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There were thunderstorms all this past week, which made me happy. Grey rainy days have always appealed to me more than bright blue ones. Colors seem richer, contrasted with the dark-quilted sky. I might be a scientific rationalist, so I understand the physics of a thunderstorm, but this doesn’t cheapen the magic of it. In fact, it’s a false dichotomy when people say you have to choose between being science-minded and imaginative. It’s worse than a false dichotomy… It’s mental cowardice.  The same way people are beaten into thinking that there are only two political parties in America. Those people are cult members, and there’s a lot of them about.

Sunday saw so much rain and thunder that I decided to reread one of the “Big Three” in Horror Classics. I had returned from a walk (yes, in the rain) and was thinking about Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. She was just seventeen when she stayed at Lake Geneva with Lord Byron and their circle of friends. They too had a rainy week, with thunder, and amused each other by telling ghost stories. Shelley couldn’t think of anything, until later one night when she had a nightmare. In her own words regarding that dream: “I saw the pale student of unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together. I saw the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of some powerful engine, show signs of life, and stir with an uneasy, half vital motion…”

Frankenstein is a solid read. Perhaps a slow starter, but there’s a mesmerizing richness to the story’s inherent mythos. However, I was intrigued to discover that Mary was wrong about her own story.

She considered it a morality tale – the subtitle is, after all, The Modern Prometheus. The implication is that Prometheus was wrong to steal fire from the gods; that the human race should have stayed cold and miserable in a world of darkness while high above them a self-serving petulant circle of divine brats continued to hoard the knowledge of fire. When Victor Frankenstein’s sewn-together-monstrosity begins to to stir with life, Victor takes one look at it and is repulsed by what he’s made. He flips out. He begins a long inner monologue of how the thing is evil because it looks ugly.

But here’s the contradiction. The Monster was NOT born evil. In fact, despite being shunned by his creator and upon escaping from the laboratory, it embarks on a virtuous life of helping others and trying to fit in with society. Only after discovering that everyone else in the world is obsessed with hunting it, hurting it, and destroying it does it turn aggressive.

Victor judges his creation based on its aesthetic appearance. That’s like taking one look at early experiments in flight and declaring, “Gosh, what an ugly bunch of contraptions we’ve made. There’s nothing of a bird’s elegance in this! This’ll never work! Scrap it all!”

Man’s inhumanity brought down the Monster’s vengeance. It wasn’t the act of tampering with Promethean fire. We tamper with such fire every time we give a near-sighted child a pair of glasses, each time we invent medicines or devices which help the blind see. Our agriculture, explorations, engineering, and inventiveness is all done in Prometheus’ footsteps. When winters threaten to freeze our blood, we use fire to keep us warm, cook our meats, and drive away the prowling predators. That same fire is then used to smelt ores and produce tools, to light our lighthouses, and now hums in our computers. It’s cowardice to say we shouldn’t be “messing with things.” If we didn’t, we’d still be crawling through the mud and dying from the slightest infections. The fire can be good.

Anyway, in relation to the two other “Big Horror” classics, I’d rank Frankenstein as second. Bram Stoker’s Dracula is still a triumph of imagery and fear. To this day I have yet to see a film that accurately renders this story’s nightmarish power. Some have come close (Francis Ford Coppola’s version, and the exceptional silent-film Nosferatu) but no cigar.

In last place I’d put Robert Louis Stevenson’s Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Before I explain, consider the background of how he wrote it.  He has a nightmare one night, filled with such ghastly images that his wife has to wake him because he’s screaming in his sleep. Feverish and inspired, he immediately sets about writing a novel based on the dream. When he’s done, he shows it to his wife… and she is horrified. It’s TOO ghastly, she accuses. Her and Robert get into a ferocious argument over it. It ends with him leaving the room, but a little while later he returns, brandishing the manuscript, and says, “You’re right dear!” And then he throws it into the fire! (The fire can be bad.)

Ugh! Robert! What the hell?!?

