Richard Price and the Art of Turning Novels into Films

Writen by Susan Shaw

Richard Price is one of our premier novelists. Since his publication of his first novel in the mid 1970’s entitled The Wanderers, he has given readers masterpieces of the urban genre, inspired by his Bronx upbringing and his commitment to the realities and the eccentricities of the American landscape, its “rages, dislocations, furies, and yearnings.” His other novels include Clockers (made into a movie), Freedomland (currently in production and starring Samuel L. Jackson as Lorenzo Council and Julianne Moore as Brenda Martin and directed by Joe Roth).

His most recent novel is Samaritan, another ethical urban masterpiece. An online review may be found at Salon.com. Again, Price does not shurk the responsibilities of an American novelist to deal with the problems, psyche and absurdities of our times.

Richard Price’s screenplays include Clockers, Sea of Love, Ransom, the Color of Money, and Shaft, among others. He is a National Book critics Award nominee and Academy Award Nominee. He has written for the New York Times and Esquire.

Any novelist seeking to write for film should read his novels. Also “read” his films. They are both very teachable for any class in scriptwriting and/or novel writing. His interviews in which he discusses novels and films can be found online at Salon.com and at the Randomhouse website devoted to his novel Freedomland.

Turning novels into films or films into novels? Think Richard Price.

Susan Shaw is a freelance writing of web content, including the subjects of film, business, and science. Susan Shaw manages the following film-oriented website, Film Financing, http://www.filmfinancing.myeweb.com and has an online bookstore.

To Fix The Barn

Writen by David Cox

My family has a discussion going on, whether to fix my Uncle Sam’s old barn. It was a huge old three-story barn, a left over relic when my uncle bought the property he never farmed the property but he kept horses so the building did have some purpose. All of our families except for Uncle Sam were city people. None of us were from around there we came from all over, so to us as kids that barn was a magical place. A three-story playhouse, with stairways ladders trap doors. So large we played Frisbee and even wiffle ball upstairs complete with indoor rope swing. We played hide an go seek and don’t know for sure we ever found everyone. So much room the boys would play upstairs and the girls down or vice versa but there was always room for everyone.

Now my Uncle was getting on in age and wanted to move south and the question was is the barn an asset or an eyesore could or should it be repaired? Or should they just tear it down and sell the hand-hewn beams as architectural heirlooms. When it was built it was an incredible endeavor, easily over a hundred years old hand made with hand tools by craftsmen who put more than sweat in their work with more concerns of more than just payday It was so old and needed so much repair, it would cost a fortune. But should their toil and efforts be torn down to be sold off as just novelties? Wasn’t their effort to build such a structure with only their bare hands in the wilderness worthy of note and salvation?

Money we didn’t have and couldn’t recoup, but we loved the place it was precious to our hearts for us children it was freedom it was our free country. To adults it was just a dirty old barn they didn’t like it was off the muddy path from the house to them it was just a way to keep us out of their hair, a means to and end so it was all ours we could do what we liked. I will never get to play there again but if torn down no one will. The children of future generations will miss so much and never taste the freedom that existed there. Was it past its prime and just too late or could it be saved?

The cynical among us said its just and old barn not worth saving an impediment to their plans and just in the way, to hell with it! They claimed it wasn’t safe that barriers and signs should be put up to restrict access to it. Was the structure unsafe? Or did they just envy what they couldn’t control? The said it was out of date, obsolete a relic of past glories that the world had moved on and these structures were holding the future back

Some of us saw it only as a resource what we could get out of it, to hell with future generations take the money and run. I in my idealism thought of the joy to have had this place in my life. Didn’t I owe anything to future generations? Hadn’t they preserved it for me at great expense? I can still close my eyes and think back to those times and remember to feel for just one second what it was like to be free.

The debate goes on, to fix a beautiful old barn a useful structure from an earlier time and return her to her former glory, to tear her down to say her days are done, or just let her collapse under the weight of neglect denial and self interest. But as I close my eyes and think of her now I see in fading paint barely legible on it’s side in tall letters it said The United States of America

Beer, Beamers and Born Agains

Writen by Leslie Fieger

Owning a BMW reduces risk of Prostate cancer?

