tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59648016048924631282024-02-20T17:19:00.577-08:00Redner RanchCharlie Redner - Authorredcharliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477715252002321846noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964801604892463128.post-22272696136588326182015-03-01T16:41:00.003-08:002015-03-01T16:41:49.186-08:00Coming soon ...<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cgq9JCDqEM0/VPOxvaY6slI/AAAAAAAAAu8/IAuxtXptG_M/s1600/image001.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cgq9JCDqEM0/VPOxvaY6slI/AAAAAAAAAu8/IAuxtXptG_M/s1600/image001.png" height="86" width="320" /></a></div>
redcharliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477715252002321846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964801604892463128.post-53563292167558443102015-01-28T10:22:00.000-08:002015-01-28T10:23:26.871-08:00<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222;">We’re making a movie, actually two movies about the life
and times of boxing middleweight champion, hall of fame inductee, Joey Giardello and his
son Carman born with Down syndrome based on an authorized biography, "Down But Never Out." Funding is being arranged for a major
Hollywood film and we are also working on a documentary or docudrama for television.
Stay tuned.</span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span><span style="color: #222222;"></span></div>
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<o:p></o:p>redcharliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477715252002321846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964801604892463128.post-48575084731362898142013-10-18T11:25:00.002-07:002013-10-18T11:27:17.471-07:00Hummingbird In Hollywood<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W23xY1tMWQw/UmF8ivd9zGI/AAAAAAAAAWs/P2NWlbX1Zfk/s1600/HBR2013_FrontCoverFinalFinal+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W23xY1tMWQw/UmF8ivd9zGI/AAAAAAAAAWs/P2NWlbX1Zfk/s1600/HBR2013_FrontCoverFinalFinal+(1).jpg" height="320" width="216" /></a></div>
<br />
Now available at Amazon Books, see author, Charles Redner for this and other books.<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Charles+Redner">http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Charles+Redner</a>redcharliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477715252002321846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964801604892463128.post-30328779742152736172013-01-31T20:29:00.001-08:002013-01-31T20:35:19.254-08:00Hummingbird Review Call for Submissions<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Call
for submissions. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Hummingbird Review</i>
is looking for: 1) Essays that demonstrate the relationship between </span><span class="uficommentbody"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">the literary arts and Hollywood, either
through movies that refer to literature (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dead
Poets Society, Love Song for Bobby Long, Shakespeare In Love</i>, etc.) or
treatments of classic novels into movies (please query me briefly beforehand,
max 2,000 words); and 2) New unpublished, well-rendered poetry (max 3 poems).
My email address for all submissions and queries: </span></span><a href="mailto:credner@thehummingbirdreview.com"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #3b5998;">credner@thehummingbirdreview.com</span></span></a><span class="uficommentbody"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Close is February 15.2013</span></span><span class="uficommentbody"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b2hAnZqj5Qk/UQtEiVE_OuI/AAAAAAAAAUA/Uylcd02pznA/s320/hummingBird4FrontCoverRevJune.jpg" width="211" /></div>
redcharliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477715252002321846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964801604892463128.post-47825379122778017592012-11-14T15:07:00.000-08:002012-11-14T15:07:03.150-08:00The Deadly Buddha<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-psLZnv2lnzs/UKQh3w81PII/AAAAAAAAAQs/-2ijukxWWuU/s1600/DeadlyBuddha_Cover+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-psLZnv2lnzs/UKQh3w81PII/AAAAAAAAAQs/-2ijukxWWuU/s320/DeadlyBuddha_Cover+%25281%2529.jpg" width="219" /></a></div>
... new cover for Tom Ong's next thriller. What do you think?redcharliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477715252002321846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964801604892463128.post-43978242941022151692012-10-22T09:22:00.001-07:002012-10-22T09:22:21.073-07:00Will Miss You, Senator McGovern
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">... a true story:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Alone
with me in the basement of a New Jersey motor lodge,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">a
presidential candidate who vigorously campaigned against the<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Vietnam
War took off his suit coat. Two secret service agents remained<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">stationed
at the top of the stairs. He unbuttoned and removed his<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">shirt,
unbuckled his belt, stripped to his shorts and handed me each<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">article
of clothing as he dressed in more “conservative” attire. He<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">explained
that he was heading to New York City and didn’t want<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">the
folks back in South Dakota, via national television coverage, to<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">see how
he appeared during the luncheon stump-speech delivered<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">minutes
earlier.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Now I possessed the answer to <i>the </i>burning question of
the ’72<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">campaign,
asked by at least one reporter at each stop. The candidate<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">glared
at me and said, “Charlie, swear—swear you’ll never give the<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">answer
to the boxers or briefs question.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Yes, Senator, I promise.” But I wondered if travelling
campaign<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">reporter,
Hunter S. (Gonzo) Thompson, if he knew, would keep Senator<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">George McGovern’s
deepest personal secret. I imagined not.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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redcharliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477715252002321846noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964801604892463128.post-42447527331525412042012-10-10T12:44:00.002-07:002012-10-10T12:44:35.078-07:00World Peace Interrupted
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">For Taylor Mali in the land
of Gandhi<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 18pt;">World Peace Interrupted<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Imagine a poem that pursues
world peace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Thanksgiving dinner sans
arguments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">A school playground without a
scuffle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Civility returns to the U.S.
