Terrifying Reading for Halloween

 Scary stories come in many sizes and sources. If you are following American politics and its impact on the rest of the world, there is enough to scare the wits out of you. Here are some of the writers and journalists I follow on a platform called Substack and their articles are truly terrifying in many cases. 

If you are not familiar with Substack, it is an American online platform that provides publishing, payment, analytics, and design infrastructure to support subscription newsletters. 

Substack—which allows writers to send digital newsletters directly to their readers and monetize their work by putting it behind a paywall—has been growing steadily ever since its launch in 2017. Substack now has more than 250,000 paying subscribers. Its top ten publishers collectively bring in $7 million in annualized revenue. While Substack takes a 10% cut of earnings and payment company Stripe takes another 3%, writers pocket the rest. 

Substack offers journalists a platform to say whatever they want, unencumbered by editors. The independent writers that join the platform own their own content, as well as their subscription lists. They also have no obligation to stay on the platform. They can leave at any time—and bring their subscribers with them. 

1. Heather Cox Richardson from Letters from an American 
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/october-27-2021

Heather Cox Richardson is an American historian and professor of history at Boston College, where she teaches courses on the American Civil War, the Reconstruction Era, the American West, and the Plains Indians. She previously taught history at MIT and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. HCR would be my first choice; a daily summary of important news with historical background and analysis, usually as positive and upbeat as she can make it... but not always. I am a paid subscriber but her daily articles are also available on Facebook. She is in the top 10 on Substack and justifiably so.

2. TCinLA from That's Another Fine Mess 
https://tcinla757.substack.com/p/they-did-it-right-in-front-of-us

TC (Thomas McKelvey Cleaver) has written a number of military histories of WWII, Korea, and Vietnam that expose the dark side of the politics of war. His is the only other writer I am a paid subscriber to though I think you can sign up for free but it doesn't cover all articles.

3. Thom Hartmann of The Hartmann Report 
https://hartmannreport.com/p/filibuster-fingerprints-are-all-over

Thomas Hartmann is an American radio personality, author, former psychotherapist, businessman, and progressive political commentator. I am currently on a free subscription but is one I would pay for though @ $50 to $75 USD there is a limit.

4. Timothy Snyder from "Thinking about..." 
https://snyder.substack.com/about

Dr Timothy Snyder is a well known historian and author. He is currently doing a series of podcasts from his booklet "On Tyranny" and has written and lectured a great deal on Eastern and Central Europe and the Holocaust. I have an unpaid subscription to his podcasts.

5. Robert Reich 
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/seaside-hotel

Robert Reich is an American economist, professor, author, lawyer, and political commentator. He served in the administrations of Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, as well as serving as the United States Secretary of Labor from 1993 to 1997 under President Bill Clinton. He strongly supports Progressive Democrats such as AOC, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren. He is on Facebook and I also have an unpaid subscription.

6. Jeet Heer from The Time of Monsters 
https://jeetheer.substack.com/p/you-dont-in-fact-have-to-hand-it

Jeet Heer is a Canadian author, comics critic, literary critic and journalist. He is a national affairs correspondent for The Nation magazine and a former staff writer at The New Republic. About half articles and half podcasts. I have an unpaid subscription.

7. Spencer Ackerman from Forever Wars 
https://foreverwars.substack.com/p/i-was-raped-by-the-cia-medics-says

Spencer Ackerman is an American journalist and writer. Focusing primarily on national security, he began his career at The New Republic in 2002 before writing for Wired, The Guardian and The Daily Beast. His columns tend to reflect the dark side of American politics of war. I have an unpaid subscription but would consider a paid one of necessary.

8. Greg Olear from PREVAIL by Greg Olear 
https://gregolear.substack.com/p/how-the-court-was-captured-with-sen

Greg Olear is an American novelist, journalist, and author. His journalism includes political commentary and investigation; in 2018 he published the book Dirty Rubles: An Introduction to Trump/Russia. I have an unpaid subscription.

9. Lucian K. Truscott IV from Lucian Truscott Newsletter 
https://luciantruscott.substack.com/p/remember-deborah-shoulder-scarf-birx

Lucian King Truscott IV is an American writer and journalist. A former staff writer for The Village Voice, he is the author of several military-themed novels. I have an unpaid subscription.

