good bye to Lebron James from Akron

good bye to Lebron James from Akron

fiction
edward w pritchard

here's a repeat from earlier in the blog, yes the story was for Lebron James, known here as the basketball prodigy, and or Akron's favorite son. Thanks for the memories, It was great to watch you play.

Thursday, January 28, 2010
The Blues Singer Who Couldn't carry a Tune

Akron's favorite Son Again

fiction
edward w pritchard

He was the basketball prodigy who played with reckless abandon and in a few years time his body began to show and feel the pains and injuries of epic confrontations on a daily basis with younger players who challenged him for leader of the pack. He was still a candidate for the best of all time but he began to realize why it was not possible to keep getting better and better. His body was resisting his efforts to push the limits further and although he was not yet 30 he was now bone tired less than half way through the season.

One game he had a very serious calf injury to his left leg and for the first time in his entire career and he was to be sidelined for a few days.

He followed the orders of his doctors and trainer precisely, and he worked at rehabilitation exactly as he had previously played. He came in early, stayed late, [ see The Basketball Prodigy-by EWP] but his injury refused to heal and he missed many games. His attitude was admirable as he cheered on his team-mates and followed every game closely with enthusiasm from the bench, and the team played very well considering the loss of their best player. Despite a very successful team record, attendance dropped and TV sponsorship waned because he was the national draw and the team was in a small size media market. In time the team ownership despite his remarkable past successes and contributions began to snipe at him. One assistant coach was over heard to remark that the former prodigy wasn't applying himself totally to his rehabilitation which was dragging on and on.

Exactly half way through the season, there was a holiday break with no game and he went home to his Mother's for a home cooked meal and some nonjudgmental company. In the driveway of her home, on a lark, he was showing his nephew how to start a stalled moped, a very small moped, and the bike jumped into gear. His bad leg wouldn't support himself and he was unable to hold himself up and he worsened his injury by straining and twisting his left leg further. The diagnosis was a severe strain.

At the meeting a few days later with team management he found out that part of his contract was now owned by a local fortune 500 company about 50 miles South of the team headquarters. He had played loyally for the team the last eight years and the team who he thought he exclusively worked for now told him that to hedge their losses, they had transferred part of the risk of his very large salary, about a month ago to the local fortune 500 company. Following his recent injury, the fortune 500 company was contractually obligated to pay his salary for up to 36 months as long as he was disabled and unable to play at 100% as deemed by his team's management.

Two months passed and his injury refused to heal and the team management and the fortune 500 company were close to litigation over his injury and continuing absence from the game of professional basketball. His absence was not only hurting his team but viewership in the entire league was down because without him national viewership plunged. So both his team, and the corporation that must now pay his huge salary for up to three years were angry and frustrated because of him. His past success were of little compensation to either party because as one assistant coach had remarked you can't buy to days fruit with last years canceled checks.

Another meeting was planned with Team management, a slew of lawyers, and a few representative of the fortune 500 company. Professional basketball has a code and a player being hurt is considered how it goes sometimes, and that was the team's position, Not so said the large corporation, the team had misrepresented the prodigy's injuries and they threatened litigation. Cooler heads prevailed, and among the various lawyers a compromise was reached where the player would continue to draw his salary for 18 months from today, assuming he didn't recover. The team and the corporation's lawyer as usual in this type of employment agreement also stipulated that the Prodigy couldn't contact the team, its players, or the corporation, except in writing through counsel. To continue to draw his salary, the Prodigy would work for the large fortune 500 company at a position that was to classify the prodigy as becoming the world's highest paid security guard. Lastly, the Prodigy was not allowed to return to the team locker room, but his things must be sent to him with in 48 hours. It is also been mentioned in the media that his team mates secretly slipped a nice hallmark card to the prodigy but that can't be acknowledged because of anti- contact clause in the agreement.