After this willful destruction, he sets about rewriting the tale as a cleaner, almost antiseptic morality tale. Don’t get me wrong — the concept is still great, and it’s a good read. But I would really have loved to see the original version, before it was watered down by Victorian sensibilities and hypocrisies. The Victorian world is amusing to me anyway, with its finely-dressed gentleman checking their fancy pocket-watches, enjoying the brandy and cigars of high society just moments before they sneak off to Whitechapel district…

The point with Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is not that we have to see the gory details of Hyde’s nocturnal cruelties. Not really. You don’t have to see Janet Leigh getting gutted in the shower in Psycho, but it would be an injustice if all the action always happened off-stage. I just really wish Robert’s earlier version was available. Sort of a Jekyll and Hyde: The Author’s Cut!

Anyway, there you have it. Personally, I consider The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde to be superior to Stevenson’s story anyway. Visceral, shocking, fun, and frightening. Wilde is in a class by himself; I don’t think I’ve encountered a more quotable writer aside from Shakespeare. And the character of Lord Henry is dynamite. He makes that novel.

The week was otherwise without munch incident, with one striking exception. Twelve hours ago I received some fantastic news. A couple months ago I sent some of my writing out to The Copperfield Review, a popular literary journal which specializes in historical fiction.

While most of the publishing world remains utterly in the dark about how to market historical novels (despite them ruling the bestseller lists and dominating Hollywood) The Copperfield Review has dived right in and enjoys a solid readership. They informed me that they’ll be publishing two of my works for their August edition! I’ll have more on that in a couple weeks!

Random Fact:

A tortoise named Tu’i Malila was given as a gift to the Tongan royal family by famed explorer Captain Cook in 1777. That same Tu’i Malila died… in 1965.

Quote of the Day:

“I will find a way, or I will make one.”

- Hannibal of Carthage

So, The Dark Knight turned out to be an excellent, if somewhat overlong, film. I saw it this past weekend, and for those who have yet to: believe all the hype about Heath Ledger; I am instantly suspicious when postmortem accolades start pouring in, but in this case it’s true. Ledger serves up a haunting, edgy, sadistic villain whose spirit is as decayed as his makeup. Every nuance, every facial tic, each creepy movement is genuine. He’s like a man who has swallowed a live wire, and enjoys the sensation of being electrocuted so much he wants to share it. It wouldn’t be a sympathy nod if Ledger was indeed nominated for an Oscar. He has given the cinematic world a rare creation.

There’s no question that Chris Nolan will do a third film. I found myself thinking about what might characterize that future installment. I think it’s time for a female villain to mix things up. Catwoman has been done and done, so my choice is Harley Quin. She could offer a nifty tribute to The Joker; since his character is locked away in an asylum (and since we’re not going to recast that role) his presence can be utilized in the next film, and continue the themes of chaos versus order. Harley, after all, was inspired to become villainous by her twisted admiration for him. It would work.

And there is also considerable material out there on Raz Algoul’s daughter. I’d build Film Three around both of them. They have the virtue of never having appeared in a Batman film yet. Batman screenwriter David Goyer has even stated that he would like to make use of villains that have yet to be portrayed.

Oh, as if there was any doubt about the actress for the role of Harley:

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I’m currently writing a new screenplay. While everyone is focused on superheroes, I’m crafting a pulp adventure story… one that draws its inspiration from the two-fisted, square-jawed heroes and dastardly villains. 1920s milieu.

I’m the author of six screenplays presently; two historical epics (one which snagged the Honorable Mention Award in the Writer’s Digest National Competition), one dark comedy, one dark fantasy, an extremely unique horror film based on the work of one of my all-time favorite writers, and my Dream Project science-fiction piece (think Bourne Ultimatum meets Blade Runner.)

So I’m working on Number Seven. Everyone’s talking about superheroes. But they came from the original pulp heroes, swashbuckling pseudo-myths like The Shadow, Doc Savage, Solomon Kane, and of course… Flash Gordon.

I miss those days. I easily would have been part of the Weird Tales writing circle, sharing stories and writing for available space in such publications as Thrilling Adventure Tales! That’s probably one of the many reasons why Raiders of the Lost Ark has always topped my favorite films (and don’t forget, Raiders was nominated for Best Picture when it was released.) Art is at least part escapism. And escapism doesn’t have to be empty; Robinson Crusoe isn’t “just an adventure story,” any more than The Count of Monte Cristo is “just a jailbreak.”