10. Ruth Ben-Ghiat from Lucid 
https://lucid.substack.com/p/anthony-scaramucci-re-establish-civic

Ruth Ben-Ghiat is an American historian and cultural critic. She is a scholar on fascism and authoritarian leaders. Ben-Ghiat is Professor of History and Italian Studies at New York University. I have an unpaid subscription.

11. Diane Francis on America 
https://dianefrancis.substack.com/

Diane Francis is a US-born Canadian journalist, author and editor-at-large for the National Post newspaper since 1998. She is a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council in Washington DC, specializing in Eurasia policy and political issues. She writes about power, money, tech, and white-collar crime in America. She is totally behind a paywall. 

Indian Summer

 One of my favourite poems, which I memorized in elementary school in the 1950s is William Wilfred Campbell's Indian Summer. The last warm days in October before winter begins to set in.

Indian Summer

Along the line of smoky hills

The crimson forest stands,

And all the day the blue-jay calls

Throughout the autumn lands.

Now by the brook the maple leans

With all his glory spread,

And all the sumachs on the hills

Have turned their green to red.

Now by great marshes wrapt in mist,

Or past some river's mouth,

Throughout the long, still autumn day

Wild birds are flying south.

We are enjoying Indian Summer (Бабье лето Baba Leto in Russian) here in Zhovti Vody. We had a few days of 10C weather and one night of frost but now it is 20C in the daytime and 10C at night. The cats don't even come home at night. 

Tanya has gone to Kyiv for three days to visit Masha as her roomies have gone to Turkey on holiday. It is a risk as Covid is running wild in Ukraine. Two days ago people were lined up here for vaccinations as Pfizer was finally readily available. Waiting for Pfizer may have been a mistake as we have 40 new cases per day and lost 8 people in the past two weeks.

Yard work is pretty much done. Tanya has continually clipped and dug in her flowers. We cleaned off the last of the garden, hauled the dead plants to our compost pile in the abandoned garden next to us, and spread well rotted manure over some of the garden. We will hire our neighbour to rototill it next week. He has a big front wheel drive garden tractor.

Our walnut trees yielded well again. We cannot give them away and have a tub left from last year, a big wire basket and large cardboard box from this year and left lots on the ground. We raked the leaves into a long row one day and burned them the next. Of course we had a very strong wind on the third day and the rest of the leaves fell so I will rake them before Tanya gets home. She will do the burning.

Lucky and I will go for a walk today. It is too nice to be inside.

Fall colours on our street

Walnut leaves

The long view of the walnut leaves

Burning leaves. NW wind blew the smoke towards the pig fam 1 km away.
Tanya said it was their turn

We cleaned the driveway. The white sand is to refill Lucky's sandbox.
He love to dig in it and hide his toys, then 'find' them.

Yours truly in my 20 year old South African Stockman's hat.
A gift from my friend Wayne at www.barakasheabutter.com 

Half of this year's crop of walnuts

Our neighbour trimmed low branches off the walnut trees.

Gentle Rant on Anti-Vaxxers

 It is quite frustrating for people who are vaccinated and try to follow the rules to keep others safe, to see so much energy wasted by people to avoid the vaccine, mask, and safe distancing. It is mucking up lives and the economy. 

An state rep from BareFlanks Alaska has been banned from flying Alaska Airlines for being obstreperous so she has been unable to get to Juneau to sit in the legislature. She now has Covid and is treating herself at home with Vicks Vapo Rub and Ivermectin.

A relative in the States, her husband, and husband's family, good Republican Jesus Christians all, have Covid. The parents are not young. I have not heard how they are doing. Or if their daughter has it.

UPDATE Oct 17: The father-in-law died two days ago. Mother-in-law and husband were hospitalized briefly but will recover. Relative had a mild case and is fine, daughter is worn out from looking after all of them. Dying for one's unbeliefs.

Tanya and I, being old, are taking any precautions we can. Last Oct we took a taxi to Dnipro to get a pneumonia vaccination and wouldn't even stop for my McDonald's fix. In November, Tanya purchased flu vaccine and administered it to both of us. In June we got both Pfizer shots. We still mask up in shops and such.

