Out with the Old Year, In with The New Year...

Greetings, fans, followers, and others, today's posting will open with an amendment to the last one.  This idea of topic days is now officially on the outs.  I've decided to just have topics of various things.  I might muse on Star Trek one day and movies the next.  Mind you, I will still do one posting a day and the weekend things, the Saturday Night Show and Sunday Night Social, will remain, with the first now called the Saturday Story and the second the Sunday Social.

Now, with that out of the way, it's time to move into the current posting.  Today's posting, which I now announce as the 24th and last posting of 2010, will talk about the year about to close and the one about to open.  A review of sorts, with an eye looking ahead.  Everyone on television does and I see myself on television one of these days, so this is a good way to start.  So, here's the John Maxwell Blog's 2010 year in review.

First of all, there was the Late Night Saga back at the beginning of the year.  Three posts covered the ins and mostly outs of that story, as Conan battled the forces of NBC, who eventually won and gave Jay Leno back the Tonight Show and sent Conan packing.  Conan eventually, in the end, won the war by going to cable and TBS, which I suggested in one of those three postings.  I should mentioned that I no longer, since Conan's return, watch Leno.  He's become stale to me.

Second, there was the Icelandic volcano that no one could pronounce or spell, so I won't attempted it here.  Instead, I'd referred it as Mount Bjork, for she and the volcano are things from Iceland that spills stuff that no one wants and can cause major disaster if left unchecked.  Europe got the most of it, for that's how the world revolves.  Eventually, Mount Bjork ceased and all things returned to normal, as much as can be expected.

And then, of course, was BP's shining oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  It began April 20th and ended in August, a long time as the world watched the Gulf Coast deal with the destruction of liveihoods and generations or know-how as BP itself blamed everyone except themselves and fired their CEO for taking any of it.  Eventually, the spill was stopped but the damage has been done and who knows how long it will be before the Gulf Coast can return to normal.

Of course, I'm forgetting the most destructive event of all this year, the earthquake in Haiti.  It came in January and shook the very core of this very unstable nation, sending it further into chaos and leading to more loss and disaster than the earthquake could leave behind.  We saw celebrities and civilans alike help out to pick up the mess, with one throwing his hat into the electorial ring, with it being thrown out.  With what has happened since then, maybe he should throw it back in.

Chile saw two noteworthy events this year.  In February, we saw the nation have its own earthquake, with a similar response to Haiti.  Then, in the summer, for 69 days, 33 miners laid trapped below the surface, with all eyes on them.  Their survival and rescue was the work of not a whole nation, but of a whole world, with 6 1/2 billion taking part to save 33 lives from death.  All have now surfaced and now, their families and friends are helping them back to their lives, but they're now a little better off than before.

Back in the USA, we had mid-term elections, and like the college tests most fear, it was time to see if the last two years had any effect on us.  In November, we went to the polls and virtually handed back the country to those people who got us into the messes we've spent two years fixing, the Republicans, helped by the so-called Tea Party.  My one fear with those people has that they will have the opposite effect their historical namesake did and lead us into a world of tyranny, where no one is safe from each other.

The last thing I will mention is the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.  Even though I am of the hetero variety, I am interested into giving rights to those who need it.  Besides, when gays gets the rights they need, new worlds and new ideas get presented and maybe, this will be one step closed to the world we all dream of, where peace is the norm and all live not for themselves but for another.  That repeal was hard work, with the costs involved weighted but the end result must be the element of trust, for that's the only way this will work.

Now, we look ahead to the future, to the year 2011.  Interesting fact, the first day of this new year is one of those things that's the same each way, 1/1/11.  Besides that, we have much to look forward to.  Despite a divided Congress, we have much to get done, and party politics has no room in there.  Nothing else comes to mind, except that next year, try to be a little more peaceful.  There's no telling what the new year holds but let's hope that it's better than what we got this year.

Yours truly, John Maxwell

Have a happy new year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Revamp of blog output, structure

Ladies and gentlemen, you may have noticed that since I started this blog, there hasn't been much activity.  In fact, my most output this year was back in February, and I made only seven postings out of 28 possible days to do so.  So, I have decided to correct the problem by giving structure where none existed before.

First things first, as they say, will be that a blog posting will be made daily.  Of course, that's the whole point of blogging.  The fact it took me a year to really get on that is no reflection on my intelligence.  However, those postings will be structured so a posting will reflect what that day's posting should be.

To that end, I have outlined the daily posting system to be used.  Each day of the week will be modeled after a topic that I enjoy and wish to impart my views on.  Below is the topic days.

Monday - "Monday Musings" - The topics mentioned on Monday will be of a random nature and may feature current events, facts of history, or anything I'm thinking of.  The subjects will range far and wide.

Tuesday - "Trek Tuesday" - This topic day centers around one of my favorite pasttimes: Star Trek.  The topics will features the things about the Trek that amuse, belittle, or further my outlook.  From those in the know to those that don't so we can step closer to the 23rd Century.

Wednesday - "World Wide Wednesday" - This topic day will feature my own viewpoints on the current events, holidays, and whatnot occurring outside our 50-state union.  In short, it's the John Maxwell view of world events, making it easlier to understand for all.

Thursday - "Television Thursday" - This topic day will center around television, the medium of choice since 1950.  Its history, its impact, shows, people, ideas, and much more.  Learn all about the box that provides endless fun and endless junk, sometimes at the same time.

Friday - "Friendship Fridays" - This topic day will be used to further the connections between all of us by making note of bad people and ideas that should be avoided, in order to make friends better and hopefully bringing us all together by taking the bad with the good.

Saturday - "The Saturday Night Show" - Saturdays will not be a topic day but instead, by used to bring fiction written by me to you.  The fiction I write is all over the place, so one week science fiction, the next week comedy, so be prepared for anything.

Sunday - "The Sunday Night Social" - On Sundays, I plan to hold a online social, where any fan of the blog can submit poems, songs, stories, and whatever else they wish.  I hope that by making a day open to all, I can see how far my own influence reaches.

Also, I plan to bring Life in Hyperion to the blog in the form of three-week serials.  Those serials will start in January.  I also plan other serials so that I don't just stick with the above topic days and you can enjoy more fiction whenever possible.

The above changes will take place on the first day of the year 2011, with the first edition of "The Saturday Night Show".  I hope that these changes will make it easlier to understand me.  So, in conclusion, the re-birth of the blog is upon you, so take notice, my followers.

Yours truly, John Maxwell.

Bits and Pieces: Part One

Greetings, internet citizens.  The blog makes another return as a regular series starts here today.  In my quest to become a published writer of note, I have written down many ideas, outlines, and stories.  Most have gone unfinished in my quest but here, they'll have a home to serve as a reminder that a writer's first ideas may eventually lead to that great story within all of us.

The first offering is the earliest surviving piece of writing in my archive.  It dates from late 2008 or early 2009.  Anything earlier was wiped out by a computer malfunction.  Anyway, it's also my earliest surviving trip to Hyperion.  However, you may notice that Cy and Conrad are no way to be found.  That's because that this was written before those two had fully come into their own.

As I look over the work, titled "The Crossover in Hyperion", I noticed that I had worked on it for quite a while.  I also notice that it has been marked Chapter Zero, as it represented an earlier visit to the town.  The one familiar element is Phil.  In this version of events, he didn't work with Cy and Conrad or anywhere near WHYP.  As you read it, you may find another familiar face.

And now, the story as written...

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In the small town of Hyperion, Michigan, life is of a small-town matter. Things play out the way people think they should. For one citizen, life has been unusual. 21-year-old Phil Turner's life began like all lives should, with one exception.

His father, before Phil's birth, met his end in a car accident. His mother, three days later, went into labor and gave birth to Phil. For the next ten years, Phil and his mother went through the world and for the most part, went unnoticed.  Phil, however, inherited an above-average brain from his father and put it to good use. He took in details and knowledge at a slightly faster rate than the other kids and was smarter than most by the age of 11.

