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Aug. 21, 2006 I’ve spent four of the last six weeks revising a manuscript for an interested publisher. Unlike the riff-raff at PublishAmerica, this is a LEGITIMATE publisher. I also put the finishing touches on two comedic screenplays with rather unusual (and hopefully, intriguing) titles. For nearly two weeks I was in limbo with a downed computer. After spending 8 years on Windows 98, dealing with XP takes some getting use to. During this hiatus I was able to peruse the papers and even dropped by the UK site and its rebuttal forums a few times. Some of the things I found interesting… Jesse Jackson’s quote posted on AOL BlackVoices. While speaking at the World AIDS Conference, Jackson opined, "We have a lesson to learn from our gay brothers and sisters who fought back when AIDS attacked their communities two decades ago. They started to save themselves, in part by using strategies from our civil rights playbook." One could argue that the gay community isnot saving itself. AIDS is on the rise and many homosexuals have taken a lackadaisical attitude regarding prevention of the disease. There is a group known as “bug chasers,” that is, individuals who intentionally seek out the disease—even advertising their availability for an infected partner. (The HBO documentary “The Gift” explores this phenomenon in-depth). Comparing the plight of gays to the Civil Rights struggle is laughable, and sadly, Jesse is still running plays from that old, tattered Civil Rights playbook. This isn’t surprising, for where there’s a camera, and/or some money to be made, Jesse will be there bumpin’ his gums. For the record, prostitutes are responsible for a small percentage of the new AIDS cases. It is usually those of the “hotdogger” variety—the ones who trade sex for drugs—who become HIV-afflicted. Unlike the bug chasers, most of these ladies have the sense to use condoms. Some Bay Area baseball fans argue that Barry Bonds’ legal woes has adversely affected his on-field performance and has also been a season-long distraction to teammates. Still, team owners can’t complain. Bonds’ presence in San Francisco was crucial to getting SBC Park built, and elevating the value of the Giants franchise from around $180 million to more than $800 million. Bonds made the Giants perennial contenders and is the drawing card for a team about to draw three million fans for a sixth straight year. Say toodle-oo to cathode-ray TVs and hello to high-definition (and high priced) sets. Next year Costco will stop selling the picture-tube sets in favor of plasma and liquid crystal display sets, which average around $700. Best Buy is expected to follow suit and moreover, major manufacturers such as Sony, will decrease their manufacture of tube-TVs by 80%. Gregory Reyes and Stephanie Jensen, executives of Brocade Communications Systems, Inc., will be the first defendants in the government’s crackdown on backdating stock options. Their defense? “We didn’t know what we were doing was illegal.” Haven’t these two ever heard the saying, “Ignorance of the law is no excuse”? It’s one thing to be a liar, and even worse being a poor one. Such a feeble defense sounds like Mr. Reyes and Ms. Jensen belong to the latter group. I have argued in this forum that the U.S. will reinstate the draft. One reason I believe this is so, is that the Israel-Lebanon conflict erupted suddenly and without warning. With the PNAC planning a venture into Iraq and maybe even North Korea, all that is needed to deplete U.S. forces is another unannounced conflict. Kids are not rushing to sign for what appears to be a suicide mission. Hence, the draft. Reyes attorney, Richard Marmaro, argued in his brief that such defendants cannot be imprisoned if it is proven that he had no knowledge of the Securities regulation. (Information courtesy of the East County Times, August 14, 2006). “The Fantasia Barrino Story,” wasn’t one worth turning into a movie. Recently TMHC (The Man-Haters Channel, aka Lifetime Network), aired this overhyped schlock. The glorification of athletes and singers is at fever pitch. We've seen movies about the lives of Dennis Rodman, 50 Cent, Mike Tyson, Eminem and prior to these clunkers was "The Jacksons: An American Dream." I can only ponder about what the future holds in this genre. Maybe we’ll see, "Ka-pow! And I Ain’t Sorry, Muthaf---as! The Ron Artest Story"; "Clod With A Clock: The Life and Times of Flavor Flav," “Michael Irvin: I Snort the Line,” and of course, Suge Knight plays himself in “Bigger Than Life—in Prison, That Is.” While on the subject of Hollywood’s creative famine, how does the industry make record profits year after year while essentially recycling the same plotlines? Is there any real genius left in Hollywood, or is it trapped in independent films and subject to limited release? And while on the subject of diminishing greatness, I suppose Woody Allen and Eddie Murphy are content with phoning it in… Is there still anyone out there who doesn’t think Iraq is a political swamp? Looks like civil war is already underway and our young men are going to have to stick it out; lest we look like losers and then REALLY give the terrorists something to crow about. Splitting the country into three states—Sunni, Shiite and Kurd won’t solve anything. Recently America marked the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Interstate Highway system, a 47,000 mile maze that connected our country and germinated during a time when few Americans ventured more than fifty miles from home. Most roads were of poor quality and failed to connect states. Some say this engineering marvel is one of mankind’s greatest accomplishments. The downside is that it fostered urban sprawl, cracked roads and rush-hour gridlock among other things. Nearly a month ago (July 15, to be exact), Ralph Ginzburg died. He was a hero of mine for no other reason than penning the moist influential book of my young life, 100 Years of Lynchings. Ginzburg was 76 and will best be remembered for losing two first amendment battles in the Supreme Court, In 1963 he was sentenced to five years in prison on federal obscenity charges, but served only eight months. Prior to his release, this publisher of erotic magazines had his sentence upheld by the high court. The justices ruled that the sole emphasis of the work was its “sexually provocative” tenor. Rest in peace, Mr. Ginzburg. ------------ About the author: Timothy N. Stelly, Sr. is a 46-year old poet, novelist and aspiring screenwriter who resides in northern California with his three youngest children--Lawrence, Kimberly and Dante. He is a member of various writer's groups and has three novels in print, his most recent, "Like A Straight-Up Sucka," is available at www.lulu.com. website: http://stellbreadO@tripod.com Email: stellbread@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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