Congress.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Imagine a poem that elevates
world peace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>RING. RING.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Rappers remove F-bombs from
their lyrics.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Folsom Prison skinheads play
music on the bars.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Mississippi clansmen burn
hand-me-down sheets.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Imagine a poem that promotes
world peace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Machetes melted for dinner
plates in Ethiopia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Fights in Thailand are over <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pad Thai</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Woonsen.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Tanks backup in North Korea.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Imagine a poem that advances
world peace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>RING. RING. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Cartel guns in Mexico go
silent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Harmony settles over
Palestine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">War no more in Afghanistan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Imagine a poem that
encourages world peace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">The spirit of Gandhi spreads
throughout Pakistan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Bomb-makers in Karachi bake
honey cakes instead.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Al Qaeda</span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">
begs forgiveness before disbanding.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">I’m writing a poem to
establish world peace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>RING. RING.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">“Hello.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Lennon
would have turned seventy today. Imagine.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">“I already have.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">October 10, 2010 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
redcharliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477715252002321846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964801604892463128.post-21852093770980681132012-09-07T17:16:00.001-07:002012-09-10T09:48:02.505-07:00The Paintbrush That Tamed A Town.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2824j_oevH0/UEqMyF3gZ0I/AAAAAAAAAOo/mLj5u3i7Kzs/s1600/PaintBursh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2824j_oevH0/UEqMyF3gZ0I/AAAAAAAAAOo/mLj5u3i7Kzs/s320/PaintBursh.jpg" width="257" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">To this day it is called the
Kings Highway, some 236 years after the war aimed at ridding the colonials of the
road’s namesake, King George III. The road traverses north/south through New
Jersey from the lower Delaware Bay to the city of Camden, a fast ferry ride over
to Philadelphia, the young Nation’s first capital. An overland trip from the Bay
to Philadelphia back then was much easier traveled in New Jersey because of the
numerous wide and fast-moving tributaries that flow into the Delaware River on
the Pennsylvania side<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Fifteen miles from Philadelphia, Kings Highway effectively
cuts the town of Haddonfield evenly east from west. Named for Elizabeth Haddon,
daughter of an early colonial landowner, the town, even today, still has the
look and feel of a New England colonial village. Tall, two and three-story houses
face the wide, tree-lined roads. Ancient oak, maple, and chestnut trees shaded
the front, sides, and back of most structures. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No ranchers or track houses of any kind
allowed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In 1985, Carla Gach bought one of those colonial-style
homes on Kings Highway, a mere three blocks from where Washington actually did
sleep as Haddonfield was alternately occupied by both opposing forces during
the Revolution. Dolly Madison frequently slept at The Indian King Tavern where
the bed she used still sits on the second floor. One may even wonder if Dolly
and George found themselves sleeping in the town at the same time, but not of
course, in the same bed. It has been rumored though, that Dolly Payne (name
from first marriage) quizzed Martha regarding the character of one, James
Madison, before agreeing to marry the future fourth president. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">“Historic,
old-money, quaint, and quiet” are the names most often conferred upon
Haddonfield by residents of the nearby communities. Holding onto its Quaker
lineage, the town to this day, does not allow liquor sold anywhere within its
borders. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So you can imagine that when Carla Gach repainted her white
picket fence a hot, hot neon-orange that a few Haddonfield eyebrows raised up.