This earned him the attention of the school's resident prankster and bully, Thomas. Thomas was looking to pull off a great prank on the school and he heard that Phil had a exact knowledge of the school needed to pull off the prank. On the playground one day, Thomas walked up to Phil.

"Hey, Phil. I've got something to say." said Thomas.

Thomas then told Phil of his prank and what he needed Phil for.

"So, what's it gonna be?" asked Thomas.

Phil thought over his decision carefully. He almost said yes to the idea but at the last moment, decided to turn it down.

"No, Thomas." he said as he walked away.

Thomas then decided to pull off the prank anyway. He failed and was expelled when he was caught.  This one act of defiance caused Phil to earn the friendship of Horace Jacobs, another student. The two became fast friends, especially after Thomas' explusion gave them no threat.

They would soon earn another surprise when Horace's single father got together with Phil's single mother and the two wed when Phil was 14. For the last seven years, life has yielded Phil a baby sister and a new step-brother, Horace. Phil and Horace, after high school, got a job at one of Hyperion's most interesting places, the local Easy-Mart, a member of a small regional chain that deals in market goods and gasoline.

Over the last three years, Phil has seen almost all of the citizens of Hyperion pass in front of him but the next few people he'll meet will give him cause to believe that the universe isn't perfect.  It all begins on a usual June morning when Phil and Horace are walking to work at the Easy-Mart.

"It's a nice day, isn't it?" says Phil.

"It sure is." says Horace.

Phil then stops in his tracks.

"I feel something wrong." says Phil.

"Like what?" asks Horace.

"I feel like I'm being watched." says Phil.

"By who?" asks Horace.

"I have no idea. Just this feeling of being watched." says Phil.

Then, for a moment, out of the corner of his eye, Phil spies a car.

"I see a car." says Phil.

"Where?" asks Horace.

"Over... " says Phil as he turns in the direction of the car.

When he looks, the car vanishes out of sight.

"That's weird, I thought there was a car there for a moment." says Phil.

"Sure you did." says Horace.

"You're right, I'm seeing things." says Phil.

"It happens sometimes." says Horace.

"I guess you're right." says Phil.

The duo soon arrive at work at Easy-Mart and the two take their posts. Phil is the main cleck and Horace is the aisle-boy. As the two began their day, a familiar face walks into the store: Officer Grace Baker.

"Hello there, Officer Grace." says Phil.

"What brings you by the store?" asks Horace.

"I have something strange to report to you." says Officer Grace.

"What about?" asks Phil.

"About a robbery." says Officer Grace.

"That's not strange." says Phil.

"It is when the owner of the house gives his descripition of the robber and it sounds like you." says Officer Grace.

"Me?" says Phil.

"That's what the owner said." says Officer Grace.

"Well, I was asleep during last night." says Phil.

"I'm not sure that's the truth." says Officer Grace.

"I'm telling you the truth. Tell me, what was stolen?" says Phil.

"TVs, CDs, a table, a computer, and a couple of chairs." says Officer Grace.

"I have all that, so why would I steal it?" says Phil.

"Robbers steal what they already have for no reason other than it's there." says Officer Grace.

"Well, I don't commit crimes." says Phil.

"I know that, but my superiors aren't sure." says Officer Grace.

"How can I convince them?" asks Phil.

"You could come with me to the station and give a statement." says Officer Grace.

"If it's the only way to prove my innocence." says Phil.

"All right, let's go." says Officer Grace.

"Horace, take my job. I gotta go to the police station." says Phil.

"What about?" asks Horace.

"Someone thinks I robbed them." says Phil.

"All right, take care." says Horace as Phil makes his leave.

"You know, I almost became a crook." says Phil as he walks with Officer Grace.

"Really, when?" says Officer Grace.

"When I was 11. A bully named Thomas wanted me to go in on this big prank he wanted to pull off and he said he needed my help. I almost went along with it but I didn't do it." says Phil.

"What happened to Thomas?" asks Officer Grace.

"He tried to do the prank and he backfired on him and he got expelled." says Phil.

"Well, nice to know that you avoided a life on crime." says Officer Grace.

"Thanks. It was because of it that I met Horace. He was awe-struck by me turning down an offer from Thomas. Thomas was a true heavy and when he got expelled, we all celebrated his departure." says Phil.

"Well, more power to you." says Officer Grace.

Officer Grace and Phil soon make their way to the police station, where the owner awaits to hear Phil's side of the story.

"There you are, boy. Now, tell me, where are my things?" says the owner when Phil enters the station.

"Relax, Mr. Shaw." says the police chief as he calms down the owner down.

"How can I relax when that man has stolen things out of my own house." says Mr. Shaw.

"I didn't steal anything of yours." says Phil.

"Oh, yes you did, because I saw you take the stuff." says Mr. Shaw.

"But I didn't take it." says Phil.

"Phil, why don't let the sergeant here take down your statement." says Officer Grace.

"Okay, Officer Grace." says Phil as he walks with the sergeant to give his side of things.

"You people are on a first name basis." says Mr. Shaw.

"He happens to know Officer Baker here." says the police chief.

"That I am." says Officer Grace.

Phil spends the next 15 minutes in a room with the sergeant giving his side of the story. When Phil is finished, he and the sergeant return to the front office.

"I've taken down Mr. Turner's statement. According to him, he doesn't even know where Mr. Shaw lives and he was asleep last night during the time of the robbery." says the sergeant.

"He's lying to you people. I'm telling you, me and my daughter saw him take our stuff." says Mr. Shaw.

"Mr. Shaw, in the dark of the night, don't you think you might have seen him wrong?" says the police chief.

"I might have. I was dark, and I only saw his face in the moonlight." says Mr. Shaw.

"Why didn't you turn the light on?" asks Phil.

"Because the robber had cut the power to the house before he came inside. We have an alarm system but he found a way around it." says Mr. Shaw.

"So, you didn't get a good view of the robber?" says the police chief.

"I got a good enough look at the robber and I swear it was him." says Mr. Shaw, pointing at Phil.

"Mr. Shaw, I didn't even know you lived in this town until this morning. Granted, I may have seen you a couple of times if and when you stopped by the Easy-Mart, but I promise you, I didn't take anything from your house." says Phil.

"I wish I could believe that." says Mr. Shaw.

"Mr. Shaw, it's your word against Mr. Turner's here and if he says he didn't do it, then I believe him. I've know him long enough to know he wouldn't committ any crime." says the police chief.

"Thanks, chief. If you don't mind, I would like to return to my job." says Phil.

"I'll take you back." says Officer Grace as she takes him back to the car.

"I would swear on the Bible that he's the robber." says Mr. Shaw.

"You would." says the police chief.

Phil soon arrives back at his job and he bids Officer Grace a brief good-bye as she returns to her beat.

"So, how did things go down at the police station?" asks Horace when Phil walks through the door.

"Oh, some guy named Mr. Shaw said I robbed his house." says Phil.

"Did you?" asks Horace. "Of course not. I would never do anything like that." says Phil.

"Maybe you did it in your sleep." says Horace.

"I don't remember seeing an extra TV when I woke up this morning. Besides, I don't think people rob houses in their sleep." says Phil.

"I guess you're right, but how do you explain it?" says Horace.

"I don't know. Maybe the guy mistook me for the robber. It was dark and the power had been cut off to the house, so there's no way he got a good look at the robber." says Phil.

"I hope so." says Horace.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
As you say, Officer Grace made an appearence and as now, there were the stirrings of a romance.  As with most of my work, it ends early, unfinished.  It was to involved Hyperion's brief encounter with a parallel universe and the doings of Phil's evil counterpart as he crossed from his world to ours, finally leading to a showdown between the two Phils, with our Phil winning. 
 
My mind tells me that, at the point I abandoned the story, the fateful encounter was due to take place in Cy's backyard, thus connecting this work with the world of Cy and Conrad, which was a separate world within this one.  I did plan once for the duo to meet Phil when they became astronauts (which goes to show you how my mind works).  The trio would have been involved in a moon race with the Chinese.  That idea fell away as the basics of the world changed.
 
In my next posting, I will post my earliest surviving piece of work featuring Cy and Conrad.  Trust me, you won't even regonized then as the same people you know.
 
