I can't decide if you're crazy or brilliant. Haha.

Nice introductory blog. Welcome to JU.

...and there's no better reason to write than that.    Yes, welcome to JU. I look forward to reading you.

Why, thank you very much! I like to feel I'm an insane genius, but I all too often just feel like a guy with too much time on his hands!
Will do my best to make the blog a GREAT one!
Jardenep

Which means he should fit in nicely.

mwaaahhhaaahaaahaaaa!

I join with the others in welcoming you to JU. Please report to "waterboarding 101" for your haz...err, tort....err, INITIATION!

Yeah, that's the word I was looking for!

nothing is a waste of time if you have good reason for doing it, even if that reason is yours alone.
Thank you for the welcome, this will be fun, (I hope), and a bit of work as well. That part kind of negates my early retirement!
jadenep

Okay, I need to work on my sending answers it would seem! Try to sort out the ones listed already and in the future I promise to be more accurate, or try to be at least. As for the blog...I really want to discuss writing, a hobby I've long enjoyed and spent a little money and a lot of time investing in. Currently have one book in the works and about a hundred with an idea on an otherwise blank page. But it's all right, the pages are all virtual and therefore saving the nation a forest or two. When I drove trucks across the country, the paper loads amazed me, rolls of paper weighing twenty thousand pounds and being used to print everything from Stephen King to...uh...Stephen King. He was huge back then!

Any ideas on a good way to keep a list of the characters in the book you're writing? I use notepad, but often forget to open it and create entire worlds without remembering a single place or person in it. No kidding, I am memory challenged to the max. Not even waterboarding has worked for me, and apparently it didn't work so well for Uncle Sam either!

I getz it yo! When did ghetto slang become proper? Wikipedia and other user entered dictionaries have enabled the general populous to say that the world should and WILL speak incorrectly. Sad to see this change but it is true enough that even the the conservative Webster's Dictionary has added this "heart attack to ever english professor" to their pages. I was shocked when I picked up Scrabble the other day and wanted the scrabble dictionary, a long time source of old terms and odd words and found the words I grew up with are no longer carried. Qoph and Qat are no longer held and XI is still a word though the definition has changed from a greek letter to a term used to describe a greek letter in Scrabble. WHAT?!!! I will tell you what the hell happened, America and England have allowed their language to slip into the hands of degenerate morons who do nothing more then watch reality television and scratch themselves for fun. Not that I am down playing scratching ones self but at least read a book. The average American today reads 0 books a year! Holy cow. This was survey was done by Yale and Harvard confirmed. I let that do the talking. As long as I gotz me a XBOX or Playstation I can get through the dayz and becomez one of thoze people too. Jesus people there is a world out beyond your television, one where you can go hiking, reading, have a picnic and so on. Believe it or not that place you are looking at on the Discovery channel is closer then you think, go look at a mountain and read beneath it and allow your mind to expand.

Authors today have to write on a third grade educational level because people really will not read it if it's challenging. Beowulf sits on a book shelf and looks on to the large text 16 point novels and cries. Not a soul has read Hemingway since grade school and no one picks up the masters anymore. Why? Because we are to busy? Nope. It is because we look at those like punishment. Instead of allowing ourselves to be a free thinking society and allow our minds to grow and twist into intelligent wonders, we would rather let ourselves slip into the cracks like a fat greasy blob. People ask me what my wife and I do on the weekends and are shocked when I tell them we enjoy seeing the world and reading in bed as well as tossing some tiles down in scrabble or throwing a knight in chess. How can a 26 year old and a 20 year old enjoy such grown up things they ask. WHAT? How the hell does anyone actually hold a conversation. I will tell you how, they dumb themselves down. My rule is if I have to dumb down for you then I will not bother with you. And if the authors of this world responded like myself I think our literature would see a jump and maybe reclaim a foot hold in a once great field.

I even like the change in comic strips. Snoopy used to be carry political wisp and calvin and hobbes told us the joys we lost in the madness of life. Well we aint gonna listen no more a yup. Now the comics that do this are not widely spread and make no money because people hate thinking.