Even more than eyebrows, hands skyrocketed at the very next town hall
meeting where volunteers eager to help curb Carla’s desire to be so colorful.
Carla needed a good lecture and Mrs. Jonathan Whitmore IV would be only too
happy to do the honors. The city fathers including Jonathan Whitmore III and
Jonathan Whitmore IV agreed that a first meeting should be cordial,
conciliatory, and should place trust in Carla’s acceptance of tradition over
her personal color preferences.<o:p></o:p><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Mrs. Whitmore IV agreed with the approach. She invited
Carla over to her habitat where with a big smile, tea and genuine English
crumpets, the issue of the offensive color choice for Carla’s fence was
politely discussed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Carla proved most receptive to the request that she change
the color scheme. And Carla was made aware that sooner would be much better
than later. The very next day, although a little weary, Carla, brush in hand, was
observed repainting her fence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The next day thereafter, eyebrows and hands rose up once
again all over Haddonfield. Without being specific that white, not chartreuse,
was the only preferred color of choice for “white” picket fences — an emergency
meeting of the guardian fathers reconvened. Mrs. Jonathan Whitmore IV was
invited to explain why the meeting with Carla failed to produce the desired
results. Placing part of the blame on failed communications and possibly stale
crumpets, it was decided that Mr. Jonathan Whitmore IV should visit the
offending neighbor. And, he should deliver the message with a man’s gentle, but
firm, clear and concise fashion. No manner of refreshments were brought to the
meeting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Even more tired than the previous day Carla, once again
grabbed her brush, and painted the fence pearl-ivory white. One could feel a
collective sigh reign all over Haddonfield. But before she put her brush away
she dipped it in a pail of pale-yellow and splashed the front of her house.
Then she stepped back and allowed Jones House Painting to complete the job.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Not since Aaron Burr had walked down the Kings Highway
seeking the affections of Dolly had such a dark cloud hovered over Haddonfield.
Blasphemy! This was a deliberate act of blasphemy by a Devil-woman. No more Mr.
Nice Guys. It was time to bring out the lawyers with their threats of financial
damages, incarceration and public scorn. Did the community still own a pillory
where one’s head and hands were locked in mockery for the entire world to
observe? This tool was usually reserved for adulteress but warranted in this extreme
case, thought a few of the town’s gentry. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Carla had received all the Whitmore IV’s messages loud and
clear. Haddonfield was run by a male dominated, archaic city council and she
was not about to bow down. King George lost but Carla would not run and could
not be dissuaded from her house color choices. She voted to let her adversaries
bring out their biggest cannons.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now the city council was not alone in feeling that Carla
had violated the principals of honorable ethics, the entire, well most of
Haddonfield’s residences shunned Carla. She was ignored in the stores, seemed
she had to wait in line longer at the bank where her business was evidently not
wanted but tolerated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">The
legal threats were not without basis either. The city fathers did have
jurisdiction over many properties in historical zones or for homes with verifiable
historic value. There was always an outside chance that Carla’s house could be
subjected to an existing statute. In addition, the idyllic life she perceived
in her new home was far from reality and the “war” was wearing on her. But she
held her ground like Washington at Valley Forge. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">The
lawyers went to work and for a small town of 12,000, it boasts 390 attorneys, more
than most of any similar sized community in southern New Jersey. But the case
dragged on and on. Eventually the ice-cold treatment for Carla began to melt.
Even Mrs. Jonathan Whitmore IV referred to Carla, as neighbor. The frost
dissipated completely after Carla held a fund raiser for the Daughters of the
Revolution in her home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">One
day Carla tired of her yellow house and repainted it a brilliant white. The
town rejoiced. The new mayor, Jonathan Whitmore V declared a “Carla Gach Day.”
