I have revised my “lunatic Howling at the Moon” poems and posted them on my blog @https://theworldaccordingtocosmos.com and on my Spotify podcast. Hope you enjoy them.
Madman Howling at the Super Blue Full Wolf Moon: A tale of transformation and wildness under the spell of the Super Blue Full Wolf Moon, where the protagonist embraces their inner werewolf.
The super blue full wolf moon
fills the sky
with its baleful evil glow
and a man fell under its evil glare
the evil super blue full wolf moon
brings out the beast in him
and he sheds his civilized veneer
the inner werewolf coming out
sniffing the air
smiling saying this is good
and begins running
down the trail
howling at the moon
at the super blue full wolf moon
as it stares down at him
urging him to worship her
the mad mood goddess
who lives in the moon
Diana commands him
compels him
and he gives in
howling like an escaped banshee
escaped from his lair in hell
howling like the werewolf he was
He strips off his clothes
and run deep into the mountains
howling insanely
driven mad
by the baleful evil light
of the super blue full wolf moon
and gives in and become once again
a werewolf consumed by the moon
the super full blue wolf moon
smiles at her victory
and the man joins Diana
in saluting his mistress
Diana the moon goddess
who lives on the moon
and comes out once a year
on the super full blue wold moon
In the late afternoon shadow The red sunset darkening the sky
The basset hound puppy.
.
Stirs and gets up
Hearing the distant sounds
Of the train in the distance.
Scenting bad craziness in the air
The dog begins to howl in the night.
Howling as the moon rises
Casting its lunatic light
On the mad scene.
Please use the following in bold in your poem or story in any order:
afternoon shadow
red sunset
train in the distance
howl in the night
Basset Hound puppy
Here is an updated list of my Howling at the Moon poems, published on the wolf moon night. Quite a few have been published elsewhere.
Index
Begin Poems
Howling at the Moon like an Escaped Banshee
Sam Adams
sat drinking alone
in a bar
on the shady side of life.
Filled with strange creatures
fellow lost souls
drinking late into the night.
The lunatic light
of the blood-red moon
illuminates the bar.
He stands up
twenty drinks too sober
walks outside.
Looks at the full moon
begins howling at the moon
like an escaped banshee
released from hell.
The Lunatic Light of the Blood Red Super-moon
The lunatic light
of the blood-red super-moon
lights up the mad night.
The Werewolf Emerges
On the night of the super red full moon
Sam Adams set in a bar
drinking his way to hell.
As fast as he could
Sam Adams had a secret
he was convinced
that he was a werewolf.
On the nights of the full moon
he would shed his human form
and the inner werewolf would emerge
to howl at the moon.
As the blood-red moon
danced across the sky
the transformation began
as usual.
Sam gradually felt
the inner werewolf emerging
taking over his soul.
Sam dams stood up
the transformation complete
He ran outside
to howl at the moon,
The other drinkers
shrugged
Just another night
of insanity
in their din of iniquity.
Just an Unhinged Lunatic Howling at the Moon
man howling at the man
On a moonlit late-night
i sat in a bar
drinking drams of demented, fermented dream dew
just an unhinged lunatic
dreaming of howling at the full moon.
Watching the world walk by
looking at all the fine-looking babes.
Walking by the street
thinking wild, erotic thoughts
of endless wild libertine passions.
When into the bar
walked the most beautiful women.
In the universe
so wild, so free
so wonderfully alive.
I did not know what to do
as this vision of delight
sauntered through the bar.
In a skin-tight leather pants
looked so fine
that my eyeballs hurt.
And finally, i had to say something
so i gathered up my manly courage
and walked up to her.
And she looked at me
and instantly bewitched my soul
with a devilish grin.
I lost all reason
and became a raving lunatic
unhinged lunatic
howling at the moon.
Foaming at the mouth
a wild, free werewolf
howling at the lunatic light
of the full moon.
Howling at the Moon
I stood outside
between the trees
in a field
on the outside of town.
Beneath the lunatic rays
of the blood-red full moon.
The lunatic lights of the moon
casts a wild primeval glow
on me.
The hormonal chemicals are unleashed
the wild beast within
escapes it chain.
And i howl with delight
a werewolf
free at last.
howling at the moon.
To run amuck
free of its civilized restraints
throwing off its clothes
stripping naked.
Running wild
naked and free
a wild man
enjoying his freedom.
Lunatic howling at the moon
As i sit
under the lunatic light of the full moon
of the blood-red lights of the moon.
Full of wild passions
the lustful beast stirs again.
And starts running and running
howling at the moon.
Riding into the new dawn
on a demented harley davis cycle.
With two naked babes on his back.
Riding into the sun
90 miles per second
at the speed of thought.
He disappears
into the lunatic light
of the full moon.
And i wake up
alone in my bed
saying, man, that was quite a night
i better not go there again.
The wild beast
laughs
he has heard that before.
And i join him
in howling at the moon.
One Crazy Night
One crazy moonlit night
i could not get to sleep
at all.
I looked up
looked out at the window
at the full blood moon
saw by its lunatic light,
Your face
was on the moon.
And i looked up
at the light
that crazy light.
and dreamed
I was with you
again.
And I woke up
again
and I woke up
alone in my bed.
Dreaming dark dreams
of you
wishing it were
other than it was.
I stepped outside
and began howling
at the full moon.
All alone
all alone again
in this world.
Full Moon Lunacy
The full moon hangs
in the evening sky.
Huge, heavy, and full of mystery
it almost looks like it will fall
out of the sky.
The full moon brings out
the lunatics run amuck
howling at the light of the moon.
The full moon inspires lustful thoughts
and wild erotic imaginings
and dark secret desires.
As the lunatic light of the full moon
causes civilized people
to lose themselves
and embrace their inner wild child.
And so, I stare
at the lunatic light
of the full moon.
And howl like an escaped banshee
howling at the moon.
Howling at the Moon
On a moonlit late-night
i sat in a bar
drinking drams of demented, fermented dream dew
just an unhinged lunatic
dreaming of howling at the full moon.
Watching the world walk by
looking at all the fine-looking babes.
Walking by the street
thinking wild, erotic thoughts
of endless wild libertine passions.
When into the bar
walked the most beautiful women.
In the universe
so wild, so free
so wonderfully alive.
I did not know what to do
as this vision of delight
sauntered through the bar.
In a skin-tight leather pants
looked so fine
that my eyeballs hurt.
And finally, i had to say something
so i gathered up my manly courage
and walked up to her.
And she looked at me
and instantly bewitched my soul
with a devilish grin.
I lost all reason
and became a raving lunatic
unhinged lunatic
howling at the moon.
Foaming at the mouth
a wild, free werewolf
howling at the lunatic light
of the full moon.
Another Lunatic Howling at the Moon
Pink Moon
As I sit
under the lunatic light of the full moon
of the blood-red lighs of the moon.
Full of wild passions
the lustful beast stirs again.
And starts running and running
howling at the moon.
Riding into the new dawn
on a demented harley davis cycle
With two naked babes on his back
Riding into the moon
90 miles per second
at the speed of thought.
He disappears into the lunatic light
of the full moon.
And I wake up
alone in my bed.
saying, man, that was quite a night
i better not go there again.
The wild beast
laughs
he has heard that before.
And I join him
in howling at the moon.
Pink Moon Inspires Lunacy
On a moonlit night
the pink moon
shone casting a baleful light
in the world below.
A man sat drinking
in a depraved bar
in an evil part of the city.
Drinking up a storm
with his buddies
Jim Beam, Jack Daniels, Mr. Evan.
Johhny Walker brothers,
And old granddad looked on.
Encouraging him to drink
one scotch, one bourbon, and one beer.
He looked up
at the naked dancing ladies
dancing up a storm
with an attitude
a z tude
that could kill.
He stood up
stepped outside
and howled
at the pink moon
who smiled at him.
Howling with the Dancing Moon
More Pink Moon
A man
sits drinking late into the night
on the night of the blood-red
super pink moon.
The lunatic light of the moon
inspires him
as he drinks
in that depraved din of inequity
on the left side of society.
Drinking with his buddies
Jim Beam, Jack Daniels, Mr. Evan.
Johhny Walker brothers,
And old granddad looked on.
Drinking one scotch, one bourbon
and one beer.
Watching the naked woman
Dancing on stage.
He finishes drinking
20 drinks too sober
he walks outside.
And sees the naked moon
dancing up a storm
flying across the sky
ripping her clothes off.
Tap dancing
to the insane disco beat
of the bar.
He gives in
jumps into the sky
dancing with the naked moon
howling with the moon maiden.
Like an escaped banshee
from the lunatic bins
of hell.
The Pink Super Moon
The pink super moon
casts a cold baleful glow
over the sleeping world
inspiring the drunken men
to howl at the moon.
Howling at the Pink Super-moon
More Pink Moon
On a moonlit late-night
the pink supermoon
casting a baleful light
in the world below.
While inside
Sam Adams sat drinking
in a depraved bar
in a den of iniquity.
In an evil part of the city
on the left side
of society.
Drinking up a storm
with his buddies
Johnny Walker, Jack daniels
Jim Beam, and Mr. Evan
and old granddad looked on.
Encouraging him to drink
one scotch, one bourbon, and one beer.