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Two other notes from this week:

My new article, “Sun Tzu Goes to Washington” came out last week. Written after rereading the famous Chinese tactician’s book, I was struck by how 2,400-year-old strategic advice is as relevant today as it was in his era. I decided to imagine what would happen if he ever dropped in on D.C.

This past weekend, my friends and I got together for our biyearly poetry event in some quiet Connecticut woods. Libations and verse, creative minds connecting, and reminding ourselves of the joy of being artists. It’s not like we choose to be. It chooses us. Unfortunately, there isn’t a viable career any more in poetry. Nonetheless, I have decided to send out a fleet of my poems to various magazines to see if anyone wants to publish them.  This weekend, I launch about forty poems to different places. Armies, go forth! 

And finally, this week celebrates Alexander the Great’s birthday. Depending on which historical source you consult, it was either July 20 or July 26. So I raise a Hellenic toast to you, Alex.

Random Fact:

There are 75,000 miles of blood vessel networks in your body.

Quote of the Day:

“By never putting anything off until tomorrow.” -Alexander the Great, on how he managed to achieve victory.

Today the new Batman film opens, and I’m excited about it. I generally hate sequels. They have a habit of screwing up everything the better original did right. But The Dark Knight looks like an exception to the rule.

Excellence is not restricted by genre. As long as a film has a strong story, capable actors, and makes us believe its reality, it doesn’t matter what the initial concept is. A cop thriller, a giant ape movie, a futuristic detective drama… excellence can raise a film to the top of its genre, and enter it into the ranks of art. There’s even been a great film about giant ants, of all things; check out 1954’s Them!

I think its interesting how superhero/action films bring back the old myths, though. Timeless concepts are given a new playground. Look at James Bond and Indiana Jones. They belong right there against the rich tapestry of global mythologies, pursuing villainous rogues, traveling to exotic locales, and narrowly escaping certain death. And neither Batman nor Bond are the first heroes who fancy gadgets; Thor had his magical hammer Mjolner, and various Greek heroes were given special swords, invisible cloaks, and winged horses in the absence of Batmobiles or Aston Martins.

Batman Begins was a well-crafted experience. Tight script, good arc. With its veneer of realism, it edges the myth closer to our world… or at least to a nearby borderworld. My argument with the earlier Batman films was that they LOOKED like set pieces. I was always cognizant that I was watching a movie; Tim Burton may be given credit for injecting grimmer colors into the mix, but otherwise his installments have not aged well.

But speaking of movies…

My brother called this week to let me know that the trailer for the documentary he’s in was just released.

My brother is the actor David Michaels. He approaches his craft with the right combination of art, heart, and science. And he works incredibly hard in pursuing his big break. Believe me, he deserves it. He’s headlined at some of the best theaters in the state, in such shows as Blood Brothers, Bat Boy, The Zoo Story, Grease, Guys and Dolls, and too many others to type without my fingers dropping off. I’m very proud of him

Well, he just finished acting in a Wolf Gang Pictures documentary called The Devil Among Us: America’s First Witch Hunt. Where did these witch-hunts happen? If you guessed Salem, you’re wrong. Connecticut is the none-too-proud owner of that ugly record. It wasn’t just pilgrims we imported from Europe… it was the wickedness of theocracy.

Check out this short snippet from the film.

Random Fact:

The average human lifespan in developed countries is about 78 years. Bristlecone pines reach ages of more than 5,000.

Quote of the Day:

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.” Mark Twain

A moment of silence for the Thylacine.

On July 10th in 1936, the Tasmanian government passed legislation protecting one of its more unique animals… a creature that had died off in the rest of the world. This was the Tasmanian marsupial wolf.

But they were a bit late… since by the time they got around to protecting the beastie, THERE WAS ONLY ONE LEFT. Just two months after the protective legislation passed, the final representative of marsupial wolves died in captivity. Seems that a careless zookeeper locked him out of his shelter, so he was exposed to extreme temperatures (hot Tasmanian day, cold Tasmanian night) and perished into eternity.

