Plans of attack

What do I have to do today to make a happy result in May?

New Media:

I have obtained a copy of Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation. Obviously, I have to read it. What is Bradford's style? What does he think is important? He uses Scripture a great deal, to apply current events to what he thinks of God's purpose. What verses will he use to deal with what I have planned for him?

MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA..............

(Ahem)
I want to see how the practical pilgrims deal with these new situations for which they could not be prepared. I should also read Bradstreet's poem on that infernal experience she had.

Concerning the time left, I needed a straightforward work, and fewer voices. I looked at Middlemarch, but that is far too complex.

I must read Bradford every day, and write Bradford every day. He knows how to draw his readers into the story. I want the same.

NONFICTION:

I must write the research as I wait for the April 25 event. I should know what is done at the centre before I get there. I also need to reassemble the recorder. I need to make sure all my questions are planned out so as not to waste time.
I need to look at the class notes, to view the successful formats of reportage and follow those.

I need to see tangible progress. How?

I need to see pages I have created, and printouts of these.
I will demand of myself 1,000 words every day, for each project.

I also need to reread the material for the final in the Roh course.

Other bloggers have loving, supporting familes. I have none. I am the one who must pull this off.

Of course, there is the ultimate project: Impeach Obama!

Desert Warfare

I am here at Virginia Beach Campus.

I must do well in these last 2 courses. Then, in the Fall, it will be time for the Orals. I assume the USA will still be a going concern, now that the fascist Obama has his prize. If it is not, then I will not have to worry about the Orals, or anythng else.

In the Nonfiction course, I will need to have an essay on the state of my project with St. Mark's, and then the project itself. I will need to reassemble the digrec, and make sure it is in working order. I will need to fromulate my question, now, to avoid being a fool.

In the New Media course, I have a presentation in less than 2 weeks. I am not sure what to look for in literature on the sucbet. The Zombie Jim book I will have to get, but until the claim check comes in I can buy nothing. Then there is the paper, and I will have to look at the guidelines again.

Goalsetting is alien to me, but I must do it to survive. I should have learned the skill early in my life, but then, I was busily being Eaten, so I did not. I will have to do my best here. Goals help the focus. Perhaps I fear that I might be wrong. Well, I if I do not plan, I WILL be wrong.

The car problem did not help. With the worry and the logistics, I lost a lot of time and as a result, flunked the midterm. At least the points are close enough for redemption, or I would be finished. I am fighting deadlines, outside enemies, and ME.

I am envious of the Successful. The look of calm and focus on ther faces, the ease from having built a strong foundation; they are like trees planed near a river, and with deep roots. I am treading water, and getting weaker, with sharks circling.

Well, God does not want me to give up, but it would be nice to have a tangible reason to endure.

Surveying the Damage

I seemed to survive my Discourse course. It looks like at least an A-. The Propaganda course, though is a different matter,

Somehow, I need to go back to the basics and review fundamentals. The semester started with recovering from eye suergery, but there was promise, but now, as usual, it is disappointing, and I will have to pick up the pieces to find out how to stop the carnage.

Mush and Authorship

There is a thin line between romance and insanity. There is, however, no insanity in the mass marketing of romance novels. Yet in the major publishing breakthroughs that Radway describes, there is a mixed view of authorship.

Looking at the history portrays, those who wished to publish a book did so by footing the entire bill for production costs, and paid the printer. The authorship, though, was in the hands of the one risking the expenses. The printer merely printed. Later, as it occurred to the publishers that they might wish to make a business of their trade, they sought to increase the readership or encourage repeat sales. The point is that now the publishers involved themselves more in the books by way of promotion, and had a say as to authorship, in that they began to put forth more capital, edited, and even carried out vast promotions of books and writers (34), which is what made the breakthrough for the romance novels. The original authors’ success in these books depended heavily upon the wit and ingenuity of the booksellers. With such contributions, these publishers do deserve a share of the authorship of the romance novels. Once again, the idea of multiple authorship prevails.

The Other and Authorship

The idea of Marxists doing away with personal involvement in authorship should itself fall under scrutiny, if not thrown straight away into the garbage bin. Who are they to say the individual does not count?

This leads to a deeper question: Who has the right to determine authorship? There is indeed a personal presence in that whoever is the author determines what truth shall be. From Cook, it is possible with a limited budget to oppose the established film industry and argue for the importance of women. Bhabha writes of the authorship of the British Empire through an English Bible. The imperial authorship determined through force, truth for the Indian subjects, and that imposed truth is not easy to unshackle, even decades after the end of colonial rule, and JanMohamed writes of similar imposition of authorship in Africa, with the addition of the enslavement. Micheaux showed that it is indeed possible for people of color, at least in the United States, to challenge the authorship of the larger media and present to the world another truth about themselves.
From Projansky and Ono I see those in power have determined that the author is dead, but for Asian identity—and there are many—to be alive in film, the Asian authors have resurrected the auteur. It would seem such resurrections still happen.

