I just saw this movie and yes it is a silly dog in a silly movie. The comic strip was that way, too, but it held something. The movie does, too. It is definitely made for children but cut a little deeper.

The story runs in a typical fashion with cute characters doing cute and obnoxious things. The human counterparts are a bit goofy and the story line is clique with the father taking a job and letting it take over his life.

What was different was some new stuff, a story line of a dog in the complex world of the dog park. I take my dog and I know how complex and tension filled it can be, so that rang somewhat true with the added complication of the dogs becoming basically human.

I am pleased to announce that Cold Flashes: Literary Snapshots of Alaska, edited by Michael Engelhard (University of Alaska Press) has been released! This anthology contains flash fiction and short nonfiction pieces set in the Land of the Midnight Sun. Among them is my flash fiction story "Turnagain," posted below.

This lovely collection also features black-and-white photographs enhancing the mood cast by the tight, powerful prose. Digital and e-book versions are available. For more information and to purchase, please visit: http://www.uaf.edu/uapress/browse/detail/index.xml?id=401 

 She had always been my best friend; at least it felt that way. A real * of a gal, always loyal.  Kiki was a year ahead of me in the academy. I had joined as a ~, barely able to mix, let alone train, but I had insisted and there was no where else to go. My planet- yes my planet, had been wiped out, the people at least. We were a young species, just looking up into the blackness, and a marauding band had , , and destroyed what we had and what we were. I had managed to call for help, reasoning if there was one interstellar group, there must be two?  I turned out to be right, KA-BLING!! It even turned out there was a whole division dedicated to saving poor stompees like us. But it was too late, most of us were gone.

I’d arrived at the academy, a grim, determined ~, swearing revenge. I was allowed to learn and keep fit, but the real training began in my 14th year. I was still the youngest, and Kiki took quite a delight in going full on my ass. I took it and gave back quite a of my own.  Soon, we were {}, the best.

Kiki was strong, she could bring down a @ at 30 clicks. @ were huge, drooly and mean. I avoided them even in training. Kiki would laugh and say “You can’t bring down a @, you can’t get past the first line in a planet fight.” I knew she was right. Kiki was *, always right. So I learned, even learned to somewhat tame the @. I had an edge, a bit of telepathy that worked well with the grunty beasts. Soon I had @s following me around and around and I felt confident I could  quite well with the rest of them.

Kiki approved, and watched with pride as I continued on, excelled and emerged as the ^ over all my classmates. Even gave Kiki a pause. All to quickly forward, Kiki was |. She was ready for assignment. Kiki chose a small system in the delta quadrant, far, far away. It seemed so |, I was stunned. I knew she would be good, hell, I knew she would be **. So, I cried and hugged, she was ^^ over all of us. Into her ship she boarded and off she flew.

We never knew the whole report, just that Kiki fought bravely, fought ^^^^. Kiki saved that little system. She did it so ** they more than survived, they became a ~ in the League. They joined the galaxy, but Kiki had to [] for that to happen, and I know she gladly did. Please, drink a toast to my Kiki, our Kiki and hope we all can do at least half as well as she!

Life seems rare. Earth is may be the only planet in our solar system to have life. Life may have started elsewhere, like Mars, and transferred here. Regardless, we are now alone in any practical sense. The rest of the galaxy should have the same odds. Even then, odds are that many worlds that are populated and quite a few with intelligent life. There would be individuals who study that life, cataloguing some remarkable data. Somewhere out there, a sociologist studies the development of a species. What would she find as she sat in her office with the great view, desk piled high with records. Thousands of worlds, some thriving, some destroyed, each with its own story.

We know humans go through specific stages before they become adults. The child psychologist Jean Piaget described four levels. He believed each level was characterized by learning specific tasks with the direct response of new development and growth in the brain. Animals, too, go through similar steps, with rates that are much shorter.  The common element is the need to go through these steps in a certain order. Without that order, development is disrupted and can result in incomplete maturity.

Progress, then, seems to go along a prescribed route, but what about the development of a species? Could such steps exist here as well? Humans have gone through a loose social grouping to civilization as we know it today. People have more education, live longer and have even visited the moon. Third world countries try to reach these goals. They make big mistakes along the way, and often fail in their task. So would this be a pattern?

First, our galactic scientist would need to define success. What would be the goal that would indicate a fully mature species? She would say success for any life would primarily be survival. An addition to that could be a healthy survival, one not easily taken away. A species needs to have a stable or increasing number above the survival threshold. Secondly, the species would be in more than one location, on different planets. What would this species look like, what would be their characteristics?

Our galactic scientist would argue you need a social creature. The degree would be on the order of the Bell curve. The most successful creatures would be social to a fair degree and in the center of the graph. I don’t think you have to stretch much to figure out the steps our sociologist would find.

In Step I, the creatures would start by wandering around in small groups, but soon discover that the more minds involved the more problems are solved. Larger groups are formed.