A recent study by the American Cancer Society showed that men who had more than 20 ejaculations per month had a 33% reduced risk of prostate cancer and men who had between 13 and 20 ejaculations per month had a 17% reduced risk.

A recent poll by the German magazine, Men’s Car, found that BMW drivers had more frequent sex than owners of any other make, with strangely, Porsche, at the bottom of the list, behind even Ford.

So, it would seem to follow logically that BMW drivers have a lower risk of getting Prostate cancer. All you middle-age-crisis types should pay some attention to which little red sports car you buy.

Putting beer on your corn flakes reduces risk of Prostate cancer?

In addition to the other proven health benefits of drinking beer (reduced risk of: heart disease, strokes, diabetes and gall stones), drinking 2 glasses of beer a day has been shown to reduce the risk of getting Dementia and/or Alzheimer’s disease.

On the other hand, drinking just two glasses of milk per day has been shown to double a man’s risk of getting Prostate cancer. (Women who drink two or more glasses of milk per day are twice as likely to suffer broken hips in old age.) AND, the New England Journal of Medicine published a study (on Feb 14, 2002) that shows that drinking milk doubles the risk of getting both Dementia and Alzheimer’s.

It sounds like a pretty good idea to substitute beer for milk on your morning cereal.

Drinking fluoridated water leads to mental deficiency?

The US Environmental Protection Agency reports that 58% of Americans have a high health risk from drinking fluoridated water. Other recent scientific studies have shown that ingestion of fluorides lead to mental degradation and Alzheimer’s disease.

Coincidentally, according to a recent Time Magazine poll, 58% of Americans believe that the Revelations of St John, commonly known as The Apocalypse, will come true in their lifetime. Ronald Reagan, milk and fluoridated water drinker, prostate cancer victim, fervently believed in an immanent fulfillment of the so called prophecies of St John AND he spent the last years of his life suffering from advanced Alzheimer’s.

g.W. bush stopped drinking beer and now believes in the Apocalypse. Hmmm. I wonder if he drinks milk. Does he brush with fluoridated toothpaste? How often does he do the wild thing? How’s his prostate doing?

Is it possible that a brain chemical imbalance (excess fluorides and homocysteine (milk protean) leads to end of the world delusions? Or, is it possible that simply adopting strange beliefs leads to mental degradation and Alzheimer’s? Or just maybe, it is simply that the lack of sexual activity leads to the loss of the prostate gland and to insanity.

Obviously, according to the evidence, if you want to live longer, be healthier, both physically and mentally, have more fun and get more of the horizontal bop, it is a good idea to have a beer or two each day and avoid milk and fluoridated water. (And maybe drive a BMW.)

If you start imagining that you hear angel’s trumpets, or start imagining that you see 7-headed, red dragons in the sky, I’d suggest you check yourself into an advanced care retirement home and get your doc to lube up his glove.

Articles are the sole copyright of Leslie Fieger. Permission to reprint or republish does not wave any copyright.

Leslie Fieger is the author of The DELFIN Knowledge System Trilogy, The Initiation, The Journey and The Quest and many other eBooks on success. He also the co-author of The End of the World with Hugh Jeffries and Alexandra’s DragonFire with his daughter Ashley. You can subscribe to his free and ad-free eZine at http://www.prosperityparadigm.com and be sure to also visit his website http://www.lesliefieger.com

Coming Up - An Interview with Jerry Gain - European Tour Expert and Urban Visionary

Writen by Susanne Pacher

Human connections are strange sometimes. Through a friend of a friend I heard about Jerry, who lives just about 5 minutes from me. I heard that, through his company A Perfect Tour, he runs specialized unique tours to places like Tuscany and Greece, and I also heard that he is involved in an initiative to revitalize Toronto’s Waterfront, something that the citizens of Toronto have waited decades for to come to fruition.

So I thought I’d track Jerry down to do an interview with him and sure enough, last week, he was able to squeeze in an hour long meeting with me in his packed appointment calendar.

