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Book Review - After Midnight by Richard Laymon
Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:00:00 +0100After Midnight Murphy's Law is ever present in Laymon's book about "Alice," a woman whose life spirals into a frenzy of covering up accidental deaths after an encounter with a stranger at her house - you guess the time - has her murdering innocent people. Alice isn't a normal woman who calls the police; instead, she covers up the evidence in order to hide her mysterious past. Told from her own perspective, After Midnight keeps escalating in thrills and twists, taking Alice and the reader into a situation which seems a point of no return. Laymon's plot is a labrynth of ridiculous events and coincidental happenings, but it doesn't matter - the narrative is entertaining as hell, especially told from outspoken and unique Alice. And even if the plot is a bit farfetched, it's specifically designed to be, taking the reader through an action-packed few days that leave no room to breathe. Alice's persona at first seems annoying, but after delving into the book, she becomes a secretive character who hides a lot of her past. What she chooses to tell the audience isn't much, but it keeps the reader engaged, totally engrossed in her thoughts because she has such a mysterious past. There's always a hope that Alice will let something slip, and she occassionally drops hints about her history, but in her own way she's as elusive in speech as she is in her actions. Laymon excels at creating evocative characters, and After Midnight's cast is no different. Alice is targeted by a few less-than-upstanding individuals, who we feel to be lower than dirt. How dare they try to kill our protagonist! But there's an emotional hypocrisy to the audience's reaction - Alice continues to kill off people to protect herself, at times sentencing innocents to a series of hellish events in order to remain hidden. Her actions are just as questionable as the serial killers that are after her, but we tend to overlook this fact because of her persuasion and point of view. It's an interesting psychological standpoint that Laymon subtly hints at. After Midnight is full of substance, and not lacking in grotesqueries. There's rape, torture, and a lot of sex and visual nudity. There's violence and sadism. But more than that, there's an outlandish look at Murphy's Law in action and a chain of events that cannot be altered. Alice provides good testimony that actions have consequences; it just depends on how far one is willing to go to escape them. It's a fast read, one full of adventure and suspense. Ironically, Alice provides a lot of comic relief, and there's a similar psychosocial critique to the comedy as there is in Alice's hypocritical actions. One can't help but laugh at the unthinkable, morbid things that happen to Alice in a few short days. But what we're actually laughing at is what we're uncomfortable with (rape, murder) that seems atonal to how we really think. "Why are we laughing?" and "Is this actually funny?" are questions that we don't ask... (Read complete news)
MEGADETH's 'Headcrusher' To Be Made Available For Free Download Next Week
Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:06:00 +0100MEGADETH's brand new track entitled "HEADCRUSHER" will be made available for free download on Tuesday, July 7 at 11:00 a.m. EDT at the ROADRUNNER RECORDS web site. As previously reported, the studio version of "HEADCRUSHER" is available for listening by calling MEGADETH mainman DAVE MUSTAINE's number (866.597.6342) at THELIVELINE, a service he launched that enables musicians to connect to their audience over the phone. "HEADCRUSHER" comes off MEGADETH's twelfth studio album, "ENDGAME", which is tentatively due in September through ROADRUNNER RECORDS. The CD was recorded at the band's brand new, self-built studio in San Marcos, California — VIC'S GARAGE — which was named after the legendary and iconic VIC RATTLEHEAD character. "ENDGAME" was helmed by MUSTAINE and acclaimed British producer ANDY SNEAP (EXODUS, NEVERMORE, ARCH ENEMY, MACHINE HEAD). SNEAP also manned the boards for 2007's "UNITED ABOMINATIONS". Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "HEADCRUSHER", "1,320", "HOW THE STORY ENDS" and "THIS DAY WE FIGHT!" According to a press release, "ENDGAME" "boasts the technicality, ferocity and snarl that's synonymous with MEGADETH and MUSTAINE. It's a violent masterwork that represents MUSTAINE's best work in nearly two decades. In a musical world dominated by bands that make generic, blanket statements, 'ENDGAME' finds MUSTAINE, once again, making informed and substantial lyrical declarations about the state of the world we live in." Commented MUSTAINE: "Thematically, I've never been known to be a silent bystander in a world that needs our participation. As more is revealed about our former President's legacy, a little-known yet staggeringly frightening document which was signed into law, named 'ENDGAME', has been uncovered. The album 'ENDGAME' is the most energetic music offering I have penned in over a decade and is far more believable than knowing someone signed 'ENDGAME' — the document — into law. The album is also the perfect 'ass-kicking' music to listen to once you are done reading the aforementioned document!" He added, "This new album is my proudest moment since the famous (or infamous) 'RUST IN PEACE' album. With this album, I am also very excited to be introducing my new lead guitarist, CHRIS BRODERICK, to the world. I have always felt lucky to have had top shredders in that position, but after touring with CHRIS in support of my last album, I couldn't wait to get into the studio and see what he could do." Fan-filmed video footage of MEGADETH performing "HEADCRUSHER" this past Friday night (June 26) at the Rexall in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada can be viewed below. ... (Read complete news)