Yours truly, John Maxwell.

The return of the John Maxwell Blog

Now, if you've noticed, I haven't posted a thing here since June.  That's because of all the attention I've given my new web series, but I am making a return.  However, I should warn you that this return will be short lived for I am about to move back to my home state of Michigan and part of that move is moving stuff into storage for later pick-up.  Rest assured, I will be resuming regular updates on the blog.

For this first return, I will telling you about a recent storm my brain had.  You see, one of my favorite movies is the 1976 classic television movie Sybil, in which the lovely Sally Field plays the title character, who has 16 other personalities floating in her head.  Now, I love the movie and I love Sally but my mind turned on the old thinking cap and turned out a thought.

That thought was what I would do if I had been a producer/director/actor in the 1970s and had been presented with the book that the movie came from.  Now, I'm a television type of guy to start with but my favorite form of televison is the sitcom.  So, my mind said, if I had been in the seventies, a movie would not had been my train of thought.

Instead, I would have turned Sybil into a sitcom, but not your traditional three-camera sitcom.  You see, my favorite sitcom of all time is MASH and in the 1970s, CBS, the network that aired it, was a ratings powerhouse.  It had all the top shows and it couldn't be stopped.  So, what I would have done was gone to ABC or NBC and presented Sybil as a sitcom in the style of MASH, half comedy and half drama.  The winner would be ABC, since they needed a hit then and I love the underdog in anything.

Now, with the network in place, I would have continued onward.  Now, my mind still puts Sally Field in the title role, based on her comedy roles.  The character of the doctor would have been harder but I would have gone with Joanne Woodward if she asked for the role (and also, it would mean a chance to meet Paul Newman, American Hero).  At this stage, I would added a role for myself: the journeyman head shrink Dr. John Orville (Get it?  Orville and Wilbur?  That's how my mind runs)

At this point, a nice 13-episode first season would be given to me and I would proceed with production of the series.  I would write up my share of those first 13 shows.  My output would be typical sitcom set-ups.  Dr. Orville would be at the center as his background as middle-class makes it hard to be taken seriously by those he went to school with, upper-class slobs, so, Dr. Orville goes about padding his life, with inviting Sybil and her various selves to help him in his sitcom schemes.

Among these schemes would be:

- Dr. Orville getting invited to attend a party being held by a wealthy classmate.  Worrying that his occupation would not impress the other partyguests, he enlists the services of Sybil alter Vicki, whose psedo-French leanings impresses the party-goers and Dr. Orville finds himself invited to more parties.  However, Dr. Wilbur disapproves of it because Vicki's whole presence is due to an event that has causes Sybil to disassociate into her.

- Dr. Orville is asked by an old friend to organize a piano concert featuring a world-class pianist.  However, the pianist takes ill and is unable to attend.  Rather than cancel the event, Dr. Orville hires alter Vanessa to play.  Her beautiful playing impresses those at the concert, including a booking agent for Carnegie Hall, who hires Vanessa for a show.  Dr. Wilbur again disapproves because she thinks that the stress of the show will cause Vanessa to disassociate.

- Dr. Orville decides to write a paper on child pyschology for a major magazine.  However, his writing is slowed by a lack of a test subject to write about... that is, until Sybil disassociates into Peggy.  Dr. Orville then spends his time tending to her, while writing about what she does for his paper.  When Dr. Orville feels that his paper might give him some fame, Dr. Wilbur warns him about profitting off Sybil's pain, which comes true after Sybil returns... and leaving Dr. Orville without an ending for his paper.

- And just so you think I'm all about Dr. Orville, I have thought up a Dr. Wilbur episode, in which she, like many women, worry about old age.  Help soon comes when Sybil disassociates into the elderly Mary, whose own dour behavior on the high side of old age helps Dr. Wilbur overcome her feelings on the subject.  Dr. Orville gets involved as his youthful feelings also help Dr. Wilbur, as John feels that old doesn't exist and that one is always young.

I'm sure that a few more writers will fill in the missing pieces.  I also think that the 13-episode season I get will be the only one, as ABC put me up against MASH and MASH would sink me faster than the Titanic.  I know the power of MASH and nothing could ever put it down.  I would then take it to NBC, where I would get a few more seasons on Thursdays and quietly end after a full five years, with Sybil in one piece and Dr. Orville taking over for Dr. Wilbur in her practice.

So, in conclusion, I feel that the train of thought I had recently is a good one, and it shows that I could have made something out of someone's work and made my own additions.  Now, as said before, I have nothing against what was made out of the book about Sybil but I think of this as a different direction.  Who knows?  Maybe I can take this to a modern network and sell it.  After all, Life in Hyperion will end up on a television screen one day, so how about Sybil the TV show?

Yours truly, John Maxwell.

Blog debut tomorrow!

Ladies and gentlemen, tomorrow, I will debut a new blog. It is what I have termed a blog opera. Life in Hyperion is now something I hope will be around for a long time. The following is what one can expect from the blog opera.

1. The blog will be posted Monday thru Friday.

2. Each posting will be two pages in length, except for opening parts of serials.

3. The blog will be continious and not stop after 13 serials like previously announced.

4. The blog will be opened to all authors to contribute stories to it, within reason.

5. The material will be varied in length and genre, with various types of stories and genres being used at any one time.

6. And finally, the blog opera's purpose is to entertain and inspire those who view it with ease.

I hope that the blog opera will last many years. In fact, I hope to one day hand it off to new hands, who will take care of it as much as I do now. So, tomorrow, June 7th, 2010, head over to lifeinhyperion.blogspot.com and take in a new experience in blogging (I hope).

Join us, won't you?
Yours truly, John Maxwell.

Life in Hyperion: Serial 1

Running from: June 7th - June 22nd

"The Beginnings of a Legacy"

In this first serial, we meet Cy Scott and Conrad Harris, radio personalities at WHYP radio in Hyperion, Michigan. One night, after meeting a mysterious woman, Cy decides to form his own legacy to give his future children, along with his mother's. Then, the pinball machine promised for the green room goes missing, allowing Cy to fill in the first part of his legacy.

Join us, won't you?
Yours truly, John Maxwell.

Journey over to lifeinhyperion.blogspot.com whenever you're ready!

Puerto Rico: Our 51st State?

Recently, the house voted thru a bill that might lead to statehood for the tiny island now currently a commomwealth of the United States, the only such entity in the whole union. If the bill manages to pass the Senate, it would lead to a island-wide vote by its citizens for two options, listed below

A) Maintain current political status
B) Change political status

If a majority vote for B, it would lead to a second vote, where the following will be offered Puerto Ricans:

A) Statehood
B) Independence
C) Free Association

Each option presents interesting outcomes. Let us go over each. If the majority vote A, then Congress would be require to set up a means for Puerto Rico to join the union as the 51st state. The benefits have already been made to Puerto Ricans, who are considered natural-born citizens of the U.S. Also, it would be the first spanish-speaking state.
I have had the belief that, like northern neighbor Canada, we will become a bi-lingual nation. Those two languages are English and Spanish. Currently, no states offer Spanish as an official language (in fact, one state is trying to rid itself of spanish speakers). If Puerto Rico joins as a state, spanish might become a standard taught to our students and they'll be versed in another language.
If the majority vote B, then Puerto Rico will have to give up its commonwealth status and make roads to becoming an independent nation. Luckily, its neighbors have experience in that field and might offer help in easing the transistion. However, Puerto Ricans have shown a unwillingness to give up their close ties with the United States and it is unlikely that the majority will vote for independence.
C is a trickly one. C is where Puerto Rico moves up from being a commonwealth but stops short of what would be independence. Many other former U.S. commonwealth have moved to free association and enjoy a status close to independence without giving up its ties to the U.S. However, this would mean that native Puerto Ricans will be considered natural-born citizens, a right that the native population currently enjoy.
Whichever way the vote goes, the tiny island of Puerto Rico has been a part of us for 112 years since we got it in the Spanish-American War. Puerto Rico has taken small steps to its fate, whatever that may be. The natives have a common culture, language, and lifestyle. Wheater that will be intergreted with our American culture or becoming something else is up to the stars.
Until the next posting, see ya later!