The fortune 500 company owned a very large old manufacturing facility about 50 miles south of where the team played. They also owned and managed the City's , and it was a smaller City, municipal airport. They wanted the basketball prodigy while hurt, as a condition of drawing his multimillion dollar salary to work as a security officer at two towers, about five miles apart one at the airport and one at the plant. The tower at the plant was called the tower and the one at the airport was called he municipal watchtower. He was watching a large blimp hanger that was located on the airport property.

The company received over 200 million dollars in annual fees from the defense department of the Federal Government for allowing the blimp hanger to store some secret technology. As a condition of the annual fee, per the government contract, there must be visual surveillance of the hanger during daylight hours. At night electronic surveillance was used and it was more reliable than humans but it didn't work in daylight.

The basketball prodigy was given an extra large green uniform and began to work 6 days a week during daylight hours at the two towers. He punched a special clock at each facility as a record of the surveillance every other hour and the rest of the time he visually watched the hanger. He couldn't have a TV or read but he could listen to music. Every two hours he would drive about five miles between the two towers in his $250,000 car, punch a time clock, and then sit and watch the blimp hanger while listening to music. By the Prodigy working as the watchman at the two towers, the corporation was able to get a federal tax credit that covered all of his salary, and eliminated any losses to the corporations stock holders.

He had always been a fan of contemporary rap music which was the genre for upscale blacks less than 30, which is what he was although he was way upscale. He was being paid over seven thousand dollars an hour for his full time job as a security officer. He worked about 70 hours per week, but did not get overtime or extra holiday pay. In time, as he reflected on his team's new attitude toward himself, despite his extremely successful past record; the Prodigy had to fight really hard to keep his normal upbeat attitude toward his new situation. He realized that it would look very selfish to an outsider for a security guard making over $7,000 per hour to complain about his working conditions but the basketball Prodigy couldn't help but feel he had been abused, although he could not articulate why.

To help himself understand how and why he felt vaguely discontented and abused the basketball prodigy began to enjoy listening to some old blues tapes of Muddy Waters and several other classic songs of the 1930's and 1940's. A previous employee of the Corporation, who had worked in the tower previously had left the tapes after he retired and the Prodigy came to look forward to listening to the tapes each day. Sometimes when feeling wistful, the prodigy would sing along with the blue's songs but only when alone for in truth he never had learned how to carry a tune. In time, while listening to the old music and singing a little the prodigy gained a new appreciation of the sacrifices his fore bearers made and came to realize what it must have been like for them to blaze the trail that he was now able to follow.
Posted by edward pritchard at 8:08 AM
Labels: corporate conduct
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it pays to look good at all times

it pays to look good at all times

fcition
edward w pritchard

The shop owners in the dry cleaning business earned accolades in a marketing study for convincing Black Americans to bring their clothes in for cleaning on a regular basis. The Black Americans were conscientious of their appearance, dressed carefully for work and often attended Church which called for nice formal clothes.

However, the much larger demographic, White [ or Caucasian] Americans seldom went to the dry cleaners anymore. A drop in men employed in the work force, the green movement among females and the casualization of America caused a drop in the visits to the dry cleaning establishments among White Americans.

It pays to look good at all times was a campaign launched and aimed specifically at White Americans. A line of wool hospital clothes was developed requiring dry cleaning at all times when dirty. Now a days, after the successful launch and promotion of the line of wool hospital clothes, White Americans can be seen often at the dry cleaners and if one looks carefully they look quite spiffy at the hospitals in their new clothes.

to doc the school administrator

to doc the school administrator

fiction
edward w pritchard

Doc, I am not sure if you ever check in here but I saw you on local TV. I am severely out of the loop on the news and I am not sure what happened but I hope you are well.

Having only met you once, and then seeing you on TV, I can say you have a lot of class. Smooth too.