This thought takes me to politics, I watch CNN and what not to try to keep up on who will be trying to kill me next and I cannot believe the BS we are told. WE ARE TOLD HOW TO THINK. You know there are cultures that do this, Cuba, 1930-40's Nazi Germany and Russia. Freedom of speech does not seem to mean freedom of thought. A few may be asking if I just compared our nation to facist dictatorships or communists regimes. I did. If we continue to listen to the jokers on capital hill and this ridiculous press then yes we are no better. Vote for Obama hes neato! Vote for Clinton shes great! Welcome to the spin zone and there is only one way out, THOUGHT. You know if we all got together and declared 10+1 on our income taxes ALL OF US then the United States would have no cash income for 10 months. Think about that effect to those who only monitor the bottom line. Sometimes you must fall before you stand. I beg Americans to read and think and do what our past leaders have done and contruct a life based on principles of freedom of thought. Use your noggin.

The attempt at creating a novel must be hard enough but the completion of one must be a slow coming orgasim. I would write for what you want it to be not what the population wants because we are just going to listen to CNN and they will tell us if it is good or not. I think with enough experiments in the writing phase you could write a book on a jorney of creating a book that would never get finished and it would be great. We love reading about failures and smut. Get some smut in there. Maybe a scandal with Brittney Spears or some other bimbo celebrity. Hell make it up, we wont care. Anyway that's my thoughts....well sort of there are many more. Good luck on the page count.

-Navy Travels-

I'm right with you. The English language is decaying before our very eyes (or should that be 'eyez'). And it is not just in America. Here in Australia, I lament for the loss of our wonderful language. Spelling, grammar and punctuation seem to be becoming the sort of thing one uses if they feel like it as opposed to using it to aid comprehension.

It is a sad state of affairs, as pointed out by Navy Travels, but I am a hopeless optimist and I have faith things will go the full circle. Watching David Duchovny's character rant about this very subject in 'Californication' last night gives me hope. Not that David Duchovny is going to change the way the general populace thinks (heck, I bet most probably couldn't even follow the smart, sassy, provocative dialogue of one of the few good tv shows on at the moment). But my point is smart people, like yourself, are writing about this problem and opinions such as yours are being read by smart people such as those who have responded to this article (not that I'm egotistical enough to believe I am smart but at least I can put together a decently constructed sentence). This in turn stimulates conversation and debate and hopefully, from all this a good change will come.

Welcome to JU

Can I just say that David Duchovny totally wants to do me?

That is all.

I was not happy to learn that Australia is also plagued by poor English usage practices, it just shows that worldwide, the level of intelligent use of communications is being lowered by those who believe they have the right to do so. One thing I'd like to say here is that it isn't cool to bring a nation down when you live there and enjoy all the myriad things making that country so good to live in. At one time, America was the place to go for jobs, opportunities, and just living without the heavy thumb of oppression pressing down on you. Those days are gone. We are nation living in fear of our own citizens...upper-class whites fear lower-class blacks and browns, and the working class white people of whom I am one, fear just about everyone. Paranoia is easy to come by when it isn't just in your head, but all around you crimes are taking place with little or no oversight to halt the predatory nature of those committing these heinous activities. Navytravels points out that, "...America and Britain", "...allowed their language to slip into the hands of degenerate morons who do nothing more then watch reality television and scratch themselves for fun." Are we really afraid to offend a group of people ripping our world apart, or are we really afraid of those people ripping US apart if we do throw the light of truth upon them and illuminate the shadow world they inhabit? I think it's the latter rather than the former excuse we all use so the African-Americans, Mexicans, White racists, and other ill-bred, ill-read, ill-tempered and criminal minded lowlifes in the world won't come knocking on our doors, flexing biceps and once more showing that brawn is the proof of manhood while brains only ensures that brawn's lifestyle can exist.
What did I just say? What did it mean?
For one thing, I said that those in a position to do so are the ones destroying the English language - from the ground up. Kids listen to rappers and rappers today are working on "music" that is nothing but ragged, foul language saturated, calls for violence and sex...all wrapped in uneducated, nearly illiterate verbiage that kids listen to and emulate. Thugs are making the music that claims bitches, limos, and money are all that life has to offer, and if you don't have it then you're worthless. Kids buy into this crap because they don't have those things, or much else and it seems to them those are three things made available through robbing, dope dealing, and other criminal activities. Sex can be had through rape and kids see their heroes getting off long prison sentences only to get slapped on the wrist for raping a woman to death. They see their heroes getting off sentences for dealing dope, or robbing stores, carrying guns illegally, or other crimes to which these monarchs of the music business pay only a passing token for, and what do they think? How about, "I could do that and I will - just wait 'til I'm fourteen and you'll see."
Enough!!
We must agree with Navytravels on his assessment of things and move on...my blood pressure will become "normal" if not. (it usually runs around 90/68, so hitting 115/88 is high for me).
Moving on to dynamaso...and an answer to his statements...