New blog ready!

The following post is short but sweet. I post this installiment only to give you the link to the new blogsite for Life in Hyperion. As mentioned earlier, it is the means for I will release my book to the world. Each day, Monday thru Friday, on the site, I will post a little section of the book, with weekly reprises of the week's installiments here on The John Maxwell Blog, for those who are both a little impatient and a little patient.

The link is: lifeinhyperion.blogspot.com

The series starts on June 7th and will conclude, if my math is right, sometime in January at the earliest.

Join us, won't you? Yours truly, John Maxwell.

Announcing the creation of a new blog!

Ladies and gentlemen and all viewers of my blog, I would like to announce to all that in June, I will begin another blog. Those who enjoy the current blog will enjoy Life in Hyperion. As regular viewers will know, that is the title of the book I am currently writing. I have decided to post it in daily segments. I have about 1/3 written so far and I hope to post more as I write more.
Also, I will be bringing back my shuttle update series from February in order to mark the final flights of orbiters Atlantis, Enveadour, and finally Discovery, which will close out the the program. The second set of updates will include, as usual, my opinion on the day's events and how revelant this last flight is to us here on Earth as the shuttles march into retirement one by one.
There are no further changes to announce but I will still use the current blog to publish opinions, short stories, and any other news relevant to you and me, and the two certainly don't go hand in hand but it doesn't need to so. Until the next posting, see ya later!

To Mark Twain: 100 Years With Halley's Comet

.On November 30. 1835, two weeks after Halley's Comet made its closest approach to Earth, a child was born in Hannibal, Missouri, along the banks of the Mississippi River. His parents dubbed him Samuel Longhorn Clemens. When he was older, he felt his birth name is lacking, so he gave himself a name that he heard in his childhood from the boatmen as he made sure that their craft is in deep water: Mark Twain.
Today marks the 100th anniversary of Twain's death and after 100 years, or a full century, his writings are considered the cornerstones of American literature. Indeed, before him, there was no such things. There were American writers and novelists but they wrote like their European counterparts and rarely wrote about the country they lived in. Twain wrote what he saw, and he saw America.
Traveling as a newspaper reporter throughout the wild west of the 1860s, he saw many things and heard many stories. His interest was in writing down the tall tales that made up any kind of American literature at the time and making them interesting. It was during this time that his first short story was published, his own tall tale, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County".
It was in the 1870s that Twain's career took off, with his novels about the American experience and everything else. He wrote about life on the Mississippi River and the wild west. For someone who was told he would never amount to much, he sure became a hero to many for writing what he believed in.
As Twain's life moved him into middle age and then old age, his travels became few and his opinions many. His collection of papers, failed stories, and the like still linger on as a testament to his genius. Twain suffered the pains and trials of old age and used it to write the deepest material of his collection.
As the end of his life drew near, he remembered what event had brought him into this world. He wrote in 1909, "I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835. It's coming again next year and I except to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don't go out with Halley's Comet. The Almighty has said, no doubt, 'Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together.'."
Sure enough, Twain died, at age 74, on April 21st, 1910, the day after Halley's closest approach to Earth. The two unaccountable freaks had indeed gone out together. Just like Halley's Comet, Twain's writings return once in a while to amaze and shock audiences with its brilliance. Althought I don't trust my fate to a comet, I believe that Twain would be happy to know that with each pass of Halley, his work gains its own brightness.
Until the next posting, see ya later!

To One Not Among Us Anymore: The 57th Birthday of Debralee Scott

The usual trend when a birthday rolls around is to celebrate what has occurred in the last year and look forward to the year ahead. I'm under the belief that such celebrations should not stop once a person has passed from the Earth. To prove my point, I offer a woman who would have been 57 years old today, had not she passed in 2005 (in three days, if you must know): Debralee Scott.
My first notice of her came from my love of game shows, the old ones from the 1970s that I watch so often. Specifically, it was Match Game. What really help me notice her was a decision to make her the mother of one of the characters in my upcoming book "Life in Hyperion" (those who have looked at my previous attempt at a blog will know who).
Making sure that this character was the best offspring to come from her, I needed to research her the best I can. This means taking note of her game show appearences and also taking a look at her acting roles. What I've learned is someone not too different from myself. I believe that the two of us would have been friends if our paths had ever crossed.
The roles to her credit show a variety not seen in today's acting world. The early roles were mainly movies, TV or film. Then, in the mid-1970s, she started to appear on television shows. She made her big break when she was casted as Rosalie 'Hosty' Totsy in an episode of "Welcome Back, Kotter", pulling a fast one on the sweathogs (fans will know how).
However, her biggest role was in one of the most iconic seventies faux-soaps: Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. Playing Mary's sister Cathy, known for taking a guy at the drop of a hat, she played a free-willed counterpoint to the more conserved Mary. This casting lead to the game shows appearences that mark her career.
One thing I've noticed is that she's almost always cast as a sister to a character. Fans of her work, if there are any, will take notice and wonder why that was so. It also lead to a decision not to settle her offspring with an sibling. Her career eventually ran out of steam in the 1980s, save appearences in two of the "Police Academy" films (numbers one and three).
Getting out of show business by the end of the '80s, she moved to New York City and managed a troupe called Empowered Artists. It was also during this time that she fell for an police officer for the Port Authrity, going as far as being engaged. The two never wed, however, due to his death in the tragedy of 9/11, which rocked the country.
In 2005, Debralee made her way to the Florida coast to care for one of her two siblings. Ironcally, during her stay, she took ill for several days and was discharged on her 52nd birthday. Three days later, she laid down to rest for a few and never awakened, thus ending her time on this Earth.
For those of us on Earth, left with her work, I feel that some form of award or aknowledgement is needed, for her work in top-rated sitcoms and shows and films and working with some of the great actors of times past and times future should be noted in some way. That's why I went for the parentage angle for a character. Offspring are the best way to ensure a legacy and her offspring tried their best to do so.
A.R.I.P (Always Rest in Peace) Debralee.

The Creation of the League of Unrecognized Nations

I, John Maxwell, announce to all that I propose the creation of a new United Nations-type organization, with the sole purpose of allowing the citizens of unrecognized territories and micronations to have a say in world affairs. For too long, the United Nations and all major nations have failed to recognize the status of nations who follow the declarative theory of statehood, which allows for the creation of nations based on the following points

A. it must have a permantant population
B. it must have defined territory
C. it must have a government
D. it must have an ability to enter into relations with other nations

The theory also states that a nation can exist without the recognition of other nations as a base. Therefore, a large number of nations have arisen over the years and fallen. The UN refuses to offer any recognition to these small states, even though they claim to fit all the above for nationhood. In short, the United Nations doesn't care about the little guy, like so much in this world.
I therefore propose that representatives of these nations meet to discuss political issues and other such topics and form the League of Unrecognized Nations. The rules of the organization are as follows (for the time being):

1. This organization is opened to any nation wishing to join, as long as they can prove they are a independent sovereign state by using the list above.
2. Nations wishing to join must go through a six-month period of vetting, during which the nation will be visited by officials of the LUN and take note of any positive or negative issues.
3. Once vetting is complete, an assmebled council will assess the result and then vote on allowing said nation to join the LUN.
4. If membership is approved by a two-thirds vote, the leadership of that nation will be asked to sign a Treaty of Admittance, which will make membership legal.
5. The member nations will be asked to send representatives to meet four times a year in the City of Chicago for a three-day period.
6. Representatives will serve a two-year term and be elected by the leadership of that nation.
7. Each representative can only serve for three terms in total.
8. The representatives will be called upon to elect a person to chair the meetings held by the LUN. The chairperson must be voted in by two-thirds vote and cannot be a serving representative.
9. Any decisions by the LUN during these meetings must be approved also by two-thirds vote and be approved by the leadership of the member nations.
10. Member nations have the right to appeal any decision made by the LUN and call for emergency meetings if any situation warrants it.