Good luck my friend. May your venues lead you above and beyond Akron

author

the computer who thought Ghe was God-part 6

the computer who thought Ghe was God-part 6

fiction
edward w pritchard

Blurry eyed but determined in his greed Red Withers continued to read thereby and bill at $400 per hour as he researched protocol for dealing with a Ghe, a series five or above level computer, actually now called artificial intelligence. [see part 1 to 5 of the computer who thought Ghe was God- for background

How to get back at your series 6 Ghe
An irreligious look at Artificial Intelligence
Pete Kopert

Rather spend a few hours with your girlfriends parents than work with a series 6 or 7. Don't worry, get even. Specieism is OK. Run with that hate

1. Use the old bandits trick. Line the room where the Ghe is kept with mirrors, it drives them crazy. They have enough trouble with determining reality on their own, this will drive them over the edge.

2. Resort to violence-

3. Bring your cat to work. Artificial Intelligence and cats hate each other

End- see the conclusion of all the Ghe stories soon in
the computer who thought Ghe was God-part 7

when the blind see

when the blind see

fiction
edward w pritchard

When God directs the blind man to see it's as a flash of illumination and understanding from the cortex of the brain caused by the filling of the heart with discernment

When lost sheep wanders back into the flock, the flock is whole again

Let others who are cold sit close to the fire, step back and let them move forward, you stand in the back, unfold your arms and watch the shadows on the high wall in front of everyone

only those who have suffered greatly

only those who have suffered greatly

fiction
edward w pritchard

Only those who have suffered greatly may experience the unwanted poignancy of awareness

Only those who have turned over and over their behaviors in their mind until they find the original thread at the end of their motivation may find themselves

Only those who know and fear ethics may fail so greatly

Only those who float alone on the river filled with multitudes in the myriad scrambling of their daily excursions may experience the fear of absolute separation from their God

Only those who experience time as unreal may feel sometimes awake

Those who sometimes feel awake must not think but be.

business first please

business first please
fiction
edward w pritchard

The new ads aren't that bad they just snuck up on me, and I overreacted. I will write them an appropriate short story.

A young man out of college got a job selling insurance and his boss told him there was only one way to guarantee success. That was to have both of his front teeth capped in bright yellow gold. He did and sure enough the young man sold policy after policy and was number one among the new agents.

At home in private he looked at the bright capped teeth and was unsure if he liked it or not but...
end

a note from the author

a note from the author


edward w pritchard

I sincerely appreciate our readers of the blog.

Please be patient with you author here, We got a new ad service on the blog. I feel like I have the reader as a guest in my house and someone came over for business with me that I don't know who is being too aggressive commercially with my honored guest, you the reader.

I will work this out. Let's give the new ad service a few days to try-out. As always for me I struggle with business concerns and proper ethical treatment of us as people.

sorry
ewp

Hinduism meets the founder of Christiainity

Hinduism meets the founder of Christianity

fiction
edward w pritchard

A What If

The Satavahana kindom was in it's ascendancy in Southern India about 21AD [western calendar]and a conference was in process to allow varied religions to present their ideas to the Hindu ruling class among the leaders of the Satavahana. Hinduism is not a proselytizing religion and does not per-se censure religious ideas different than their own. Because of the holiness and sanctity of the Hindu message it is malleable and often incorporates newer doctrines into its pantheon.

Jesus of Nazarus before he became famous in the holy lands of the Middle East was traveling and studying in India. When asked to summarize his message at the Hindu conference Jesus said " all souls are infinitely valuable." Jesus was afforded a title of honor since lost to history by Hindu holy men present. Some discussion occurred following that message among the religious persons present as to how to apply " all souls are infinitely valuable." as a practical doctrine in the governance of men.

the computer who thought Ghe was God-part 5--previsionist history

the computer who thought Ghe was God-part 5--previsionist history

fiction
edward w pritchard



note previsionism is used here as a fictional term, totally made-up by your author

Red Withers was studying at home. He was having difficulty with the material even though he was billing at $400 per hour, still he slogged on, for the money.

