I post this here because RB's philosophies have been as influencial on my life as any writer's I have read or had the privilege to teach.

Here goes:
These recent weeks of exchanges (against the USA, love-fests for Michael911Moore, Bush-bashing, incessantly augumentative snipes for -what?- the sake of some cheap thrill!?, and the many condescending slams directed at new posts by novice visitors) have become so predicable that I will bid many of you a fond adieu - . (The dog that chases its own tail gets nothing, save dizzy! I have purposefully stayed out of the frays, of late, so as to be more productive with already overly precious time. Yet,...

The overbearing, hot-air comments against the USA are really ironic. I am bored by the boorish attitudes of those non-Americans who scream here telling us how to run our country and re-structure our Constitution to satisfy their agendas. (Go stand in front of some pep rally - under "the influence" as has been previously admitted - and maybe Howard Dean will join in with you. (Redux, vote "hit the road!")

This was a site to discuss the life and works of Ray Bradbury!!!! The over-abundance of ultra-liberal, hate-tainted, name calling, ego-centric, cowardly worded posts has of late outnumbered the literature topics by nearly 2-1. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.....

(Take a look at "F9/11 & Miscellany" #'s) When someone has tried to get them back on track, myself included, what happens ---"same old, same old!" Curious? Not really! I would say "obsessive."

Why not just take to the other chit-chat sites where you can wax poetic with like kind. Insults against posters who have been here for nearly 3 years (even attempts at everglowing Dandelion?) are really a reflection of what might be lurking from behind that safe little key board.

I will continue to teach about, read, research, communicate with, and respect Mr. Bradbury as enthusiastically as ever. Probably even more so because of the likes of Dandy, Knard, Imskippper, Sam Weller, Patrick, Mr. Dark, and so many other well-intended visitors. Your insights, inspiration, and interest have been great to share in. Thanks. Peace to you and yours. Maybe down the line when things get less abrasive, I'll stop back in to say hello. (And if it makes no difference, so be it. I have a pretty thick skin outside of this cyberworld.)

In the past, I never felt my time wasted upon a visit or idea added. Rather, it was an amazing participation via these incredible means of communications we have at our very finger tips. Hopefully, something I tapped in was worth someone's time.

I will focus my writing energies on finishing a major project (inspired 2 years hence by many of you here) and then to initiate a new one already beyond the planning stages.

Hey, Mr. Dark: I just today received a most unexpected letter from a young lady I had in class (twice actually) a number of years ago. She sent a 3 page, beautifully handwritten Thank You!, mailed from CA - across the country for me.) She has since gone on to complete her English degree and is working on upper level graduate studies, as well as teaching. The comments she included were really as rewarding as any I have heard over the years. (No boast here, just a really neat thing for one person to do for another - across the years and miles.) Timing is everything and everything has purpose... ("under Heaven!")

So, stay the course, folks! I love our country! I do have better things to do than to bang my head against the wall only because it feels so good when I stop. No fool I!

I apply the skills so kindly graced upon me so as to somehow make this a better place today and then again tomorrow!

Be well.....



[This message has been edited by fjpalumbo (edited 06-23-2004).]

So long, fjpalumbo! It was a pleasure talking and learning from you!

Cheers, Translator

fjpalumbo:

Thoroughly enjoyed your post. Congratulations on the good student input. It is what makes teaching matter (to me, anyway -- not that I'm co-dependent, or anything).

I am going to do my part to refuse to partipate in the exchanges that bash America and are tinted with name-calling, etc. It is often hard for me to just sit on my hands when I see this garbage, but my contributions have not helped. For that, for egging these extraneous discussions on, I apologize to all.

I'm looking forward to a focus on Bradbury and am excited about the Sam Weller book coming out. It has been great to see he and Patrick (F 451) contribute out here.

Let's not scare them away!

fjpalumbo,

I'm sorry for some of the reasons you find it necessary to leave but I'm glad for the other reasons. (Since we're of similar views, I'm sure you'll figure out which reasons are which.)

Just a reminder, though, I'd started an another thread under "Ruled Paper" to carry on the discussions you refer to. In the spirit of Bradbury, it was my small attempt to "unclutter" some of the other threads and move some of the discussions to which you refer to one location. That way, I thought, it would make it easier for old-timers and newcomers alike to continue their discussions about Bradbury unhindered by the subjects of the day.

Don't go but leave if you feel you must. You're input will be missed. And, if you go, I look forward to your return.

Best,

Pete

fjpalumbo:

Hey! Please send me an email when you have the opportunity

Thanks

fjpalumbo: Perhaps you do need a temporary break, but not a permanent departure! The more the positive contributors leave the board, the more the terrorists will have won! The fewer of us there will be to "keep the faith"!

DO come back when the new short story collection and biography are released and I am SURE we will find plenty to talk about!

fjpalumbo,

Good luck with your own writing. Can you tell us more?

Come back any time.