Jerry filled me in on the fact that through his job with Air Canada he got connected with a travel agency for which he now runs a variety of unique tours to Europe, to places like France, Greece and Italy and that the tours are usually a week long, include unique luxury accommodation in private villas and contain a customized sight-seeing and activities program.

Travel is obviously part of Jerry’s soul. But in addition to foreign countries, Jerry also loves his home town and as a single concerned private citizen, Jerry has put together a team of people to develop a multi-stage multi-decade revitalization plan for Toronto’s Waterfront.

Personally, I sure hope that Toronto is going to move soon on a Waterfront Redevelopment Plan, since at present Toronto has huge tracts of former industrial land (the “Port Lands) by or close to the water that have been waiting for many years to be developed, and federal, provincial and municipal governments are still debating about what plan to pursue.

Other places like Barcelona, Chicago, San Francisco or even San Antonio, have also undertaken major waterfront redevelopments, and they have done some quite amazing things with their ocean/ lake/ riverfront areas, making their waterfront areas a major attraction for locals and tourists alike.

Unfortunately Toronto has had some lapses in this area and some of Toronto’s downtown areas, particularly Harbourfront, have become concentrated areas of upscale residential highrise developments dominated by concrete condominium buildings, with little space dedicated to green zones or public recreational areas.

My personal hope is that Toronto will choose a wiser plan for redeveloping the Port Lands so that there is a healthy mix of residential, commercial and recreational land use that will make that part of the city more livable and more attractive as a destination for local citizens and vistiors from out of town.

In this spirit and simply as a concerned private citizen, Jerry has put together a consortium of experts over the last few years, including architects, consulting engineers and graphic designers, who together have developed a multi-stage proposal that is supposed to redevelop Toronto’s waterfront over several decades. Let’s hear how Jerry came up with this idea, what it entails and how close it is to implementation.

Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a website called Travel and Transitions (http://www.travelandtransitions.com). Travel and Transitions deals with unconventional travel and is chock full of advice, tips, real life travel experiences, interviews with travellers and travel experts, insights and reflections, cross-cultural issues, contests and many other features. You will also find stories about life and the transitions that we face as we go through our own personal life-long journeys.

Submit your own travel stories in our first travel story contest (http://www.travelandtransitions.com/contests.htm) and have a chance to win an amazing adventure cruise on the Amazon River.

“Life is a Journey

Humor and Your Relationship

Writen by Michael Russell

What is it about Humor that can really get things going? Have you ever been in a workplace meeting where everyone is “brainstorming” some new idea? Everything is going stagnant and nothing is getting done. Everyone is inputting his or her ideas but nothing seems to gel. All of a sudden, someone cracks a joke, the tension is gone and the meeting rolls along.

While attending a meeting in a computer manufacturing business, one of the participants looked over at the table and saw these beautiful cookies laid out for everyone. She commented, “Since I’m new, I have to ask, do we have these cookies at every meeting? I’m concerned I’m going to gain weight while working here”. Another participant stated, “Of course and it is a problem because when B started here, he was only 120 pounds”. At this, everyone just roared since B was about 220 pounds.

Humor helps people to relate to each other. As kids, we are always cutting each other down in jest. We can’t be serious all the time because our relationship won’t grow. At a party, who is the star? Isn’t the one that shines the one that is telling stories that are comical or telling jokes? Have you said, “He’s so funny, I love to be around him”. Do you remember a joke that someone said? In a conversation, your memory may all of a sudden stumble across a joke that someone said even years ago. We may be in the middle of a serious conversation and all of a sudden, we remember something funny that someone said. We have to contain ourselves because of the seriousness of the conversation but we just want to bust out laughing. If we do lose control, the other participant of the conversation is having a hard time seeing what you are laughing about due to the seriousness of the conversation. Do you let them in on the joke?

People that are serious all the time can become lethargic and depressed. Have you ever been around someone that just broke up with their boyfriend or girlfriend? They’re down and all you want to do is get them back up. So, you start telling them jokes. You cut them down and tell them here’s my opportunity to kick you while you’re down. You ask them since Susan dumped you can I date her now? You’re willing to say anything to get them back up. (Besides, he knows you didn’t even like Susan!)

