Struggles
Rich Lowry devotes his op-ed piece at nypost.com to the love Bernie Sanders has for America’s enemies, such as Cuba. The writer uses a term with which I was completely unfamiliar to describe Castro’s effect on his country: “immiserated.” Google defines it as “economically impoverished.” Thank you, sir.
There’s an interesting political fight going on in Oregon. Democrats, who hold complete power, want to pass a bill imposing tough environmental standards. Republicans walked out of the chamber, halting the process. They would like the measure put on the ballot, where residents would decide its merits, which seems reasonable. Stay tuned.
The 110,000 people who attended the Trump rally in India must not have gotten the message that the president is despised around the world. Maybe they were forced there at the point of a gun.
From an article at foxnews.com, in my own words: I don’t like to use the term “Only in America,” as oddities happened all over the world, but the following may deserve that tag. A Texas woman driving an SUV that had several dogs in the back seat pulled into a Starbucks drive thru. One of the hounds leaped onto the counter, eager to get at a Puppuccino, a whipped cream dessert exclusively for dogs. The driver in the next car in line filmed it with her phone and posted it to Facebook, where it has attracted more than two million views. The dog owner had a tough time getting the pet back into her vehicle. Here’s a still:
Yesterday Gary, a retiree and world traveler, asked my opinion on the Staten Island company that is publishing his memoir about his mom. He’s frustrated because he believes he is being milked. Each month Page Publishing charges $295 to his credit card. The process has a $3000 cap. The book is only 40 pages. He is doing it largely as a tribute, not as a cash cow. He is under contract, so it would be money down the drain if he backed out. I wish he would have asked my advice before he went with this option. For anyone who doesn’t know, Amazon KDP will publish a book for free, and its products look no different than that of major publishers. There is no obligation to buy books, author copies are offered at a discount, and they are available for purchase on the parent site. Revenue is shared, about 20% going to the author. It’s an unbelievable deal. All one has to do is learn the ins and out of submitting the book file and creating a cover from the site’s templates, or uploading one of his own creation or one he has commissioned. He has the option of upgrading to a total package that includes a custom cover and publicity — for a fee. I wish I’d learned of it sooner. Exchanges would have been profitable. The publisher, who passed away, did not pay me royalties for the 40 or so copies, counting Kindles, that sold. And now I’m about to re-publish it under a different title when its earning potential is near zero. Live and learn. Anyone who is considering self-publishing should first consider the Amazon KDP option.
Here’s a pic I could not resist posting:
I set up the floating book shop a half hour early, hoping to beat the rain. It wasn’t long before it started drizzling and I abandoned ship. My thanks to the sweet pair of library volunteers, who donated non-fiction by Alvin & Heidi Toffler.
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