The Plumber, one of my short stories from the collection In The Shadows was featured last week on Seth Harwood's http://www.crimewav.com/ website.
Right up there with Michael Connelly and Jonathan Santlofer.
Now that feels special.
;D
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Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
An old timer's view of the recession
My Grandfather had an interesting perspective on the depression of the 30's that applies today I think.
Joe Balch (you can google him) had grown up in North Dakota in the twenties and thirties and experienced the depression and an outbreak of Tuberculosis at the same time. His thought was that those who try hard will suffer just as much as those who don't. Rich or poor, classy neighborhood or urban projects didn't really matter.
Everyone gets kicked just as hard. The difference is not whether or not you get kicked, its how you respond and what you do to improve your situation.
In his case back then, he started on his way to Alaska, but ended up in a coal mine in Wyoming, then in the Marines for WW2. In the end he got to Alaska, but not until '46.
If you'd seen him its unlikely you'd think he had much money at all. But after homesteading a huge tract of land for nearly 60 years he was a millionaire by the time he died at 84. How did he do it?
Simple hard work. He farmed. He was an inventor. He never took loans...for anything. If he couldn't pay cash, he lived without. He looked like a plain old Joe living in the Arctic outback, but none of the depressions, recessions, or bear markets ever really hurt him. Even when he did lose a ton of money in the late 70's recession (a few hundred thousand from one of his inventions vanished in a bad investment) he just tightened his belt and kept on trucking.
I think we all stand to learn something from guys like him. Don't let the depression depress you, just think of it as a challenge and find a way to surmount it. That's what Grampa did. Sphere: Related Content
Joe Balch (you can google him) had grown up in North Dakota in the twenties and thirties and experienced the depression and an outbreak of Tuberculosis at the same time. His thought was that those who try hard will suffer just as much as those who don't. Rich or poor, classy neighborhood or urban projects didn't really matter.
Everyone gets kicked just as hard. The difference is not whether or not you get kicked, its how you respond and what you do to improve your situation.
In his case back then, he started on his way to Alaska, but ended up in a coal mine in Wyoming, then in the Marines for WW2. In the end he got to Alaska, but not until '46.
If you'd seen him its unlikely you'd think he had much money at all. But after homesteading a huge tract of land for nearly 60 years he was a millionaire by the time he died at 84. How did he do it?
Simple hard work. He farmed. He was an inventor. He never took loans...for anything. If he couldn't pay cash, he lived without. He looked like a plain old Joe living in the Arctic outback, but none of the depressions, recessions, or bear markets ever really hurt him. Even when he did lose a ton of money in the late 70's recession (a few hundred thousand from one of his inventions vanished in a bad investment) he just tightened his belt and kept on trucking.
I think we all stand to learn something from guys like him. Don't let the depression depress you, just think of it as a challenge and find a way to surmount it. That's what Grampa did. Sphere: Related Content
Monday, March 2, 2009
Kharzai Ghiassi: from Karl's Last Flight
DOB: 1975
Place of birth: Indianna
Physical Characteristics
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 170
Hair: Black, with thick tight curls, almost an afro but thick shiny strands, also thick black beard and lots of chest/back hair
Eyes: Dark Brown
Skin: Dark tan (olive)
Other: Has incredibly white smile that he flashes constantly and a manic sparkle in his eyes.
Education:
Indianna State University: Major in Dramatic Arts, Minor in Political Science
Military Service:N/A
Professional Career:
CIA since immediately after college, Operations branch, field operative, frequently put in for psych evals due to odd behaviors and violent tendencies. Worked off and on as deep cover operative planted inside Al Qaeda allied terrorist group Son’s of the Sword. He is fluent in several languages including Farsi, French, Italian, Spanish, Urdu, Pashtun, Russian, and Hebrew.
Other Characteristics:
Kharzai has a very hyper active personality but is also very self-controlled. He has the ability to maintain several personas simultaneously and has a nearly photographic memory. While his outward appearance and demeanor are typically humorous and witty, he has very violent thread within him and has left a path deep with blood behind him. Someday, this may come back to haunt him.
