Posts from the “Argument” Category

Harlan Ellison – My New Hero!

Posted on March 7, 2016

I had lunch with a friend on Friday and we got to talking about how hard it is to build a viable author platform because of all the ‘noise’ generated by social media. Twitter feeds, Facebook, Mention, Instagram, Tumblr, blogs, Google+, LinkedIn, Buffer, Tailwind, Pinterest – we’ve toyed with them all, with mixed results.Do we feel like tossed weebles? Yes. My 13-year-old hip-hop dancer TV actor grandson has a private Instagram account with over 400 followers. After months of posting quips and quotes about the writing craft, I have 11. Pathetic. Do I want to devote more time to amassing photo-followers? Nope. Then there’s Huffington Post, which attracts hungry freelancers who’ll work for free to get their name in print. I’m not knocking that…

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Categories: Argument

I’m Possible – Jeremy Cowart

Posted on February 19, 2016

This morning, I was going to write about ‘Sugar Babies’ – a new name for comely university students (mainly female), selling their ‘companionship’ (aka, themselves) to older, wealthy men. The poor Babies have accumulated debt that stresses them out – tuition, credit cards, etc. Yes, life’s tough – get a helmet you silly entitled twits, and stop making bad decisions. They don’t see working at a regular job as an option either, which makes me despair for the future of civilization. What happens when the supply of willing rich older gents runs out, their pert parts begin to sag and their fresh faces lose their luster? What else might these youngsters think is acceptable in pursuit of what they want out of life? Yup,…

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Categories: Argument, Modern life

Talk Radio = Barf Bag

Posted on November 9, 2015

Is it just me or has ‘Talk Radio’ become a synonym for ‘bitchy and mean’ radio? A few weeks ago, a friend of mine was savaged on an AM call-in show at the station that used to shelter the Ford buffoons. She’s a gentle soul who had no idea they’d set her up to prove their point of view and discredit hers. To add insult to injury, they invited her back to ‘clarify’ some of the points she made. All they did was pile on – after all, they had a willing victim. She was devastated, but the good thing about social media is that her friends rallied to her defence. This morning, when I turned on my usual listen, I was appalled at…

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Categories: Argument

Contemplations

Posted on October 28, 2015

“You have to become very still and listen while your inner voice – the very essence of you – tells you who you are. You’ll know you’ve found it when every cell in your body practically vibrates; when you’re filled up by what you’re doing instead of being drained by it.” – Oprah Winfrey You will turn over many a futile new leaf till you learn we must all write on scratched-out pages. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic’s Notebook, 1960If you surrender to the wind, you can ride it. ~Toni MorrisonExcess on occasion is exhilarating. It prevents moderation from acquiring the deadening effect of a habit. ~W. Somerset Maugham, The Summing Up, 1938I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color…

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Categories: Argument

Hijacked by Hydro One

Posted on June 24, 2015

As I was composing my original blog for today, the door bells rang. Whenever I’m not expecting anyone, I tiptoe up the stairs and check the video camera image then sneak a peek through the glass panel on the front door to see if it’s anyone I want to speak with. This time, I caught a glimpse of a blonde head and a fluorescent orange shirt. Obviously it was not a Jehovah’s witness, unless they’ve changed their tactics and donned costumes. A pleasant young lady was at the door. In her hand was what looked like a bowling bag (or, if this was a scene from a horror movie, it would have been a satchel holding a severed head). In any event she happily…

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Categories: Argument