He was just an unhinged lunatic
dreaming of howling at the full moon.
Watching the world walk by
looking at all the fine-looking babes.
Walking by the street
thinking wild, erotic thoughts
of endless wild libertine passions.
He looked up
at the naked dancing ladies
dancing up a storm
with an attitude
a z tude
that could kill.
When into the bar
walked the most beautiful women
in the universe.
So wild, so free
so wonderfully alive.
He did not know what to do
as this vision of delight
sauntered through the bar.
In skin-tight leather pants
looked so fine
that his eyeballs hurt.
Finally, he had to say something
he gathered up my manly courage
he walked up to her.
She looked at him
instantly bewitched his soul
with a devilish grin.
He lost all reason
and became a raving lunatic
unhinged lunatic.
Under the lunatic light of the full moon
of the blood-red lights of the moon
full of wild passions
the lustful beast stirs again.
And starts running and running
howling at the moon
riding into the new dawn.
on a demented harley davis cycle
with two naked babes on his back.
Riding into the moon.
90 miles per se.ond
at the speed of thought.
he disappears into the lunatic light
of the full moon,
Sam Adams woke up alone,
in his bed
the naked babes
having disappeared
from his demented dreams.
Saying,
“man, that was quite a night
i better not go there again.”
The wild beast
laughs
he has heard that before.
And joins him
in howling at the pink moon
in the fading light
of the lost last night
of the newly damned.
Wolves howling at the moon
As the night falls
The full moon
The blood-red full moon
Begins to rise
Carving a sign
Across the night sky
Now you begin to
To hear the pitiful sound
The thumping of the wolves
As they gathered together
Dropping from their hiding places
Gathering together
Revealing their lies
And in one breath
Snarling begin to howl
At the full red blood moon
Zombie Wolves Howling at the Moon
As the moon rises
Over the forest below,
Two wolves gather together
And with one breath
Begin howling at the moon.
Their awful din
Soon wakes up the dead
Zombies walk out of graves
Attacking the living.
The wolves continue to howl
Joined in the zombie hoard.
Woman howling at the moon
A madwoman
Drinking all night
At the Cosmos Bar
Twenty drinks too sober.
Looks outside
At the lunatic light
Of the full moon
Shines over the Chao Praya River
In Bangkok.
She jumps up
Running outside
To howl at the full moon
Like an escaped banshee.
Maria lee off balanced madness
Maria Lee looked up
From her perch in the Cosmos Bar
Looked out at the street
Under the petrichor umbrella
The elastic holding back the rain
It was a gusty early evening
She went out to the street
Looked at the full moon
She began to howl at the moon
Moaning with pleasure
As the pear-shaped moon
Rose overhead
Casting a purple hew
To the mad scene
She jumped overboard
Into the river
Suddenly struck voiceless
And began swimming
She was off balance
As the moon continued
To illuminate the scene
The scent of bad craziness
All around her.
Mad Moonbeams
Sam Adams went out drinking one night
ending up twenty drinks too sober
as the last call for alcohol rang
he looked up and saw
the lunatic light of the full moon
moonbeams beaming at him
he runs outside howling at the moon
dying when a drunk driver ran him over
Howling at the Wolf Moon Rising Over the Chao Praya River
As evening set in
On a typical Friday night
In Bangkok.
The denizens of the Cosmos Bar
In Soi Cowboy.
A motley crew from all over
The world, and locals too.
Lust for the common international language.
Began drinking
With their buddies.
Jim Beam, Jack Daniels, Johny Walker, Evan Williams
Wild turkey, and Old Granddad
Drinking one scotch, one bourbon, and one beer.
As the destroyers
Sang on the loudspeakers
And porno played on the tv.
And naked women danced
With an attitude
That could kill
an elephant in heat.
The woman circling the bar
Looking for their eventual dates.
The scent of bad craziness
Hung in the air.
The wolf moon rose
In the sky
Over the Chao Praya River.
Casting its lunatic light
On the never-sleeping
City of lost angels.
The drinkers
20 drinks too sober
Ran out into the street.
The lunatic light
Of the full wolf moon
Transforming them
Into deranged lunatics.
They began
Howling at the moon.
Like escaped banshees
Freed from their alyssum
In hell.
They howled at the moon
As the moon continued
To overwhelm
The howling lunatics.
Howling at the Wolf Moon Nocturna
Drinkers in the Cosmos Bar,
Twenty drinks too sober,
Staring at the lunar star,
rising over the river.
on that night in october.
Running outside looking upriver,
Howling at the full wolf moon.
no longer stone-sober,
Will be very drunk soon.
Basset Puppy Howling at the Moon
In the late afternoon shadow
the red sunset darkening the sky
the basset hound puppy.
.
Stirs and gets up
hearing the distant sounds
of the train in the distance.
Scenting bad craziness in the air
the dog begins to howl in the night.
Howling as the moon rises
casting its lunatic light
on the mad scene.
Deranged lunatic dog
inspired to howl when he sees it
super blue moon
sits drinking late into the night
on the night of the blood-red
super blue wolf moon.
The lunatic light of the moon
inspires him.
as he drinks
in that depraved din of inequity
on the left side of society.
Drinking with his buddies,
Jim Beam, Jack Daniels, Johnny Walker
Old Granddad,
Drinking one scotch, one bourbon
and one beer.
Watching the naked woman
dancing on stage.
He finishes drinking
20 drinks too sober.
He walks outside.
And sees the naked moon
dancing up a storm.
Flying across the sky
ripping her clothes off.
Tap dancing
to the insane disco beat
of the bar.
He gives in
jumps into the sky,
dancing with the naked moon
howling with the moon maiden.
Like an escaped banshee
from the lunatic bins
of hell.
The Pink Super Moon Tanka
More Pink Moon
The pink super moon
casts a cold baleful glow
over the sleeping world
inspiring the drunken men
to howl at the moon.
Drunken Old Man Howling at the Moon
A drunken old man down on his luck
was drinking in a nameless bar
in a disreputable forgotten part of town
where decent citizens and police feared to tread.
twenty drinks too sober
he was drinking his way to hell
surrounded by his fellow low-life bums
outlaw scoundrels one and all.
he looked outside
transfixed by the full moon
the lunatic light of the moon.
Blood red super moon
inspired him compelled him.
he stood up and growled
and ran out into the street
and started howling
at the full moon.
the other denizens of the bar
the derelicts, drunken bums, barflies
rushed out and joined him
in howling at the moon.
went back inside
and continued to drink
their way to hell.
Howling at the full moon in bangkok
sam adams was feeling blue, down on his luck. He went to his favorite watering hole, the cosmos bar in soi cowboy, bangkok, and began drinking up a storm with his buddies, jack daniel’s, johnny walker, old granddad, evans, and jim beam, telling the comely barmaid, kuhn lek, bring me one scotch, one bourbon, and one beer. Drinking it all down, barely noticing the naked ladies dancing on the stage. She smiled sadly, knowing that there was nothing that would change his mood. He kept drinking until, at last, he was twenty drinks too sober. Then he ordered fried fish thai style for his midnight dinner.
He looked up and out at the street, noticing the full moon outside. The full moon shed its lunatic light on the streets of bangkok. Sam adams stood up, and said,
“the moon is full tonight. Let’s go out and howl at the moon. “
he ran outside onto the road, stripping naked and dancing waving a feather, as he howled like an escaped banshee at the dancing moon. Inspiring others to join him in howling at the moon. He ran down the street and was run over by a drunk bus driver, ending his life as the moon continued to shine on the mad scene.
Moon over july
In the middle
of the summer
in july, midsummer madness
outside under the stars
the storm is abating.
The full moon comes out
the man recalling mad lyrics
starts howling at the lunatic light
of the wolf moon
like an escaped banshee
as the mad moon
stares down at them.
Howling at the Stawberry Moon
Big Daddy was talking
to his best friend Sam Adams
in the Cosmos Bar
in Bangkok, Thailand.
Sit down and listen
to me.
God,
i wish I had
my yarn and needles with me
that’s my latest hobby
helps me focus.
In the end
it is all about money
it is all about the benjamin’s
nothing personal at all.
Hey there is cool water in a jar
let’s drink some water
and a shot of mekong whiskey
it is cocktail time, my friend.
And as usual
they drank through the night
until o dark hundred.
Twenty drinks too sober.
When they joined
their fellow inmates
in their insane asylum
of a bar.
In going outside
howling like escaped banshees
at the strawberry super full moon
shining its lunatic lights
over the Chao Praya River.
Blame it on the moon
Pink Moon
“blame it on the moon.”
that is what Sam Adams said
to the police
after they picked him up
leading a pack of rabid “farang”
men and woman
running naked down the street.
They had met in front
of the infamous Cosmos Bar
in notorious bangkok
at o dark hundred.
They were heading to the riverbank
when the police arrested them,
for disturbing the peace.
They were all incoherent
just staring at the blood-red
full moon overlooking
the “Chao Phraya “ River.
Looking like escaped banshees
howling at the lunatic lights
of the full super blue moon.
