Just a few days ago, our temperatures were in the 70s. Then, this crazy weather surprised us by dropping five inches of snow on us. Plus Arctic temperatures that felt like ZERO! It was time to fire up Big Orange and snowblow the driveway and all the neighborhood sidewalks.
How’s the weather in your neighborhood?
Tim Harford shows how statistics and be used–and misused. He uses a quote to introduce a factor that skews statistics. “As Donald Trump’s former right-hand man Steve Bannon infamously told writer Michael Lewis: ‘The Democrats don’t matter. The real opposition is the media. And the way to deal with them is to flood the zone with shit.'” (p. 13). Making up “Fake News” and inventing statistics can overwhelm rational analysis.
Statistical analysis is only as good as the data being analyzed. In the 2016 Presidential Election, voters were unsettled by events–like the Justice Department probe into Hillary Clinton’s emails–and opinion polls didn’t reflect the actual state of the race. “Both problems hit U.S. pollsters in the notorious 2016 election, when the polls seemed to put Hillary Clinton ahead of Donald Trump in the swing states that would decide the contest. There was a late swing toward Trump, and also the same kind of non-response bias that had doomed the 2015 UK polls: it turned out to have been easier for pollsters to find Clinton supporters than Trump supporters.” (p. 147)
When used correctly, statistics can be a powerful tool. But today with all kinds of misinformation and hacking and data manipulation by Bad Actors, it is harder than ever to achieve accurate results. GRADE: B+
Introduction – How To Lie With Statistics 1
Rule 1 Search Your Feelings 19
Rule 2 Ponder Your Personal Experience 47
Rule 3 Avoid Premature Enumeration 65
Rule 4 Step Back And Enjoy The View 87
Rule 5 Get The Backstory 105
Rule 6 Ask Who Is Missing 135
Rule 7 Demand Transparency When The Computer Says No 153
Rule 8 Don’t Take Statistical Bedrock For Granted 185
Rule 9 Remember That Misinformation Can Be Beautiful, Too 213
Rule 10 Keep An Open Mind 239
The Golden Rule Be Curious 265
Acknowledgments 281
Notes 285
Credits 307
Index 309
What was the state of Science Fiction in 1984? The answers can be found in THE SCIENCE FICTION SOURCE BOOK edited by David Wingrove. Wingrove provides several sections to give a wide range of information to the reader (just check out the Table of Contents below).
The book begins with an introduction by Brian Aldiss on the history of SF, following from his earlier Billion Year Spree (1973) and preparing for his revision of it with Wingrove as Trillion Year Spree (1986).
Then there are 40 pages on SF sub-genres by Brian Stableford (my favorite part of the book!):
I enjoyed the 10 superb vignettes by leading writers (Bradbury, Cowper, Le Guin, Silverberg, Sladek, Tuttle, Wolfe, Zelazny) revealing their own writing habits. While the pieces by Wingrove and Malcolm Edwards on sf publishing and criticism are informative, given the 1984 publishing date, these analysis’s are good for historical value only.
Finally, there’s the superbly grumpy and negative afterword by Kingsley Amis on why none of it is any good, at least none that has been published since his own New Maps of Hell in 1960.
THE SCIENCE FICTION SOURCE BOOK is a consumer’s guide to 880 novelists and more than 2000 works; a brief history of science fiction; 15 sub-genres of Science Fiction, analysis of major works; verbal pictures of science fiction writers at work while 12 writers explain their methods; a status report on science fiction publishing and checklist of science fiction magazines; science fiction criticism and checklist of critical works. Highly recommended! GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
I found this 3-CD set of Linda Ronstadt songs in a local thrift store for a dollar. These 30 SONGS from this 2009 collection include most of Lonstadt’s hits from “You’re No Good” to “Blue Bayou.” Ronstadt charted 38 US Billboard Hot 100 singles. Twenty-one of those singles reached the top 40, ten reached the top 10, and one reached number one (“You’re No Good“).
Ronstadt skyrocketed to fame in the 1970s with the release of her multi-platinum, chart-topping albums “Heart Like a Wheel,” “Simple Dreams” and “Living in the USA,” which cemented her status as one of the decade’s leading musical stars.