This thread, "Ray speaks his mind," is the best one on the site, and I expressed my feelings about it soon after you started it.

This may have been cited previously, but for those who have not read this extensive article from several years ago, take a few minutes and enjoy RB's philosophies:
http://www.raybradbury.com/articles_playboy.html

[This message has been edited by fjpalumbo (edited 10-19-2004).]

Since I normally do not buy Playboy I, of course, had not seen this interview. And since their were no scantily clad young ladies accompanying the article I felt that I could print it out. So thanks, Frank, for sharing of yourself and this fine information.

Without digging in boxes, I'm guessing that's the June 1996 Playboy interview, excellent reading. My edited letter of thanks to them was published August '96. For years, I kept a subscription for two reasons--they published Ray, and for the writing of associate editor Asa Baber, a former Eastern Illinois U. English Dept. teacher. Unfortunately, Mr. Baber passed away last year from ALS.

There's no quarrel here with either readers or non-readers of the magazine--I understand both viewpoints. Over the years though, they have consistently published some of the best cutting-edge SF out there, and have given writers the credit they deserve. Hopefully, it's a tradition they will continue.

A treasure trove of RB "speaks" articles are found within this Official site. We get so involved with the posts and exchanges, we may forget to send new visitors searching through items right here. Especially, "Articles" & "At Home":
http://www.raybradbury.com/articles.html
and http://www.raybradbury.com/at_home.html

Ravenswake and Biplane, a search from an Omni Mag. site produced this list for Playboy over the years:
Bradbury, Ray, (1920- )
--Fahrenheit 451 (Part 1), March, 1954. (reprint)
--Fahrenheit 451 (Part 2), April, 1954. (reprint)
--Fahrenheit 451 (Conclusion), May, 1954. (reprint)
--The First Night of Lent, March, 1956.
--In a Season of Calm Weather, January, 1957. * (aka The Picasso Summer)
--The Best of All Possible Worlds, August, 1960.
--Very Late in the Evening, December, 1960. (aka Some Live Like Lazarus)
--The Illustrated Woman, March, 1961.
--A Miracle of Rare Device, January, 1962.
--The Machineries of Joy, December, 1962.
--The Queen's Own Evaders, June, 1963. (aka The Anthem Sprinters)
--The Life Work of Juan Diaz, September, 1963.
--The Vacation, December, 1963.
--Heavy-Set, October, 1964.
--Remembrance of Things Future, January, 1965. (article)
--The Man in the Rorschach Shirt, October, 1966.
--The Lost City of Mars, January, 1967. * (novelette)
--Death Warmed Over, January, 1968. (article)
--Downwind from Gettysburg, June, 1969.
--My Perfect Murder, August, 1971. (aka The Utterly Perfect Murder)
--The Parrot Who Met Papa, January, 1972.
--Beyond 1984, January, 1979. (article)
--The Toynbee Convector, January, 1984.
--By the Numbers! July, 1984.
--One for His Lordship, and One for the Road! January, 1985.
--The Laurel and Hardy Love Affair, December, 1987.
--The Witch Door, December, 1995



[This message has been edited by fjpalumbo (edited 10-20-2004).]

Frank,

Thank you very much for presenting this information. You are so right about getting tied up with matters. I enjoy posting on the various topics, but honestly I forget where I may have made a comment and would be interested in other people's follow-up comments. I guess the solution to this conundrum would for me to note where I am making a post as to date, topic, etc. Why I solved my own predictament!!!!

Frank,

Thank you so much for the listing. As you rightly state, we do get caught up in the posts, etc., almost to the point where I forget where I may have made a comment on a topic. It becomes a conundrum, however, the solution would be for me to note when and where I made a comment so that I go back and see what others may have said as well.

You know I had written this out before and hit the "Submit Reply" button, but it didn't appear. What error may I have committed?

I remember one story that is not in the listing, "The Man in the Rorshach Shirt." Back then when I did purchase an occasional issue, I did so because of Ray's story. I took it over to Richard Bach's house and told him about it. At that time Richard was a practicing Christian Scientist and was a very proper person and excellent role model in that he did not swear, smoke or drink alcohol, since then I believe that he has modified his behavior. He took the magazine from me, carefully thumbed through the corners of the ages to the Table of Contents, noted the page number of Ray's story, then continued to thumb through the corners until he found it and then opened the magazine to the story.

I told Richard that he could keep the magazine overnight if he would like to read the story, but he replied that "There will be no Playboy in his house." So I took it back home with me.

(Note: Richard Bach is the author of Jonathan Livingston Seagull and ten other books. It was through Richard that I was able to first correspond and later meet Ray back in 1967)

[This message has been edited by biplane1 (edited 10-20-2004).]

I used to read Playboy all the time; they had some really good articles! Being a heterosexual female, I couldn't have cared less about the pics! (well, other than thinking someone needed to hold those women down and forcefeed them chocolate cake until they look like "normal" women!)