Soon after however, when Carla became a little bored she got out her trusty
paintbrush once again. This time she painted a birdhouse imperial purple just
to remind Haddonfield that she still possessed spunk. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>__________ <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 2.5in; text-indent: -2.5in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Carla Gach, a
long-time resident of Laguna Woods, CA and member of the Laguna Woods Village
Art Association painted a paintbrush which inspired this story. The historical
facts are correct; the rest of the story is a fable. Carla Gach passed away in
2011 but the Art Association honors her memory by prominently displaying the
painting, shown above, on its website. Note: The author lived in Haddonfield,
NJ where a purple-painted house on Kings Highway actually caused such a fuss
during the 1980’s and still may to this day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<br />redcharliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477715252002321846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964801604892463128.post-91224670103433087922012-06-26T20:54:00.001-07:002012-06-26T20:54:24.716-07:00Raves for Hummingbird from London<br />
<h2 style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">THE HUMMINGBIRD REVIEW: <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<br />
<h2 style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">A LITERARY ANTHOLOGY (Volume
III/Number 1)<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">by </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/adeyinka.makinde"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: blue;">Adeyinka Makinde</span></span></a><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">, June 24, 2012 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The Blue Marble visage of the globe with the African continent at its
centre as portrayed on the cover of the latest edition of the Hummingbird
Review serves as a statement of intent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The Review, which according to publisher Charles Redner, is committed to
“portraying the beauty and challenges of life through literature and art” as
well as promoting “cross cultural writing in all forms” is indeed a
smorgasboard of literary modes and devices; providing a forum for both
established as well as neophyte figures.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Here poetry is presented alongside journalism as are lyrics and screenplays
with the theme of this edition being largely to do with Africa. Redner’s
thoughtful preface is headlined in the Shona language of southern Africa and,
true to its stated intent, the content spans different regions of the
continent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The inaugural piece features an interview with Noam Chomsky conducted by
Said Leghlid, a Moroccan-born American, in which the venerable intellectual
voices his characteristically insightful and vehement analysis of United States
foreign policy, this time in regard to the Arab Spring which of course started
in North Africa.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Among the poetical selections is <em>The Cloud</em>, an 1835 work by
Alexandre Pushkin, the acknowledged father of Russian Literature who was the
descendant of Abram Gannibal, a general of the Russian Empire who may have been
of Eritrean ancestry or with roots further west in modern day Cameroon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Among the eye catching works are <em>The Berber Stone and the Cherokee
Enigma</em>, an essay which postulates the migratory connections between North
Africa and the Americas via oral histories handed down through the mists of
time, linguistic similarities, archaeological discoveries, and even DNA traits.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Also of interest, from this writer’s perspective, is an excerpt from a
biographical screenplay on the heavyweight boxer George Foreman. It is centred
on the profound transformation in the life philosophy of Foreman; the roots of
which germinated from his experiences related to the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’,
the legendary heavyweight championship contest he had in 1974 with Muhammad Ali
in Kinshasa, the capital city of what was then Zaire, which is now the
Democratic Republic of the Congo.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Another highlight of this edition of the review is a rationale of and an
example of contextual poetry by this genre’s proselytiser-in-chief, Dr, Thea
Iberall, poet and scientist. Contextual poetry aims to “integrate the knowledge
of science and history with the language of poetry.” If the purpose of
literature is to stimulate thought, to provoke debate, to evoke joy and pathos,
to educate, and to develop the inherent human thirst for a personal
understanding of the stirrings of the inner mind as well as the wider world,
then the Review strives to provide some measure of each.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN;">This journal genuinely serves as food for the cerebral palate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Adeyinka Makinde is the author of the biographies: <em>DICK TIGER: The Life
and Times of a Boxing Immortal</em> and <em>JERSEY BOY: The Life and Mob
Slaying of Frankie DePaula. </em>Website:http://adeyinkamakinde.homestead.com/index.html<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vBnmtk50Jls/T-qD2kSMXRI/AAAAAAAAANw/4iL_CQlmFsQ/s1600/hummingBird4FrontCoverRevJune.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vBnmtk50Jls/T-qD2kSMXRI/AAAAAAAAANw/4iL_CQlmFsQ/s320/hummingBird4FrontCoverRevJune.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>redcharliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477715252002321846noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964801604892463128.post-41623634233090255352012-06-19T12:24:00.001-07:002012-06-19T12:26:59.637-07:00The Mounting Storm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-04Ill91acqM/T-DQrOWv6UI/AAAAAAAAANk/6D4YUVlA8cE/s1600/MountingStormFrontCoverOnly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-04Ill91acqM/T-DQrOWv6UI/AAAAAAAAANk/6D4YUVlA8cE/s320/MountingStormFrontCoverOnly.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>How's this cover grab you? </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>It's a rough draft of Tom Ong's exciting new book due to market -- soon!</strong></span>redcharliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477715252002321846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964801604892463128.post-22245972462771882392012-06-05T07:23:00.000-07:002012-06-05T07:42:07.778-07:00Hummingbird Vol 3, No. 1 Takes FlightAt Amazon: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Charles+Redner">http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Charles+Redner</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-ZW" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-ZW;"> Imbai nheketerwa
kurumbidza mazwi</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 4.75in; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sing Praise for the Words!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A light breeze floated across Zimbabwe, picked up speed in
Botswana, darted north over Egypt, sailed west to Morocco, and then blew across
the Atlantic. A zephyr carried voices of Africa to our ears and into our
hearts. Two African poets sharing their verses; an American screenwriter conveying
his behind-the-scenes treatment, Hollywood-style, of Ali and Foreman’s “Rumble
in the Jungle;” and a woman studying elephants, like Goodall studied
chimpanzees, cram this issue with unique views as diverse as the continent itself.