I should not feel too smug. I resisted a mumps vaccine for years as I was too lazy to go and get it. Reasoning? We had four kids and owned a wheelbarrow. When we sold the wheelbarrow, I went and got my shot.

Flu vaccine, the same. Resisted for years as I could not be bothered. Then I got the flu. Tanya and I were sick for two weeks a few years back. That's when we started looking for a vaccine source in Zhovti Vody. Hard to find then. Got my first shot in Canada in 2018 because I did not want anything to interfere with my scheduled surgeries and I wanted to go home. Since then it is available at some of our pharmacies but they do not inject it, just sell it. 

Too soon old and too late smart. Don't be like me. 

Do not spend any time doing "research". It's all been done. Avoid YouTube. It is the only place you will learn that more people have died from the vaccine than from Covid. No one knows anyone who has actually died. It is always "my mechanic's third cousin's aunt's daughter's boyfriend's sister knows someone. 

A former FB friend sent me a link to a video of a doctor addressing the Texas Senate. As If. 

There have been people who had reactions as to any vaccine. Of the millions of doses administered, the severe reactions are a very miniscule percentage compared to the sickness and deaths of the unvaccinated.

Get vaccinated, and mask up. Protect yourself and others who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons. 

The Bitter Sweet Story of Kathy's Song

 Written by Paul Simon, sung by Art Garfunkel, Kathy's Song remains one of the most beautiful love songs ever written. When I study the lyrics, I am in awe of Paul Simon's use of words. I could listen to it for hours with the music washing over me like a warm sea. The story behind the song brings so much meaning and so much sadness.

Simon and Garfunkel's first album, Wednesday Morning 3 AM, was released in October 1964, and did not do well. Paul Simon went to England where he performed in folk clubs and pubs where he met Kathy Chitty, who worked at one of the clubs. They became passionate lovers and she became his muse. He wrote Homeward Bound in Widnes, Essex, while waiting for a train and longing for Kathy.

They returned to United States and toured by bus (listen to Paul Simon's America where she is mentioned twice). Back in UK, The Paul Simon Songbook, featuring Kathy with Paul on the album cover, was released in August 1965 and included Kathy's Song which he wrote when in New York while she was in England.

In the meantime, the producer of Wednesday Morning 3 AM took the song The Sound of Silence, reworked the music, and released it as a Single in 1965 and in 1966 it was at the top of the charts. Paul Simon and Kathy returned to America, where Simon and Garfunkel began recording the series of albums for which they are famous. When I was in University in the late 60s, you could not turn on the radio without hearing Simon and Garfunkel.

Fame, fortune and public attention overwhelmed the incredibly shy and sensitive Kathy. She and Paul had a very traumatic breakup and Kathy returned to England. 

Simon and Garfunkel released their last album, Bridge Over Troubled Waters, in 1971 and their on again-off again partnership was off. They reunited several times for concerts and tours the most famous of which was 1981's concert in the Park, but never recorded another album.

When I read of Paul Simon's subsequent marriages and deep depression, I wonder "what if..."

Kathy’s Song

Simon & Garfunkel

I hear the drizzle of the rain
Like a memory it falls
Soft and warm continuing
Tapping on my roof and walls

And from the shelter of my mind
Through the window of my eyes
I gaze beyond the rain-drenched streets
To England where my heart lies

My mind's distracted and diffused
My thoughts are many miles away
They lie with you when you're asleep
And kiss you when you start your day

And a song I was writing is left undone
I don't know why I spend my time
Writing songs I can't believe
With words that tear and strain to rhyme

And so you see I have come to doubt
All that I once held as true
I stand alone without beliefs
The only truth I know is you

And as I watch the drops of rain
Weave their weary paths and die
I know that I am like the rain
There but for the grace of you go I

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Paul Simon

Kathy’s Song lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Web results

More songs to sing myself to sleep

 In a previous post I wrote about the songs I sing to myself inside my head (or out loud if I am walking the dog). At night they keep my thoughts organized and help me to go to sleep. Here are a few more that I enjoy and I hope you do too.

A great holiday in Turkey

 

Panorama of the beach. The safety guide rope is visible on the right.