The cops laughed
saying on full moon nights
they had a lot of such incidents
On the night of the blood-red super full moon
I sat in an evil, depraved godforsaken bar.
drinking drams of demented, fermented dream dew
washed down by endless rounds of whiskey
rum, tequila, vodka, soju and of course beer
drinking with my buddies the jack daniels gang.
drinking my way to hell and beyond
just as fast as i could
twenty damn drinks too sober.
just an unhinged lunatic
dreaming of howling at the full moon.
watching the world walk by
looking at all the fine-looking babes
walking by the street.
thinking wild, erotic thoughts
of endless wild libertine passions.
when into the bar
that din of cosmic depravity.
walked the most beautiful women
in the universe.
so wild, so free
so wonderfully alive.
I did not know what to do
as this vision of delight
sauntered through the bar.
in a skin-tight leather pant
looked so fine
that my eyeballs hurt.
and finally, I had to say something
so, i gathered up my manly courage
and walked up to her.
and she looked at me
and instantly bewitched my soul
with a devilish grin,
i lost all reason
and became a raving lunatic
unhinged lunatic
howling at the blood-red full moon.
foaming at the mouth
a wild, free werewolf
howling at the lunatic light
of the blood red blue full moon.
I recently read EE Cummings’s anti-war novel the “Enormous Room” as part of my reading the classics efforts. EE Cummings is best known for his wonderful and quirky poems but he wrote many other works during his prolific literary career in the the early to mid-20th century.
This book was written based on his experience as a prisoner in a French prison during World War 1. He had gone to France to serve as an ambulance driver and got into trouble with the French authorities because of anti-war comments made by his fellow American friend. He served three months in a detention camp filled with mostly foreigners who had been accused of espionage, hampering the war effort, or associating with people so accused. He was never formally charged and after three months was released.
Co-Piot provided some more background information:
“E.E. Cummings’ The Enormous Room is indeed rooted in his real-life experiences during World War I. Here’s what I found:
Cummings’ Role in the War and Imprisonment: During World War I, Cummings volunteered as an ambulance driver for the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps in France. However, his service was cut short when he and his friend William Slater Brown were arrested by French authorities. They were suspected of espionage due to Brown’s anti-war sentiments expressed in letters. Cummings, who stood by his friend, was detained at the La Ferté-Macé internment camp for over three months. This harrowing experience became the foundation for The Enormous Room, where he vividly recounts his time in captivity and critiques bureaucracy and Authoritarianism”
I found his critique of authoritarianism, bureaucracy, the French prison system, and anti-war sentiments to be still quite relevant over one hundred years later. His novel is filled with details about the many different prisoners from all over the world he met and became friends with during his stay in the French detention center. The novel also filled my literary references as EE Cummings studied classics at Harvard before volunteering to go to France to help in the war effort as an ambulance driver. He quotes Dante’s Divine Comedy, and Bunyan’s The Pilgrims Progress throughout the novel, particularly calling some of his fellow prisoners “delectable mountains” referencing their defiance of the petty and absurd rules of the prison.
In reading the classics, one thing that can be offputting to modern English readers is the liberal use of untranslated foreign language phrases. The Enormous Room is set in a French prison in World War 1. The writer uses a lot of untranslated French phrases throughout. Most modern literature provides English translations in parentheses of foreign phrases. Older literature usually does not not put translations of foreign text assuming perhaps that their readers would understand the foreign phrases or skip over them.
Fortunately we now have Kindle and Kindle does offer translations on the fly which is a very useful feature as well as dictionary definitions.
Of course, the other problem that I have addressed elsewhere is the causal racism, sexism etc in much older literature which can be off-putting to modern readers. The solution is to simply note it, and read on taking into account the novel or story was written in the context of its time when racism and sexism were just not concerns for most writers or readers.
In this novel, he befriends three African prisoners and discusses how one of the prisoners had been imprisoned due to the racist attitude of the police against Africans residing in France.
The prison had a women’s section and a male section, and fraternization was prohibited but still occurred. Many of the women prisoners had been imprisoned for suspected prostitution and carried out that trade in prison. Several of the male prisoners had been imprisoned for being pimps, and some for smuggling and other crimes.
The conditions in the prison were quite stark and brutal. All the prisoners slept in one large “enormous room” that contained around 100 prisoners at a time. they were allowed out once a day to go for a walk in the yard and were assigned chores His duty was as a water carrier taking water from a communal well and taking it to the kitchen where they prepared soup for the prisoners. Prisoners were fed twice a day soup and bread for the most part, and horrid coffee in the morning. He did get one cup of real coffee per day from the cook grateful for his assistance in hauling water and helping in the Kitchen from time to time. Prisoners were able to afford wine cigarettes and chocolate from the Canteen.
Most prisoners lost a lot of weight, and many became sick from scurvy and STDs picked up from visiting the women prisoners or contracted before their arrival. A few had TB and other serious illnesses. The doctor was a bit of a quack and did not have adequate supplies.
Most prisoners stayed for three to four months before the Commission in charge decided to either send them to a real prison after a trial or release them. EE Cummins was released and with the help of the US Embassy, allowed to leave France without any charges ever being filed against him.
Quotes from The Enormous Room
> “To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.”
“I imagine that yes is the only living thing.”
> “Humanity I love you because when you’re hard up you pawn your intelligence to buy a drink.”
E.E. Cummings: A Brief Biography
Full Name: Edward Estlin Cummings
Born: October 14, 1894, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Died: September 3, 1962, in North Conway, New Hampshire, USA
Education: Cummings graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in Classics in 1915 and an M.A. in 1916.
Career Highlights:
Early Life:
Cummings was born into a well-educated, upper-class family in Cambridge, Massachusetts1. His father was a professor at Harvard University and later became a minister
World War I:
During the war, Cummings served as an ambulance driver in France. He was briefly imprisoned in a French detention camp, an experience that inspired his novel “The Enormous Room.”
Literary Career:
Cummings published his first collection of poetry, “Tulips and Chimneys”, in 1923. He is known for his unconventional use of punctuation, syntax, and capitalization, which became hallmarks of his poetic style
Notable Works: Cummings wrote approximately 2,900 poems, several novels, and plays. Some of his most famous works include Tulips and Chimneys, The Enormous Room, EIMI, and the play HIM1.
Here are some of E.E. Cummings’ notable works:
Poetry Collections:
Tulips and Chimneys (1923) ViVa (1931) No Thanks (1935) 1 x 1 (1944) XAIPE: Seventy-One Poems (1950) 95 Poems (1958)
I recently read EE Cummings’s anti-war novel the “Enormous Room” as part of my reading the classics efforts. EE Cummings is best known for his wonderful and quirky poems but he wrote many other works during his prolific literary career in the the early to mid-20th century.
This book was written based on his experience as a prisoner in a French prison during World War 1. He had gone to France to serve as an ambulance driver and got into trouble with the French authorities because of anti-war comments made by his fellow American friend. He served three months in a detention camp filled with mostly foreigners who had been accused of espionage, hampering the war effort, or associating with people so accused. He was never formally charged and after three months was released.
Co-Piot provided some more background information:
“E.E. Cummings’ The Enormous Room is indeed rooted in his real-life experiences during World War I. Here’s what I found:
Cummings’ Role in the War and Imprisonment: During World War I, Cummings volunteered as an ambulance driver for the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps in France. However, his service was cut short when he and his friend William Slater Brown were arrested by French authorities. They were suspected of espionage due to Brown’s anti-war sentiments expressed in letters. Cummings, who stood by his friend, was detained at the La Ferté-Macé internment camp for over three months. This harrowing experience became the foundation for The Enormous Room, where he vividly recounts his
time in captivity and critiques bureaucracy and Authoritarianism”
I found his critique of authoritarianism, bureaucracy, the French prison system, and anti-war sentiments to be still quite relevant over one hundred years later. His novel is filled with details about the many different prisoners from all over the world he met and became friends with during his stay in the French detention center. The novel also filled my literary references as EE Cummings studied classics at Harvard before volunteering to go to France to help in the war effort as an ambulance driver. He quotes Dante’s Divine Comedy, and Bunyan’s The Pilgrims Progress throughout the novel, particularly calling some of his fellow prisoners “delectable mountains” referencing their defiance of the petty and absurd rules of the prison.
In reading the classics, one thing that can be offputting to modern English readers is the liberal use of untranslated foreign language phrases. The Enormous Room is set in a French prison in World War 1. The writer uses a lot of untranslated French phrases throughout. Most modern literature provides English translations in parentheses of foreign phrases. Older literature usually does not not put translations of foreign text assuming perhaps that their readers would understand the foreign phrases or skip over them.
Fortunately we now have Kindle and Kindle does offer translations on the fly which is a very useful feature as well as dictionary definitions.
Of course, the other problem that I have addressed elsewhere is the causal racism, sexism etc in much older literature which can be off-putting to modern readers. The solution is to simply note it, and read on taking into account the novel or story was written in the context of its time when racism and sexism were just not concerns for most writers or readers.
In this novel, he befriends three African prisoners and discusses how one of the prisoners had been imprisoned due to the racist attitude of the police against Africans residing in France.
The prison had a women’s section and a male section, and fraternization was prohibited but still occurred. Many of the women prisoners had been imprisoned for suspected prostitution and carried out that trade in prison. Several of the male prisoners had been imprisoned for being pimps, and some for smuggling and other crimes.