Being constantly depressed can change your body’s biochemistry. Often, people that are chronically depressed are treated with pharmaceutical drugs. Many of these individuals may have a family history of depression. Humor can change the person’s biochemistry and if significant enough, could it possibly alter the level of need to be dependent upon pharmaceutical drug?

Although it is not the subject matter of this article, there is a lot of scientific study in this area. People that are suffering from depression do well when their counselors utilize humor as a medium in their relationship. There is a lot of opportunity to benefit from various therapies such as music therapy and art therapy.

People that are humorous are fun to be around. They tend to be very energetic and have a lot of friends. Friendship makes the world go round.

Have you read your joke of the day?

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Humor

The Superbowl of Dogdom

Writen by Shannon Lynnes Heggem

I wonder if it is purely accident that the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is just a couple of weeks after the Super Bowl? I doubt it. Could it be true that football fans and dog people have many things in common?

Let’s talk about passion and dedication. Spending many years with my husband has truly opened my eyes to the loyalty and passion that football fans possess. Every wintry Sunday at our house it is truly a day of worship, in what I like to call the “football shrine.” You know, the kind of place that men dream ofbig screen TV, surround-sound, huge sectional sofa, and of course Direct TV’s Sunday Ticket.

That’s right, a high-tech pass into every single football game occurring anywhere in the country. The seemingly endless games magically appear on the big screen once a week for an entire day. Did I mention that I hate football? Hours and hours of that low-pitched roar emitting mercilessly out of the black box. Why me?

I do tease my husband a little about his dedication to the sport. The cheering, the swearing, the yelling, and the unmistakable disgust uttered throughout these long games is sometimes humorous to those of us on the outside. At times throughout football season, I wonder if my husband secretly suffers from Tourette’s syndrome.

It is all in good fun, and after many years he has learned to accept my dislike of the sport, as I’ve learned to accept his passion for it. I breathe a sigh of relief after the Super Bowl every year because I know that I now have a few months of reprieve.

Every February, it is my turn. 159 different dog breeds, all in just two nightsWestminster, the ultimate in the dog show world. The event had arrived. There I was, curled up in the football shrine, hypnotized by each glorious creature as it glided across the screen. And my husband (and fellow dog fanatic) was right there with me. Yes, for all of us “dog people” this is the event of the year.

We have our favorite picks, our breeds that we cheer for and desperately want to win. We do know that we’ll never actually meet these dogs, and in the end it really doesn’t matter, but for that brief moment perhaps our support will somehow nudge them over the edge to win.

Choosing the winners seven different AKC groups must be a lot like the play-offs. The winners of each individual dog breed then compete in their respective groups, hoping to win the group to go on to the final round. During this portion of the excitement, I heard myself uttering in disgust at the judge’s choice. “How could he have picked that Welsh Corgi over that German Shepherd? Doesn’t he have eyes?”

Then, at that moment, the truth is carefully revealed by my husband. He assures me with a smile that I truly could be a football fan, cheering on her team in the last final moments! He’s right; I’m begging out loud, “please, please let that beautiful black miniature poodle win” That same dedication and loyalty is all right there. This, this is my Super Bowl.

The moment of truth has arrived. The Best-In-Show round, and oh the suspense. It couldn’t be more real if I were standing in Madison Square Garden; I am there, in spirit. Praying for that touchdown, I am holding my breath. Will it be my favorite pick, Champion Surrey’s Spice Girl?

We are into overtime, folks, and the score is tied. It is time for the coin toss. The judge pulls a few dogs out of the line-up and tells them to go around the ring once more. Did he pull them out in the order that he is going to place them?

The judge walks to the podium and signs his judge book. Who will it be? Suddenly, at that moment, “Spice,” the carefully-coiffed running back prances past the Rhodesian ridgeback linebacker, and the Brittany spaniel free-safety, to the Westminster end zone.

TOUCHDOWN! She scores! The game has been won.