Through the use of punctuation we have long been able to write far more powerful sentences, structured to convey our meaning and to even allow us the use of colorful wording without losing that meaning. What it be like if everyone, and I mean everyone...wrote as poorly as most of the people who write song lyrics for rappers, trash talkers, or Internet users? One thing for sure, we'd all need to double read everything, just to try and understand what the author was trying to say. Dropping the rules is just what these people have done with other parts of their lives, which is why so many of them have prison records, Speaking of that, prison does not make a man smarter, more broadly read, wiser, better able to deal with life outside the walls and cages, and it doesn't give any special rights to the prisoner. Breaking the rules which constitute a decent and forward moving society should not...must not...be seen as heroic anarchy, or just a way to rebel against the "man". Indeed, killing, raping, or robbing are not ways to demonstrate your point of view - they are just a way to flaunt one's ignorance of history.
Yes, I said history. Either you get it or you don't. If not...read about it in prison where you'll have plenty of time.
dynamaso is right on when he states that we can hope for improvement through the use of correct spelling, punctuation, and usage: "...in turn stimulates conversation and debate and hopefully, from all this a good change will come." I hope so, but seeing the level of the average blog writer's ability, it is also a matter of pride - spending time to check what you write and correct errors.
We should all demand better. Books should be better edited for errors and writers should demand this be so, along with the readers who purchase those books and make the publishing company's rich. It's gotten so bad every book I've read lately have spelling and punctuation errors throughout them. Clive Cussler books are the worse...the last one he wrote had enough errors in it to create a primer on the language it was written in...English!
Well done dynamaso, and thanks for joining in on the fun. At least we now have a vent for our frustrations - or to be more accurate, another vent....for those frustrations.

Hahahahaha... You're a funny lady, Tex but I think you'll find things a little different when you wake up ahahahahahaa...



Hmm, I'm not sure whether you directed this at something I said as I didn't think I said anything to warrant this statement. Having said that, I do understand what you're saying. As I said, I am an optimist. This, of course, implies a large degree of naivity, which I will happily claim. In these times, I know I could quite possibly be considered an anachronism, but at least I know what it means. But I do so love my country. I am just saddened by the loss of our optimistic nature.

So he was lying when he said he'd leave Tea for me?

Bastard!

Hehe.

You know, Toni said he said the same thing to her. I'm gonna have words with that man ahahaha...

"One thing I'd like to say here is that it isn't cool to bring a nation down when you live there and enjoy all the myriad things making that country so good to live in."
tsk...tsk...tsk...
To say this implies you feel that a nation on the skids should continue on those rails without someone speaking up out of patriotism and saying, "STOP! HOLD ON! Look what the hell is happening to the country we love and fight for on a daily basis. To do less that this is to betray the founding fathers and every patriot who gave his life, or limbs to create this great nation. It is up to the citizens...you and me my friends, to ensure this nation remains true to the vision of those who stood up and said, "ENOUGH!", taking arms and fighting for liberty and the way they perceived a nation should be run. These brave folks built a base that today is being subverted by greedy, selfish people whose only true goal is to fatten their corporate accounts and build themselves bigger mansions at the cost of our children.