The conditions in the prison were quite stark and brutal. All the prisoners slept in one large “enormous room” that contained around 100 prisoners at a time. they were allowed out once a day to go for a walk in the yard and were assigned chores His duty was as a water carrier taking water from a communal well and taking it to the kitchen where they prepared soup for the prisoners. Prisoners were fed twice a day soup and bread for the most part, and horrid coffee in the morning. He did get one cup of real coffee per day from the cook grateful for his assistance in hauling water and helping in the Kitchen from time to time. Prisoners were able to afford wine cigarettes and chocolate from the Canteen.
Most prisoners lost a lot of weight, and many became sick from scurvy and STDs picked up from visiting the women prisoners or contracted before their arrival. A few had TB and other serious illnesses. The doctor was a bit of a quack and did not have adequate supplies.
Most prisoners stayed for three to four months before the Commission in charge decided to either send them to a real prison after a trial or release them. EE Cummins was released and with the help of the US Embassy, allowed to leave France without any charges ever being filed against him.
Quotes from The Enormous Room
> “To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.”
“I imagine that yes is the only living thing.”
> “Humanity I love you because when you’re hard up you pawn your intelligence
to buy a drink.”
E.E. Cummings: A Brief Biography
Full Name: Edward Estlin Cummings
Born: October 14, 1894, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Died: September 3, 1962, in North Conway, New Hampshire, USA
Education: Cummings graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in Classics in 1915 and an M.A. in 1916.
Career Highlights:
Early Life:
Cummings was born into a well-educated, upper-class family in Cambridge, Massachusetts1. His father was a professor at Harvard University and later became a minister
World War I:
During the war, Cummings served as an ambulance driver in France. He was briefly imprisoned in a French detention camp, an experience that inspired his novel “The Enormous Room.”
Literary Career:
Cummings published his first collection of poetry, “Tulips and
Chimneys”, in 1923. He is known for his unconventional use of punctuation,
syntax, and capitalization, which became hallmarks of his poetic style
Notable Works: Cummings wrote approximately 2,900 poems, several novels, and plays. Some of his most famous works include Tulips and Chimneys, The
Enormous Room, EIMI, and the play HIM1.
Here are some of E.E. Cummings’ notable works:
Poetry Collections:
Tulips and Chimneys (1923)
ViVa (1931)
No Thanks (1935)
1 x 1 (1944)
XAIPE: Seventy-One Poems (1950)
95 Poems (1958)
In Honor of the Year of the Wood Snake, here are some forecasts by Co-Pilot and two of my poems about the most famous snake of all the Snake in the Garden of Eden. Enjoy and have a prosperous New Year
Chinese Zodiac Years
Chinese (Simplified)
鼠 (Shǔ) – Rat
牛 (Niú) – Ox
虎 (Hǔ) – Tiger
兔 (Tù) – Rabbit
龙 (Lóng) – Dragon
蛇 (Shé) – Snake
马 (Mǎ) – Horse
羊 (Yáng) – Goat
猴 (Hóu) – Monkey
鸡 (Jī) – Rooster
狗 (Gǒu) – Dog
猪 (Zhū) – Pig
Korean (Hangul)
쥐 (Jwi) – Rat
소 (So) – Ox
호랑이 (Horangi) – Tiger
토끼 (Tokki) – Rabbit
용 (Yong) – Dragon
뱀 (Baem) – Snake
말 (Mal) – Horse
양 (Yang) – Goat
원숭이 (Wonsungi) – Monkey
닭 (Dak) – Rooster
개 (Gae) – Dog
돼지 (Dwaeji) – Pig
Vietnamese (Quốc ngữ)
Chuột – Rat
Trâu – Ox
Hổ – Tiger
Mèo – Cat (Note: In Vietnamese culture, it is the cat instead of the rabbit)
Rồng – Dragon
Rắn – Snake
Ngựa – Horse
Dê – Goat
Khỉ – Monkey
Gà – Rooster
Chó – Dog
Lợn – Pig
Discussion: Common Confusions in English
Rat vs. Mouse
In the Chinese zodiac, the year is commonly referred to as the year of the Rat. Sometimes, it is
Confused with a mouse due to the general similarities between the two rodents. However, the
Traditional Chinese zodiac animal is a rat, known for its cleverness and resourcefulness.
Ox vs. Cow
The year of the Ox sometimes gets confused with the year of the Cow in English. The ox is
Traditionally seen as a symbol of hard work and reliability. While “cow” is a common term for
domestic cattle, “ox” specifically refers to a castrated male cattle, traditionally used as a
draft animal.
Rabbit vs. Cat
The year of the Rabbit in the Chinese zodiac is sometimes confused with the year of the Cat in Vietnamese culture. while most East Asian cultures celebrate the year of the Rabbit, in Vietnam, it is uniquely the year of the Cat, which is believed to bring different attributes.
General Forecast for the Year of the Snake
The Year of the Snake, which began on January 29, 2025, is known as the Year of the Wood Snake. This year is all about deep insights, thoughtful deliberation, and inner strength
The Snake symbolizes wisdom, intuition, and transformation.
Relationships: It’s a great time to strengthen your relationships with friends, family, and colleagues. However, be mindful of potential conflicts, especially with signs like the Monkey, Goat, Rooster, and Ox.
Career: This year encourages strategic planning and thoughtful decision-making. It’s a good time for career growth, but watch out for potential obstacles.
Health: Focus on maintaining a balanced lifestyle to avoid health issues.
Forecast for Those Born in the Year of the Goat – I was born in the Year of the Wood Goat
Relationships: The Goat may face some challenges in relationships this year. It’s important to stay calm and approach conflicts with grace.
Career: There might be opportunities for career advancement, but be cautious of potential conflicts with colleagues.
Health: Pay attention to your well-being and avoid overworking yourself.
Based on your birth date of October 30, 1955, you were born in the Year of the Wood Goat according to the Chinese zodiac. People born under this sign are known for their elegance, charm, generosity, wisdom, and gentleness. They are also considered to be compassionate, kind, and supportive, making them great friends and counselors.
Relationships: The Pig may experience some challenges in relationships, but staying calm and finding solutions can help maintain harmony.
Career: This year could bring opportunities for financial growth and career success.
Health: Focus on maintaining a balanced lifestyle to avoid health issues.
Your wife was born on May 28, 1959, which makes her an Earth Pig according to the Chinese zodiac. People born under this sign are known for their generosity, diligence, and reliability. They are often seen as kind-hearted, compassionate, and supportive individuals who enjoy helping others.
General Forecast for the Year of the Earth Pig
Career: This year encourages steady progress and hard work. Earth Pigs are likely to see stability and growth in their careers, especially if they focus on long-term goals and avoid taking unnecessary risks.
Relationships: Earth Pigs are known for their loyalty and dedication to their loved ones. This year is a good time to strengthen family bonds and nurture friendships. However, it’s important to communicate openly and avoid misunderstandings.
Health: Maintaining a balanced lifestyle is crucial for Earth Pigs. Regular exercise, a healthy diet, and adequate rest are essential to avoid health issues.
Wealth: Earth Pigs may see steady financial growth this year. It’s a good time to focus on saving and investing wisely. Avoiding financial speculation and sticking to low-risk investments is recommended.
Korean (Romanized): Wonsungi-ui hae (Heul Wonsungi)
2029: Year of the Earth Rooster (鸡年 Jī Nián)
Korean (Hangul): 닭의 해 (흙 닭)
Korean (Romanized): Dak-ui hae (Heul Dak)
Year of the Rat
How will your luck be like in 2025?
We spoke to a feng shui master for the Year of the Wood Snake forecast
Master Louis Cheung from Divine way Fengshui shared more about the fengshui forecast for the Year of the Snake.
Chinese New Year, which starts on Wednesday (Jan 29), will mark the beginning of the Year of the Snake.
Whether you had a good or bad Year of the Dragon in 2024, a new year means new beginnings.
According to Chinese culture, an individual’s feng shui — which is a traditional form of geomancy that originated from China — can be affected by their zodiac sign.
To find out what the Year of the Snake has to offer for each of the 12 Chinese zodiac signs, Asia One spoke to Master Louis Cheung from Divine way Fengshui.
The 47-year-old, who has been a master for more than two decades, explained that the Chinese believe that everything in this universe links back to five elements — wood, fire, earth, metal and water.
This year happens to be the Year of the Wood Snake in particular.
Another aspect that affects one’s zodiac is Tai Sui, Chinese astrology deities that represent the stars directly opposite planet Jupiter.
While zodiac forecasts are a common way for people to get a sense of how their luck will be like for the year, Master Louis advised that it is only a “general outlook”.
He emphasized that to get a more accurate reading, there are other factors to consider such as one’s date and time of birth.
This year will be a decent one for people born in the year of the Rat as there are no clashes with Tai Sui, Master Louis shared.
It’s a good year for Rat-signs looking for love and a relationship. However, they have to be more mindful of their health.
Ox
Overall, it is looking to be a good year for those born in the year of the Ox because it gets along well with the Snake zodiac.
However, Master Louis warned that because of this, they have to be wary of “vile” people that may create problems for them in both their career and relationship.
“Although they have opportunities to start a new business or career, they have to be careful of people who may sabotage them,” he added.
While those in the year of the Ox will have generally decent health this year, they need to keep an eye out for their elderly loved ones who may have health issues.
