A Few Quotations On Courage

(https://en.wikipedia.org)

“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear.”

                                                                                  Mark Twain

 

https://en.wikipedia.org

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

                                                                                   Nelson Mandela

 

(https://commons.wikimedia.org)

“We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face. . . we must do that which we think we cannot.”  

                                                                           Eleanor Roosevelt

 

“We must always have the courage to oppose tyranny, bigotry, and ignorance. We must speak out, use the power of our voices, and we must vote!”

                                                                          Charles F. French

Honor Memorial Day–2022

(https://pixabay.com)

I hope all of you have had a wonderful weekend, but I also hope you remember why this holiday, Memorial Day, exists.  The word “holiday” comes from “holy day,” and the remembrance of this day and its purpose should be sacred. It was originally known as Decoration Day after the end of the Civil War, and it was designated Memorial Day in the 20th Century.

This day is intended to honor, give thanks, and remember those who have sacrificed their lives for The United States of America.  Please honor the fallen and the wounded on this day.  I realize the day was meant originally for the dead, but I extend my wishes and  thanks to the wounded also. Regardless of political beliefs or stands on a war, these are the men and women who fought to keep us safe, and they deserve our remembrance.

They deserve our thanks and our honor.

Please keep in mind that this day is not merely the beginning of the summer season, nor is it intended to be the time of a special sale. This should be a sacred and somber time. There will be plenty of opportunity for shopping and vacationing afterwards. Please remember those who sacrificed.

(https://pixabay.com)

Quotations On Gun Control

“One only wishes Wayne LaPierre and his NRA board of directors could be drafted to some of these scenes, where they would be required to put on booties and rubber gloves and help clean up the blood, the brains, and the chunks of intestine still containing the poor wads of half-digested food that were some innocent bystander’s last meal.”

                                                                       Stephen King “Guns”

“When a country with less than five percent of the world’s population has nearly half of the world’s privately owned guns and makes up nearly a third of the world’s mass shootings, it’s time to stop saying guns make us safer.”

                                                                       DaShanne Stokes

“I only wish the NRA and its jellyfish, well-paid supporters in legislatures both State and Federal would be careful to recite the whole of it, and then tell us how a heavily armed man, woman, or child, recruited by no official, led by no official, given no goals by any official, motivated or restrained only by his or her personality and perceptions of what is going on, can be considered a member of a well-regulated militia.”

                                                                       Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

“It is time to start referring to those members of Congress who oppose gun control as what they are–Pro Death of Children and Innocents. They are the toadies of the NRA and the gun lobby, and they must be voted out of office. The time to act is now.”

                                                                       Charles F. French

Neighbors~

Please enjoy these lovely photographs from Cindy Knoke!

Cindy Knoke

The Holler has the best neighbors. (click/tap to enlarge)

Check out the marvelous modeling mama,

grosbeak!

She is photogenic from every angle,

and loves having her picture taken.

She is a very friendly neighbor.

The orioles,

and acorn woodpeckers add a splash of color to the scene.

Cheers to you from our Holler neighbors~

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When Will The Madness End?

Those who read this blog know that I try very hard to stay away from politics in it. This is not because I do not have very strongly held political beliefs, because I do; rather, it is because I wanted to focus this site on writing, reading, and other kinds of art.

Sometimes though, I cannot and will not remain silent. Today, there was another horrific school shooting at an elementary school, with, at last count, at least 18 dead. My level of shock and horror is almost impossible to fathom.

My disgust is also massive with the people who refuse to enact basic gun control legislation. We are the only nation in the world suffering from these all too regular shootings, and the so-called basis of the gun rights groups is that of the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution. Well, as a college professor and teacher of English, I suggest that anyone who takes  that position return to school for a refresher  in grammar, including what a dependent clause is and its function.

Beyond that, where is the humanity of anyone–ANYONE–who would place the ownership of guns over the lives of children, of elementary children? A piece of machinery that is built with one purpose, and that is to kill, should never be more important than lives. And please spare the old, tired refrain of “guns don’t kill people.” That is not only inane, but it is also socially insane. Yes, guns kill people. A pen is created to write, a screwdriver to work on construction, a camera to take photos, and yes, people, guns are created to kill–to kill.

Please, spare the “thoughts and prayers” pablum that does nothing except soothe the consciences of those who do the bidding of the gun makers and the gun lobbyists. For the sake of those killed and those left behind, I implore the Senate to act.

Let’s finally pass some basic gun-control and background check legislation. If you would argue that it doesn’t work, then I do not know what else to say to you, except that the next time a child is killed in a shooting like this one, the next time parents have to suffer the horror of knowing their child was sacrificed on the alter of doing nothing about gun violence, ask yourself how you can look in the mirror?

It’s Time For The May Self-Promotion Party!

(Photo by Oleg Magni on Pexels.com)

Hello everyone! It’s past mid-May, the weather is turning warmer, and it’s time for a self-promotion party!

Be proud of your writing!

Share your book(s) with the world!

Be your own best publicist!

To help as many as possible see your work, reblog, like, and follow others.