Once Upon a Time in America (June 30)
Wed, 01 Jul 2009 06:23:00 +0100On this day in United States history in 1965 President Lyndon B Johnson signs the Social Security Act of 1965 into law. This law created the Medicare and Medicaid programs, which provide health insurance for the senior citizens and those in poverty. The Social Security Act signed into law by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1935 did not include any medical benefits although he wanted to have it included. After the election of 1964, Congress began work on a bill to gain health care coverage for the elderly. This bill became a priority in Johnson's agenda. The bill was signed in Independence, Missouri and marked the country's first public health insurance program. At the bill signing ceremony, the first Medicare card was issued to former President Harry S Truman. SOME BASICS: MEDICARE This program is financed by payroll taxes (FICA) and is equal to 2.9% (1.45% paid directly by the employee). Eligibility is limited to senior citizens (65 years and older) who must be U.S. citizens and must have been permanent residents for at least 5 continuous years. Or if they are under 65, they must be disabled. Medicare Part A covers inpatient hospital stays or skilled nursing facilities. Most enrollees in Part A do not pay a monthly premium however some of them pay $233.00/month (if they have between 30 and 39 quarters of having previously paid FICA taxes) or $423.00/month (if they have less than 30 quarters of having previously paid FICA taxes). In addition to premiums, enrollees in this plan pay a $1068 deductible for hospital stays of 1-60 days and a $267 co-pay (per day) if the stay goes over 60 days. Medicare Part B covers outpatient services such as physician services, x-rays and other lab tests, and durable medical equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers, and eyeglasses. Enrollees in Part B pays $96.40/month in premiums. Other than premiums, enrollees pay a deductible of $135.00/year and are required to pay co-insurance of 20% (of the approved Medicare rates). The only exception to this is lab tests which are covered at 100%. Medicare Part D, which began in January 2006, covers prescription drugs. There is no premium paid into Part D by its enrollees. This is interesting. I did not realize that the people enrolled in Medicare had to pay so much. I honestly thought it was free. Shows how much I know. Wow! MEDICAID This program is funded by both the federal and the states governments and is administered by the states. People eligible for this program are low-income parents, children, seniors and people with disabilities however, not everyone that is poor qualifies for it. Here are some links if you are interested in reading more about these programs: Wiki article on the Social Security Act of 1965. Wiki article on Medicare Wiki article on Medicaid Official website for Medicare and Medicaid... (Read complete news)
Bernard Madoff's Lucky Pal: Uncle Sam
Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:46:00 +0100Something struck me when I was reading victim impact statements from Bernard Madoff's victims. In a sense they were tragic guinea pigs, alerting us to failures in the monitoring of the finance industry. The repeatedly ignored warnings are a matter of record. An analasys should be done on the many mistakes in the Madoff case. But there is one injustice that cries out for correction. All of the Madoff victims paid income taxes on income that turned out to be nonexistent. They filed returns in good faith and now must frequently rely on various forms of public assistance. Common decency would dictate that every penny paid in taxes on income that was an illusion should be returned with interest to the victims of Madoff's perfidy. This should even stand as a precedent that anyone who pays taxes on illusory earnings will have them returned. This will still leave major losses, but people who are now penniless will at least have something to see them through old age. Imagine the subliminal moral to the story. Someone is scammed by a thief and pays taxes that they should not have paid. As a result, they are saved from total poverty. The taxes they paid saved them from total ruin. Up until now, the government has refused to refund erroneously paid taxes. Failure to do so has made them beneficiaries as well as accomplices to Madoff's crimes. This greatly diminishes respect for the government and the IRS. Those who invest in the stock market are bankrolling the industries that employ the American people. Our system can not function when respect for the financial system is undermined. Whether it takes en executive order, an act of Congress or an administrative law, the government should pass whatever law is needed to provide what amounts to disaster relief for Madoff's victims. It would be the first of many steps that must be taken to restore respect to our financial system and our government. It is the right thing to do.posted on rudistettner.com of thewinterriders.com group... (Read complete news)