I do not believe in limiting income. I want that said up front. A man/woman works hard...earning an honest salary, no one has the right to take that from them, but when that salary is earned by stealing the retirement of thousands of average workers who simply except to retire one day with a few bucks put back for food, etc., then I say "ENOUGH!" You may think it's fine to steal from the average worker and take money that doesn't belong to you, simply because you found a way to do it, but let's just expand that idea one or two notches...what if I find a way to take your goods from within your home...would you applaud me for it? I think not.

We are a nation of confused individuals, we want total freedom but have no idea what to do with it or how to act when we have it. Gangs, bangers, rappers with nothing to offer beyond hate and anarchy, criminals in white shirts as examples of leaders in Washington D.C. and our kids looking up to them because poor dad and mom are working for minimum wage in some filthy sweat shop while they pray the little the put away each paycheck in the company savings plan will carry them through retirement. Getting screwed by some fat manager in accounting who found a way to steal that retirement account, along with all the rest, is caught and gets a fine of one/tenth the amount he stole, six months in a jail with a golf course and swimming pool, visits from the wife and kids, and time off for good behavior. I say "ENOUGH!" When the President of my nation...my son's ultimate boss, doesn't have the testosterone to admit a lost cause, regardless of how good that cause my have been, I say "ENOUGH!" Three tours of Iraq, nine confirmed kills, a sniper bullet to his chest, and guess what? Not a damned thing has changed in Iraq except the situation is worse. "ENOUGH!"

There's a difference between attempting to tear down a government and simply ridding it of corruption and gross incompetence, I see extreme right AND left wingers failing to understand this constantly. Left wingers feel the nation must be in ruins and total anarchy must reign to achieve some sense of fairness for all, while the right wingers believe anyone not in their country club should be earning nothing, the richest of the rich (that 1% of the nation that controls 99% of the wealth), should be given every right to commit every nasty, inhumane deed they want, including sex with page boys-(right wing guilty), war that has no hope of being won, (right wing again), and more...but the left is just as bad. Bombing, rioting and criminal behavior warrants strong actions on the part of the government, and justly so. WE MUST find a middle ground where sense can be made of the way this nation is moving, and why it is doing so, and how can we change it, IF, as a people, we agree its direction is wrong. Right now we pretty much agree it is wrong. Changing it means some of the people who are making the matter worse should be removed. Not from life, but from any position where they might be able to influence the mighty machine of government. This isn't a call for riots or bombings or shootings or any kind of violence - it's a call to VOTE intelligently. Your vote is the means to rid those in office who are acting contrary to the founding fathers, and our, vision of the future for our country. As for crime in the streets...putting in leaders who gain NOTHING from that crime or any aspect of it, is a start. Laws must be toughened up and sentences must be given that matter, that really impact a criminal's existence. Since when did being an American mean you could rape someone and get away with it because some new cop on the beat misread the Miranda warning? I understand and agree with this warning, but the whole business of arresting someone is too confusing for the cops to follow in the heat of the moment. SO? Why not make it mandatory that every arrest is brought in, and during processing, when the accused is calmer, and the cops are calmer, the Miranda can be read to them by a lawyer of the D.A.'s office? This way every accused citizen, illegal, or green card, gets to hear the Miranda when they're ore apt to actually listen to the words and understand them. From the time of arrest to the station, ANYTHING INCLUDING A CONFESSION that the accused says is worthless in court. You see, when you're in the back of a squad car and two burly cops are screaming at you and then coming at you from different directions...it makes it impossible to think. One slip of the tongue and it's "goodbye forever" to the accused, guilty or not. So, once in the station a D.A. lawyer comes to you, reads your rights, and then the arresting cops can come in and question you with the lawyer present. I admit it would take a bit longer, but if it's speed you want, just shoot - dead - the mofo at the scene and leave it at that. \

What about writing? We're doing that too. In fact, reading the replies here I see a couple of books that could be written on political issues and even add in some random violence and a mystery or two could emerge. But, what do you all think about getting published today? Is is possible, and how does one contact the publisher you want to see your work? Also, anyone interested in co-authoring a book? Reasons for asking are personal so if you are contact me via email, thanks. Link