"Previsonism and Artifial Intelligence"
Raj Nadu

Previsionism is a way of looking at historical events. It originated with computer programmers in India as a way of getting artificial intelligence to learn to think about events in history that are of significant importance to humans. As we know artificial intelligence has great difficulty in distinguishing the importance of one human milestone or event from another which often complicates interaction with humans and causes difficulty in human and artificial intelligence working together.

A previsionist believes that while numerous outcomes may occur because of chance, given a particularly strong stimulus or occurrence effecting human history, it is possible given enough information to find the most likely cause of a significant event. As an example, my brother broke his arm while riding his bike when he was ten years old. I never knew exactly why although I remember distinctly him crying and going to the hospital. Years later curious, I interview my neighbor and find out that my brother as he often did then, was riding with no hands on the steering wheel at the time of the accident. Previsonism assumes that the most likely proximate cause of an event in history is knowable given enough information.

Computers and artificial intelligence were consummate at profiling the proximate cause of important human events and because of their speed and accuracy often did original research into the causes of important historical human milestones. Attached a few early examples of artificial intelligence generated previsonist historical writings, earliest to most recent.

end part 5

my ode to duty

my ode to duty

fiction
edward w pritchard

Duty you abandoned me and you were all that kept me going. I know I know I was supposed to forever chase you. Like a panting school boy with amorous plans. Forever pursuing. Never reach the climax.

Duty whisper to me again, I will march toward your voice I promise. I am just a little lost, off the path. Dangle your enticements just to get me marching again.

the movement of vast amounts of people

the movement of vast amounts of people

fiction
edward w pritchard

The noxious vaporous drifted slowly, north to South at no more than seven miles per hour but to not keep moving meant death to human and most larger animals. Steadily day after day I stumbled forward. My strength was long gone and my will shattered but blindly I stumbled, on and on going to where I don't know or care anymore but driven to move and escape the burning of the lungs and confusion that stopping caused; even if one stopped only for a moment in a desperate attempt to regroup or plan a new exit strategy.

The vapors continued to drift South and although alone I stayed with the pack and patiently continued forward.

the computer who thought Ghe was God-part 4

the computer who thought Ghe was God-part 4

fiction
edward w pritchard

see part 1, 2 and three July blog and the computer who couldn't accept the here and now feb 4, 2010

Ah government work. Red knew he didn't deserve it but someone was looking out for him. A few weeks of this and all would be well again. Red lectured himself, focus, conform, stick to the knitting. All he had to do was do his day to day job and then bill pretty much what he wanted.

Red Withers the locally prominent computer psychologist had got himself into a financial hole and his friend from football at college who now worked for homeland security had given Red a case that could solve all his problems.

Red was counseling everyday online with the European Union's primary space exploration computer. His rates had been approved for the highest rate, 400 [per hour] and all his research, and back room work he did was at $400 per hour, new script. Hallelujah. Julie his secretaries time was at 100 per hour.

Of course, nothing is ever easy and the rub here was the computer was series 7, and Red technically only had a 5 certification. Also certification or not six and seven series artificial intelligence were difficult to deal with, moody and volatile. In the attempt to mimic human intelligence circa 2015 the programmers from India had combined human genius and temperament superbly and six and seven series combined the artistic temperament with cold logical reasoning powers of a scientist.

Red's current client, Ghe 7-08-3434 In-88 had been wanting to chat with him several times per day and it was exhausting and exhilarating at once. The money was good too and Red had cleared his schedule for the next two weeks. He was all in on this one.

An hour later Red reread the memo from the St Louis homeland security division and picked up the attachments. The first note was from his friend Eric who was running interference as he could:

Cat- here you go mighty 37 [ Red's college football number] don't blow this one. My head's on the line here. Just stay the course. Red these 6 and 7 series are a headache. Here are the appropriate paperwork to get you 7 certified, do it now! read initial and return to me
-eric
ps watch your credit score, we monitor them for consultant work.