More points will be made as the organization evolves. This organization also wishes to make it known that we will send a delegate to attend the meetings of the United Nations and act on the behalf of member nations as an observer.
It will be made that the creation of support organizations; to oversee scientific advance, to advance the cause of human rights, and to make sure in the continued survival of the human race. These support organizations will be formed as the LUN sees fit.
The creation of an international taskforce to oversee peace in member nations is also being made, as to assume a peacekeeping role in world affairs and keep things in check and to act only when the situation warrants such action.
In our mind, we believe that all humans are entitled to certain rights and that any actions that threaten to take away those rights will be meet and dealt with. Any member nation must promise to uphold the values of the LUN or face removal from the organization.
In conclusion, the unrecogized nations of the world face problems due to the fact that the big boys refuse to see them as what they are, which is a fundemental right of any nation. Our only hope for the future is for the time when all those that call themselves nations are involved in a single organization decidated to the advancment of the human race. To conclude, I give this document to the world and hope the world turns an ear to its voice.

Happy 39th Birthday Again, Mr. Benny

If you knew me like I knew me, I have a slight hatred of this day of love. However, I do celebrate the 14th day of February and not because of the obvious. It was on this day back in the grand old year of 1894 that the biggest comic star in the history of radio was born. A true labor of love truly was little Benjamin Kubelsky, or known to the world over as Jack Benny.
Although one of the many running gags was Benny forever turning 39, in reality, it has been 116 years since Jack was born and after twenty years spent on the Vaudeville circuits, he came to radio in an interesting way. A fellow Vaudevillian later famous for his television work, Ed Sullivan, invited Jack on his radio show in 1932. The first line spoken by Mr. Benny was "This is Jack Benny talking. There will be a short pause while you say, 'who cares?'"
A few weeks later, Jack became the host of The Canada Dry Program. In those days, the shows are put on and paid by the sponsor in the title, not the network. That first program, a more musical than comedy-based outings, earned listeners due to Jack's comments, mainly on the sponsor. Jack, in turn, changed over to Chevrolet and General Tire as sponsors before he signed up with the makers of a popular dessert: JELL-O. Later sponsors were Grape Nuts (1942-44) and Lucky Strikes (1944-55)
It is this show that the program that all of us fans known came to pass. Jack's wife in real life, Mary Livingstone, played the unwed female sidekick to Benny's character. The two had met through one of Mary's distant relatives: Zeppo Marx. Married in 1927 after a brief courtship, the two stayed together until Jack's passing in 1974. Their marriage was never mentioned on the air except once, in a dream sequence.
Hired in 1934, announcer Don Wilson had the honor of doing the mid-show commericial for the product, doing it in interesting and funny ways. Another gag about him was his size. He was portrayed as a large fellow, whose very size made for some interesting jokes at his expanse (pun very well intented). In many instances, the point was made that this was always the case, with one joke having the stork that delivered him remark, "Oh, my aching back!"
There was the leader of the show's band, as played by Phil Harris. The running gag with Phil and his boys was their musical knowledge was highly suspect or nonexistent. Another runner was Phil's off-air drinking. One joke had Phil being able to feel the opening of any liquor bottle from miles away and running to it in seconds. A third runner was the shape of Phil's band, with it being implied that all or most were ex-cons.
Then, there was the young naive boy singer, who as musically sharp, was as dim as a three-watt bulb. That position, at first played by Kenny Baker, was eventually filled by Dennis Day, whose annoyance of Jack became the stuff of gags. Dennis also proved to be a good impressionist as his impersonations of well-known celebrities were used in various scenes and jokes. Dennis, despite being young, got the better of his ever-unaging boss time and again.
Then, there was Rochester, Jack's ever ready valet. In an age of stereotypes, Rochester as played by the black Eddie Anderson was a groundbreaking character in that he was allowed to one-up his white boss. Jack, also the victim of discrimination (he was Jewish), made sure to keep things that way, especially after learning the horrors of the Holocaust. Rochester became Jack's equal but still his valet.
As always, there was the revolving door of bit players and characters. Two stick out to me. One of them was Frank Nelson, who played the various professionals that Jack ran into in his life and cause more pain than help. His characters included doctors, dentists, radio announcers, floorwalkers, and the list goes on. He always came on the scene with a rising "Yessss?" That intro has become a standard gag by many, who always make sure to credit the man who first spoke it.
The other was a man of a thousand voices: Mel Blanc. Mel first joined the show in the mid-1930s and stayed until the end of Jack's television program in 1965. His roles included playing Jack's Maxwell automobile, always one step away from death. For those who wonder, yes, Mel's cartoon alter egos did stop by. Bunny and Benny had a couple of meetings to the delight of the studio audiences present. After all, Bugs Bunny was a big movie star and as part of that stardom, he needed to appear on radio.
The gags that Jack and his writers came up with are legendary comedy bits still remembered by those who have no idea who Jack Benny is. That, to me, tells of influence, when you use a gag and don't question or know where it came from. That included the aforementioned Maxwell, a car whose manufacturer went out of business in 1925 and as the span between then and each broadcast increased, so did the amount of age the car gained, due to its owner's unwillingness to spend a cent on upkeep.
Another gag was Jack's vault. Buried an untold distance below the surface of the Earth and surrounded by various security measures, it held Jack's wealth. One might say that Jack had more money than there was in circulation. The most well-known security measure Jack employed to guard his money was Ed, a character played by noted radio and television actor Joseph Kearns, who was the vault guard. The amount of time he has spent down there has included since the Revolutionary War, the discovery of America, and even the dawn of civilization.
Another amount of time also centered around another running gag: since Jack first turned 39. In reality, Jack hit 39 during his first year in radio in 1933. When his birthday came up again in 1934, he simply turned 39 again because he felt there was nothing funny about turning 40. If you wish to know, Jack turned 39 on radio and television 32 times. It was such a identifying mark of Jack's character that at Benny's death in 1974, many newspapers reported the event happening to him at age 39, if only for a joke.
The running gags and jokes would take too long to list. In real life, Jack is nothing like he was on-air. He was very generous with his money and gave to charities the world over. As stated before, he was married to Mary Livingstone and the two enjoyed an interesting marriage that lasted for 47 years, despite the odd fight now and then. The two had only one child, an adopted daughter named Joan, who appeared on her parents' show from time to time and had to fill in for her mother at times due to Livingstone suffering from stage flight which got worse over her career.
Jack Benny left us at age 80 on December 26th, 1974. Even death could not stop Jack from being generous. In his will, he had it made that a fresh long-stemmed red rose being delivered to his widow Mary every day for the rest of her life, which ended on June 30th, 1983. Those of us left on Earth have the countless radio episodes and television broadcasts to enjoy Jack's unique brand of comedy. Although they were made upwards of 75 years ago, they sound as fresh as if they were made last week. So, I give you a new holiday to celebrate every 14th of February: Jack Benny Day.
Until the next posting, see ya later!

STS-130 - Day 5

A busy day for the STS-130 crew began at 4:14 pm EST with the sending of the wake-up call. Today's wake-up was "Beautiful Day" by famed rock group U2, played for Kay Hire. Today was the big day as the station would grow in size for the final time. The first spacewalk for the mission began at 9:17 pm EST as the two spacewalkers, Patrick and Behnken, exited the Quest airlock.
Their goal: to get Tranquility ready for its new home. First, the spacewalkers prepared the area where Tranquility was to be docked. Also, they worked on the station's Dextre robot as they waited for the station's robotic arm to take Tranquility out of the shuttle's cargo bay and move it to its final location, on the port side of Node 1 Unity.
Once Tranquility was mated to Unity, the spacewalkers made their way over and began hooking up cables and lines needed to bring vital power and support to the module. The spacewalkers were very fast in their work, being an hour ahead of their planned work schedule at one point, forcing Mission Control ordering the astronauts to pace themselves. The spacewalk concluded at 3:49 am EST as the astronauts climbed back into the airlock.
There was also important work inside the station as new parts were added to the station's Water Recovery System and samples were prepared for return to Earth as part of the troubleshooting process involved. Just imagine, all this for the world's first space plumbing service call. The system is planned to be moved into Tranquility once fixed.
With all that, the shuttle crew hit the sack at 8:14 am EST. Over all, today was a busy day in space. The days to follow will bring more surprises and will also bring the station to 98% completion by the end of the mission. Until the next posting, see ya later!