In Step II, agriculture is discovered. Progress is made because it is much easier to stay in one place and learn how to increase the yield of food. In addition, group to group raiding develops to obtain resources, speeding development along.

Step III finds the groups becoming even larger with the advent of more specialization. New professions spring up and the creatures are even more dependent on each other. Leaders emerge, encouraging the division of labor. Most creatures would end up as Labor rather than as Leader. Many are still wanting but better off than being on their own. Our sociologist now looks for war, not the small skirmishes of before. Population increases and also goes through some die offs due to disease and famine.

Onto Step IV, our creatures have progressed to the point of more or less universal education. Even in our creature’s group, though, some of the old reasons for poverty still exist. However, poverty means a lack of material wealth, not the grinding needs of Step III. Our creature’s offspring are better off than they were. It is where humans are now, or actually were a few years ago. Not all groups are in the same step, but they are going through the steps. Up to this point, it was assumed that our specie’s specialization is the brain. It could be possible, though rare, that such advances could be done by enslaving minds to figure out the technology or simply taking the technology. In this case, the next step could be skipped.

Step V calls for a back step. The creatures become complacent. They have lived long enough to forget what it is to just survive. They don’t believe that there is any danger that was so familiar to their ancestors; starvation, disease and death. Some want to test it a little, some allot, and some are appalled at even the thought. They go backwards. Children learn how to get away with learning less, and are even given adult rights without responsibilities, often consequences are added later. Crime can go unpunished, countries threaten war and the recipients let it pass, all because they feel something is more important, something on a higher spiritual level.

So, there is a pause. Wisdom of the past is questioned; distrust of the leaders and philosopher is common. Making yourself vulnerable is said to be the “only“answer. That kind of peace, the kind of “can’t we all just get along” is now the naïve and childish way to look at the problem. The hard lesson to learn is how to survive and use the higher moral values.  

A caveat here; this does not include all the creatures. Our sociologist notes that children must be different. They need to work on appropriate tasks that lead to maturity, just as the specie does. She would tell us that the health of a civilization can be judged by the handling of their children.

In order to graduate to Step VI, our sociologist would have to admit- “you must all get along”. The problem, of course, is the beings within the same specie are not the same. How do you all live together when we are so different? She would say there isn’t a specific way, indeed there are probably many ways.

Our sociologist would remind us that each step is necessary to development, even if this feels uncomfortable. All of it was necessary: leaders, division of labor, war, the elite, the hoards of peasants and the mighty priests. The raw material each species has gets them through the each step. It all works well until you come to a place where raw is insufficient. In order to accomplish the next step, all resources must be fully utilized, especially minds. She would cite the elimination of the old “starvation, disease and death”; add to that guaranteeing the freedoms of individuals as appropriate steps to take. This would allow our creatures to feel “safe” enough to reach out and listen to its fellows, even those from the other groups. In this environment, thorough education without political agenda would take you the final step.

Step VI, the enormous technical task of leaving the planet. Our sociologist would tell us that leaving the planet is the first step to establishing other bases and spreading out your population. This raises the odds of survival if a disaster occurs on the home planet. Accomplishing Step VI is like becoming an adult, like a parent who puts their life on hold to care for the offspring. She sits back and marvels that any species has managed it. She knows that many did not. The old fear of blowing ourselves up, the inevitable fractioning of a society that is trying to figure things out all contribute to possible failure. As species become more powerful, so do their mistakes.

So are we on track? Will we survive and achieve the stars? We have made it to the moon; we have redefined war even when we fight those who have not. Now we question all we do, to the point we are vulnerable. I would say we are in Step V. We have the task of finding a way to balance protection and cooperation. My gut says we will, but we will certainly stumble on the way.

I thought my life had been all planned out. When I was a young girl, my parents had arranged a good match for me and I was content to let my story unfold. Something went wrong, and after putting so much effort into my marriage, with two difficult children later, my husband died on me!

At first I was shocked. How could he do that, to me! I had put up with all that crap we wives have to, but he was a successful man. I found all the doors for him to go through, found all the people he could impress, I paved the way for that man's life. It wasn't my fault he couldn't follow all my direction, with his friends constantly whispering in his ear about me……ME! I was not a typical wife!! How could he succeed with a typical wife? He certainly couldn't, but then he died! Well, I picked up my life, two young girls, a household, I had to. I went out and found another suitable partner. I could offer a title, John could offer money, a good match, I'd say. One problem, though, he had a young child of his own.

Cactisis- A super woman, with a prickly character, created in the Sonoran Desert. She can shoot needles out of her green skin with deadly accuracy; don't ever get in her way. She stands for right but will often feel out of sorts, irritated. You can't break through to her except when she opens her heart on the cooler nights of spring. She shelters life in many forms by protecting them through harsh conditions, superhero attack and dry spells.

