How Do They Know It's Really for Life?

I was watching a commercial talking about a contest where one could win Super Bowl tickets for life. I wondered, how would they know how long the person lived? For any contest, including the lottery, if you win a lifetime of money, or tickets, is there a person who checks?

If the company or lottery didn't check, the winner could be dead for years. Their family could be keeping the money or winnings indefinitely. How would the company know otherwise?

That would be an interesting job. Keep track of every person who has won a lifetime of anything, and make sure the person is still alive. He or she would have a list of these people and companies. A computer program would search all newspapers to see the name of a lifetime winner. If that person was found to be deceased, the staff person on behalf of the company would contact the executor and tell them the winner is no longer eligible due to death.

The person would also have to check social security benefits, pensions, etc. for confirmation of death. Otherwise, how long would it take a company to find out they have been paying money to a dead person for years?

Juan Williams is Wrong

Fox News Commentator Juan Williams made the news again this week by stating that extending unemployment benefits for America's jobless would weaken their value systems. Read Williams' words in Dr. Boyce Watkins’ blog on http://www.blackvoices.com/ :

"Because employers, potential employers, will look and see that gee, they've been out forever, it doesn't make sense. And I think that's partly playing in to this cycle. And at some point then it becomes a matter of you lose your work ethic, your values are impacted, you know, getting up, showing up, dressing well, all that good stuff. So I don't know that that's smart."

He’s making two million dollars at Fox. Are they telling him what to write? He has lost his moral compass when he says that extending unemployment benefits will not benefit the poor. Clearly he has never had to live off of them. They do not cover any of the bills a person needs to pay to stay out of the poorhouse.

Millions of people will lose their unemployment benefits if Congress does not vote to extend them. I find this attitude during the holidays to be irresponsible on their part. They are holding up our benefits in exchange for receiving tax cuts for the rich. I guess that includes Juan Williams. He knows where his next meal is coming from. He doesn’t have to worry about paying the mortgage and utility bills. Isn’t that why he defected to Fox News? Now that he is financially solvent, he dares to talk about what poor people will do with $250 a week in benefits.

Mr. Williams, take the hand out of your back, and stop being a dummy for Fox News. You just might feel better about yourself.

Another Nanowrimo Success!

Finished my 50,342 words before the end of the month. Another certificate earned! Proud of myself, but now it's time to go past the first rough drafts of the last 3 books I started. This book, "Repairman Blues" was very difficult to write. Mainly because I had a lot of trouble thinking like a man for a month.

I also tried to take my writing to a higher level of quality. It was a difficult process, given that I had to learn character development and write fuller, more complex characters in 30 days. Still, I was excited when I was able to bring the characters past a one dimentional theme.

I plan to go back to my last 2 rough drafts and finish them, using what I have learned about making characters more real. They each have female main characters, and they better reflect where I am in my writing growth. Plan to start next week with the goal of completing one book next year.

Down to the Nanowrimo Wire!

I am very close to completing my third 50,000 word first draft book with http://www.nanowrimo.org/. I anticipate finishing my book by the end of the month.

This has been a very different and enlightening experience for me. I continued to read web sites about character development, creating character personalities, and how to write to excite the readers to continue through to the end. While doing this, I began to enjoy writing the book more and more each day.

I am now living my book, living the characters, constantly thinking about how the characters are growing and exploring their lives. The book is real to me.

Five Top Safety Tips for Long Distance Driving

You are going on a long distance road trip of six hours or more. Let’s assume that you have done all of your preliminary planning and organizing work. Your car is clean, tuned up and inspected; your cell phone is powered and in a place you can get to in an emergency. Your spare tire is in good shape; your gas tank is full; and you have all the travel maps you need to get to your destination.

The goal of long distance driving is to get to your destination safely. We all know someone who says, “The time to get there is usually six hours; I did it in four and a half!” Speed should not be your primary focus. If you focus on getting there in the fastest amount of time, mistakes and errors in judgment can be made. Here are five tips to reach your destination in one piece.

1. Have a Current AAA Plus Membership Card with you.

This annual membership provides 24-hour roadside service. The regular card will only transport your car to the nearest repair shop, give a battery charge, or change a tire for a fee of under $50. The AAA Plus card provides additional services. They will tow you for 100 miles for free, a definite convenience for long distance driving. The AAA plus also allows free fuel service, and a $750 traffic accident continuation trip if you are 50 miles or more from home.

2. Do Not Use Cruise Control.

Long distance driving can have a hypnotic and fatiguing effect. Cruise control emphasizes and enhances that effect. Especially if you are tired, cruise control’s ability to stay at the same speed can quickly lull you into sleep. Your eyes can close at that critical moment when traffic slows down, and you’re still driving at 70 miles per hour. Lose control of the car, and you have an accident waiting to happen. Drive the car on your own so you can speed up or stop at a moment’s notice as needed.

3. Do Not Eat Heavy Food during the trip.

You are going to be sitting and stationary for several hours at a time. Fast food in your stomach will give you a bloated and heavy feeling. Heavy and greasy food like double cheeseburgers, French fries, pizza, fried chicken and biscuits will contribute to the desire to take a nap. Better to eat light  food like salads, soup, fruit cups and juice during the trip to keep your head clear. Coffee or hot chocolate is always a safe bet for long distance driving.