Current:
In Karl’s Last Flight he is working undercover in Iran trying to disrupt the Iranian Nuclear program
In Faithful Warrior he is planted with Son’s of the Sword and travels back to the US where he discovers a terrorist bomb plot on American soil. Sphere: Related Content
Place of birth: Indianna
Physical Characteristics
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 170
Hair: Black, with thick tight curls, almost an afro but thick shiny strands, also thick black beard and lots of chest/back hair
Eyes: Dark Brown
Skin: Dark tan (olive)
Other: Has incredibly white smile that he flashes constantly and a manic sparkle in his eyes.
Education:
Indianna State University: Major in Dramatic Arts, Minor in Political Science
Military Service:N/A
Professional Career:
CIA since immediately after college, Operations branch, field operative, frequently put in for psych evals due to odd behaviors and violent tendencies. Worked off and on as deep cover operative planted inside Al Qaeda allied terrorist group Son’s of the Sword. He is fluent in several languages including Farsi, French, Italian, Spanish, Urdu, Pashtun, Russian, and Hebrew.
Other Characteristics:
Kharzai has a very hyper active personality but is also very self-controlled. He has the ability to maintain several personas simultaneously and has a nearly photographic memory. While his outward appearance and demeanor are typically humorous and witty, he has very violent thread within him and has left a path deep with blood behind him. Someday, this may come back to haunt him.
Current:
In Karl’s Last Flight he is working undercover in Iran trying to disrupt the Iranian Nuclear program
In Faithful Warrior he is planted with Son’s of the Sword and travels back to the US where he discovers a terrorist bomb plot on American soil. Sphere: Related Content
Karl Alexander: from Karl’s Last Flight
DOB: March 2nd, 1960
Place of birth: Dayton, Ohio
Physical Characteristics:
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 190 lbs.
Hair: Grey, was dark blond, wears as a high&tight flat-top
Eyes: Brown
Skin: medium
Education:
Dayton High School
Ohio State University: Physics and Engineering
Military Service: USMC Officer, 1982-1990, Pilot of Harriers, F15’s
Professional Career:
NASA Astronaut 1990-1997, Shuttle Program
Strata-Corp Space Flight – 1997-2008
Current Status: Pilots commercial 2-hour space flight excursions for extremely wealthy patrons twice a month
Marital History: Never Married, had a few girlfriends but never anything serious
Special Personality or other Characteristics:Karl is a very stable calm person. He is also an adrenaline junky, hence the career choices of fighter pilot and astronaut. He most enjoys the sensation of extreme speeds and high G-force flight. Karl had one ground combat experience as a young man, and didn’t particularly care for that kind of adrenaline rush. He is near retirement age, but doesn’t have any plans for what to do yet, although the idea of living a quiet existence in Fiji has recently started to appeal to him. Sphere: Related Content
Place of birth: Dayton, Ohio
Physical Characteristics:
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 190 lbs.
Hair: Grey, was dark blond, wears as a high&tight flat-top
Eyes: Brown
Skin: medium
Education:
Dayton High School
Ohio State University: Physics and Engineering
Military Service: USMC Officer, 1982-1990, Pilot of Harriers, F15’s
Professional Career:
NASA Astronaut 1990-1997, Shuttle Program
Strata-Corp Space Flight – 1997-2008
Current Status: Pilots commercial 2-hour space flight excursions for extremely wealthy patrons twice a month
Marital History: Never Married, had a few girlfriends but never anything serious
Special Personality or other Characteristics:Karl is a very stable calm person. He is also an adrenaline junky, hence the career choices of fighter pilot and astronaut. He most enjoys the sensation of extreme speeds and high G-force flight. Karl had one ground combat experience as a young man, and didn’t particularly care for that kind of adrenaline rush. He is near retirement age, but doesn’t have any plans for what to do yet, although the idea of living a quiet existence in Fiji has recently started to appeal to him. Sphere: Related Content
Character Profiles from Basil's Books
Over the next few weeks I am going to be posting the personal profiles of several of the characters of my books. Check them out and leave a comment. Ask questions if you like. Get to know them personally.
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