Tourism is huge business in Turkey, the 6th most popular tourist destination in the world. People are drawn there for archaeological sites such as Ephesus, cultural sites such as the Blue Mosque or the Hagia Sophia and the beach resorts along the Mediterranean and Aegean coasts. In 2019, 51 million tourists entered Turkey. This year they expect 25 million as the world recovers from Covid and Turkey battled forest fires all summer.

Russia is #1 country of origin for tourists and Ukraine is #7

We took our first holiday in Turkey in 2008 in July. Never did that again. 40C+ is out of our comfort zone. So after that we went in late September and sometimes into early October. Weather is still warm and the water is too. Also the price is way down. Our experiences have been mixed, to say the least but the swimming has never disappointed us. 

Antalya, the tourist capital of Turkey, sits on top of the Gulf of Antalya with resorts down both sides. Until this year we stayed in resorts in the Bildebi area, north of Kemer on the west side of the gulf. This year we tried one south of Kemer, Club Akman Beach Hotel in the Camyuva area and were so happy with it. I'd give a 5 star rating to this 4 star hotel.

Location of Club Akman

Overhead view of Club Akman Beach Hotel

Tanya in front of the hotel. Everyone at the resort is double vaccinated
 or had a negative test within 48 hours of arrival
so no masks inside but if we went out we wore masks

For great pictures of the hotel, go to www.clubakmanbeach.com/en/ or watch https://youtu.be/eiVQ5HVK8FU. Far better photography than I am capable of.

North of Kemer the beaches are very bad. Narrow with coarse sharp gravel. You need rubber sandals even in the water. Not very good for kids. The beaches in Camyuva are not perfect but far superior and great for kids. The sand is coarse grey but not impossible to walk on in bare feet. The sea does not drop off quite as soon so there are decent shallows. Club Akman was swarming with kids, ranging from babies to toddlers to preschoolers and a few 6-10 year olds. Little ones were in flotation devices with parents close by. Even the babies. 

I can't swim but here, I can't sink either. It takes little effort to stay upright in the water and paddle along. Tanya swims like a fish and is usually way out from the beach area. I stay close to the safety guide rope where it is only 5 to 6 meters deep and would paddle back and forth between the two docks in the picture, about 400 to 500 ft.. The water is so clear you can see the bottom. 

Just paddling along, vertical to the horizontal

Tanya off to the left along the safety guide rope.

All of the resorts we stayed at over the years, including this one, catered to Russian speakers. Up and down both sides of Kemer, even the people in the shops spoke enough Russian to make sales. So I was a bit of a curiosity and got many questions, "Where are you from?" The Activity Director (6 ft blonde model, 1/3 my age, 6 months making money in Turkey, 6 months spending it in Moscow, flawless English) said I was the only foreigner at the hotel, maybe in all the Kemer area. 

That cracked me up. Housecleaning staff were Tajik or Uzbek, grounds maintenance were from Turkmenistan, the night receptionist was from Armenia, some guy who looked homeless but told me he was director of maintenance, was from Manchester. But I was the only foreigner.

Women outnumbered men about 2 to 1. Mothers with kids. Wives holidaying while husbands worked. Men, by and large, wore boxer swim trunks and sported washtub abs. A few 6-pack abs but mostly two-four pack abs. I felt right at home.

Women's bathing suits were much more varied. A few one piece but mostly two piece. Some were mainly strings which, like barbed wire fences, protected the property but did not obstruct the view. The rest of the tops fell into five categories. Orthodox which were divinely iconic. Catholic which supported the masses. Presbyterian which were staunch and upright. Salvation Army which lifted the fallen. and Baptist which made mountains out of molehills. 

Watch this space next week

Tanya and I are vacationing in Turkey. We are staying at the Club Akman Beach Hotel South of Kemer. We will be home late on 19th and a full report asap after. Our friends Vitalik and Natasha are staying at our place and looking after our critters. 

Best holiday ever. Best resort we have found in over 10 holidays to this area. Weather is perfect. Sea is perfect. Food is good, beds comfortable, grounds well maintained.

I burned my face out swimming so now I have appealing eyes and a peeling nose.