One of the most successful female singers of all time, Ronstadt has released 29 studio albums and sold over 100 million records across the genres of rock and roll, country and Latin music. Dubbed the “First Lady of Rock,” Ronstadt is the only female artist to have released five consecutive platinum albums. Ronstadt is the recipient of 11 Grammy Awards, including a lifetime achievement award.
Diane and I saw Linda Ronstadt in concert in Buffalo in 1983 at Shea’s Performing Arts Center. Of course, it was a sell-out. Ronstadt delivered a rousing concert and earned plenty of applause. Beautiful voice and beautiful songs!
In a 2022 interview with “Today,” Ronstadt explained that she learned she was suffering from progressive supranuclear palsy, an incurable brain disorder similar to Parkinson’s disease.
I’ve been a fan of Linda Ronstadt and her music since the early 1970s. Are you a Linda Ronstadt fan? Do you have a favorite song?
TRACK LIST:
| -1 | Silver Threads And Golden Needles Written-By – Reynolds*, Rhodes | |
| 1-2 | Poor, Poor Pitiful Me Written-By – Warren Zevon | |
| 1-3 | Tracks Of My Tears Written-By – Tarplin*, Robinson*, Moore* | |
| 1-4 | Love Is A Rose Written-By – Neil Young | |
| 1-5 | That’ll Be The Day Written-By – Holly*, Allison*, Petty | |
| 1-6 | Blue Bayou Written-By – Melson*, Orbison | |
| 1-7 | Someone To Lay Down Beside Me Written-By – Karla Bonoff | |
| 1-8 | Love Has No Pride Written-By – Kaz*, Titus | |
| 1-9 | It’s So Easy Written-By – Holly*, Petty | |
| 1-10 | Different Drum Band – The Stone Poneys Featuring – Linda Ronstadt Written-By – Mike Nesmith*Band | |
| 2-1 | Tumbling Dice Written-By – Richards*, Jagger | |
| 2-2 | Back In The U.S.A. Written-By – Chuck Berry | |
| 2-3 | Ooh Baby Baby Written-By – Robinson*, Moore | |
| 2-4 | Just One Look Written-By – Payne*, Carroll* | |
| 2-5 | Hurt So Bad Written-By – Hart*, Weinstein*, Randazzo | |
| 2-6 | Heat Wave Written-By – Holland*, Holland*, Dozier | |
| 2-7 | You’re No Good Written-By – Clint Ballard Jr. | |
| 2-8 | Get Closer Written-By – Jonathan Carroll | |
| 2-9 | I Knew You When Written-By – Joe South | |
| 2-10 | Long, Long Lime Written-By – Gary White | |
| 3-1 | When Will I Be Loved Written-By – Phil Everly | |
| 3-2 | When Something Is Wrong With My Baby Featuring – Aaron Neville Written-By – Porter*, Hayes | |
| 3-3 | Someone To Watch Over Me Written-By – Gershwin*, Gershwin | |
| 3-4 | All My Life Featuring – Aaron Neville Written-By – Karla Bonoff | |
| 3-5 | How Do I Make YouWritten-By – Billy SteinbergWritten-By – Billy Steinberg | |
| 3-6 | When I Grow To Old To Dream Written-By – Hammerstein II*, Romberg | |
| 3-7 | What’s NewWritten-By – Haggart*, Burke*Written-By – Haggart*, Burke* | |
| 3-8 | Easy For You To Say Written-By – Jimmy Webb | |
| 3-9 | Don’t Know Much Featuring – Aaron Neville Written-By – Mann*, Weil*, Snow* | |
| 3-10 | Winter Light Written-By – Kaz*, Ronstadt*, Preisner |
In the run-up to St. Patrick’s Day, I decided to give a nod to my Irish heritage by reading The Oxford Book of Irish Short Stories. I’ve had this book on my shelf for years so this seemed like the Right Time to finally read it. William Trevor does an excellent job selecting stories for this book. Trevor omitted George Bernard Shaw and Sean O’Casey “because they conveyed their ideas more skillfully in another medium; and Samuel Beckett…for the same reason.” (p. xvi)
Of the writers Trevor includes, James Joyce’s “The Dead,” Joyce Cary’s “Bush River,” Liam O’Flaherty’s “The Pelar’s Revenge and “The Fanatic” stood out to me. Trevor doesn’t hesitate to include more than one story for some of the authors.
