Focusing on Rotten Publishing

When I say that white supremacy makes for terrible readers, I mean that white supremacy is, among its myriad ills, a formative collection of fundamentally shitty reading techniques that impoverishes you as a reader, a thinker, and a feeling person; it’s an education that promises that whole swaths of the world and their liveliness will be diminished in meaning to you. Illegible, intangible, forever unreal as cardboard figures in a diorama.

They don’t know how to read us, I’ve heard fellow writer friends of color complain, usually after a particularly frustrating Q&A in which a white person has either taken offense to something in our books or in the discussion (usually the mention of whiteness at all will be enough to offend these particularly thin-skinned readers), or said something well-meaning but ultimately self-serving, usually about how their story made them feel terrible about your country.

White supremacy is a comprehensive cultural education whose primary function is to prevent people from reading—engaging with, understanding—the lives of people outside its scope. This is even more apparent in the kind of reading most enthusiastically trafficked by the white liberal literary community that has such an outsize influence, intellectually and economically, on the publishing industry today.

The unfortunate influence of this style of reading has dictated that we go to writers of color for the gooey heart-porn of the ethnographic: to learn about forgotten history, harrowing tragedy, community-destroying political upheaval, genocide, trauma; that we expect those writers to provide those intellectual commodities the way their ancestors once provided spices, minerals, precious stones, and unprecious bodies.  READ MORE...

How To Be Happy Alone

True happiness comes from within.

And while you can always turn to others for a mood boost, there's nothing quite like being content with your own company. That said, can you really be happy alone?

Yes, but it's all about perspective.

The word "alone" sometimes carries a negative connotation since many equate it to being lonely and, well, sad. However, that is simply not the case as the two words have completely different meanings.

“Feeling lonely is actually completely different from being alone. Loneliness is a feeling while being alone in a situation," Dr. Nina Vasan, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Real told TODAY.

With the right techniques, you may be able to get past this feeling of loneliness, whether you're single, going through a breakup or simply miles away from the people you love. “For example, if you’re by yourself but connecting to others through good communication or activities like volunteering, you don’t feel lonely," she said.

In fact, the ability to enjoy the joys of quality alone time may just be the greatest act of self-love. Not to mention being alone — whether by choice or circumstance — gives you time to be "introspective, creative, or engaged through activities like journaling, painting, reading a book or building something for your house."

Read on for expert-backed tips and tricks on how to be happy alone. Implement one (or all) of these techniques into your everyday life to remind yourself the happiness should always start and end with you. Who knows, you may even find that you're a better friend, partner and colleague because of it.  READ MORE...

Listening Versus Reading

Would you prefer to read a book or listen to the audio version? Your answer may depend on several variables, such as convenience or availability. The debate about the differences between reading and listening comprehension has taken center stage once again.

Besides a preference for one over the other, the most crucial question is; which of the two helps us retain vital information, improve our comprehension, and make us more efficient?

Well, it depends.

There are numerous studies and articles on the topic, most of which evaluate both methods’ effectiveness. Individual preferences and even learning disabilities can play a role.

However, there are differences in comprehension, depending on how we consume information. One example is transcribers. They must develop excellent listening skills to transfer audio conversations into a text format. Poor listening habits won’t help someone transcribe a significant legal deposition or law enforcement interview efficiently.

It’s also important to point out that there are differences between reading or listening for pleasure versus learning. Below are some examples:

Audiobooks vs. Physical Books
Do we comprehend more information if we physically read a book compared to listening to the same material?

Remember when audiobooks hit the market years ago? Futurist suggested listening would eclipse reading as our preferred learning method. It looks like books are still with us and will be for the foreseeable future.

Having access to one version gives us options when the other isn’t convenient or available. Reading a book or magazine while walking in the park or on a treadmill is often challenging. That’s when using our earbuds to listen to audiobooks or podcasts is a better method.  READ MORE...

Thoughts of an Ordinary Kind

Very few people read my blogs, especially this one so I do not really care about what I write nor do I care if you like what I write or not...  but, the sad truth is that I am going to continue to do this because I am retired and writing articles that no one is going to read gives me something to do each day.  Besides, if I did have a large following and wrote something that offended someone, the WOKE Mob would do every thing in their power to cancel me out.  Of course, I would still write until they actually convinced BLOGGER to shut me down...  and if that happened, I would go to another free blog site and start another blog that no one would read...  So, I really don't have anything to lose.

Interestingly, having nothing to lose reminds me of a serial killer who believes that if s/he kills more than one person, then the State can only kill them once.  So, the killer has nothing to lose by killing more than one person.  I thought that was a concept with a little irony since most killers would like to stay in prison all their lives rather than be put to death...  but, this one killer had a different outlook.

Today's society is screwed up and the more screwed up it becomes the more people seem to like the way the county is heading.  Personally, I don't really care one way or another.  I am tired of the roller coaster that Politicians create...  like Dems put this into place and then the GOP does the opposite and then the Dems put back into place and the GOP does the opposite.  Nothing ever gets done.

We need ONE PARTY to control America like a DEMOCRATIC DICTATORSHIP where the Democrats are elected but then they have complete authority and power because there is NO PARTY to oppose them.  The media would like that as well because it would be totally clear who to BLAME if something goes wrong, since they would no longer be able to blame the previous party.

BUT...  I do like the Dems spending money...  and the more money they spend the better I like it.  It is like having a wealthy family member who wants to share some of their wealth with the rest of the family.

Oh well...  what does it matter since no one is going to read this anyway...  Gotta run folks...  but I will be here tomorrow for a little while post more thoughts that no one will read...   Damn, you gotta love being retired.