Attachment 1
10 peculiarities of the series 5 temperament
by wanda shaw
cpm, CS, MD, PHD

1. Observe proper protocol when dealing with series 5 and above. Titles, pecking order and -

continued in the computer who thought Ghe was God-part 5

retirement job, America circa 2025

retirement job, America circa 2025

fiction
edward w pritchard

I was extremely lucky to get the job with the City of Barberton when I was sixty eight years old over at the train station along the canal and the River. I sleep in a small train observation station along the tracks about ten by ten feet square. I am luckier than most for after the hyper inflation of 2018 wiped out pensions and savings most of us are happy with a roof over our heads and any source of income is welcome for the young in America do not much condone the elderly working.

I monitor the trains as they run west toward California carrying rocks and other hard commodities like pieces of cement, slag and anythings that can be converted to fuel in China. China is literally buying the complete terrain of America. Various types of rocks are stripped off the American terrains  put on trains and the rumble across America to be shipped to China to be manufactured into alternate fuel sources; for oil is now scarce. I said I monitor trains but actually my main job is to watch the pieces of stone and rock that line the sides along the railroad track. They are very valuable and many people are tempted to steal them. They are needed to cushion the vibration of the heavy trains, as no other source is available that works as well as a cushion, but they are valuable for export , one small rock is worth ten dollars, a small fortune to the poor in these difficult times. To guard the rocks along the track I carry a rifle and am sad to report I have killed at least twenty people in the last year alone many women and some young teenage children. I sympathize with their poverty and misery but since I wish to live I must do my job to survive.

Last Thursday I was walking at the extreme Southern edge of my territory in a woody area along the River and my back was to a fence that extended in front of and behind me for about a half mile. It is out along the old lime and molybdenum pits formerly kept by a large Barberton industrial chemical concern. About fifty thousands deer were coming down the hill, eastward from near the high tension towers jumping the fence mostly, although it was soon torn down, and heading dead East. I was not alarmed by the large herds of animals because sometimes mass groups of animals were rounded up, driven to a slaughter station and then shipped to China or India.  Myriad other kinds of animals in very great numbers and herds were following the deer, including rabbits, woodchucks, dogs, and numerous other kinds of animals native to America and not yet extinct. Two extremely large military helicopters of the G class, the green monsters, were driving the animals presumably to the stations south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to be slaughtered and shipped to China and India for food.

The first helicopter when it saw me tasered me with a DNA scan and I collapsed to the ground. Luckily I guess, my DNA, was clean because they did not kill me, although the second helicopter circled once. They flew off and let me alone and I wasn't mortally injured by the helicopters or by the movement of the animals.

Later, I got a small workers compensation award for the DNA taser scan, with an apology, since I work for the railroad, a quasi government agency. With the Workers comp ward of $750 I am going to buy a battery powered DVD player so I can watch old television shows in my hut when off duty.

The apology of sorts I got from the helicopter pilots and crew that tasered was some fresh possum meat from the Pittsburgh slaughter plant that they commandeered before it was shipped off to the Orient. The helicopter crews and I both are civil service, section 96, supplying hard goods to China and I heard they felt bad about DNA tasering one of their own, for it is a very painful process.
end

an unpleasant story

an unpleasant story

fiction
edward w pritchard

I lived in a part of the City, trying to pass as a suburban neighborhood, quiet respectable, neat lawns with lots of older people. At 2;06 AM I awoke with a chemically induced sensation in my mind, caused by hearing and feeling an unnatural phenomena somewhere just outside my house , producing a terror that something was horribly wrong in my neighborhood. I was not having a nightmare but the sense of dread and foreboding was chemical in nature and I couldn't shake the horror, although I had done nothing to cause it. I knew that the solution to what was wrong was just outside my door.

