I try to make myself understood as plainly as possible. That’s not always easy since I like to write about topics that matter to me, many of which are a bit difficult. Add to that a bent to use colorful images that I hope will stay with the reader, and my work often gets a bit dense. I realize all of this, even when I do accidentally use a dollar word where a dime one would work. What I rarely do, however, is use sarcasm to make a point. Strangely, my lack of sarcasm and irony has probably gotten me into more hot water than anything else.
The Flag is Still There
There is little to add to last year’s Fourth of July piece, “Fly the Flag“. I invite you to read it this year as well. Thank you for reading Barataria and have a wonderful Fourth of July.
Pitchman
His death came as quite a shock not only to me, but also to my kids. He was a kind of idol in our family, someone we often imitated for fun but knew we were nowhere near as talented. His performances were like no one else in his business, real works of art that could not be duplicated. His unimaginable passing at the young age of 50 makes life itself seem more fragile. I’m writing, of course, of Billy Mays, who died last Sunday.
Alone
I spend a lot of time alone. I get an assignment as a contractor and I go off to do it, alone. I search the listings for permanent jobs or recruiters through a long day in front of my computer screen, alone. I work on my novel or my budding collection of fairy stories set in Saint Paul, alone. My work has me spending a lot of time going through things on my own. What does this mean?
Copyright Eternal
Law exists primarily to defend property. In medieval world, the primary concern was how real estate, often defined by a title, was maintained and passed on by the nobility. This was dramatically extended by the American Revolution when fundamental rights were determined to be something that everyone possessed. The idea of intellectual property, which are rights based on inventions of the mind, was also carefully codified. The US Patent and Trademark office was opened up to define just what property would be protected by law.
From there, it eventually starts to get a bit strange.
Barataria - The work of Erik Hare 