4. Stop and Get Rest in a

Safe Place

.

Contrary to popular belief, boyfriends and husbands, long distance driving demands frequent rest stops. Fatigue can overtake you quickly, especially if you only watch the road in front of you instead of taking in the scenery while you drive. Be aware of overall discomfort, muscle aches in the neck, arms and shoulders. This is your body telling you it needs a break.

When your gas tank is half empty, take bathroom and gasoline breaks at the same time. Stop in the refreshment area, walk around, clear your head, get some food, and then take a nap. Never park in the outskirts of a rest stop; park near another car or truck. Parking next to a van with a traveling family is always a safe bet. Park in front of a fast food restaurant, and then go to sleep. You may be surprised to see another driver next to your car doing the same thing!

5. Listen to Fast, Upbeat Music.

This is not the time to listen to classical music or talk radio. Unless the topic is something that excites you, talk radio can lower your alertness. Instead, listen to upbeat music, especially anything that makes you want to sing along. Play music you haven’t heard before, like Hip Hop, Salsa, or Reggae. Change the radio station whenever you reach a new state. Bring some tapes you enjoy, or have a tape made of fast, stimulating music just for your long distance drives.

Long distance driving can and should be a fun experience. The quality of the drive should be better than the quantity of arriving at your destination quickly, but exhausted. Use these tips on your next trip, and see the change in your driving attitude.

Where is the Passion?

I am having a really hard time working on my nanowrimo book. I've been distracted, frustrated, discouraged by writer's block, and just not passionate toward the book.

I think it may be the subject matter. My main character seems to have so many problems. I could be identifying with Al Jones a little too much. Knowing there is a time deadline isn't helping.

Third Year of Namowrimo

Monday, November 1st begins my third year of participation in the http://www.nanowrimo.org/ writing web site. The goal is to write 50,000 words of a first draft novel in 30 days.

I have a novel idea that I have been reluctant to pursue. I think it's time to set it all on paper. Also, in the past years, I have written 2 first draft novels with nanowrimo, but never finished writing the books. My goal this year is to go all the way to the first draft, to 80,000-10,000 words, to finished manuscript, to marketing it to an agent.

I am really nervous about this year's competition. Usually that means that I am placing high expectations. I guess that's good, because my nerves will keep me focused and more disciplined.

Asssimilationism in A Raisin in The Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

When one assimilates, does it improve the quality of life, or does it sacrifice or damage the spirit and soul of the person who accepts the culture of another ethnicity? This is the dilemma of A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry.

In her play set in the 1950's, there is an African American family living not very well in the South Side of Chicago. Their apartment is clean, but it is dark, small, cramped with five people, and in need of paint and repair.

Mrs. Younger and her husband believed that patience was a key element in working toward a new life. They worked hard for many years, one eventually dying, the other retired in pursuit of that dream. Mr. Younger's expected $10,000 life insurance check would help the family finally achieve the dreams of the parents. Mrs. Younger believes that leaving the ghetto to a house in the suburbs will help the family's quality of life. She seeks assimilation for a higher level and standard of living, not just daily survival. That assimilation also happens to be in a white neighborhood, a fact that appalls the entire family.

Each family member has his or her own dream of what should be done with the money. Walter Lee, the son, wants to assimilate most of all. His dream of owning a liquor store is the epicenter of the play. Every family member is forced to respond to Walter Lee's business ambition. It's all he talks about every day. Coincidentally, it involves a substantial financial investment with his other partners.

Walter Lee, who must chauffeur his boss around all day every day, has no patience to wait for his dream to be fulfilled. He is tired of working for The Man, and wants his own business. His dream to assimilate is so powerful, he overlooks who he is dealing with, the details of the liquor store business investment, and the possibility that one person's dream is another man's hustle.

The daughter Beneatha swears she does not want to assimilate. However, her foot stays firmly in both worlds, safe either way she chooses. She is not studying to be a schoolteacher, the traditional career for African Americans in those days. She has not entered missionary service. Rather, she attends medical school. Her boyfriend George Murchinson, an African American man, is so far assimilated that he taunts Beneatha about her stand against it. Yet, she continues to date him. Despite flirting with an African suitor who encourages her to seek her African roots, Beneatha's dream is to use the insurance money to finish medical school.

Ruth, Walter Lee's wife, just wants a better life. She wants to support her husband's dreams, but also believes that Mrs. Younger should decide what to do with the insurance money. Discovering she is pregnant, she stays quiet about it. Fearing that a baby may tear the already stressed out family apart, and feeling strangled by her cramped and impoverished life, Ruth almost has an abortion. Unlike most of the adults, she ultimately finds the strength to stick to her values.

Each member almost succumbs to their desires, sinking to new lows. To Mama's horror, Beneatha declares she does not believe in God; Walter Lee can't tell his wife not to have an abortion when she tells him she is pregnant again. He also takes the bulk of Mrs. Younger's insurance money and invests it with his partner Willie Harris, who leaves town with it.

In the end, Mama's aspiration of homeownership in the suburbs prevails over each member of the family's selfish and competing dreams. At least for this family, assimilationism seems to be the right decision. It appears to have saved them, just in time.