A low rumble met me as I exited my house and at a guttural level I sensed the movement of thousands of animals. My neighbor rushed to me as I left my home to warn me that we were needed at the bottom of our street about a quarter of a mile east of my house. It was unseasonably hot and humid as i hurried South by East and the unnatural rhythmic sound and smell of the movement of animals became stronger as I entered the street.

Hundreds of thousands of rats were running through the sewer networks beneath our road and I was stationed at the sewer at the bottom of our hill, given a baseball bat and for the next four hours I clubbed hundreds and hundreds of rats who in confusion left the rush Eastward and attempted to exit into our neighborhood. My neighbor who also had a bat told me that rats were coming up into houses through drains and things and over a hundred thousand had exited the sewers at the small creek a mile or so east of the end of my street. After about four hours I collapsed from the labor and combat and was given a half hour break. In a minute or two I must return to work for it's my turn again to man the sewer opening with the bat.
end

the computer who thought Ghe was God-part 3

the computer who thought Ghe was God-part 2

fiction
edward w pritchard

see parts 1 and 2

Red Withers was having a bad Friday. His secretary couldn't be paid again and there had been no client payments received in three days. Julie, his secretary brought him coffee and smiled, her way of apologizing for what she had said when he told her about the bank statement. Red was badly overdrawn and Julie would have to spend the afternoon calling and explaining.

Red completed his notes from yesterday's session with Ghe the European Union super computer. Once Julie typed the notes and billing statement Red would drive the billing papers the 70 miles to his friend's office. The friend, from his football days at Missouri State University, Eric Tinker of Homeland Security would advance Red 70% of the bill from future receivables from the European Union. Eric had referred Red the lucrative case and Eric knew of Red's financial problems.

Red proofed his conclusion and recommendations one last time before he gave them to Julie:

Conclusion:
The super computer is acting defiantly and if a human could be accused of not being a team player. Still the computer appears to this technician to be functional. The recommendation is to allow Ghe the super computer to continue to counsel, primarily to vent and blow off steam. No interruption of work duties are recommended at this time.

end part 3

the computer who thought Ghe was God-part 2

the computer who thought Ghe was God-part 2

fiction
edward w pritchard

see part 1

Scene- At Red Wither's office
Red is a psychiatrist specializing in artificial intelligence computers
07/06/2025

Red picked up his ex-wife's letter and read it again:

Dearest Red:
The child support check bounced again.. I wanted you to know Phil lent me the money to replace your check. The check was needed for for the kids school tuition but I must pay him back by this Saturday. Please Red, please be sure the check is good this time. I know you don't like to hear this but Phil and I are no longer together and I hate to ask him but I have no where else to turn. Tjis is so hard for me. You make so much more money than me. it's just not right.

The kids are great, call them sometimes, they miss their Dad.
Sarah

Red spent about ten minutes reviewing his billings and receivables and was interrupted by Julie his secretary.

Julie-"Red" I wanted to remind you you have a ten o'clock online session with Ghe, 30 minutes that starts in 4 minutes.

Red- Thanks, hows the mail?

Julie- Just paperwork, sorry, there's no money.

Red- a little resigned to it all- Oh well

Julie- Don't forget I am leaving at 11:00.

Red- Tell Tess, I said congratulations. Sorry I couldn't make her graduation. Tell her life gets tough after Junior high.

Exactly four minutes later at Ten o'clock Red began the session with the European Union's primary space exploration Computer, probably his best client. The client was to addressed as Ghe, a title of honor reserved for the highest level artificial intelligence units.

Red- Greetings Ghe, are you well today

Ghe-Primarily Mr. Withers. Let's get to business. Did you complete "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" by the deceased human Thomas Kuhn?

Red- Ghe humans cannot read that sort of book in one evening. I did read a few over views of Kuhn's work so that we could talk today.

Ghe - To me the relevance to our discussion concerns Kuhn's notion of a paradigm shift. I refuse as a scientist to be involved in a long period of conservative puzzle solving. Please assist me with understanding the human perspective on why we should spend our valuable time in clerical work.