There’s some footage available of the very last Thylacine, too.

Now, some people claim to have seen surviving specimens in the wilds of Tasmania. I suppose this isn’t completely impossible. In fact, the Tasmanian wolf interests me because it is one of the more likely cryptozoological animals. Unlike Bigfoot or the chupacabra, we know the creature once existed. And unlike the alleged dinosaurs in the Congo or giant ground sloths in the Amazon, we know it existed recently.

I think it would be extremely cool if there was a remnant population surviving somewhere in the dense wilderness. I’ll need more than some spotty eyewitness accounts to convince me, though.

Alive or not, this episode should make us more aware that things do go extinct. Speaking of…

A moment of silence for another highly endangered specimen:

That’s right. In one of the most shameless displays of cowardice I’ve ever seen, the US Congress decided to pass a bill to expand the government’s illegally-begun surveillance and wiretap system. Bush signed it into law today.

The surveillance system, which has largely evaded the normal checks and balances, accountabilities, and usual channels, was begun in violation of the U.S. Constitution. What we’re seeing today is an attempt at making it all legal. Sort of like if I’ve been robbing banks across the country, then get elected, then pass laws making it okay for me to rob banks.

According to the New York Times: “Debate over the surveillance law was the one area where Democrats had held firm in opposition. House Democrats went so far as to allow a temporary surveillance measure to expire in February, leading to a five-month impasse and prompting accusations from Mr. Bush that the nation’s defenses against another strike by Al Qaeda had been weakened. But in the end Mr. Bush won out, as administration officials helped forge a deal between Republican and Democratic leaders that included almost all the major elements the White House wanted.”

It’s funny, but Democrats were handed victories in the mid-term election because of voter disapproval over Republican abuse of power, heavy spending, and corruption. But now those same Democrats are simply empowering those same Republicans. Even Barrack Obama, a statesman I truly like, compromised his expressed opposition and voted in favor of this.

Oh, and on the same day, Karl Rove defied a subpoena to appear before Congress. Just flat-out didn’t show up. I wonder what would happen to us plebeians if we ever displayed this audacity?

I’m forced to toy with the idea of an all-out Plebeian Revolt. You know, where the people of this country (We the People) rise up, kick out the parasitic politicians who brazenly ignore our Constitution while living fat off our money and don’t even bother to read the legislation they vote on. Why exactly do we put up with these clowns? Isn’t the best way to get rid of ticks to grab them by the head, and pull?

Guess that’s why I’ve been a lifelong non-partisan. Agree with some things on the conservative side, some things on the liberal side, and many things in between, above, and beyond. That’s why I write for the Populist Party, because they make the shocking declaration that politicians should adhere to our founding principles:

From “Contract with America: The Bill of Rights” by Steve Osborn, a fellow Populist Party writer:

• Without the First Amendment, newspapers could only print the “party line” or be suppressed. Books and plays would be censored or banned. We might have to attend the State Authorized Religion, or be forbidden to attend any other form of worship, or any worship at all. We could even have a church telling us how to live, backed up with government force! We would have no right of public assembly or protest, nor could we petition the government for a redress of grievances.
• Without the Second Amendment, we would be a completely disarmed populace, at the mercy of government troops or security forces.
• Without the Third Amendment, the government could quarter troops in your home without your consent.
• Without the Fourth Amendment, the government’s security force or military could search your home at will, without a warrant, confiscate your papers and property, monitor your communications and phone conversations without your ever knowing about it.
• Without the Fifth Amendment, you could be picked up, your property confiscated, you could be held incommunicado for an indefinite time without legal counsel and could be forced to testify against yourself.
• Without the Sixth Amendment, your could be held for an indefinite period, without charge, and without being told why you’re being held. Your trial, if any, could be held in secret without your being able to confront your accusers or examining any evidence, nor would you have the right to legal counsel.
• Without the Seventh Amendment, in civil suits, you would not have the right of trial by jury.
• Without the Eighth Amendment, there would be no limit on the amount of bail set or fines imposed, and any cruel punishment could be meted out, even death by torture.
• Without the Ninth Amendment, any rights not spelled out would be forfeit to the government.
• Without the Tenth Amendment, the People of the United States would have no powers reserved to themselves, it would all lie with the State.