Available on Amazon

Get The Draft Done! is available here: Amazon.com

Gallows Hill can be found here in ebook.

Gallows Hill in paperback can be found here.

An interview about Gallows Hill can be found here.

Please follow the following links to find my novel:

ebook

Print book

My radio interview:

interview

Available on Amazon

Available on Amazon

More Reviews of Maledicus: The Investigative Paranormal Society, Book I by Charles F. French

“I am not typically a reader; yet, upon picking up French’s Maledicus, I was hardly able to put it down. The story is told beautifully, and the way that French weaves together two seemingly unrelated storylines and settings into one creates an especially interesting and thrilling read. In particular, Maledicus’ actions from the “In-Between” and the men’s actions in the present to counteract them are well described, with the author frequently moving from one place to the other in successive chapters in order to see the two perspectives, seemingly in real-time. The chapter length contributes to how well the story flows–the chapters are broken up frequently to naturally allow for this kind of time-hopping. Furthermore, as someone who grew up in the Lehigh Valley, I enjoyed seeing many details of my hometown in the fictional town of Bethburg. Overall, the novel is a thrilling read that is thoroughly enjoyable not only because of the plot itself but also the manner in which the story is told. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series!”

“Loved this book. It moved a bit slow at the beginning but it led up to one hell of an ending. I truly enjoyed it. The character development was on point and the plot kept me interested the whole way through. Definitely recommend.”

Available on Amazon

Get The Draft Done! is available here: Amazon.com

Gallows Hill can be found here in ebook.

Gallows Hill in paperback can be found here.

An interview about Gallows Hill can be found here.

Please follow the following links to find my novel:

ebook

Print book

Thank you!

My radio interview:

interview

Available on Amazon

Available on Amazon

Picture Stories, Storytelling, and Writing Letters

Here is another example of excellent teaching from Jennie!

A Teacher's Reflections

iStock image

Learning begins with language, building words upon words.  The more words children hear, the more they learn, and the better they do in school.  All of this leads up to reading readiness.  So, if I can give children hundreds and thousands of words in a variety of ways, they will have a head start.

How do I do this?

Letter writing
When we have a guest visit the class, or we want to ask someone questions, or we want to tell our own story, we write a giant letter.  In that way, I am helping children to visualize what is on their minds.  But there’s more; children need to touch and feel to ‘cement’ an idea or a concept.  I have them decorate and draw on the big letters.  The words are reinforced and children feel as though they have written the words themselves.  Often, they add their…

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Blooming Joshuas~

Please enjoy these lovely photographs from Cindy Knoke!

Cindy Knoke

This is the first time I have ever seen Joshua Trees in bloom!

These trees were recently designated an endangered species by The California Fish & Game Commission.

They are vulnerable because they exist in a limited area in The Southwestern US and Baja California. Their range is mostly contained by the boundaries of the Mojave Desert. This habitat is under pressure from development and climate change.

Joshua Trees are pollinated by Yucca Moths. Desert habitat is sensitive and species are interdependent.

Interestingly, in the distant past, Joshua’s were pollinated by Giant Sloths!

Humans have lived in The Mojave Desert for about 12,000 years.

Pictographs, cryptic messages from the past, can be found throughout this region.

Cheers to you from the fascinating Mojave~

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FAVORITE SCIENCE FICTION FILMS: 5: THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL

https://en.wikipedia.org

The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951) was a brilliant science-fiction film that set the standards, in many ways, for other following films.  One of the great strengths of the genre of science-fiction as well as horror and fantasy is its ability to comment on direct issues in contemporary society.  In this 20th Century Fox film, the director, Robert Wise uses the arrival of an alien spaceship on earth as a cautionary message about the potential of the human race to cause its own self-destruction through atomic warfare.

https://en.wikipedia.org

The core plot element is that beings from advanced civilizations on other planets have found people on earth have developed both nuclear weapons and a space program. They have sent an emissary, Klaatu, played by Michael Rennie, to deliver a gift and a warning to the people of Earth.  The gift, a small box, was destroyed by a frightened soldier who thought it was a threat. In reality, it was a device that would have allowed humans to study the universe. With the gift gone, what is left is a warning that if human beings insist on bringing their atomic weapons and violence into space with them, then earth and its inhabitants will be destroyed utterly. This message is a quietly subversive challenge through what was seen as just a movie to the nuclear states of the world.

http://highlandcoldwar8.wikispaces.com

A staple of science-fiction, both cinema and television is the robot.  This kind of machine will figure into film in many ways from the earliest days to recent film.  The Day The Earth Stood Still has such a machine in Gort, a robot that serves as an aide  to the alien Klaatu.  Earth people view it as a threat, as they do everything alien, which is yet another point to the movie.  Xenophobia and bigotry, unfortunate human capacities, were at the forefront of American society in the late 1940s and 1950s.  If someone was different from the so-called norm, then they were somehow bad and immoral.  This will be the main point of the next movie I will examine in this series: Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

The Day The Earth Stood Still was a critical success and has been named by several film organizations as one of the most important films of American cinema.  If you have not yet seen this movie, and I am NOT talking about the remake, then I recommend it highly.