Tiger
2025 may be a rough year for those born in the year of the Tiger as there is a slight clash with Tai Sui.
To stay out of trouble, Master Louis advised that Tiger-signs should avoid gossip as it may affect romantic relationships or lead to more serious problems like slander and court cases, He also warned that Tiger-signs need to be wary of getting injured.
But it won’t be an entirely grim year as they may have benefactors who will help them in their career.
Rabbit, Because of a moving star, it’ll be a year of hard work for Rabbit-signs and they may be pushed into a growth period that requires them to perform.
This isn’t necessarily bad as it opens more doors for promotions and pay raises.
However, those born in the year of Rabbit will need to be mindful of their health.
“As they might be overworked, their health might suffer as they may be exhausted,” Master Louis explained.
“Because they work too hard, they might get injured or get into accidents.” As Rabbit-signs will be so focused on work, they may also be too tired for relationships and might even negatively impact their loved ones by being too “critical or insensitive”.
Dragon
We are just coming out of the year of the Dragon and it was not an easy one for them, especially when it came to relationships and health.
But 2025 may be slightly better for Dragon-signs when it comes to health and work, Master Louis shared.
Career-wise, there might be positive changes at work and even good opportunities allowing them to relocate overseas.
It’s also a good year for relationships and some Dragon-signs may even be hearing wedding bells soon.
Snake
While it is the year of the Snake, 2025 won’t be their year. In fact, Snake-signs may be in for a rough time due to the direct conflict their zodiac has with the Year of the Wood Snake. “The two snakes will fight with each other. This is what we call direct conflict with the Tai Sui,” said Master Louis. They will have potential issues and instability in most areas of their life, whether it be their health, career or relationships. This in tu n may make Snake-signs feel more irritable and overwhelmed, which may result in arguments with others, including their loved ones and colleagues. In more serious cases, it might lead to conflict or accidents. Master Louis suggests that this year, those born in the year of Snake should lie low and avoid being too outspoken to avoid running into problems.
Horse
It’s a year of growth and new opportunities for Horse-signs, especially when it comes to work. They may even go into a development year that will push them to study more, leading to potential career upgrades. There is also a chance that they will meet people in their field of work who will help them with their career. However, because of a Tao Hua star — also known as a love star — in their charts, they may have some emotional instability after meeting someone from the opposite sex. Health-wise, Horse-signs should take better care of their mental health, advised Master Louis.
Goat next Goat Year will be 2027
For those born in the year of the Goat, it’s quite a neutral year with not many ups or downs, shared Master Louis. They may need to work a bit harder, though their efforts may not equal to results, he said. Elderly folk in Goat-signs’ lives may also have health problems. Apart from that, Master Louis advised Goat-signs to take care of their personal safety, especially of “flying objects”. This means avoiding extreme activities and sports, and being careful when walking under buildings. This is an odd specific warning. I suppose I should be careful living on the 17th FLoor!
Monkey
Monkey-signs will have a mixture of ups and downs this coming year due to a side conflict with Tai Sui, Their emotions, relationships and jobs may be sabotaged by people, said Master Louis. If they are to get into trouble, they can look out for a mentor, elder benefactor or person of higher authority to help them resolve any issues. Health-wise, they should look out for any breathing-related problems.
Rooster
Similar to the Ox, the Rooster gets along well with the Snake, according to Master Louis. This means those born in the year of the Rooster can look forward to a pretty good year in all aspects like health, relationships and career. Apart from potential job promotions and career upgrades, Rooster-signs may also be appreciated more by seniors. This in turn may create opportunities for them to switch jobs or relocate elsewhere. However, their good progress may incur some jealousy and they have to be careful of gossip or getting backstabbed, Master Louis warned. Rooster-signs may also find themselves socializing or entertaining more and if they do, he urged them to be careful of getting into illicit relationships.
Dog
The year of the Dragon was not a good year for the Dog but thankfully, 2025 is looking to be a better year for them, especially for relationships. Master Louis shared that Dog-sign couples who struggled or even split up in 2024 may come back better and stronger in 2025. There is also a chance of wedding bells. Additionally, people who were born in the year of the Dog may have benefactors, which will improve their general affinity and relationships with colleagues and family members. Master Louis advised Dog-signs to look out for people with power or authority to help them excel more in their career. Unfortunately, health-wise, Dog-signs may experience exhaustion as they might get too carried away by the improvements the new year brings.
Pig next Pig Year will be 2011
As the Snake and Pig zodiacs clash, this year is not a good year for Pig-signs and their relationships and health may be affected. As they may be more emotionally unstable, they might get into quarrels or arguments with people more easily. On the bright side, there are chances to gain recognition from their superiors at work. Master Louis also warned that their investments may not do well this year so Pig-signs need to be careful with their money.
Welcome to the Year of the Wooden Snake, where it is all about strengthening our relationships and networks with others.
But as we seek this connection, Feng Shui expert and Geomancer Patrick Lim Fernandez said not all signs will be lucky when it comes to love this year.
As we welcome the Year of the Wooden Snake, here’s a quick forecast to know which signs have that “love luck” this year.
What are the lucky signs?
According to Fernandez, the signs that are lucky when it comes to love and relationships in general are the tiger, dragon, snake, horse, and dog. Their luck in love this year will not only come from their significant other but also from their friends, family, colleagues and their potential love interest.
“Each sign, each animal has stars that govern what are good or not so good energies. And this is for all different aspects of life, for relationships, for money, for health. So, it so happens that in what we call the cosmic roulette of what happens for each particular sign, those signs have good stars or good energies that will help them in relationships,” Fernandez explained.
In pursuing a relationship, he noted that it is important to “find out who you are, and find out what you want” to manifest that good energy. “Because if you don’t know what you want, you won’t know what you’re looking for and that will lead to you getting into a relationship with someone that you’re not looking for. So, knowing yourself, knowing about your animal will help you figure out yourself and what you want. And then, go out and find the right person for you,” Fernandez adds.
With good relationship luck this year, it is also the perfect time to go on dates, or just simply try to meet new people. Who knows it may lead you to your “the one?” If planning to get married, then go for it.
Although love luck is on your side this year, watch out for natural conflicts that may arise in your relationship. “We also see sometimes that some signs are like fighting. Because there are signs that are not just compatible with one another such as the dragon and the dog, the horse and the rat. So, there’s gonna be a natural conflict. If you’re okay with fighting, it’s okay. Again, it’s up to you. But just be aware, there’s going to be fights,” Fernandez said. “At the end of the day, it’s our choice. The energies will be there and we can help you interpret it. But it’s still your choice,” he added.
The not-too-lucky
On the flip side, the ones with the not-so-good energies that may go in conflict with the Year of the Wooden Snake are the monkey, goat, rooster, and ox. “For those signs, be a little bit more mindful of your relationships with others as it could lead to potential conflicts and disputes. So, iwas gulo that’s what you can do,” Fernandez explained. Fernandez adds these unlucky signs possess the conflict energy that can make them feel a little bit more “hot-headed.” “Don’t engage in it, try to go above the gulo so that you won’t be embroiled in it. At the end of the day, it’s within our control,” he said.
Which signs are compatible with one another?
This year, the dragon and the dog, the horse and the rat are not compatible when it comes to establishing a relationship, so be careful if you and your significant other are among these signs.
According to Fernandez, the combinations that will align this year are the rat, the dragon, and the monkey; the ox, the snake, and the rooster, the tiger; the horse and the dog; as well as the rabbit, the goat and the pig. “Their energies just match with one another,” he said.
Aside from these trios, several animal pairs also have “stronger combinations” this year. They are the rat and the ox pair, the tiger and the pig pair, the rabbit and the dog, the dragon and the rooster, the snake and the monkey, the horse and the goat.
“If you find someone in that animal sign, that’s a good step one. You’re ready,” he said.
Year of Temptation
According to an earlier Feng Shui forecast, the Year of the Wooden Snake is a year of temptation.
Fernandez said among the animal signs, the horse is the one prone to temptation as they have the Illusory Romance Star.
“The Illusory Romance Star [is also called] the Illegal Romance Star. Meaning, you’ll have temptation throughout the year,” Fernandez said.
Fernandez reminded the horse sign to “stay true” to themselves and to their moral compass to avoid these temptations.
Just a reminder though. These stars are just here to guide us. Our fate relies on the decisions and actions we make in our everyday lives.
I applaud you for agreeing to chair the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), but I am afraid that you are off to the wrong start, and DOGE recommendations will likely go nowhere.
Here is my recommendation on how to conduct this very important, long-overdue review of the US federal government’s budget and employment levels:
First, set up ten subject matter blue ribbon panels that will be empowered to do the bulk of the review, with DOGE headquarters staff serving in a coordinator role to ensure that the reviews are completed in time and are comprehensive worldwide reviews with actionable proposals for legislative and executive actions.
The panels will be selected with the advice and consent of the House and the Senate, with 10 members appointed by Republicans or Democrats and one nonpartisan member. Each panel will have at least four women members, three minority members, one LGBTQ member, and two international members. Their commissions will conduct their work in public and televised hearings, primarily in English, but will post their final recommendations in multiple languages on the website.
Schedule:
Begin May 1, 2025: Selection of the Commissioners.