Wonder along with us as Brian Wilkes ponders tribal customs of the Cherokee
Nation that match those of Berbers (Imazighen) living in the Atlas Mountains.
Be sure to read Moroccan-born Said Leghlid’s talk with Professor Noam Chomsky
who looks beyond the obvious to help us understand the causes and possible
aftermath of the Arab Spring.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Called the “Blue Marble” when viewed from space, our
swirling, spinning world is most often shown with the Americas centered and thought
you’d like to see earth from another vantage, one where it all began for the
human race—Africa. For our cover art, we thank oil painter Judith DiGirolamo
Redner for her unique “Earth from on High” interpretations. </span><br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OQbo8OuSf_Y/T84WMJPtYkI/AAAAAAAAANY/reGbdK_FCZQ/s1600/hummingBird4FrontCoverRevJune.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OQbo8OuSf_Y/T84WMJPtYkI/AAAAAAAAANY/reGbdK_FCZQ/s320/hummingBird4FrontCoverRevJune.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>redcharliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477715252002321846noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964801604892463128.post-50376358195891048562012-05-25T12:27:00.000-07:002012-05-25T12:27:24.099-07:00Conversation with a Hollywood Star<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S-ZfeWZMOjA/T7_b5036KSI/AAAAAAAAAM8/m-EZmUkqQp8/s1600/Rush1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S-ZfeWZMOjA/T7_b5036KSI/AAAAAAAAAM8/m-EZmUkqQp8/s320/Rush1.jpg" /></a></div>
Barbara Rush (left) talks about Brando, Monroe, Sinatra, Dean Martin and others during “Write Now Show” interview with me and co-host, Judy Saxon.redcharliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477715252002321846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964801604892463128.post-15086662009681447692012-01-26T16:16:00.000-08:002012-01-26T16:16:59.189-08:00Two words for the screenplay: "Incredibly brilliant"<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">It was a tough, tough assignment to write about a 9/11 family even ten years removed. Pitching a New York agent a few years ago with a novel that just touched on the event, I watched as the agent described how he simultaneously witnessed the towers come down on TV and out his office window. His breathing became labored and I though he was going to cry. He wasn’t about to consider my book. I understood. Eric Roth’s (Academy Award for “Forrest Gump”) screenplay for “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” may make it possible for others to now write on the subject if written with Roth’s sensitivity and genius – a salute also to Jonathan Safran Foer for the book. <o:p></o:p></span>redcharliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477715252002321846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964801604892463128.post-77037334052799788652012-01-10T08:39:00.000-08:002012-01-10T08:39:39.242-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RBG4z58DIVs/TwxprS3i8GI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/ig8VxtZaxOw/s1600/Down1+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RBG4z58DIVs/TwxprS3i8GI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/ig8VxtZaxOw/s320/Down1+002.JPG" width="220" /></a></div><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Carman Tilelli with Eagles cap featured on the cover of my book, DOWN BUT NEVER OUT. Carman worked at Cherry Hill, NJ’s City Hall as a custodian for 28 years before retirement in 2005. His father a world champion middleweight boxer helped Eunice Shriver launch the Special Olympics.<o:p></o:p></span>redcharliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477715252002321846noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964801604892463128.post-32377464236011696322011-12-29T19:02:00.000-08:002011-12-29T19:02:11.945-08:00Wounded Knee trivia, poem<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Trivia: Michael Blake told me that reading Brown’s, “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” was his inspiration to write “Dances with Wolves.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brown borrowed his title from a poem, “American Names” by Stephen Vincent Benet.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 6pt;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Wounded Knee Remembered<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 6pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">by Charles Redner<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 6pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Tears frozen on lovely faces<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 6pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">owners’ of harden-hearts<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 6pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">slaughter a Nation’s promise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>redcharliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477715252002321846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964801604892463128.post-18544814117171840142011-12-14T13:34:00.000-08:002011-12-14T13:34:42.164-08:00Anonymous my ...