STS-130 - Day 4

Day 4 for STS-130 is a quiet one compared to the previous three flight days but it will be a rest compared to the days to follow. The first full day of docked operations for shuttle and station began at 4:19 pm EST with the playing of "Also sprach Zarathustra", the theme from 2001, for Nick Patrick, one of the two spacewalkers for the mission and today would be busy in prepping for the first of three excursions.
The crew spent a good chuck of time getting ready for the first spacewalk by examining the suits, which led to an interesting event. It was found that the suit meant for the other spacewalker Bob Behnken was faulty. Instead of trying to repair the suit, they simply did a swap of parts from a spare suit on board the station.
The six members of the STS-130 crew along with fellow station-bound Americans Jeff Williams and TJ Cramer also performed an interview event with KXTV-TV in Sacramento, CA, WKRG-TV in Mobile, AL, and KMOX-FM in St. Louis, MO. Incidentally, the three cities are the hometowns of shuttle crew members Robinson, Hire, and Behnken, respectively.
The joint crew then spent the rest of their afternoon off-duty. The crew then finished off the day with the final activity needed for the spacewalk: the beginning of the camping-out time for the spacewalkers in the Quest airlock. Camping-out is a procedure where the spacewalkers sleep in the low-pressure environment that they'll have in their suits, as to avoid the bends.
With all that, the shuttle crew hit the sack and are scheduled to begin their super-busy Day 5 at 4:14 pm EST. On that day, the moment we've all been waiting for will occur. Until the next posting, see ya later!

STS-130 - Day 3

Day 3 of STS-130 began with the wake-up call. Today's wake-up was "Katmandu" by Bob Segar, played for the mission's commander, George Zamka. Today was the day that the shuttle arrives at the ISS. You see, after a shuttle is launched, it spends the next two days playing a game of catch-up until it manages to arrive at the station.
Over a good portion of the day, the shuttle closed in on the station slowly. As it made its final approach, the shuttle performed a 360 degree flip, in order for the station crew to do an extra inspection of the heat shield for damage. Once that is finished, the shuttle continues its way to docking with the station slow as it goes.
The docking took place at 2:06 am EST 215 miles above the western coast (as if there's a eastern coast) of Portugal. Around that time, the station and shuttle passed into an orbital sunrise (there's one every 90 minutes or so). The motion seemed to welcome Node 3 and the cupola to the station.
The hatches between the two craft were opened at 2:16 am EST and the five-member crew of ISS Expedition 22 met the six-member crew of STS-130 in a traditional welcoming ceremony, led by current ISS commander Jeff Williams. Following a safety briefing from the station crew, the shuttle crew began transfering supplies and such to the orbiting lab.
Among the items transferred were replacement parts for the station's water recycling system (and it does what you think it does). Spacewalkers Nick Patrick and Bob Behnken also moved their suits into the station's Quest airlock to ready them for their upcoming spacewalks. The crew also had the OBSS handed off to the station for the duration of docking.
After all that activity, the shuttle crew went to bed at 8:14 am EST this morning and are scheduled to receive their next wake-up call at 4:14 pm EST. This concludes our look into flight day 3. The next couple of days promise to be very busy ones. Until the next posting, see ya later!

STS-130 - Day 2

A second day in space arrived at 6:14 pm EST on Monday with the sending of the wake-up call. Today's wake-up call was "Give Me Your Eyes" by Brandon Heath (one wonders why so many astronauts are devout Christians, not there's nothing wrong with that), played for pilot Terry Virts. Virts happens to be the lone rookie of this flight and today will add experience.
The majority of the day was spent performing a very needed task: inspection of the heat shield. Using the Orbiter Boom Sensor System, or OBSS, attached to the shuttle's robotic arm, the crew went inch by inch over the heat shield tiles that cover the bottom and wing edges. The reason for this is obvious once one remembers what happened to shuttle Columbia seven years ago.
Also, the two spacewalkers for the mission, Nick Patrick and Robert Benhken, checked out their space suits they'll be using during their three planned spacewalks to install Node 3 Tranquility to the station. They also prepared the spacewalk equipment and readied supplies for transfer to the ISS.
The crew concluded the day by going over the tools needed to dock with the ISS on Day 3. The two spacewalkers also installed a centerline camera and extended the shuttle's docking ring, so it may dock with the station when it arrives. The crew then went to bed at 9:14 am EST and are scheduled for wake-up at 5:14 pm EST. Until the next posting, see ya later!

STS-130 - Day 1

At 4:14 am this morning, space shuttle Endeavour lifted off from Launch Pad 39A on a 13-day mission to the International Space Station. Its purpose: to deliver the final major piece of the station and a seven-panel bay window. The module, also known as Node 3 Tranquility, is the last of the station nodes. The first was Unity, which was the second space station module installed and Harmony, which was installed in 2007.
To be attached to Node 3 will be the Cupola. The Cupula will allow the astronauts onboard the station to enjoy wonderful views of the home planet below and also serve as a workstation to operate the station's robotic arm. Both additions will bring the station to 98% complete.
The launch was the second attempt to do so. The first attempt, Sunday at 4:39 am, was scrubbed due to low clouds over the pad. That danger actually showed up during tanking, or fueling, of the External Tank but moved out of the area by launchtime.
Another interesting fact about the launch had to do what was occurring about 150 miles away in Miami: Super Bowl XLIV. Althought the astronauts did not get a chance to view the game, the crew on the space station received a video uplink in case anyone on board wanted to watch. The shuttle crew did receive news of the winner before lift-off. Incidentally, the ET was built in New Orleans and a group of NASA engineers enhanced a photo so the tank carried the Saints logo.
Once in orbit, the usual routine was begun, of opening the cargo bay doors and making sure that data downlink was being received by Mission Control in Houston. Several hours later, the astronauts tucked themselves in for the night, so to speak. The astronauts are due their musical wake-up call at 6:45 pm EST.
Might I say that this posting will mark the first in a series. During the four remaining launches of the space shuttle program, I will be posting my own daily status reports, giving you the best of whatever sources I can find, with my usual flare, of course. Until the next posting, see ya later!

J.D. Salinger, We Hardly Knew Ye

On January 27th, the world lost one of its most famous literary talents at the age of 91. Of course, his most famous work was his classic 1951 novel Catcher in the Rye. The book has become one of the most-taught books and also the most banned book in schools. For years, every major movie producer from Jerry Lewis to Steven Spielberg has made the efforts to secure the right to make the movie version and all have failed.
The book, to me, has become an American rite of passage. To receive a copy of the book is to receive a treasure, for one is taken into the world of Holden Caulfield as he tries to make it in a world, to him, full of "phonies". Readers, especially teens, can identify with Holden and his struggle. Although his manner of speaking is less than great, the way he tells it is the way it is.
Salinger also became famous for being a recluse. He shunned the world that idolized him and made efforts to not interact with the world at large. His death can be taken as the last step in his reclusion. Awhile back, a writer noted that "The only one who could have played Holden Caulfield was J.D. Salinger" and they were right. Both came from above average backgrounds and saw the world the same way.
The book's title stems from what Holden thinks is a line in a poem, "Can a body catch a body, comin' thru' the rye?" In his mind, he sees himself stationed at a cliff, next to a field of rye, where children are playing tag. His job is to stop them from falling off the cliff by catching them when they get too close, thus becoming a catcher in the rye. The cliff, to Holden, is adulthood and towards the end of the book, gives the role of catcher to his sister Phoebe, as Holden is hoping she'll catch him before his own fall.
I first read the famed tome back in high school and I can't describe my joy at finally being able to read such a talked-about story. As I thumbed through the pages, I found himself as Holden, mad at the world around him and trying to do the best he can. By book's end, Holden hasn't changed a bit. In fact, he's more bitter as the world has forced him, in his mind, into a mental hospital. To me, it is a symbol of Holden's Park Avenue background, as his parents, after his misadventure, sent him away to avoid embassassment.
The book has also been at the center of some of history's most gruesome events. Most notably (and I use the term loosely), it was the favorite book of Mark David Chapman, the man who shot John Lennon. Chapman was such a fan of the work that he tried to change his name to Holden Caulfield. Chapman was found reading the book after the shooting and used the book as his statement upon arrest.
Many other would-be killers have had the book in their collections and since the book is very well-known, is used to explain such actions, as said before. No other book in American literiture has been such a guiding force. Many first-time writers (yours truly among them) can only dream of such. In my mind, after the events of the book, Holden became a writer, as every other Caulfield had writing talent. Holden's writings probably match that of the man who created him, and that creating force shall be missed.