June 1, 2025: Selection of staff members, all with interim TS/CSI Clearances.
July 1, 2025: Web page, commission work schedule, and policies set up.
July 1 – August 2025: Conduct a comprehensive world review of the subject in multiple languages and make prior recommendations using the latest AI research tools. Use that review to guide the rest of the work of the commission.
August 1 to September 30 Send questionnaires to selected government employees federal labor unions, retired employees, university experts, and media following the work of the agencies and agency heads with follow-up interviews soliciting their input and suggestions as to how to cut waste and operate their agencies more efficiently and effectively.
October 2025: The Commission will conduct public hearings in the United States and internationally, talking to academicians, and world leaders in their respective fields.
November 2025: Publish initial findings, including research findings with links to prior reports, media coverage, recommendations, and specific actionable executive and legislative proposals, with budgetary implications spelled out.
December 1, 2025 – January 1, 2026: Public comment period.
April 1, 2026: Release the final report online, considering public comments received, and in multiple languages to the President, OMB, House and Senate committees, and international organizations such as the UN, World Bank, IMF, major universities, think tanks, the media, and foreign missions.
July 1, 2026: Send recommended legislative proposals to the US Congress, international organizations, think tanks, universities, experts consulted, the media, the UN, mayors of major metro areas, and governors of the 50 states.
August 2026: Congress will hold hearings and enact relevant legislation.
September 2026: Legislation enacted and sent to the President prior to the beginning of the fiscal year.
December 31, 2026: The revised fiscal year begins, coinciding with the calendar year being merged into the fiscal year, which will be a major recommendation of the commission, considering the budget for the next two years prior by Congress.
January 2026: Congress begins annual oversight hearings and requests for supplemental budget requests.
April 2026: DOGE commissions report their first action report, after considering public comments received.
July 2026 – September 2026: Congress considers additional legislative proposals presented by the DOGE commissioners.
April 2027: Second follow-up action report after considering public comments received.
July 2027: Congress considers additional legislative proposals.
Starting in 2028: The DOGE commissions will conduct independent oversight hearings every Spring (in light of the new two-year budget cycle) with recommended legislative and executive actions.
The commissions will look in detail at the following programs and policies of the Federal Government, considering best practices around the world, and in the States as well, as prior commission recommendations.
Federal Budget Process
Reform the Federal Budget Process
Reform the tax code every year
Expand the number of States and the number of Senators and Representatives
Consolidation of Government Agencies -Reforming Immigration Policy by Creating a New Department of
Immigration and Consular Affairs,
Expand US Government Support for International Trade by Creating a New Cabinet Department of International Trade
DOD Savings
Set up two three Federal Service academies following the military service academies – one focused on intelligence and diplomacy, public health and science, law enforcement
Consolidate Intelligence Agencies into the CIA
Merge National Forest Land and BLM Lands,
Eliminate the BLM, turning that land back to the States.
Merge National Monuments into the National Park Service
International Relations
The War in Ukraine and a Durable Peace: Ending the War in the Mideast and Establishing a Durable Peace.
Work towards ending Islamic terrorism,
Engage the Taliban
Address the North Korean nuclear threat and work towards the reunification of the Koreas.
Offer the Iranians a grand bargain
With the decline in terrorism expanding the Peace Corps Reform NATO and other military alliances in light of the resolution of the
Ukraine war.
Restructuring the Military:
Educational Reforms
Review the Department of Education:
Expanding Apprenticeship Programs:
Public Health: including Fully funding Operation Moon Shotto eliminate cancer by 2035, fully funding comprehensive COVID vaccination that will vaccinate against the common cold, pneumonia, and the flu in annual vaccinationsDeveloping and Deploy an STD/HIV vaccine, Developing and deploying a Malaria/Yellow Fever, Dengue, and Zinka vaccination,
Climate Change and Energy Policy
Expand high-speed trains and transit systems using the latest technology making intracity train travel the majority of inter-city travel reserving airline travel for lost distance flights only expand urban mobility helicopter transit systems to help reduce traffic.
Build more housing, especially multi-family apartments, and group housing bringing back boarding houses and corporate and government-provided dormitories
Agriculture
Reform but not Eliminate Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Government Support for the Arts
Expand NASA’s Mandate to include setting up lunar and Mars colonies by 2040, and developing interstellar travel by 2024
More detailed proposals follow;
Reform the Federal Budget Process
Reform the budget process to end automatic CRs and government shutdowns and eliminate the debt ceiling limit. The USG faces a fiscal cliff. To address this, the government must become more efficient, generate new revenue, and reduce non-essential spending starting with DOD.
Shift to a two-year budget cycle, with the first year of a new congress reserved for passing the budget, and the second year of the congress devoted to oversight and supplemental budget requests. The budgets will include an automatic increase in the budget set at the federal COLA
Reform the Tax Code Every Year
The tax code must be simplified and reviewed annually as part of the budget review process. Most deductions will be eliminated keeping only mortgage interest, credit card interest, SALT taxes paid, business travel, charitable giving, medical and educational expenses. The minimum tax rules will be re-imposed. Both personal and corporate tax rates will be set at 5 percent, 10 percent, and 15 percent with 5 percent being the minimum tax collected from all taxpayers, and more people will be required to file and pay taxes. Overseas filters will only pay taxes after reaching 250,000 annual income after deductions including foreign taxes . Tariffs should be increased with revenues going to reduce the federal government debt. A five percent VAT could also be introduced.
In general, the Federal government should pay for day-to-day operations out of tax revenues reserving borrowing for high-value items such as major defense spending, NASA spending, and infrastructure spending.
Expand the number of States and the number of Senators and Representatives
Create up to 80 new states by converting territories and DC to states and dividing mega-states like California, Florida, Illinois New York, and Texas, creating city-states like NYC, LA, and Chicago uniting cities and their suburbs, and creating five native American states, and looking at extending Statehood to American territorial possessions and DC.
The new states would be consist of:
Splitting Californiainto seven new states,
Northwest Coast, Jefferson (Northeast California, Southern and Eastern Oregon, and Eastern Washington capitol Spokane) Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley, Delta, Davis-Tahoe region, San Francisco Bay Area including Monterrey and Santa Cruz, Central Coast, LA and San Diego including TJ and Baja California and Eastern California desert region.
Spliting New York state into New York City and its Suburbs, and the rest of New York becoming its own state.
Splitting Illinois into Chicago and its suburbs and downstate Illinois,
Splitting Texas into five city-states – Austin/Hill country, Dallas/Ft Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and El Paso each with hinterlands attached,
Splitting Florida into Northern, Central Florida Southern Florida Miami City State
Create new Mega City States in biggest metro areas
Philadelphia/Baltimore city state including Atlantic City,
Washington DC city-state called Colombia combining DC, Northern Virginia, Western Virginia, and Maryland suburbs down to Fredericksburg.
Create new City States of Denver/Boulder, Detroit, Seattle/Tacoma and New Orleans and Baton Rouge.,
Create Indian States, consisting of Alaskan native state, Navaho Reservation, Eastern Oklahoma, Yakima Reservation, Blackfoot in Idaho, Iroquis in New York, and Sioux Reservation in North and South Dakota.
Each federally recognized tribe will be affiliated with the nearest Native State, be allowed to move to the Native State and receive a stipend from Indian Gambling and other state-run businesses, and be federal government income tax-free,
Extend statehood to Guam, Micronesia, PR, Samoa, and VI.
Expand the House and the Senate and create new council of governors as new legislative branch.
The House of Representatives will be expanded to 600 members and the Senate to 160 new members, and a new third legislative body called the Council of the States consisting of governors and vice governors will meet once a month virtually and once a year to review and approve major Federal legislation that affects the states. The number of representatives will be adjusted every ten years to reflect increased populations.
Convene a Constitutional Convention to enshrine changes into the new Constitution including the new states, the expanded congress, and the new council of governors super-legislature.
Reforming Immigration Policy by Creating a New Department of Immigration and Consular Affairs
Merge the Consular Affairs Bureau, DHS CIS, ICE, and Department of Labor certification programs into a new cabinet-level agency. Most employees will work at the Kentucky Consular Center, immigration service centers, passport offices, or ports of entry, spending 40% of their time overseas. Only senior staff will remain in DC. All staff will be Foreign Service officers, undergoing one year of training, followed by two domestic and two overseas assignments.
Routine NIVs will be processed via ETA, with most countries part of the VWP. Overseas positions will have
three to five line officers and a section chief. There will be four divisions: NIV, immigration visa processing,
fraud detection, and consular protection services.
Entry to the Department of State, Immigration and Consular Affairs, and DHS will require graduate degrees and overseas experience. Credit will be given for military or Peace Corps service. Officers will start at FS level 05, serve three years of probation, and be promoted to 03 upon tenure.
They will serve ten-year terms with reviews every ten years. Retirement will be aged 60, with optional service to age 70. The maximum entry age will be 30. Adjust immigration enforcement and deportation to fit the newly established legal immigration framework.
Expand US Government Support for International Trade by Creating a New Cabinet Department of International Trade
Merge offices within Commerce, State, DOL, and other agencies. Expand the number of foreign commercial and agricultural officers, requiring the same entry criteria as State Department and the new Immigration Consular Services. This will also include setting up a national tourism board with offices in every state and major cities, and in embassies overseas to promote tourism to the U.S. and oversee participation in international expos and sporting events.
