I don't care who you are, or how smart you are. Someone, somewhere, has lied to you. We've all fallen prey to misinformation. Furthermore, we've all been guilty of spreading lies as a result, intentionally or not. Of course, I am not immune. Two quick personal examples: not long ago, I posted a link on Facebook to a fake website called www.obamaphone.net. Also, a while back I wrote an erroneous article for Examiner.com, repeating the urban legend that a Jewish rabbi in Israel had ordered a dog to be stoned to death. In both cases, a couple of my intrepid friends were kind enough to come to my rescue, pointing out what soon became obvious to me. I had fallen for a hoax. And in both instances, I probably should have known better. The "Obama" phone fake website was sort of a dead giveaway because of the suffix. Official government websites end with ".gov" extensions. Years ago, I had learned that lesson the hard way. I once typed "whitehouse.com" instead of "whitehouse.gov" while at work and found myself staring at a hardcore porn website--I distinctly remember my ears burning with embarrassment, and how I couldn't close that browser window fast enough. Yet somehow, I forgot that lesson when I saw the fake "Obama phone" website, and took the bait hook, line, and sinker. My problem was gullibility--the fake site simply reinforced information I already accepted as true. Unfortunately, I am not alone. We all tend to give a lot more credence to information that reinforces our personal worldview than we give information that contradicts … [Read more...]
Schadenfreude
I've got to admit to a guilty pleasure. Sometimes, schadenfreude does appeal to me--on occasions like this morning, for example... As I was reading numerous stories of people complaining about the decrease in their first paycheck of 2013, I must confess that I found myself softly chuckling. Seriously, why is there surprise? Actions have consequences. President Obama got re-elected. He promised the rich will now pay more of their disposable income in taxes, and he's keeping his promise. But you will pay higher taxes, too. What did you expect? Our nation just voted to re-elect this president, the most prolific spender in the history of the United States. There should be no surprise. The really scary thing is that, in stark contrast to reality, President Obama just informed Speaker Boehner that he doesn't believe we have a spending problem. That can only mean he still thinks the current fiscal crisis in America is caused by an insufficient revenue stream to the federal government. The Treasury obtains revenue through taxation, so that can only mean that Obama plans to demand even higher taxes. Here's a news flash for those who might celebrate that idea--even if you pay zero taxes and live on government support, you're about to take a big hit in your personal spending power. Your standard of living can only decline as our currency continues to lose value. Your future entitlement dollars also will buy less because inflation has been continuously driving retail prices higher. Remember Quantitative Easing I, II, and III? Actions have … [Read more...]
Digital publishing and Amazon
How do I love Amazon? Let me count the ways... If it weren't for Amazon, I don't believe that I would have a published book for sale today. Because of this internet conglomerate, I have two detective novels and two nonfiction books available for purchase, as you read these words. Yes, Smashwords.com and David Gaughran's book Let's Get Digital were also instrumental in getting my books published without an agent or contract with a major publisher, but without the market spawned by Amazon with the introduction of the Kindle, the demand for e-books would never have been created in the first place. Therefore, in my mind, Amazon ultimately deserves a share of credit for any success I will enjoy as an author. Amazon created the Kindle Select program, where a book may be enrolled for special treatment over a period of three months. My short story collection Always a Next One was put into Kindle Select. During the time in that program, I've found my book marketed ubiquitously online, everywhere from American Thinker to an Australian television station website. It's extremely gratifying to find a well-placed, attractive ad for your product, especially an advertisement that you didn't have to buy. At this point in my writing career, exposure to my work is most important. "Free" advertising is invaluable. The Kindle Select program has been a great way to get my book cover visible all over the internet, where many eyes have found an adorable puppy looking back at them. But that's not all Amazon has done besides creating a market and offering a subscription … [Read more...]
Charles Darwin and Creation, the movie
After reading an article in the UK Telegraph claiming that a film about Charles Darwin titled Creation had been deemed too controversial by distributors in America because it advocated evolution theory, I got suckered into watching it. Hey, at least it was free on HBO. In the Telegraph article by Showbiz editor Anita Singh, the film's producer Jeremy Thomas was quoted as saying: The film has no distributor in America. It has got a deal everywhere else in the world but in the US, and it's because of what the film is about. People have been saying this is the best film they've seen all year, yet nobody in the US has picked it up. It is unbelievable to us that this is still a really hot potato in America. There's still a great belief that He made the world in six days. It's quite difficult for we in the UK to imagine religion in America. We live in a country which is no longer so religious. But in the US, outside of New York and LA, religion rules. Charles Darwin is, I suppose, the hero of the film. But we tried to make the film in a very even-handed way. Darwin wasn't saying 'kill all religion', he never said such a thing, but he is a totem for people. Sounds like a tired cliche--Darwin good, religion bad. Was the moviemaker correct in his assessment? Why weren’t distributors fighting over the rights to the film in America? I think I know the answer. The movie wasn’t controversial. It was boring. That’s only when it wasn’t depressing as hell. Morose would be far too cheerful a word to describe this film. Besides, the premise for his complaint was completely … [Read more...]
My most intense ghost story: why I believe in ghosts, part II
I promised to write a guest blog about my most intense ghost story for A Book Lover's Library today, but due to an error (mine), we posted my first ghost story instead. Please accept my apologies. Here's the story I promised to tell today: Supernatural phenomena play a prominent role in my latest novel, Secondhand Sight, and it occurs to me that some readers may believe it’s silly for adults to believe in ghosts. Earlier on this blog tour, I recounted my first ghost encounter, one of many I experienced at my friend’s truly haunted house. As I explained in part I of Why I believe in ghosts, if I had only one or two similar experiences, my rational mind would most likely have found a way to explain them away. But one particular experience could not have been a figment of my imagination. I know what I saw. More importantly, I know what I felt… Jim and I were playing chess, each of us sitting hard backed chairs with a short table between us holding the board. The room was barren of furniture except for a rocking chair, positioned where a spectator would have had a perfect side view of the game, except that chair was empty. The room was well lit, obviously, so we could see to play the game. I don’t recall the time of year--probably fall, given it was comfortable enough for us to play chess in an attic room. It was Jim’s move. The sense of movement distracted my attention from the game. I glanced over to notice that the rocking chair had begun moving in a distinct rhythm, just as one might expect if someone was sitting in the chair, enjoying the relaxation of … [Read more...]