<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MjKPlhOMBMc/TukWHOAxIAI/AAAAAAAAALo/LM1b-J2cY1s/s1600/Globe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MjKPlhOMBMc/TukWHOAxIAI/AAAAAAAAALo/LM1b-J2cY1s/s320/Globe.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Watched “Anonymous” last week and while taking umbrage with the plot, I rather enjoyed the period movie. Enjoyed, even though the director made a valid attempt in crafting a Shakespeare the buffoon depicted of Mozart in “Amadeus.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, a real fright came when the popcorn counter person blindly accepted the premise of the film, that Shakespeare never wrote any of the works attributed to him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like “Shakespeare In Love,” the film creates a buzz about the Bard, but does this one do more harm? <o:p></o:p><br />
</span>redcharliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477715252002321846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964801604892463128.post-11309723620017296622011-12-07T17:19:00.000-08:002011-12-08T07:52:38.835-08:00A Perfect Blend<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">By Charles Redner<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Van Morrison wails, <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">daisy petals wave. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Maroon cousins wink <o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">mustard centers ablaze.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
Warm rays ride a swift breeze <br />
brushing along receptive skin.<br />
<br />
Music on nature’s canvass <br />
paints a sunny, cool and content creature—<br />
<br />
a perfect blend.redcharliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477715252002321846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964801604892463128.post-25853576333434149572011-12-03T08:41:00.000-08:002011-12-03T08:41:52.452-08:00Luis Urrea in San Diego<span class="address">San Diego (LaJolla), Friday, Dec. 2, Warwick’s Bookstore could hold no more. Packed house listen to Luis Alberto Urrea talk about his newest novel, “Queen of America” (A stand-alone sequel to Hummingbird’s Daughter). I arrived late and had difficulty getting in the door. Much love and hugs all around. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oI-wCSTrty0/TtpRRPAREaI/AAAAAAAAALg/BJpaxM0-GxY/s1600/SD+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oI-wCSTrty0/TtpRRPAREaI/AAAAAAAAALg/BJpaxM0-GxY/s320/SD+001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>redcharliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477715252002321846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964801604892463128.post-6801159462970142742011-09-30T12:14:00.001-07:002012-02-23T11:13:44.014-08:00A Photo More Scary than Godzilla’s Bad Breath<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Swabbed in a greenish-glow worthy a “B” horror movie, Allen Ginsberg, far right, traveled to Japan with poet-friend Nanao Sakaki (next to Ginsberg) to tour an atomic energy plant and warn of the dangers of messing with Mother Nature. Plant workers, Tenseki Ildaka and Sogu Fukumura escorted the poets during their excursion. Sakaki walked the earth preaching environmental conservation. He lectured against nuclear power. Having observed the very moment the atomic bomb exploded over Nagasaki, he knew first-hand the destructive power of the atom. Thirty years before the earthquake, tsunami and accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Sakaki said, “Fifteen nuclear plants north of Kyoto … already the [Japanese] government thinks five-million will die if something happens to a power plant like an earthquake.” Two poets made their appeal but then who listens to poets—what could they know? <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Another Nanao friend, Kazu Kawamoto, stated in 1981: “… most Japanese still seem to believe that humans can control nature. One tenth of all earthquakes on the Earth occur on and near the Japanese Islands. But 52 nuclear power plants are in operation and 20 more are planned … It is just stupid. I wonder how we can change this situation before the catastrophe. Not much time left.”</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;"><em>Earth slides slightly<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></em></span></span></div><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;"><em>Mother Nature burps <o:p></o:p></em></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;"><em>Mankind bows.</em></span></span><br />
