we are alone in an indifferent universe

Joining the invisible army/ edit 1 repost

fiction
edward w pritchard


I awoke to find myself preparing to fight against the Spanish soldiers, me allied with American Indians down Mexico way, circa the year 1530. The Spanish soldiers were well armored and rode heavily on their powerful horses. The Spanish army was small in number but properly armed with the technology and weapons of the day.

I was with the Indians and although I didn't speak their language I was aligned to their cause of the past. Through the study of history I had an expertise in their situation, methods and probable success against this powerful Spanish foe we faced in a few moments.

The Spanish troops slowly rode toward our position. They conquistadors were high up on a small hill slowly riding the powerful horses toward us, a small number of Indian soldiers and myself. It was dark and starless out and the moon had deserted the sky. The Indians braves and I were hiding in attack laying on the ground in high weeds about five feet apart. We clutched light but lethal thin iron spears effective weapons in close hand to hand combat. I rolled back a few flops and stared up waiting for the Spanish, anxious for combat, powerfully clutching the spear.

As the first horse walked over me its feet sunk into the dry dusty ground from the weight it carried. Looking to my left I nodded to my fellow warriors to prepare to strike with our iron spears.

The Indian warriors I fought with were suddenly transformed into man shaped heaps of bleached white bones. My only allies the extinct Indians were regal in decay; but no longer effective partners in my life and death battle. Alone I faced the Spanish soldiers; soldiers and an enemy who were all to real. Staring down at me from their powerful horses the Spanish warrior's seemed sympathetic to my heroic plight. Man to man they looked across at each other unsure for the moment how to attack me.

I had joined the invisible army of the past and apparently I had chosen the wrong side to ally myself with. The strong win it seemed despite the righteousness of the cause. Still I clutched my iron spear, twenty of my foes against one, I was prepared and ready to fight and die despite overwhelming odds.

We  struggle alone in an indifferent universe. 

America's foreign wars

repost with edit/America's foreign wars
Unit Ohio, NCO training section 200; rambling coyotes

fiction
edward w pritchard


Most of the new recruits were alone sitting in groups of two or three at Bob Heton's Kentucky Fried Chicken here in Kent . Some were outside in winter cold clutching dearly to girl friends, a few Mother's were sitting in the parking lot in expensive cars with Son's leaning at the window and a half dozen soon to be soldiers were standing outside the doorway having a last smoke with their new Sergeant.

My son and I had been sitting here for over an hour having the original recipe fried chicken. There was plenty of chicken left and the sides were untouched and Paulie was passing out the balance of the box to the young men sitting around us. No food was allowed on the bus to Camp Perry Joint Training Center. Paulie and I were sitting at the same table we were at nine years ago when Sheriff Winston, my high school Assistant football coach, had called me here at midnight to retrieve Paulie and Sam Murphy for being inside the fence of the East Ohio Gas building.

As I watched Paulie interact with the other boys I doodled  arrows with my thumb on the frosted window. Bob needed to get some heat here in his restaurant. I was fighting off the urge to check over Paulie's small suitcase he was allowed to take on the Bus to Camp Perry. After Camp Perry Paulie had ten weeks of Basic down South and then four months of individual training before his unit of the Ohio National Guard went to Pakistan. Paulie stood by the windows a minute and watched the couples outside kissing desperately. I read over the brochure about the operation at Camp Perry again. I had under lined most of it and drawn a few arrows. Paulie didn't want to take the leaflet with him and had handed it back to me. The Adjutant General in command at the Camp Perry training center is a woman.

The Sergeant shook my hand. I hadn't been in the military but my Dad had; he wouldn't talk about World War two. I listened to the Sergeant organize the group and get them on the bus. One of the  Mother's was having trouble with her car and I took a look under the hood; standing by the car I could hear hear the Sergeant on the bus giving the squad their new nickname, the Rambling Coyotes. After the bus pulled off I watched it enter 76 West toward Lake Erie. The brochure had said they had a State of the art Dining facility at Camp Perry. I didn't know if the Camp where Paulie would start his training at to be a soldier sat directly on Lake Erie. I wanted to call my ex-wife but she had said goodbye yesterday to Paulie. Driving back to my apartment over the slippery treacherous roads I  kept worrying about the bus and wondered how long it would be before Paulie could give me a call.

That night about about four AM I awoke from a bad dream. In my dream Paulie was standing with a soldier with a turban on his head, Muslim style. Both were wearing an American civil war gray uniform and both had twin artificial legs, the kind of artificial limbs that looked like springy thin metal pogo sticks. In my dream both the soldiers, Paulie and his enemy were standing very still, looking ancient, like images from a sad old fading picture.

Virtual Children/ edit 2

Virtual Children/ edit 2
fiction
edward w pritchard

Because of the work, trouble and expense of raising children, young couples began to have virtual children rather than biological offspring. No virtual child was ever sick, sad, over weight or suffering from angst, at least not beyond a certain point necessary to full fill customary parental needs.

Naturally, this fad started in America and America being all about business besides the obvious social and cultural implications several economics outputs occurred because of the phenomena of virtual children.

First a cottage industry of middlemen and interlopers developed designed to make a living from the trend. Here we review a few of the steps a prospective parent would take before seriously considering virtual children.

The prospective parent of a virtual child can begin their search for the perfect offspring with the Apple [trademark] "app" called "I honestly want at least one child,"  a survey of raising virtual children. The app is extremely effective at screening out lukewarm potential parents who haven't thought through the ups and downs of parenthood and is modestly priced and easy to use to begin the initial information gathering process before venturing into the world of having a virtual [ flesh and blood- edit??] child, boy or girl[ male or female?].