The stories in The Oxford Book of Irish Short Stories are arranged chronologically so the development of Irish literature is on display. If you’re interested in wonderful short stories with a wide variety of styles and sensibilities, I highly recommend you try The Oxford Book of Irish Short Stories. Do you have a favorite Irish writer? GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
INTRODUCTION — ix
Hour of death — 1
Fionn in search of his youth — 2
Cromwell and the friar — 3
Girl and the sailor — 9
Four-leafed shamrock and the cock — 11
Cow that ate the piper [folk-tales edited and translated from the Irish by Sean O’Sullivan] — 12
Conal and Donal and Taig [folk-tale translated and retold by Seumas MacManus] — 14
Adventures of a strolling player / Oliver Goldsmith — 19
Limerick gloves / Maria Edgeworth — 27
Death of a devotee / William Carleton — 52
Brown man / Gerald Griffin — 73
Green tea / Sheridan Le Fanu — 78
Albert Nobbs / George Moore — 109
Sphinx without a secret / Oscar Wilde — 152
Philippa’s fox-hunt / E. E. Somerville & Martin Ross — 157
Priest / Daniel Corkery — 172
Weaver’s grave / Seumas O’Kelly — 182
The Dead / James Joyce — 228
My little black ass / Padraic O Conaire — 267
Triangle / James Stephens — 271
Bush river / Joyce Cary — 277
The Pedlar’s revenge / Liam O’Flaherty — 287
The Fanatic / Liam O’Flaherty — 300
Her table spread / Elizabeth Bowen — 311
The Faithless wife / Sean O’Faolain — 319
The Sugawn chair / Sean O’Faolain — 338
Guests of the nation / Frank O’Connor — 342
The Majesty of the law / Frank O’Connor — 354
Pastorale / Patrick Boyle — 363
The Hare-lip / Martin O Cadhain — 375
The Poteen maker / Michael McLaverty — 382
The Ring / Bryan MacMahon — 388
Sarah / Mary Lavin — 392
Desert Island / Terence De Vere White — 401
The Pilgrims / Benedict Kiely — 412
Weep for our pride / James Plunkett — 425
Loser / Val Mulkerns — 437
The Bird I fancied / Aidan Higgins — 445
Death in Jerusalem / William Trevor — 455
The Diviner / Brian Friel — 471
An Occasion of sin / John Montague — 482
Irish revel / Edna O’Brien — 495
First conjugation / Julia O’Faolain — 515
The Beginning of an idea / John McGahern —
Life drawing / Bernard Mac Laverty — 541
Airedale / Desmond Hogan — 553
ACKLOWLEGEMENTS — 565
INDEX OF AUTHORS — 569
Diane and I and a group of our friends went to Desiderio’s Dinner Theater to see Neil Simon’s I Ought to Be in Pictures, a play from 1980.
The play begins with a knock on the door. Steffy Blondell (played by Lisa Hinca) opens the door and finds a 19-year-old girl, Libby Tucker (played by Reagan Zuber). Libby has traveled from New York City to West Hollywood to visit her father, Herb Tucker (David Lundy). Herb walked out on his wife, daughter, and son 16 years ago.
When Herb wakes up from his nap, he’s stunned that his daughter is in his bungalow. Herb has written scripts for movies and TV shows over those 16 years and now Libby–who has decided to be an actress and be in movies–wants her father to get her into the movie business.
While Herb is trying to get his head around this unexpected visit from his daughter, he has to deal with his girlfriend, Steffy, who works as a make-up artist for a major Hollywood studio (she has applied make-up to Meryl Streep’s face–Libby’s favorite actress!). Steffy and Herb have been dating for two years and Steffy, with her two children, wants more from Herb. Herb, of course, thinks things are Perfect.
