Regret

There is only one thing I regret in my life
Not that blackout in Mexico
Or the back tattoo of my ex wife
I only feel regret when I look down and stare
At the arm I'm missing from when I tried to get a selfie with that bear.

My short film

My first short film The Nugget based on the Rags and Rusty characters from here on my blog is now on youtube. It debuted at the Writopia film festival in the spring. Check it out here.

Train to Snowy - 2016 Scholastic Gold Key

My first story I wrote at Writopia has been published online. It is called Train to Snowy and you can find it by going to https://howjunior.com/2016/11/30/featured-content-2/ 

Abey

I'm yesterday's turtle
Swinging in certainty 
Laughing raucously
Driven to my feet
Abounding to signal
My secret desire
For some present.

Ebola

    Ebola is a viral disease that kills half of the people it infects. Five thousand West Africans have died from this outbreak. The disease frightens people and they believe rumors instead of scientific evidence. This leads to denial and avoiding necessary quarantine or politicians trying to quarantine healthy people. Solving the problems caused by fear is critical to fighting ebola.
    The ebola virus spreads through body fluids: blood, vomit and diarrhea- not through the air or by mosquitos. The virus starts by disabling the primary immune system component, interferon. It has a huge viral load.This means there are millions of viruses in each milliliter of blood waiting to infect others. Ebola prevents blood from clotting, making the person release the virus. Until the person shows symptoms, they are not contagious. This fact should prevent concern, but there are malicious people who deny facts and prefer to quarantine healthy people. There are people who ban children from school even though they did not encounter anyone with ebola. This moves our focus from finding a cure to fighting a campaign of fear.
    Ebola is mostly found in three countries in West Africa: Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. It is also found in places where travelers have come from these countries. In the United States, four people have been diagnosed with ebola. The three who were diagnosed early got better and did not infect anyone else. The fourth person was not treated for ebola the first time he arrived at the hospital. The second time he arrived, he was admitted, infected two of his nurses and died.To reduce the risk of infection health care workers must wear  protective gear covering every bit of skin and use safety removal procedures. In Africa, many hospitals do not have air conditioning, so the protective gear causes overheating. Doctors and nurses need more breaks; more breaks means more chances for infection to spread.
    In cases where the ebola virus is identified early, people are more likely to survive and less likely to spread the disease. In Africa, many people are afraid to admit they have ebola. Some people do not believe it is real. Test results can take days. These issues congregate infected people who keep providing a source of infection for others. Staying home, in an effort to deny having ebola, reduces the chance of survival spreads the disease.
    Tracing the path of people who interacted with a person with ebola is the key to stopping the disease before it becomes an epidemic. Mali and Nigeria both attacked ebola with detective work and won.  The process is simple but it requires many people, access to remote areas, thermometers, taking blood tests and getting results in hours, not days. When a person has been exposed to ebola they should take their temperature twice a day for 21 days. If they run a fever, they should be tested for ebola. If they test positive, they should quarantined. This process requires persistance.
    A vaccine for ebola has not been developed yet. Countries that need the vaccine, do not have the money for it. Countries with labs and scientists, have other diseases that are more common; flu and cancer are higher research priorities in the United States.While fear and ignorance have aided the spread of ebola, only a commitment from wealthy nations to fund research will stop it. Ebola will wait.  

The Pirate King by Laurie King - a book review

    Laurie King's mysteries have Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes traveling to interesting places to solve befuddling cases. They lead us on adventures with suspense and danger, while introducing us to history, geography and foreign languages. Her descriptions are vivid, making the reader feel like part of the story. The experience of traveling the world is especially inviting to me.

    Pirate King told the tale of a film company making a movie about making a movie version of the Pirates of Penzance.  They start in England and take a ship to Portugal. After a few weeks, they sail to Morocco. When they arrive, the actors playing pirates kidnap everyone else for ransom.

    The real crime is the sale of cocaine and guns that preceeds the time period  of Pirate King. Very little attention is paid to solving this crime. We read about romances in the cast, the process of making the film, and Mary's introduction to sailing. She is too busy making movies to investigate crime.

    I didn't mind the different tone of this novel. It is lighter than The God of the Hive. I never worried about Mary's life. Instead I enjoyed her adventure and I suggest you give it a try. 

Reality vs. "Truth" The Basis of Dystopia

Reality vs. "Truth" The Basis of Dystopia

    The precepts shared by a group of people form the basis of society. In great societies, the laws reflect ideas time has tested and remain relevant. When a theory is suggested, it can be judged based on these laws. In dystopian societies, laws are written to manipulate and consolidate power into an elite cabal. Information is collected, manufactured, and disseminated to support the law and the despots.  "Facts" cannot be judged. Reality is experienced by the characters in dystopian novels and judging the difference between their reality and the government's propaganda is the germination of resistance. Every feeling a person has is real to them. Love, often the first emotion a person conciously experiences, is real and is a reference point for evaluating "truth". When the "truth" is disproved by reality, an exception is created to the rule. 

    In 1984, Winston has the job writing errors into the government news releases and correcting them later. He writes about production rates of food and clothing. He writes that boots are being produced by the thousand, knowing that he needs boots and none are or will be made. He also knows the news release will be revised in the future to show no boots were made.  Dwelling on this opens Winston's mind to resisting the power of Big Brother; then he is capable of falling in love.

    In Brave New World, Bernard is an alpha in a society where caste is created by exposing embryos to differing levels of alcohol. Segregation is reinforced with brainwashing that begins at birth. As the upper class, Bernard has the opportunity to travel and meet John, the Savage. John believes in experiencing sadness. He believes in God.  John's philosophy allows Bernard to doubt the Ford which leads to prison, punishment and pulling out Bernard's hair. Love is what Bernard seeks instead of soma.  "Truth" doesn't hold a candle to faith and love.

    In Hunger Games, the Capitol controls the information flow to the districts. They create the deadly games and splice pictures of horror with the sound of a sports commentator. That combination works until Catniss and Peta only show love for the camera. Without the imagery of death, the Capitol's "truth" of control is destroyed. 

    Love cannot evaluated based on facts, true or false. It cannot be regulated by a government. It is based on each individual's reality, created and known by them. In a dystopian society love opens governments to resistance. Revolution begins with a kiss.