The NBC Late Night Saga, Part 3

It's been one week since this whole late night saga began and the sides in the battle are starting the blur. On Monday, Jay Leno got serious as he decided to discuss this saga from his point of view. In his address, he mentioned the 2004 plan of handing the Tonight Show over to Conan in 2009. Leno said that he disagreed in the move, as he was still on top until his last show. NBC assured him that it would avoid what happened in 1992.
He then mentioned that he tried to leave NBC twice, once in 2009 when he left Tonight, now wishing to go elsewhere, only to be talked by NBC into doing the prime-time show. The second time was when NBC cancelled the prime-time show. Both times, NBC decided not to release from his contract.
Ironically, this whole mess began in 2004 as a means of keeping Conan at NBC instead of losing him to a rival network. Now, with Conan being forced to leave Tonight in order to allow Leno's return, he will now be able to do so. In essense, NBC caused the situation they hoped to avoid six years ago. A kind of non-time-travel-based Grandfather Paradox, if you will.
As Conan's exit from The Tonight Show comes closer, all of us Conan's fans must review that from both sides, NBC must take the blame for what it did. Althought they had the right idea, i.e. transistioning hosts of a storied show, the way they did it was wrong and costed them one of television's greatest talents. Conan's future looks brighter, as offers pour in.
I, myself, have a place where Conan can go: TBS. They've already got a late-night show with George Lopez. Midnight with Conan O'Brien is in the cards as it seems to me. I hope that when I post part four, the answer has finally arrived. For the last three postings, I've hoped for the answer and although to some, it's arrived, I feel it won't get here until NBC finally lets Conan go. Until the next posting, see ya later!

The NBC Late Night Saga, Part 2

It's Friday and what a week has it been for late-night television, with sides being taken and jokes being told at the expanse of many. For NBC, the whole thing has been a disaster. On Sunday, NBC cancelled Jay Leno's prime-time show, with the action of putting him back at 11:35 pm for a half-hour. However, all those plans came undone when Conan O'Brien decided not to allow his Tonight Show to be pushed back, feeling such action would destroy the beloved show.
NBC as a whole has since been quiet. However, others have made their stand. ABC's own late-night personality, Jimmy Kimmel, has been making the most of it. On Tuesday, he did his show dressed as Leno, down to a fake chin extension. During his monolouge, he told his audience that he, as Leno, was to take over all late-night shows and that ABC stood for Always Bump Conan. To boot, that night's guest, Chevy Chase, came out dressed as Conan to complete the joke.
That wasn't the last of it. On Thursday's edition of The Jay Leno Show, Kimmel appeared on that show's popular 10@10 segment. During the appearence, Kimmel seem to make it known that he was on Conan's side in the battle. At the end, Kimmel made a plea to Leno to leave his and Conan's shows alone. The other late-night hosts have not gone to extremes like Kimmel but they seem to be for Conan, for their jokes on the matter make Leno the bad guy.
Even so, the reception at NBC is varied. One high-ranking exec said that Conan and others were taking things out on Leno because they can't seem to beat him. He also said that Conan's attacks at NBC and Leno were chicken-hearted. The rumor mill has working full-speed on the late night battle, with as much as word of Conan's departure and Leno's return making the rounds. Without further word from NBC, people will be caught up in the rumors.
My opinion on this is that Conan should stay at 11:35 pm on NBC and that Leno should find some other place to do his comedy. Afterall, a whole set of networks would love to hire Leno for their own late-night lineups. For all purposes, I'm on Team Conan and I will fight for the right for Conan to stay where he is. As said before, keep the Olympics. Part three of this saga might have the solution to this problem, for better or worser. Until the next posting, see ya later!

11 Days of the Motherless Child

Today, for my readers, I give you the first piece of fiction here on The John Maxwell Blog. This little story is, as the title says, is "11 Days of the Motherless Child" and it's the backbone to what I hope will be the first serial story to be published on the blog. We now begin our story...