Next various on line Universities have a two year degree in "You and your virtual Bud", [financing available] such as the University of Tuscon [ and others?] [ note credits do not necessarily transfer]. Also various Churches [and] [ agnostic co-operatives] provide pre-counseling for no fees [donations are appreciated].

Third a trial period is available before the time commitment and funds are made to obtain virtual children. Using 3 D printer technology a model virtual child may be downloaded at participating [ Kinko's] locations. Note however because the cost of the paper 3D technology is expensive proceed cautiously here [edit]. Also large fees and fines accrue if the model isn't deconstructed according to local laws which vary by jurisdiction.

Is a virtual child for you [and or your spouse/partner] ?.

go to our on line web site for more information from this author

.con/dubious advice

virtual children part 2

fiction
edward w pritchard

see virtual children part 1 Jan blog same author

Virtual Children
part 2

edit 1:



Education of virtual children

Teachers unions have not benefited from the rapid growth in American families choosing to have virtual children rather than flesh and blood children. Of course no virtual child should be educated by a non union teacher. This is to insure each virtual child received a uniformly mediocre equal education along with all other children. Related is standardized testing for virtual children. Since virtual children have less distraction in their lives than biological children minimum standardized test scores for virtual students should be raised 20% above existing standards. Of course there will be the usual clamor and complaint that virtual children in wealthier districts receive more than equal treatment than their poorer peers. Already studies have shown that wealthier virtual students tend to receive more personal freedom in their schools and more importantly are subject to less "big brother" type visual inspection and observation than their poorer peers but more research is needed to collaborate this conclusion. [ See The difference between Illinois State Prison 1953 and Salem Junior High 2015 same author March blog]

Athletics
A hotly contested topic in virtual children revolves around steroid use. The subject of virtual steroids is complicated by the fact that there is little agreement on a definition of enhanced performance in virtual activities. Suffice to say this is an area that will continue to be controversial.

Health Care
Nearly 51% of virtual children have no health care, a shocking statistic to those who are employed in the lucrative per profit delivery of health care government subsidized services. The health care providers and insurance industries have been lobbying for State mandated minimum coverage of all virtual children. The ideal payer for the uninsured virtual youths look to be citizens without virtual children, and of course the elderly homeowners.

Housing
Virtual children are skewing the housing numbers causing confusion in government weekly and monthly indexes. A revision for births and deaths of virtual children is being investigated.

Retirement
How will today's virtual children ever retire someday with two houses, two large cars and how will they spend their golden years if they have to worry about money, sickness, and Chinese workers taking their opportunities and ruining their peace of mind?

Virtual Children themselves:
They are loud, aggressive, rude, disrespectful, lazy, irreverent and smart mouthed. Alarmingly, virtual American children are already falling behind oriental children in Math and Science.

President Obama's health insurance proposals

President Obama's health insurance proposals

fiction
edward w pritchard

those few readers, unfamiliar with author's works, should know that writer here claims ability to have fictional or deceased characters from history and literature speak for him or to him at times; here Blanche DuBois from "Streetcar Named Desire" of Tennessee Williams fame speaks:

Author
hello Blanche

Blanche DuBois

Well when it comes to the debate on whether or not government should provide health insurance to it's constituents I guess I would say:

{with a thick Southern Accent}

I have always relied on the kindness of strangers myself.
end

NSA "leaker" Edward Snowden, Spy or patriot

NSA "leaker" Edward Snowden, Spy or patriot

fiction
edward w pritchard

In our tree:

Before there were the great States of Russia, China and the United States the great clans of early times lived airborne in gigantic trees. In small groups, related by various affinities each clan fought fiercely to protect their space and protect it's members large or small, young or old.

It was a precarious life clinging to a branch 100 feet above ground and organization and communication were necessary to maintain internal security while performing the ordinary activities of survival.

Posturing was preferred to all out war but sometimes heavy objects such as dead branches or large stones would be dropped on an enemy or raiding party.

Worse than a traitor to the clan was a spy, someone who co-operated with foreign interests. Still spying was often preferable to outright warfare.
end part 1

Akron's favorite son, Lebron James part 2

Akron's favorite son, Lebron James part 2

fiction
edward w pritchard

You've made the grade soaring Prince, except for the lingering 23 % of perpetual doubters you've proved once and for all that you are the Tops. Now lead sorry Akron out of it's long long funk.

There's so much to do. We hate to burden you but it's time for our Renaissance. Buy us all a new bike and we will ride with you into the future. We'll take the canal path. Ride to the Summit. 

Where should we go. When do we start. What's  it like out there. Are you happy with it all Dog?

edit 2, /true blue odio colodie

edit 2,/true blue odio colodie

True Blue Odio Colodie
you taught the peasants how to pop corn
although you weren't really a noble.
You took my heart
which started harder than stone.
I shuffled the cards and raked in the pots
while we went hand in hand
and sat by your side as babies were born.
Forsaking others, friends, foes, prurient interests
and joined with you at the hip
shut out the dawn.
Acquired things, more than two houses full
and you took me with you as you flew,
soaring together into azure skies.
But your humours eradicated
and you were gone, something else emerged.
Life continues, true blue friends dislocate
and I use my stone cold heart to crack corn for souffles
and preach to unbelievers about life's cycles.
While I Try to grow wings myself,
from the hollow space behind my eyes
I write odes to your gentle voice, as
I remain  forsaken, forlorn and forgotten.
Me, now? I am going to Mars. I'll build a small station
with plastic magnets and mine for mineral rich meteors out there
in space; honk when you float by, drifting toward eternity.