© Shannon Lynnes Heggem (2006) Shannon Lynnes Heggem is a motivational speaker with a strong background in the pet care industry. In the 1990’s, she established an upscale pet resort in Montana, and then founded the Fast Track Institute of Pet Careers, a vocational school focused on pet-related careers.

Shannon quickly became one of the top experts in the pet care industry. She was the first Certified Master Groomer in Montana, and went on to become a Certified Kennel Operator; only four people in the world actually hold both of these certification titles!

She amazingly survived a vicious Rottweiler attack in 1998, and since then has overcome incredible obstacles to continue her life’s journey. Shannon has just launched a revolutionary new seminar series Learning About Pets Program focused on teaching pet owners vital knowledge to enhance their pets’ vitality, health, and well-being! http://learningaboutpets.com/

Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall

Writen by John T Jones, Ph.D.

My source at the Blair House told me a funny story the other day. It seems that Karl Rove stepped into the President’s bedroom and stood in front of the man-length mirror. He said, “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who’s the greatest”

“It’s not working right!”

Rove tuned and said, “Mr. President! I was just combing my hair.”

“You seem to be good at that, Karl.”

Rove said, “Oh, there is no special skill required for comb”

I meant “Lying!”

“Okay, I was using your mirror. I wanted to make sure it gave the right answer: George W. Bush is the Greatest Man on the Planet Earth!”

The president said, “I told you it was broken. It keeps saying Dick Cheney is the Sneakiest Man on Earth. It never says who is the most powerful.”

Karl Rove promised the President that he would have the mirror repaired by the White House Mirror Maintenance Department.

After the mirror was repaired, the President said,

“Mirror, Mirror on the Wall,
Who is the greatest man of all?”

The mirror answered as follows:

“Mr. President, I’ve news for thou.
The Greatest of all is President HU Jintao.”

The president went to the Oval Office and sat in his chair. “Hu Jintao?” he said aloud as Karl Rove came in the room.

“Yes, but make sure you pronounce it right when you meet him.”

“Oh! Hi, Karl! Meet who?”

“Hu Jintao! Do you still want to go to Mongolia on your trip? It’s kind of out of the way.”

“Yes! The mirror says that Hu Jintao is the most powerful man on earth. I’ve got to meet him.”

Karl Rove shook his head and said, “George, I’m sending the CIA to update you on China this afternoon.” Rove left the office.

The President sat back in his chair and said, “I wonder why he’s doing that? I get bad publicity from dealing with those guys at the CIA.” He beeped his secretary and said, “Cancel my meeting with the CIA. I’ll be doing laps at that time.”

The End

copyright©John T. Jones, Ph.D.2005

John T. Jones, Ph.D. (tjbooks@hotmail.com)is a retired R&D engineer and VP of a Fortune 500 company. He is author of detective & western novels, nonfiction (business, scientific, engineering), poetry, etc. Former editor of international trade magazine. Jones is Executive Representative of International Wealth Success.

More info: http://www.tjbooks.com

Business web site: http://www.bookfindhelp.com (IWS wealth-success books and kits and business newsletters / TopFlight flagpoles)

The Oldies? Nostalgia? Watchyacallit?

Writen by Claude Gagne

Our culture is defined by what we have access to! With the concentration of media the access as been restricted to the newest tunes…

Or the latest product of the marketing strategy department decided you will listen and buy! As nothing else will be available from them.

Without an historical perspective, our culture is in jeopardy, what has come before influences what will come next.

In the arts and music in particular this is primordial!

Lineage not only of genre but of musicians as well For example who influenced Chuck Berry who himself influenced Jimmy Hendrix who influenced Edgar Winter and so on…

K.L.O.D Radio and others like it provide an essential services to the future of culture. It’s a responsability I take seriously.

I also support independant artists, spoken words artists, ranters, conspiracy theorist, poets, writers.

In brief anyone with something to say and must be heard!

As mentioned in my artistic manifesto:

“Anything but cultural lethargy induced by packaged formula art!”

The respect for creators of original art is what drives me. Being a multidisciplinary artist myself, I understand the need for creation, that visceral need to create that cannot be ignored! This addiction, I must create like others must breath!!!