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It looked to be a normal day for Buck Owens Berline, age 23, as he walked his way to his job at Lowery's Market in his hometown of Buchanan, Michigan. As he walked, he had no idea what events were about to happen. He walked into the store at 8:00 am and took off his worn-out demim jacket. Under it was his red worker's vest that he got when he took the job over two years ago.
The radio in the store was playing away on a local county station. The stuff coming from the speakers is not Buck's favorite kind. He mostly listens to the songs of his famous namesake. His father had been a fan of Buck Owens and when his son was born, he felt to name his son after his favorite singer.
Now, this gave the boy a certain feeling about him, as he managed to have an above-average childhood. He met his best friend, Tuck Thompson, early, at the age of eight months. Buck and Tuck then spent the rest of their childhoods in one-two order. Buck was the leader and Tuck was the sidekick, to the point that Buck's father often called Tuck "Roy" after his son's namesake's famous sidekick.
After leaving high school, Buck and Tuck worked throught a small number of jobs before landing jobs at the market. For the last two years, Buck has watched the town grow and shrink with the economy. Buck takes little pleasure in his job. Anyway, that day, a Monday to be precise, was the beginning of a little adventure. That day, he began his job with the dispencement of money to the customers as he worked the cash register.
Meanwhile, Tuck worked away in one of the store's aisles, labeling the price onto the cans and putting them on the shelves. The morning went by without a thought. It was after lunch that the events began. At about 1:37 pm or so, a little boy of about 10 years of age came into the store and began to roam the shelves.
The boy wondered around as Buck looked on. The boy then proceeded to grab off the shelves about half a dozen items into a little paper bag he had brought with him. Then the boy brought the bag up to where Buck was and placed it on the belt. Buck then rang up the items as the boy got out the money to pay for it. The boy paid and then left the store.
Buck remarked in his mind on what an interesting sight that was but marked it off as another in a line of strange things about Buchanan, the little out-of-the-way town that people rarely visited. The next day, the boy returned to the store and bought only three items. As before last, Buck rang up the sales and the boy paid and left.
This continued onto a third day as the boy bought four items. The boy paid and left. By this time, Buck was beginning to wonder about the kid and decided that on the kid's next visit, he would talk to the kid. That happened the next day. This time, the kid came in and picked about five items and put them in his little paper bag. As Buck rang up the sales total, he got to talking.
"So, this is the fourth day you've been in here?" asked Buck.
"Yes, it is." said the boy in a Louisiana accent.
"How long have you been in town?" asked Buck.
"Since the hurricane forced us north." said the boy.
"Us? You live with someone?" said Buck.
"Yes, my mother." said the boy.
"Well, does she know what you are doing now?" asked Buck.
"Yes, I told her." said the boy.
"Well, here's your change. Now, give some of that to your mother." said Buck.
"I will. Thank you, sir." said the boy as he left.
At that moment, Tuck comes over to the register.
"What was that?" asked Tuck.
"A little boy. He's been coming in her for the last few days." said Buck.
"Well, that's a little strange?" said Tuck.
"Just ignore it." said Buck.
The next day, the boy came back and he and Buck talked again and learned that the boy about two blocks away. Buck remarks that that's a big distance to walk. The boy remarks that it isn't hard. The boy paid and left. Buck was beginning to suspect something about the boy, like he's not telling anything.
The boy comes in the next day and the next and always paid for his purchases, which doesn't raise Tuck's eye but it sure was beginning to raise Buck's. The boy then doesn't come in on the seventh day, Sunday. Buck wonders if the boy's mother caught him and punished him.
He soon got his answer when the boy returned on Monday. As Buck ring up the sales, Buck decided to question the boy's whereabouts.
"You weren't here yesterday?" asked Buck.
"I wasn't. I was in church. My mother told me to always go to church on Sunday." said the boy.
"My grandmother always wanted me to do the same thing but I never did." said Buck.
"Well, I went to church and prayed for my mother." said the boy.
"Why did you pray for her?" said the boy.
"Because she was in bed." said the boy.
"Well, if she was sick, I can understand." said Buck as he handed the boy his change.
"Many thanks, sir." said the boy as he left.
Buck soon went back to his work.
The following day, the boy came back and got only two items. Buck rang up the sales as he remarked to the boy about his small purchase. The boy paid and left. The next day, the boy didn't visit and Buck wondered about the boy.
"His mother must have caught him." remarked Buck to Tuck.
"He must have." said Tuck.
"I wonder about that boy. He comes in and pays for snack food. He must be sneaking it in." said Buck.
"Why haven't you seen the boy's mother?" asked Tuck.
"Because I'm a checkout line worker." said Buck.
"That must be it. The boy's mother doesn't know you exist." said Tuck.
"You're right. I know he'll be back, I know it." said Buck.
Buck was right in the fact that the boy returned. He returned the next day and this time, he plucked two dozen items off the shelves and placed them in his little bag. When the boy brought the bag up, the boy got out a credit card. This raised up a few questions in Buck.
"Does your mother know you took her card?" asked Buck.
"Not really." said the boy.
"Well, I can't let you charge this stuff to her card without her knowing. I could lose my job." said Buck.
"I'm sorry. Since my mother left, it's been hard." said the boy.
"You told me that your mother was in bed when I asked about her." said Buck. "She is in her bed and she's also gone to a better place." said the boy.
This finally raises up in Buck that something's amiss.
"Can I visit your house and see your mother?" asked Buck.
"Of course." said the boy.
Buck and the boy then walk all the way to the boy's house and walks inside and is comfronted with a mess. The house looks a little untidy and dirty. Dishes and snack wrappers lay on the floor. The television is on a children's show and the boy lead Buck all the way to the boy's mother's bedroom.
Buck opens the bedroom door and sees what the boy has been hiding for over a week. There, on the bed, is the boy's mother. Buck walks over and feels the woman's pulse. Buck finds none, which tells him that the boy's mother is dead.
"Your mother is dead?" asked Buck.
"She is. I found her one morning and I decided to keep her here. I used her money to buy stuff." said the boy.
Buck looks over the body and spots something unusual on the woman's stomach. There, in a small pile, is a pile of change.
"Why are there coins on your mother's tummy?" asked Buck.
"You told me to give some of the change to my mother. I felt she would need in heaven." said the boy.
"Boy, where she is, there is no money." said Buck.
As Buck stared at the body, she felt a feeling of wonderment at how the boy could keep his mother's death from others for 11 days, at least. The body was already beginning to smell, a smell that's hard to explain to a ten-year-old.
Buck, after five minutes, called in the police to collect the body. When the police questioned the boy, they found that the mother was home-schooling him and that her sudden death caused little grief to the boy. For 11 days, the boy had raised himself and had ate all the food in the house and the snacks he bought from the gas station were all gone.
The boy ended up in the custody of Berrien County and remained so until his aunt decided to raise him. Buck, meanwhile, continued with his job and had his own adventures but remembered somewhat of the boy who kept his mother's death a secret and never questioned her demise, something Buck felt would mark his passing, but that's a long time away.

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That concludes the story and the first piece of fiction offered on the blog. I hope that story gives you some idea of what fiction will be published here. Don't worry, the non-fiction will also be published, for life must have its day in court. Soon, I hope to use the two main characters here, Buck and Tuck, in the blog's first serial story, "Our Lady Singer of Buchanan", so keep an eye out for part one. Until the next posting, see ya later!

The NBC Late Night Saga, Part 1

For years, NBC has prided itself on dramas airing in the 10:00 pm slot. Now, that has returned in an unexpected form: the goings-on between Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, and the network. On Sunday, January 10, NBC announced that it will cancell Leno's prime-time series, ending on Feb. 12, the day the 2010 Winter Olympic Games will start. As part of that plan, Jay would move back to late-night with a half-hour show at 11:35 pm, with The Tonight Show beginning at 12:05 am and Fallon at 1:05 am.
Monday passed with all sides staring down at the deal, with the other networks and those involved making note of the situation. Both Jay and Conan made jokes at the expanse of NBC and their plans. Those on the other networks also made their notes, with Letterman making the best puns of the night as one of his jokes involved the fact that things were so bad at NBC, they were considering hiring him back.
On Tuesday, Conan released a statement, saying that he will not accept the network's plan to move him to 12:05, saying that he would not participate in what he believed to be the show's destruction and would fight to stay at 11:35 pm. NBC went quiet on the remarks. Those involved seemed quiet on the subject as well, althought the jokes continued. On Conan's show, the comic has been jokingly going over his options. On Tuesday's show, he brought in Howie Mandel, who took Conan through his options Deal or No Deal-style, complete with briefcases and girls to match.
Today, it remains to be seen NBC's reaction to Conan's statement on not moving to make room for Jay's return to late-night. Many real options exist for the network, including replacing Conan on Tonight, sending him to another network. Jay also has his options, which include a move to a rival network who would love his services. FOX has been the leading contender to scoop up Conan or Jay so they may have a late-night show of their own.
I have my own suggestion for what to do. It will concern keeping Jay in prime-time. Now, Thursday is comedy night on NBC, as seen by the successes any show there has. So, my suggestion would be to have Jay doing his show once a week, Thursday at 10:00 pm. That way, his comedy will seem fresh for it is coming only once a week and that his views will be spread out more, covering larger events with ease. Also, it would give Jay four fantasic lead-ins. For now, it's just an idea and can stand up to opinion and tinkering.
All in all, the title of this posting says it all. This is part one of a battle that has been fought with the best comedy on television. Part two will bring the answer to the problem and will see if a late-night institution will be destroyed. Keep the Olympics, I'll take this, for as a interested viewer, the next move keeps me moving on. Until the next posting, see ya later!

Promise: What I Offer You on This Blog

Hello again, it's your friend John Maxwell, back for his second posting here on my blog and let me tell you, I've spent the first 10 days of the year 2010 thinking of things I might do on this blog. While you think I've covered the basics in my first posting, I don't think I gave you any idea of what material you might see from a modern-day humorist. So, for the benefit of your people, I will now give you some idea of what you might see.
The first thing I want to give you is my opinions on the current world. You see, I look at the world with different eyes than most and can see the imperfections and bad spots that hurt us, as a species and civilization, so much. World events are easy to comment on if your opinion have no bearings. So, my opinions are not to stir the mind, but to offer it something else besides the usual amount of gruel it gets.
The next thing I will offer is ideas for movies and books I feel should be made but I first feel that public opinion, as stated before, gets things going. The ideas might range from simple plots to complex stories and I will use the blog to run those ideas by you, for if you like any of them, I will make sure they get written or made as soon as I am able to do so. Believe me, you'll enjoy such ideas for my mind works, as said before, on another level.
I will also offer straight fiction for you on this blog. Here, I'm talking about publishing work on this blog, for blogfiction, as it's called, is the future of fiction writing, as magazines get so high and mighty. they forget the first-time writer quite often, so I will offer my work mainly here. That includes the occassinal serial every now and then. These serials will range from stories featuring Cy and Conrad, two characters of mine, and the odd story.
Currently, I'm planning a couple of serials to feature in the future and I hope that they will end up in book form but for now, they are serial material, which rhymes if you say it. That's all I have for now. I hope to give you more in future postings, including what I have outlined. I hope to see you guys again soon on the blogsite, as it is called. See ya later!