--Charles Redner<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J4U13rs7yRc/ToYTjoqa2mI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/R_eRmBl9RRQ/s1600/PixNanao0946+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><em><img border="0" height="222" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J4U13rs7yRc/ToYTjoqa2mI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/R_eRmBl9RRQ/s320/PixNanao0946+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></em></a></div></span>Photo:The Allen Ginsberg Project -<em> http://ginsbergblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/nanao.html</em>by Hitomi Watanabi. Nanao's Collected Poems is due out next year from Blackberry Books, Maine.<br />
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</div>redcharliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477715252002321846noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964801604892463128.post-70855214594841984792011-08-02T13:22:00.000-07:002011-08-02T13:25:28.550-07:00Terror Travels the Devil's Highway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j_s0jV14u8o/TjhbTk9ibJI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/cuvHSlXODBs/s1600/Terror+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j_s0jV14u8o/TjhbTk9ibJI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/cuvHSlXODBs/s320/Terror+001.jpg" t$="true" width="206" /></a></div>“Terror Travels the Devil’s Highway”<br />
–the first Maggie Lopez, Border Patrol Agent novel.<br />
Shorty after moving to Tucson in 2000, I learned firsthand what it was like living near the Mexican border. I heard for the first time, the term, “illegal alien.” I perhaps saw them, or at least, the trails they left behind in the desert. Maybe one made up the beds at the resort where I maintained an office. Maybe my wife and I actually hired one, Maggie, to help us organize our new house when we moved in. She was the sister of a national car rental firm employee. It never crossed our minds to ask for papers.<br />
Then came 9/11.<br />
For me, that changed the border issue from one of slowing or stopping illegal immigration of undocumented workers to one of stopping potential terrorists. I fathomed that most people could not tell an Arab from a Mexican, if the Arab lost the beard, kept the mustache, and arrived at the border speaking fluent Spanish.<br />
Now I wonder, what if hundreds, if not thousands arrived in the U.S. alongside the undocumented workers? I also imagined the potential assistance and protection that could be afforded by the drug cartels.<br />
What terror would we face then?<br />
A cry went out after 9-11 concerning border security but little has changed over the past years. More agents have been added, a few more miles of fence constructed but basically, I believe, the border remains wide open.<br />
Armed with my theory and a good laptop, I began this novel for an audience of one—Senator John McCain. I had been warned by a senator’s aide that I would never get a copy into his hands.<br />
I wrote the book anyway.<br />
This novel concerns a fictional plan to spread terror beyond the east coast at the same moment the Islamic fundamentalists were hitting the WTC twin towers, the Pentagon, and the failed, surmised target of the White House.<br />
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Charles Redner<br />
August, 2011redcharliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477715252002321846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964801604892463128.post-87051007544312456542011-07-15T11:51:00.000-07:002011-08-11T08:40:29.553-07:00Horse No. 1202<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m2SutUPw0ro/TiCOsOXEH7I/AAAAAAAAAJA/7m3dh3ElMcw/s1600/IMG_8976Blake4%2B%25282%2529%2Bblue.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629656424633343922" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m2SutUPw0ro/TiCOsOXEH7I/AAAAAAAAAJA/7m3dh3ElMcw/s400/IMG_8976Blake4%2B%25282%2529%2Bblue.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 325px;" /></a><br />
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<div>Dramatic reading of "Horse No. 1202," a poem written and performed by Academy Award Winner (screenplay, "Dances with Wolves") Michael Blake. <a href="http://www.charlieredner.com/audio.wma">Audio</a></div>redcharliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477715252002321846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964801604892463128.post-35070197834545936542011-07-05T14:00:00.000-07:002011-07-05T18:53:29.525-07:00Hero of Down But Never Out, statue of Joey Giardello dedicated in Philadelphia<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-14S6bIaHdgY/ThO_7Hfi67I/AAAAAAAAAI4/Ogui2uJ58D4/s1600/IMG_2434%2B%25283%2529.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-14S6bIaHdgY/ThO_7Hfi67I/AAAAAAAAAI4/Ogui2uJ58D4/s400/IMG_2434%2B%25283%2529.