Neil Simon puts Herb through the wringer as he has to deal with his teenage daughter–who speaks with her dead grandmother daily–and his wonderful girlfriend who is considering “moving on” if Herb can’t commit. On top of all of this, Herb contends with Writer’s Block.
Amid the comic moments in I Ought to Be in Pictures, there are some very moving moments as Herb realizes how much he has missed by being absent from his daughter’s life for 16 years. And, long-suffering Steffy, brought a tear to my eye when she tells Herb they are not getting younger and frivolous sex does not cement a relationship. She’s dating another guy.
I Ought to Be in Pictures is not top-shelf Neil Simon, but it was ideal for the Dinner Theater audience. Plenty of laughs as Herb’s world is turned upside down, some tears as the characters in this play grow closer, and a typical Neil Simon conclusion. Are you a Neil Simon fan? GRADE: B
“Right now, a comedian can perform a joke in front of three hundred people, film it, and have it watched as part of a special by 5 million people on Netflix, record it and have it listened to by 300,000 people on Spotify, clip it and have it watched by 1.2 million people on YouTube, 640,000 people on Instagram, and 1.1 million on TikTok. This is what adapting to the audience looks like today, and the audience responds accordingly.” (p. 50)
Jesse David Fox is a senior editor at Vulture, where he works as the site’s comedy critic. Fox loves comedy and studies it through interviews with comedians. Fox’s new book, The Comedy Book, not only dissects jokes and stand-up routines, but goes into detail on key movers and shakers in the comedy world. Here’s Fox on Adam Sandler:
“Between 1995 when he came out with Billy Madison, and 2015, when he started making movies exclusively for Netflix, Adam Sandler starred in seventeen live-action movies that each grossed more than one hundred million dollars worldwide. During that 20 year period, that’s more hits than Ben Stiller made, more than Jim Carrey, more than Will Ferrell, more than Julia Roberts, more than Will Smith, more than Tom Cruise. It’s tied with Tom Hanks…” (p. 58)
Fox explores the various elements of comedy from adjusting to an audience to the timing of a joke. It becomes apparent that Fox prefers “cerebral” comedy. This leads him to focus on one of his favorite comedy TV shows:
“Getting through a lot of the early writing about The Simpsons, the Harvard of it all stand out. While none of the show’s three creators went to Harvard (Matt Groening went to Evergreen State College, James L. Brooks dropped out of NYU, and Sam Simon went to Stanford), four of the original seven staff writer did (Al Jean, Mike Weiss, Jon Vitti, George Meyer). Season 2 include writing from two more Harvards (Jeff Martin and Nell Scovell). Seasons 4 and 5 brought on another four (Conan O’Brien, Bill Oakley, Dan McGrath). In 2021, Harvard Magazine reported that over thirty writers from the show were Harvard alumni.” (p. 68)
Fox covers all the major comedians: Jerry Seinfeld, Louis C.K., Chris Rock, Kevin Hart, Richard Pryor, Amy Schumer, Dave Chappelle, Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Ellen DeGeneres, Bill Cosby, and over a dozen more. If you’re interested in comedy and how the magic works, read The Comedy Book. Who is your favorite comedian? GRADE: B+
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Comedy — 3
Audience — 24
Funny — 51
Timing — 73
Politics — 99
Truth — 127
Laughter — 161
The line — 189
Context — 232
Community — 263
Connection — 297
Notes — 317
Acknowledgements — 335
Index — 339
Diane and I went to the State University of New York at Buffalo Music School to see Jason Vieaux, the gifted guitarist, perform in their acoustically perfect hall.
Here are the notes from the performance program: “Buffalo native and Grammy-winner Jason Vieaux, ‘among the elite of today’s classical guitarists’ (Gramophone), is described by NPR as ‘perhaps the most precise and soulful classical guitarist of his generation.’ In appearances from New York’s Lincoln Center to Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and the Seoul Arts Center, Jason Vieaux has cemented his reputation as an artist of brilliance and uncompromised mastery. Cited for his ‘eloquent and vibrant performances’ on disc (Gramophone Magazine) he is hailed as ‘virtuosic, flamboyant, dashing and, sometimes ineffably lyrical’ (New York Times) on stage.”