Tune in! Turn on! Drop in!

Claude Gagne
K.L.O.D Radio the oldies station

Claude Gagne Owner of K.L.O.D Radio is an amateur music historian, as well as a multidisciplinary artist.

K.L.O.D Radio the oldies station

In Memory of Dave; Homosexual Suicide

Writen by Lance Winslow

Dave was a young man in college, a track star on a scholarship. Dave was not like the other men on the team as he rarely dated much. One day Dave told the team he was gay. About a month later after he went home for thanks giving dinner something happened with his family and before Christmas he killed himself.

I cannot tell you what it did to his family afterwards, I guess they should have thought about it before they did and said whatever it was they said, which they never did say at the funeral. I cannot know how involved Dave really was, I am not sure if I would have ever called him gay, but he did not date any of the gals, some pretty fine ones too, were often available. Runners are know for their stamina both on and off the track so getting a young lady was never much of a challenge compared to the strenuous work outs of the team.

I think many of us always kind of wondered why Dave did not date and when we found out that he had turned gay, I do not think anybody was super surprised. I don’t think to me it really mattered, Dave was Dave and that was good enough for the team and for me. Apparently from what I have read this is not so uncommon. But it is a tragedy and it sucks big time. It is not right.

It is unfortunate that it ended this way for Dave, as he was quite the athlete, gentleman and a scholar. It might be wise if we are to careful to judge others and understand these issues more. I am not gay nor do I believe that is something I would recommend aspiring too, but rather think that everyone needs to live and let live a little. Consider this in 2006.

Lance Winslow

Can You Relate to Dentures

Writen by Lenore Chapman

I have dentures and believe me I wish I had my real teeth. I remember when I could pick up a nice red juicy apple and sink my teeth into it. Now, I have to cut it into small pieces. Can’t keep my teeth in place to bite it. How about sneezing or coughing? Can’t sneeze or cough like I use to. I have to keep my hand up at my mouth for fear I will blow my teeth across the room. Oh how embarrassing that can be.

And don’t get sick and have to throw up, better remove those fake teeth before hand or you will be fishing them out of the old throne. And don’t you just love those little sesame seeds that seem to find their way under your plate and it feels like a golf size rock. You need to get it out quick, but you are at a table full of people and can’t seem to get your tongue under there, so you have to excuse yourself to get away from the table. After a few times like that, everyone starts to wonder about you. Especially when you are invited out to eat. The hostess starts to think something is wrong with her cooking. Try explaining the exits without telling them what is really going on.

How about leaving for work and getting almost there or even getting there and realizing you don’t have your teeth in your mouth. I have gone on shopping trips and forgot my teeth and pray I don’t run into someone I know. And isn’t it always the case that you always run into someone you work with. You don’t want to be a snob and avoid them but you don’t want to talk to them toothless, or you will be the big joke at work for the next week or so. You want a good laugh, take a picture of yourself with your teeth smiling and then take one without smiling, compare the two. You will laugh and then make a promise that you will not forget them when you leave the house.

I can say I feel relaxed visiting my mother. She hates her dentures too and we both plop them in a glass of water and sit and chat. Talking about mom, I remember going to Virginia for my nephews wedding. We stayed in a motel room while up there. One side of the sink was a glass with my mothers dentures in it and the other side was mine. Well my mother got up and put her dentures in, after a while she had gone to the sink and not thinking, saw my dentures in the glass, rinsed them off and tried to put them in her mouth. It hit her, her teeth were already in her mouth, these weren’t hers. We had a good laugh over that.

If I could go back in time, one thing I would do, is take care of my teeth. You would not know unless you have dentures, what a pain in the neck they can be. I don’t know what it is like to really taste a good meal unless I eat with no teeth. And then everything has to be soft. At times I feel like a baby with no teeth, the only thing, I eat grown up food not baby food out of a jar.

SO TAKE CARE OF YOUR TEETH, DON’T END UP WITH DENTURES, OR YOU MAY BE HOLDING ON THEM SO THEY DON’T END UP FLYING ACROSS THE FLOOR OR IN THE OLD THRONE.