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626051381860428722" /></a><br />Giadello is the first boxer to have a statue placed in Philadelphia (Stallone’s Rocky aside). Giardello is a former middleweight champion and International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee who died in 2008. Giardello and his son, Carman are the subject of Down But Never Out, the true story of their life together. Giardello helped Eunice Shriver start the Special Olympics and raised thousands of dollars for St. John of God School for special needs children located in southern New Jersey.redcharliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477715252002321846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964801604892463128.post-62561032194844615452011-04-28T15:24:00.000-07:002011-04-28T15:29:17.316-07:00Look! That's us on the cover<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cXXC9n_zZ0o/TbnqHT_susI/AAAAAAAAAIs/lnWeGTUdiV4/s1600/Globe%2BWrite%2BNow%2BShow%2B002.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 297px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cXXC9n_zZ0o/TbnqHT_susI/AAAAAAAAAIs/lnWeGTUdiV4/s400/Globe%2BWrite%2BNow%2BShow%2B002.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600765022959352514" /></a><br />“Look! That’s us on the cover!” Local Orange County weekly, The Globe, featured co-hosts of the “Write Now TV Show.” Story to follow.redcharliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477715252002321846noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964801604892463128.post-81485168725942009762011-02-10T07:49:00.001-08:002011-02-10T17:46:03.246-08:00HBR 3 spring 2011 -- It's here!<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qWBDnfdggXM/TVQOHEEqPBI/AAAAAAAAAHw/9fbo1AYc2Wk/s1600/9780984225880_cov-WEB.gif"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 228px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572094153479306258" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qWBDnfdggXM/TVQOHEEqPBI/AAAAAAAAAHw/9fbo1AYc2Wk/s320/9780984225880_cov-WEB.gif" /></a><br /><br />See, Amazon.com/books<br />Check it out. Most exciting issue ever. Hear the words of Jack Kerouac, Gary Snyder. Gary Lawless and David Amram who gave us a poem to celebrate Neal Cassady's birthday. Joy Harjo favors us with "Eagle Poem," Oh yeah, our editor made me include,"The Night BP Drove Old Dixie Down."redcharliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477715252002321846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964801604892463128.post-33499929243148593702011-01-23T11:49:00.000-08:002011-01-23T11:56:17.306-08:00Can an author rate a film of his book?<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hCtydKqXkCs/TTyGvYwcfaI/AAAAAAAAAHk/zrFy8F0Dot8/s1600/Adleman.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hCtydKqXkCs/TTyGvYwcfaI/AAAAAAAAAHk/zrFy8F0Dot8/s320/Adleman.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565471388180708770" /></a><br /><strong>Q:</strong> How can an author rate a film of his book?<br />My employer, mentor and friend, Robert H. Adleman answered that question soon after the release of the 1968 movie, <em>The Devil’s Brigade </em>starring William Holden based on his nonfiction book of the same name.<br /><strong>A:</strong> He can’t! <br />Bob explained in a newspaper article: <br /> I hear that “The Devil’s Brigade” is one of the most exciting war pictures to come along in quite a while. And everyone who knows that I wrote the book on which it is based has asked me if I’ve <br />seen it and how do I like it.<br /> I tell them I think it’s great. What am I going to say?<br /> If I tell them that for two hours my wife and I sat in a private screening room and alternately squirmed and held our breath as the scenes we knew so very well flashed by, but at the end of it we couldn’t say whether it was better than the latest Oscar winner or as interminable as an Andy Warhol movie, they would put us down as a brace of filberts.<br /> It’s the truth. I really don’t know how to grade it. <br />---Robert H. Adleman<br /><em>Philadelphia Sunday Bulletin</em>May 12, 1968<br /><br />Privately, like any author, he was more than pleased that his first book had made it to film. He felt like he’d hit a grand slam: Hardback, movie, and paperback. He stated that each creative effort should stand on its own merits and he could not offer an objective opinion. <br /><br />On a personal note, I loved the author, the book and the movie. Of course, I am as biased as any family member or friend might be. The book was co-written with Col. George Walton who, as an attachment, was a member of the World War II unit referred to as the Devil’s Brigade. Walton did most of the required interviews and research. Adleman took four months to bang out the manuscript with his two-fingered typing technique.redcharliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477715252002321846noreply@blogger.com0