The sold-out audience rewarded the exquisite playing by Vieaux with plenty of applause. The range of music from Bach to Brouwer to Metheny to Rush just shows Vieaux’s range. Vieaux told the audience, before he played his Encore, that he was invited to a fund-raiser at one of the music schools he teaches at. The Dean asked Vieaux to prepare a short piece for one of the big Canadian donors. “Do you know something he might like?” Dean asked Vieaux tentatively. “I grew up on the Canadian/U.S. border and heard plenty of Canadian music on Canadian radio stations,” Vieaux relied. “I’ll have something our Canadian donor will like.” And, it was Rush’s “Closer to the Heart.” The donor was delighted, and so were we. Do you like guitar music? GRADE: A
Four Paths of Light: Bach to Metheny
J.S. Bach – Cello Suite #1, BWV 1007 (arr. Vieaux)
Leo Brouwer – El Decameron Negro
INTERMISSION
Pat Metheny – Four Paths of Light -composed for and dedicated to Mr. Vieaux
J.S. Bach – Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Minor, BWV 1001 (arr. Vieaux)
ENCORE
RUSH — “Closer to the Heart” — Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson Lyrics: Neil Peart and Peter Talbot
“Harry Turtledove: Judy Tarr was complaining in a letter in 1988 that the cover art for a historical fantasy novel she had coming out was as anachronistic as Robert E. Lee with an Uzi. I looked at that and admired it. When I wrote back, I printed out the letter and added a handscrawl PS under my signature: ‘Who would want to give Robert El Lee an Uzi? Time-traveling South Africans, maybe? If I write it, I’ll give you an acknowledgement.’…And that’s how Guns of the South happened, and how I got to quit my day job. Thanks, Judy…” (p.104)
Jack Dann’s book could have been titled The Fiction Reader’s Guide to Alternate History. Alternate History is a genre where Japan and Germany win World War II as in Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle. I quoted Harry Turtledove above because he’s written over a dozen Alternate History novels and his first big hit, Guns of the South, has the South winning the Civil War with the help of modern automatic weapons. Decades earlier, Ward Moore wrote Bring the Jubilee which also had the South triumphant.
I’ve read a fair number of Alternate History books over the years and have enjoyed many of them. In THE FICTION WRITER’S GUIDE TO ALTERNATE HISTORY, practitioners of Alternate History writing discuss their approach, methods, and craft (check the list of authors included in Chapter Six below). Fascinating stuff!
As a result of reading THE FICTION WRITER’S GUIDE TO ALTERNATE HISTORY I came away with a long list of Alternative History books I want to read. If you read THE FICTION WRITER’S GUIDE TO ALTERNATE HISTORY, I’m sure you will, too. Are you a fan of Alternate History? GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. A Few Introductory Notes and Thoughts About Alternate History and the Slippery Slope of Fiction — 1
2. Let’s Examine What We’re Talking About — 3
– Definitions and Divergence Points
– ‘Alternate History’ and Science Fiction: a Potted History
– Model making…
3. Are we really Theorizing about History and Morality and Choice? — 19
– How To Bring Your Readers Up To Speed
– Thinking About History…and Your Readers
4. Taking a Break From Me: “White City” by Lewis Shiner — 29
5. Craft Problems and Solutions — 35
– Deconstructing Tesla and Assembling the Counterfactual Fiction Writer’s Toolbox
– A Quick Inventory
6. The Tactics of Creating Counterfactual Texts: a Roundtable Q & A — 55
With Kim Stanley Robinson, William Gibson, Pamela Sargent, Harry Turtledove, John Crowley, Michael Bishop, , Lisa Goldstein, John Kessel, John Birmingham, Barry N. Malzberg, Janeen Webb, Bruce Sterling, Mark Shirrefs, Christopher Priest, Terry Bisson, Mary Rosenblum, Michael Swanwick, Paul Di Filippo, Richard Harland, Howard Waldrop, Lewis Shiner, and George Zebrowski
7. A Very Personal Meditation On Writing: Or How I Do It…and Think About It — 125
8. A Very Few Last Words About…You — 141
Bibliography — 143
About the Author — 152
About the Contributors — 154
Index — 162