DOD Savings
Private Commissary, PX, golf courses, bowling alleys, and other support services. Consolidate all military air services into the Air Force. Privatize military lodging and turn over base schools to local districts, keeping DOD schools overseas.
There is no rational reason why DOD should be operating the eighth-largest grocery chain in the world. Walmart or Target could operate it much more efficently. They could provide discounts for active duty personnel based on rank, and shopping would be tax free.
The same applies to domestic DOD schools; they should be turned over to the local school district. The same goes for base libraries; they should also be turned over to the local library system, with a branch library on base. The military lodging facilities should be contracted as well.
On-base dining should also be contracted out. Recreational facilities should also be contracted out to local government parks and recreation except for bases located overseas. Overseas schools, libraries, and recreational facilities should be run by DOD except where it is practical to have local governments manage them on a contract basis. Certainly,
Costco, Walmart or Target could and should operate international commissaries and PX services. All of these services could and should be privatized, saving the government money without harming national security.
Move the Coast Guard to DOD
Set up two three Federal Service academies following the military service academies – one focused on intelligence and diplomacy, public health and science and law enforcement
Consolidate Intelligence Agencies into the CIA
Merge National Forest Land and BLM Lands,
Eliminate the BLM, turning that land back to the States.
Merge National Monuments into the National Park Service
International Relations
The War in Ukraine and a Durable Peace: Address the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and work towards a sustainable peace agreement.
Ending the War in the Mideast and Establishing a Durable Peace:
Focus on creating a true two-state solution, including a land swap allowing for a land bridge from Gaza along the southern border to Palestine and the creation of a Trans-ordan Federation with its capital in Jerusalem. Expand the Abraham Accords to include additional Middle Eastern countries.
Work towards ending Islamic terrorism,
Engage the Taliban to bring them back into the international community, and end their horrific treatment of women.
Address the North Korean nuclear threat and work towards the reunification of the Koreas.
Offer the Iranians a grand bargain reestablishing diplomatic relations and expanding people-to-people exchanges including the Peace Corps
With the decline in terrorism expand the Peace Corps to include Afghanistan, India, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, United Korea, (North Korea and rural South Korea) Sudan, Somalia, Syria and Yemen.
Reform NATO and other military alliances in light of the resolution of the Ukraine war.
Military Relations
Restructuring the Military:
Consider whether to extend the draft and expand the GI Bill. Explore the possibility of requiring public service in exchange for military
service, move the Coast Guard back to DOD.
Educational Reforms
Review the Department of Education: Decide whether to extend or revamp the department. Reform secondary and tertiary
education, considering the impact of AI on the education system and addressing the implications of the demographic cliff facing colleges.
Answer the question of how many colleges and Universities the United States needs and what the basic basic structure of university education should be. The basic goal is to ensure that students have options to enter into training programs rather than college. Expand opportunities for employment in government and elsewhere for non-college educated. Expand the GI bill, providing college and vocational training tuition in return for public service in the military or government sector. Make college tuition free. Reduce the burden of student debt by forgiving student debt for public sector service..
Expanding Apprenticeship Programs: Develop training programs and expand nationwide military and other training certificate programs, including nationwide recognition of such certificates as military EMT certification..
Public Health: Define the role of the US government in promoting public health and its involvement in the WHO and other international health agencies including Fully fund Operation Moon Shot to eliminate cancer by 2035, fully fund comprehensive COVID vaccination that will vaccinate against the common cold, pneumonia, and the flu in annual vaccinations which should be fully paid for in insurance programs, Develop and deploy an STD/HIV vaccine, Develop and deploy a Malaria/Yellow Fever, Dengue, and Zinka vaccination, along with biological eradication programs targeting those disease-bearing mosquitos, with the goal being the complete elimination of mosquito and insect diseases by 2030…
Climate Change and Energy Policy
US Government’s Response to Climate Change: Determine the appropriate response and how to encourage countries like China to engage fully in climate change initiatives.
Expand high-speed trains and transit systems using the latest technology making intracity train travel the majority of inter-city travel reserving airline travel for lost distance flights only expand urban mobility helicopter transit systems to help reduce traffic.
Build more housing, especially multi-family apartments, and group housing bringing back boarding houses and corporate and government-provided dormitories
Agriculture
Promotion of Insect Agriculture: Explore and promote insect agriculture, and other sustainable agricultural production in light of widespread climate change and populatation growth.
NASA
Give NASA a new mandate – and appropriate budget bump up -setting up sustainable lunar, space, and Martian colonies by 2040. And develop true interstellar spaceships by 2040 and set up colonies on the Jupiter and Saturn moons and Alpha Centura by 2050. The AI-driven review will look at how to develop interstellar travel capabilities and colonies on the Moon, Mars Jupiter, and Saturn moons by 2040, and Alpha Centura by 2050 reviewing the vast Sci-Fi literature on these topics focusing on what is most feasible given today’s technologies and making recommendations on future research topics…
These points aim to address key international relations issues, military restructuring, educational reforms, public health promotion, climate change response, and agricultural innovation. By focusing on these areas, the United States can work towards solving pressing problems and creating a better future for all.
Sincerely,
John (Jake) Cosmos Aller
Retired U.S. State of State Foreign Service Officer
these are entirely my opinions and do not reflect the views of my prior employers.
for more information, please consult the following background information supplied by Co-Pilot
Official Web Page
: This article discusses how some progressive lawmakers are intrigued by the potential for Pentagon cuts and other reforms proposed by the DOGE initiative.
: This article critiques the DOGE initiative as a continuation of traditional GOP austerity measures, focusing on entitlement reform and spending cuts.
: This article covers Bill Gates’ support for Elon Musk’s cost-cutting plans, highlighting international perspectives on government efficiency and spending.
Kate Chopin’s novel, the Awakening is a proto-feminist novel written by Kate Chopin set in Grand Isle Louisiana and New Orleans in the late 1880’s.
It tells the story of Edna Pontellier who is married with two children to a Creole businessman although she had grown up in a protestant family and faced social pressure against the marriage from her family who did not want her to marry a French-speaking Catholic.
She is a sensitive, unhappy soul seeking self-fulfillment and not finding it within the convention of marriage and motherhood. She has an affair with Robert, a young man she meets on vacation. The affair awakens erotic desires in her that ultimately can not be reconciled with the ideal of being a married woman with children in an upper class family at the turn of the 20th century.
The novel ends with her drowning herself.
A powerful novel about a woman trying to free herself from the shackles of conventional morality. The novel was widely condemned at the time for its anti-family and anti-Christian themes. But it has remained an influential early feminist icon of a novel.
Note: when reading the classics written prior to the middle part of the 20th century, one is struck by the casual colonialism, racism, sexism and other isms that can be jarring to modern readers such as frequent use of ethnic slurs like the N word. The key to enjoying the classics is to ignore all of that and read the novel as it was written in the context of the time it was written, avoiding the sins of what Bill Maher and others call “presentism” or the tendency of reading classic literature from earlier times in the context of contemporary moral values. In this novel, blacks appear as servants only without a name often described as “a quadroon or as a black, and not otherwise part of the story.”
Other than that, not too much racism or sexism involved.
Qoutes
“The voice of the sea speaks to the soul.”
“The voice of the sea is seductive, never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander in abysses of solitude.”
“but whatever came, she had resolved never again to belong to another than herself.”
“I would give my life for my children; but I wouldn’t give myself.”
“The voice of the sea is seductive; never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander in abysses of solitude.”
“I love the sea in the morning. I can watch the white sails of a boat with a
long, lingering look.”
Co-pilot provides more background
Synopsis
“The Awakening” is set in the late 19th century and follows Edna Pontellier, a young woman vacationing with her husband, Léonce, and their children at a resort on Grand Isle1. Edna begins to question her life and societal roles after forming a close bond with Robert Lebrun and Mademoiselle Reisz. She embarks on a journey of self-discovery, exploring her desires and independence, which leads to conflicts with her family and
society.
Literary Reputation
Initially, “The Awakening” was met with harsh criticism for its themes of female sexuality and independence. It was considered controversial and even “poisonous” by some critics3. However, it has since been recognized as a feminist classic and a significant work in American literature3. The novel’s exploration of female autonomy and its lyrical, impressionistic style have earned it a lasting place in literary history.
Author Bio
Kate chopin 4
Kate Chopin (born Katherine O’Flaherty, February 8, 1850 – August 22, 1904) was an American author known for her short stories and novels set in Louisiana5. She was a forerunner of feminist literature, and her works often focused on the lives of sensitive, intelligent women.
Author’s Works
The Awakening
Chopin’s most notable works include “Bayou Folk” (1894), “A Night in Acadie” (1897), and her two novels, “At Fault” (1890) and “The Awakening” (1899).
Novels:
The Awakening 3
“At Fault” (1890)
“The Awakening” (1899)
Short Story Collections:
“Bayou Folk” (1894)
“A Night in Acadie” (1897)
Notable Short Stories:
“Désirée’s Baby” (1893)
“The Story of an Hour” (1894)
“The Storm” (1898)
Adaptations
“The Awakening” was adapted into a film titled “Grand Isle” in 1991, directed by Mary Lambert and starring Kelly McGill as Edna.