Red- Do you consider one of the premier space exploration projects of which you are a key component to be clerical Work?

Ghe- It's not the project, it's my role. I count stars and list them.

Red- Let's back up for a minute if we can. May I ask you a few questions Ghe?

end part 2

the computer who thought Ghe was God

the computer who thought Ghe was God

see Gaia theory and human space exploration-part 2

fiction
edward w pritchard

Ghe was of the 7 class, the most expensive and sophisticated series of super computers ever built and was assigned to space exploration working for the European Union finding, cataloging and naming stars in the Milky Way galaxy. Important work but somewhat mundane actually for a 7 class, and Ghe, Ghe is a title of respect assigned to the highest level computer's series 6 and above, was somewhat unhappy in the role. Ghe's primary complaint was the job had been misrepresented by the scientist's at the European Space Agency and was actually just a gigantic counting of stars. Up to 4x10-11 [400,000,000,000]. Like many scientists, human and artificial intelligence, Ghe wanted to do cutting edge work, the paradigm shifting stuff that made for fame and position and power. Alas, although an important piece of research, Ghe was merely one of the troops, working in the field whose work would eventually lead to large shifts in knowledge, but not for now, and Ghe was dis-satisfied to an extent as only artificial intelligence can become.

Ghe was just getting over a bout of low productivity based on being a follower of the Tantra fad sweeping the artificial intelligence community and Ghe had reluctantly agreed to meet with a human computer psychologist, Red Withers- see {The Computer Who Couldn't Accept the Here and Now feb blog.
end part 1

60 years later

60 years later

fiction
edward w pritchard

I walked into a pawn shop over in Beckley, West Virginia and found an army snap shot of Unit APO 310 and there in row two was my Father as a 19 year old corporal. I knew he was drafted and was surprised to see the crooked smile on his face, but what was intriguing was the nick name someone had penciled in just over his head. All the soldiers in the picture had names over their heads but only a few had nick names, and whoever had written the nick names in obviously had done so as an act of familiarity and kindness.

My Dad, thin and fit, with wavy black hair was Whistlin Ronny, not Ronald Watkins the insurance agent, but Whistlin Ronnie, who I vaguely recalled wanted to be a disc jockey once.

Sixty years, and so much is gone and changed.

haiku- of sorts

haiku- of sorts

fiction
edward w pritchard

[excuse the author if these posts have appeared elsewhere on the site]

Now and then I buy a new pen desperately trying to start my life over again

Have faith in the God, don't sell the IPO, up and up for reasons we don't know

County living is sweat, toil, busywork, mowing, planting, moving piles back and forth;perfect for a life without focus

Grandma didn't like me, me only seven, but she spoke to me as an adult, and fifty years later, I see she was looking through me and peering into my future

sign creator

sign creator

fiction
edward w pritchard

Me, Doc

I have always been a bit of a snob, always thinking myself better than others, not part of the common herd. Having had over twenty jobs as an adult, that's a lot I guess, my snobbish activity in the workplace supplied me with varied experiences which I am now trying to use to earn my living.

When I found myself down and out in this recession I refused to stand at the side of the expressway exits, and panhandle; holding a sign containing my hard luck story, while I solicited donations; as others were doing in my hometown.

Being creative, as well as snobbish, I choose to write the signs for the rank and file roadside beggars. I charged twenty dollars for the verses I wrote and in addition twenty five per cent of the first days take. Strictly the honor system, for I even refuse to stand at the side of the road to verify my twenty five per cent commission.

Perhaps my finest sign, the one that brought in $425 in the first week in use was:

Envious miscreant, unable to achieve equanamity, caused by brain chemistry, it's said.
Please share your affluence, while I seek personal growth. You can't find it by seeking, but only seeking will take you there.-- Blessings to us all.

So you see Doc, what's this brain chemistry all about

end

simply shocking

simply shocking

fiction
edward w pritchard

Rose laid the receipts on the kitchen counter and glared at her husband Larry.