Call me old-fashioned. I enjoy the fact that the Constitution is the supreme law of our land. That it is a secular document founded on Greco-Roman principles of democracy. And that I’ve actually read the thing, cover to cover, so I know what the hell I’m talking about.

The Cato Institute offers handy pocket-sized editions. My recommndation is that every American should read it… at least before it’s designated EC-10. Get a copy here.

Random Fact:

July is named for Julius Caesar (whose birthday is July 13.) It used to be called Quintillus.

Quote of the Day:
It is sobering to reflect that one of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous citizen these days is to go about repeating the very phrases which our founding fathers used in the struggle for independence. – Charles A. Beard

A muggy week in CT, but an exciting one… and not just because of the new Bond movie trailer. I received a phone call Monday from an acquisitions fellow at the McGraw-Hill publishing company. They are one of the bigger publishers of textbooks in the world. Back in 2004, The Humanist published an article I wrote on how civil liberties are being systematically reduced by the two-punch assault of government and corporate entities. From Walmart stitching RFID chips into their products, to the government pushing the National ID card and PATRIOT ACT onto us, some core freedoms are being stolen.

The article was well-received, and is still responsible for a good percentage of mail I get (both the good and bad.) It was even required reading for the National Debate on civil liberties conducted by H. W. Wilson.

So this guy from McGraw Hill wants to republish the article in an upcoming anthology. A little negotiation, and the deal was signed.

Even more exciting is that one of my articles was accepted for publication at Strange Horizons!

They are a cutting-edge, award-winning magazine of science-fiction and speculation. I’ve been trying to break in for a while now… so I’m absolutely delighted! My piece examined a what-if question in history. What if such-and-such had happened? How would history have unfolded differently? More on that later. The article is scheduled for a Fall 08 publication date.

My girlfriend and I are making our way through all of Alfred Hitchcock’s films. There is an immediacy in his directorial technique which is very engaging. While I agree that Psycho is probably his most accomplished work, I have always loved Vertigo. Also on my favorites list is North by Northwest, Saboteur, and The Birds. Rear Window is refreshing in the way it makes use of an extremely small set (though Hitchcock’s movie Lifeboat has the all-time Hollywood record… as well as the cleverest Hitchcock cameo ever!)

I understand that they are remaking The Birds, with Naomi Watts starring. I am not a fan of sequels or remakes as a general rule. Sequels and remakes usually screw up everything they are trying to recreate. Fact is, I can only think of six films which ever produced a sequel as-good-or-better than the original, and in the remake department the list is even shorter: Two. So we’ll see…

Ok, some random thoughts on July 3:

* Franz Kafka was born on July 3 in 1883. Seven years later on the same day, July 3 is again immortalized when Idaho becomes the 43rd state of the union and immediately cranks out my favorite source of Vitamin C — the potato.

* The potato, of course, was already immortalized by the Irish Potato Famine which ended in 1852, the same year that Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published by Harriet Beecher Stowe.

* Stowe died on July 1 in Hartford Connecticut, about a half hour from my house. Hartford was the location of one of the deadliest fires in U.S. History — on July 6, 1944 — in what is known as the Hartford Circus Fire. That same year, George Stephen Morrison graduated from Flight School in Pensacola, Florida. George is best known for having a son named Jim.

* And that son — Jim Morrison — died on July 3, 1971, eighty-eight years after Kafka was born on the same day.

Of course, 88 is the year that Roman poet Valerius Flaccus died. Flaccus wrote a Latin version of The Argonautica, which was the basis of the movie Jason and the Argonauts showcasing the special effects of one of my heroes, Ray Harryhausen. And how old will Ray be next June?

88.

Random Fact:

151 years before they were discovered, author Jonathan Swift wrote in Gulliver’s Travels that the planet Mars had two moons, and even gave their correct distances from the main planet. He was also extremely close on the exact rotational orbit of the moon Phobos. No one can explain how he figured this.

Quote of the day:

We have it in our power to begin the world over again.
- Thomas Paine