Don begins:
An odd coincidence you should pick that title, Jerry. Last Tuesday, our next-door neighbors’ house — about thirty meters away — caught fire a little after midnight and was completely destroyed. We stood by turns at a window and outside through a sub-zero night, watching flames shoot into the sky as the fire department operated ineffectually. I recalled my student days, having to descend a ladder at dawn to escape a rooming-house fire, but my adventure was much less dramatic than this.
Fortunately, the family of five made it to safety in time, but they lost just about everything. The gentleman is a jolly, lovable sort; he’s a combination landscape architect and forester at the University here. He lost his entire library, which was quite extensive.
On Thursday we cleaned out Macondo Books of their forestry, landscaping and horticulture resales, got something new at the Bookshelf, and the few encyclopedia-type books on the subject from our own library. When he came over this afternoon at my invitation, we were able to present him with a box of a few but — going by leaflet prices — very valuable reference books.
So, I guess I haven’t been fanning flames. Planting seeds, though, yes indeed. That’s something I’m much more at home with, and I’m happy with even the little that people can do when it’s needed.
I was reading a series of essays from a book loaned to me by a friend who is working on her Master's degree, and while this wonderful college text is the 1996 edition (whoof, woefully out of date in many respects) still there are many insightful points made in a number of essays. I should go out to the car and actually have the source sitting here in front of me, but it is cold, and late at night, so forget it.
We all know that men are rational, women are emotional, right? Well, not in the context of flaming and ad-hominem attacks. If you look around at your various forumates, you might notice that as a general rule, women are not given to flame-baiting, and on-line viciousness, but instead are a more moderating force, if they are willing to get involved in the cyber-violence at all. The majority of emotional outbursts come from these guys, you know. And they don't seem to be willing accept what others tell them, even if the majority tell them they are out of line. Probably, if you met them in a face-to-face situation they WOULD be calm and rational, unless of course you met them at a local bar when they were three sheets to the wind. Why is it that due to the lack of immediate negative reinforcement (i.e. a slap upside the head with a 2x4) some people seem to lose their reasonableness. And of course, if we "feed the troll" as the term goes, we end up "fanning the flames".
And now for something completely different.
Bob Udell is stumping for Grandmaster status for Robert Sheckley. Deservedly so. He's written a short essay on why this should be so, and set up an online petition to be sent to the SFWA when it is complete.
I signed the petition. So should you! If you aren't familiar with the works of Bob Sheckley, then, for goodness sake, remedy that lack immediately.
A final note...
Much as I like Classic Rock Radio, the issue title "Mighty 83" was created and instigated by the loveable but bumbling Professor Webb. Frankly, it makes too much sense, and is totally accessible. Pfui.
Jerry, feel free to put in a suitably Bewildering title of your choice on either or both of the index pages. My little aqua-colored header will suffice. I agree that “Mighty” makes too much sense and is too accessible. But that makes it stand out, and maybe even look like something special. At least it sends a signal to Thomas R.: if he has half a dozen term papers or a thesis due this week, he may want to print out some pages...
Copyright © 2004 by Don Webb and Jerry Wright for Bewildering Stories