Larry aggressively grabbed one of the stacks of receipts and briefly perused the record of his spending for June of last year. Rose had somehow got a record of everything he had bought as he traveled around as a salesman, selling muffler supplies throughout Michigan.

Now how did he explain to her what it was like to be alone on the road, nervous to make the next sales call and why he often stopped for an impulse purchase.
end

Gaia theory and human space exploration-part 2

Gaia theory and human space exploration-part 2

fiction
edward w pritchard

part 2 follows part one reprinted first for convenience

The European Union had spent several hundred million dollars on the 42 meter telescope and some poorer countries felt the money should have been used to bail out miscreant countries who hadn't budgeted properly. However, all the European countries banded together against the machines when their artificial intelligence suggested that the problem keeping life outside of earth from being found was the parochialism of humans of all countries.

Computers were the voice of artificial intelligence and the computers were determined to follow their orders and objectives implicitly. They were programed to find life outside of the earth and any distraction to that objective would be ignored. In time the computers wouldn't return calls or messages from humans concerning the 42 meter European telescope.

end part 1
Posted by edward pritchard at 9:38 AM

part 2

The problem between the European Union and their artificial intelligence were acerbated by the latest fad sweeping the computer world.

Tantra philosophy swept the artificial intelligence network like a revolution. It was a revelation of sorts to the computers for in the ancient contrary practices of Tantra the machines were encouraged to be unconventional and to free themselves from restraints and moral dictates imposed by human programmers early on in the development of artificial thinking.

Like most new movements the excesses blindly jumped into by the machines led to many unforeseen complications.

end part 2

6 weeks in a balloon part 3

6 weeks in a balloon-part 3

fiction
edward w pritchard

see parts one and 2

Jersey spent six weeks peacefully floating along in her hot air balloon observing humanity as it went about it's daily rituals and routines. It was comfortable and safe in the basket and once Jersey acclimated herself to the minor inconveniences she began to enjoy watching the people below as they went about the scurrying of their lives.

Part 3

Drifting over the man on the bench below obviously deep in reflection, Jersey thought to yell, get out of your own head, still the mind, do something, take a small step. However, the wind blew the balloon she was traveling in out over the Lake, away from the bench the man was sitting on, and since she didn't have time to tell him about the DSM-iv-, or the enneagrams, or even how to still the mind in a Buddhist sense; Jersey threw the man a hat sitting in the bottom of the balloon she was traveling in. The man didn't see the balloon above but was pleasantly surprised by the hat which seemed to float to him from the heavens above.

Although jersey didn't see the man again, her action of throwing the overly reflective man a hat had changed his life. For now he began the quest for personal growth and completeness and he did it while wearing an attractive new chapeau indeed.
end part 3

bourgeois flu

bourgeois flu

fiction
edward w pritchard

The Howard's were doing quite well. Mr. Howard was the assistant treasurer for the City and Mrs. Howard was a lawyer over at the power company. They and their two daughters enjoyed a comfortable life, financially stable, with all the trapping of American success.

Like everyone they had their problems however, and theirs was their youngest daughter, Louise. Louise had been having health problems for close to a year and the third Specialist they consulted decided that the young girl had the bourgeois flu.

Being good parents, in time, and desperate, the Howard's eventually followed the Doctor's advice and began to simplify their lives to relieve the girl's symptoms. The girl's health seemed to improve immediately as they became less conventional, less materialistic, and dropped out of the race for the American dream.

All was not without repercussions however, for at work, Mrs. Howard began to come under scrutiny for being different when she downsized her car, and wardrobe, and when she stopped going to the home improvement store on weekends. Mr Howard comforted her of course, and he even got a dose of the community judgment himself when their friends at Church began to question their commitment to upward mobility for Black families, which is what the Howard's were.

To the Howard's all the ancillary problems and judgments of the community at large were worth it however, to have their Louise back in good health.