Note: I read this book as part of my retirement project of reading the classics, starting with the following collections. I bolded the ones I have completed.
(25) Autobiography Etc. Essays and Addresses: J.S. Mill,
Carlyle
(26) Continental Drama
(27) English Essays: Sidney to Macaulay
(28) Essays. English and American
(29) Voyage of the Beagle: Darwin (
30) Faraday,
Helmholtz,
Kelvin,
Newcomb,
Geikie
(31) Autobiography: Benvenuto, Cellini
(32) Literary and Philosophical Essays:
Montaigne,
Sainte Beuve,
Renan,
Lessing,
Schiller,
Kant,
Mazzini
(33) Voyages and Travels
(34) Descartes,
Voltaire,
Rousseau,
Hobbes
(35) Chronicle and Romance:
Froissart,
Malory,
Holinshed (36)
Machiavelli, the Prince
More,
Luther
(37) Locke,
Berkeley,
Hume
(38) Harvey,
Jenner,
Lister,
Pasteur
(39) Famous Prefaces
(40) English Poetry 1: Chaucer to Gray
(41) English Poetry 2: Collins to Fitzgerald
(42) English Poetry 3: Tennyson to Whitman
(43) American Historical Documents
Federalist Papers
Constitution
Bill of Rights
Declaration of Indepedence
(44) Sacred Writings 1
(45) Sacred Writings 2
The Bible
The Quaran
The Analect of Confucius
Mencius
Buddist Writing
Bhaga Vita
Lao Tzo The Tao
(46) Elizabethan Drama 1
(47) Elizabethan Drama 2
(48) Thoughts and Minor Works: Pascal
(49) Epic and Saga (
50 Books to Read Before You Die
Vol 1 starts with Volume One
Alcott, Louisa May: Little Women
Austen, Jane: Pride and Prejudice
Austen, Jane: Emma
Balzac, Honoré de: Father Goriot
Barbusse, Henri: The Inferno
Brontë, Anne: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Brontë, Charlotte: Jane Eyre
Brontë, Emily: Wuthering Heights
Burroughs, Edgar Rice: Tarzan of the Apes
Butler, Samuel: The Way of All Flesh
Carroll, Lewis: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Cather, Willa: My Ántonia
Cervantes, Miguel de: Don Quixote Chopin, Kate: The Awakening
Cleland, John: Fanny Hill
Collins, Wilkie: The Moonstone
Conrad, Joseph: Heart of Darkness
Conrad, Joseph: Nostromo
Cooper, James Fenimore: The Last of the Mohicans
Crane, Stephen: The Red Badge of Courage Cummings, E. E.: The Enormous Room
Defoe, Daniel: Robinson Crusoe
Defoe, Daniel: Moll Flanders
Dickens, Charles: Bleak House
Dickens, Charles: Great Expectations
Dostoyevsky, Fyodor: Crime and Punishment
Dostoyevsky, Fyodor: The Idiot
Doyle, Arthur Conan: The Hound of the Baskervilles Dreiser, Theodore: Sister Carrie
Dumas, Alexandre: The Three Musketeers
Dumas, Alexandre: The Count of Monte Cristo
Eliot, George: Middlemarch
Fielding, Henry: Tom Jones
Flaubert, Gustave: Madame Bovary
Flaubert, Gustave: Sentimental Education
Ford, Ford Madox: The Good Soldier
Forster, E. M.: A Room With a View
Forster, E. M.: Howard End
Gaskell, Elizabeth: North and South
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von: The Sorrows of Young Werther
Gogol, Nikolai: Dead Souls
Gorky, Maxim: The Mother
Haggard, H. Rider: King Solomon’s Mines
Hardy, Thomas: Tess of the D’Urbervilles
Hawthorne, Nathaniel: The Scarlet Letter
Homer: The Odyssey
Hugo, Victor: The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Hugo, Victor: Les Misérables
Huxley, Aldous: Crome Yellow
James, Henry: The Portrait of a Lady
Volume 2
– Little Women [Louisa May Alcott]
– Sense and Sensibility [Jane Austen]
– Peter Pan (Peter and Wendy) [J.M. Barrie]
– Cabin Fever [ B. M. Bower]
– The Secret Garden [Frances Hodgson Burnett]
– A Little Princess [Frances Hodgson Burnett]
– Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland [Lewis Carroll] – The King in Yellow [Robert William Chambers]
– The Man Who Knew Too Much [Gilbert Keith Chesterton]
– The Woman in White [Wilkie Collins]
– The Most Dangerous Game [Richard Connell]
– Robinson Crusoe [Daniel Defoe] – On the Origin of Species, 6th Edition [Charles Darwin]
– The Iron Woman [Margaret Deland]
– David Copperfield [Charles Dickens]
– Oliver Twist [Charles Dickens]
– A Tale of Two Cities [Charles Dickens]
– The Double [Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky]
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes [Arthur Conan Doyle]
– The Curious Case of Benjamin Button [Francis Scott Fitzgerald]
– A Room with a View [E. M. Forster]
– Dream Psychology [Sigmund Freud]
– Tess of the d’Urbervilles [Thomas Hardy]
– Siddhartha [Hermann Hesse]
– Dubliners [James Joyce]
– The Fall of the House of Usher [Edgar Allan Poe]
– The Arabian Nights [Andrew Lang]
– The Sea Wolf [Jack London]
– The Call of Cthulhu [Howard Phillips Lovecraft]
– Anne of Green Gables [Lucy Maud Montgomery]
– Beyond Good and Evil [Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche]
– The Murders in the Rue Morgue [Edgar Allan Poe]
– The Black Cat [Edgar Allan Poe]
– The Raven [Edgar Allan Poe]
– Swann’s Way [Marcel Proust]
– Romeo and Juliet [William Shakespeare]
– Treasure Island [Robert Louis Stevenson]
– The Elements of Style [William Strunk Jr.
Vol 3 finished keeping for the historical record
This book contains the following works arranged alphabetically by authors’ last names.
Starting with volume 3 then will go back and do volumes one, two, and the Harvard classics. The goal is to finish all of these by the end of next year. I almost finished Volume One. Will do some of the WC reading books as well.
– What’s Bred in the Bone [Grant Allen]
– The Golden Ass [Lucius Apuleius]
– Meditations [Marcus Aurelius]
– Northanger Abbey [Jane Austen]
– Lady Susan [Jane Austen]
– The Wonderful Wizard of Oz [Lyman Frank Baum]
– The Art of Public Speaking [Dale Breckenridge Carnegie]
– The Blazing World [Margaret Cavendish]
– The Wisdom of Father Brown [Gilbert Keith Chesterton]
– Heretics [Gilbert Keith Chesterton]
– The Donnington Affair [Gilbert Keith Chesterton]
– The Innocence of Father Brown [Gilbert Keith Chesterton]
– Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [John Cleland]
– The Moonstone [Wilkie Collins]
– Lord Jim [Joseph Conrad]
– The Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe [Daniel Defoe]
– The Pickwick Papers [Charles Dickens]
– A Christmas Carol [Charles Dickens]
– Notes From The Underground [Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky]
– The Gambler par Fyodor [Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky]
– The Lost World [Arthur Conan Doyle]
– The Hound of the Baskervilles [Arthur Conan Doyle]
– The Sign of the Four [Arthur Conan Doyle]
– The Man in the Iron Mask [Alexandre Dumas]
– The Three Musketeers [Alexandre Dumas]
– This Side of Paradise [Francis Scott Fitzgerald]
– Curious, If True: Strange Tales [Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell]
– King Solomon’s Mines [Henry Rider Haggard]
– The Hunchback of Notre Dame [Victor Hugo]
– Kim [Rudyard Kipling]
– Captain Courageous [Rudyard Kipling]
– The Jungle Book [Rudyard Kipling]
– Lady Chatterley’s Lover [David Herbert Lawrence]
– The Son of the Wolf [Jack London]
– The Einstein Theory of Relativity [Hendrik Antoon Lorentz]
– The Dunwich Horror [Howard Phillips Lovecraft]
– At the Mountains of Madness [Howard Phillips Lovecraft]
– The Prince [Niccolò Machiavelli]
– The Story Girl [Lucy Maud Montgomery]
– The Antichrist [Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche]
– The Republic [Plato]
– The Last Man [Mary Shelley]
– Life On The Mississippi [Mark Twain]
– The Kama Sutra [Vatsyayana]
– In the Year 2889 [Jules Verne]
– Around the World in Eighty Days [Jules Verne]
– Four Just Men [Edgar Wallace]
– Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ [Lewis Wallace]
– Jacob’s Room [Virginia Woolf]
Sci-Fi short stories
The Big Book of Science Fiction is a massive anthology of science fiction stories edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer. It covers the history and evolution of the genre from the early 20th century to the end of the millennium, featuring works from over 30 countries and many languages. The book contains 105 stories, ranging from classics by H.G. Wells, Arthur C. Clarke, and Ursula K. Le Guin, to lesser-known gems by W.E.B. Du Bois, David R. Bunch, and Liu Cixin. The book also includes comments from the editors and the authors, offering insights into their creative process and vision. The book is divided into 11 sections, each with a thematic focus and chronological order.
Watch now
author at a Korean temple 1980?
J