Fanfic refereeing

I like the idea of using technology to referee writings. One has to do it anyway in professional circles. More people can read and make suggestions in a much shorter time.
One aspect from last week is that the population of fans is an unruly bunch, not much distant from intellectual Neanderthals, but here I can see that there is a strong etiquette involved in the solicitation of comments for work. The Karpovich article also shows just how entrenched fandom is as a result of new technology. It is not going to fade away, no matter how draconian the original authors of the fiction are.

The Dark Side of Authorship

One site I really liked was this one


http://www.fanlib.com/s/Of_Vulcan_Bondage__Chapters_14_17/3163nk#page13

This site includes adventures after Spock and Chapel are logically married.
Here is my bizarre story.

Loretta looked around, amazed. Where was she and where was the ship?
Only moments before, she was in the transporter room, with Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock, and one of the chosen few to meet the leader of the planet Hovli, which the Enterprise was now orbiting. The leader looked her warmly in the eyes, and suddenly she was—here.

It took her some time to realize that someone was calling her name, and even more time to grasp that the leader was still looking at her.

“It is so good to look at you,” said the woman.

“Wh-where--?” Loretta asked.
“I decided to save time and bring you down to our world directly. You can call me Vriell,” said Vriell.

Loretta stared at the tall woman, who was still looking at her. Presently, she recovered her bearing and said, “I’m just a yeoman, and I would respectfully submit that you needed to allow us down in the proper manner--”

“I did not want to wait,” Vriell said. Her grin was wider. “You are just who I am looking for.”

“What do you mean?” Loretta asked.

“You have red hair, as I do,” said Vriell. You are tall as I am, and you have such a wonderful mind.”

Loretta raised an eyebrow in such a way that even Spock would be slightly proud of. “What is the nature of your interest?” she asked.

“I wanted the Enterprise to come so we could find suitable wives.”
Loretta took a step back. “You mean husbands,” said she.

“By no means,” said the still-smiling Vriell. “We have no need for men here. We want wives, females to come and live among us and be part of our joy.”

“How can you maintain a society without men?” Loretta asked.

“Easy,” Vriell said. “Look around.”

Loretta did so. Se found herself in a large park. Women strolled in various clothing. Some were in what appeared to be conventional swimsuits, but there was no lake to be seen. A woman greeted the others, and seemed to wear a law enforcement uniform. Overhead, Loretta saw two aircars of an older model, and in the distance, a power generator.

Though there were many women in the park, Loretta saw no men, and more troublingly, no children.
“Our founding mothers,” Vriell said, “simply divided the tasks of civilization amongst themselves, and centuries later, we have carried on the tradition. Our cities have grown, and we are in a period of prosperity.”

“But how can you grow without children?” Loretta asked. “I have yet to see a child here.”

Loretta also had yet to see Vriell turn her eyes away. She took another step back.

Vriell took a step forward. “We have no need of children and the old, perverted means of manufacturing them. Instead, here we have artificial reproduction. If we want more in the population, we simply turn a switch and thousands of fully grown and beautiful women result.”

“But what if the—er—couples,” Loretta choked, “actually wanted children. What then”

“We simply head to Fornas, a nearby impoverished planet, and pick up little girls on the streets. No one will miss them.”

Loretta took another step back, only to feel a wall. “If you can produce women at will,” she asked, “then what do you want of us?”

Vriell took another step forward. “We always want fresh blood,” said she. “Our new arrivals donate blood to the reproduction bank, which will increase our selection.

“You know you won’t get away with this,” said Loretta, who was running out of words.

“Actually, we can and do,” said Vriell. We will bring all the females to our world and leave the men to themselves. We might rid them of their life support systems and either burn up their ship, or add it to out fleet. But now, enough of this, for you won’t worry about your friends ever again"

Against her will Loretta felt a surge of ecstasy and joy as she stared into Vriell’s clear, orange eyes.

______________________
I did not like to write this piece, and I certainly would not submit it to the fansite I looked at. I can understand the wedding of Spock and Christine, but not between two women, much less men.
Besides feeling emotionally filthy writing this perversion, I do see that there is value in writing a story based on someone else’s characters and universe, as it might edify the soul of the individual fan, but I still take the side of the original authors of the series. They, as authors, have the right to shape the direction of the world in question, or as I would put it, the reality the world provides. I suppose the poachers can roam in the universe of the Federation, but it is not their Federation, as Jenkins indicates they know. If the fans wish to, they can always use the original series as inspiration and create new universes with new characters, and leave the Enterprise behind, rather than feed off them.
On the other hand, I, immersed in commercial culture, would want fans around, as they, because of their addiction, would buy my books. I would not want them to “get a life,” unless such action increases book sales. I am of two minds here.