When I first heard this idea from President Obama I scoffed. Throughout history the people at the top create the jobs and it trickles down to the "regular" folks. I thought it was political pandering to the masses. However, when I put that together with the idea of the "Classroom of the Future" (an idea I scoffed at, too) something clicked. Now, mind you, I have little patience for the cry for a classroom filled with the latest gadgets and all we have to do is provide more and funds magically creating a well educated populace. Education, like all other pursuits, is fraught with politics; everyone has an agenda and a bad foundation cannot be helped with technology.

First, let me define education: A minimum standard of the 3 R's-Reading, Writing and 'Rithmetic. I would be thrilled if we could just accomplish that. In the past, we have given minimal attempts at it for the "unwashed" masses so they could work in the factories and businesses, but have you noticed how more than that is very hard to come by? Indeed, lately, even the minimums are not met.

Knowing what has been in the past, though, does not mean that: 1) It is right or 2) That it cannot change. The President is right that the "masses" do get the least of society. What does work, though? The United States has managed to create a society where minimal standards of housing, food and work are available to most people. Please don't tell me the problems with these minimal standards; they are better than the rest of the world even in this recession. The world looks to us to "fix" their problems and that says much. How was it done? It was done with the free market system, something that works like evolution leaving the best, suitable choice. That system is harsh, to be sure, and I do agree with some safeguards against monopolies and huge corporations, just as we need those safeguards on government, but the overall result is good.

With adequate safeguards, this system has worked the best. What would the classroom of the future look like with this in mind? In the spirit of the capitalism, why not turn education on its ear? Why not take the beginning, the 3 R's (which are all basically memorization) and have that all accomplished by the time our children walk into the classroom. Is that radical, or what? Think it is asking for too much? Well, reading is basically memorization-26 letters and 44 sounds. I am not talking about comprehension, and why should I? Children cannot comprehend all that they hear, and they are not meant too. All that comes with time; first they learn how to listen and speak, even mimicking what they hear, then they learn what it means. Why not with use this idea with reading? Writing can follow that pattern, and of course Arithmetic is all facts. Why not have really cool video games? The computer can take something that is monotonous, especially for a living teacher, and make it a game, with a teacher who is infinitely patient, infinitely (almost) able to come up with different approaches. We have all seen 3, 4 and 5 year olds maneuver around a computer with ease. We cannot say they are not capable of playing and conquering games of this level of complexity.

If we had some competition in the creation of these games and a will to do this, what would it be like to have all that accomplished in kindergarten or 1st grade? The whole elementary curriculum would be done. The ever sought for higher learning would be wide open. Why do we have to have living teachers for memorization? We denigrate memorization, but we use it, sloppily. Let the gaming industry take this over, have several different types. Let them go crazy!

What do I see as the role for school? All those things that are not memorized; that mentoring touch, all the things that are human and not machine. What would be really radical (oh I am naughty) is to include history, logic and philosophy with one or two other languages thrown in. Talk about an equalizing effect. Think about a populace that has access to what has happened in the past and can extrapolate into the future on many different levels. It has long amazed me the tired old tricks that are trotted out by our elites (those who rule us and run the world). The elites would have quite a problem trying to "subdue" or trick the masses then. I don't believe it would raise the IQs or anything magically revolutionary like that, but bear in mind, the Bell curve exists in the Elites as well as the masses. At least we would have a fighting chance. Of course, if it was truly understood what I proposed, it would be opposed, but in true entrepreneurial style, we wouldn't need government or whoever's permission. Freedom and capitalism could accomplish the goal.

I just went to see a preview of a movie called "Adam". It was quite good and Adam was an extraordinary person. The story seemed wonderfully complex but had just two story lines; Adam’s struggle through life with Asperger syndrome and the struggles of his girlfriend in her family life. Each was compelling, but Adam’s struggle was more alien like a Spock with one foot in the human world and one in the Vulcan world of no emotion. The story lines played off each other quite well..

In the film Adam first learned the skill of the human dance of communication, like an actor. Then he learned the difference between a LIAR and a liar; how one you don’t want to be around and one you want to be around for the rest of your life. Finally, he learned how to put it all together and function, quite well, on his own.

Adam reminded me of a young man I tutored in Algebra back in Sacramento. He was almost anal in the way he laid out his work on a blank sheet of typing paper, lining up the problems just so. I was more of a guide that sat by his side and answered any questions he had. He mastered the work and ended up with nearly perfect scores-the perfect student. That was why he hired me, but the reason he was in school was to change his career. He had been a surgical operating room nurse until he was afflicted with rheumatoid arthritis. He told me of the parking lot at his school, one I knew well because it was so far away from the classes. Students would complain of the walk to which he shook his head, saying if only he had their body he would run like the wind through that lot.

So, too, Adam would shake his head at people who look at the world in black and white terms.  No one is black or white and his struggle was to see that mixture.

You see, it wasn’t that Adam had Asperger syndrome that made him extraordinary. What made him extraordinary was that he found a way to communicate through it because he felt people, themselves, were worth it.

 

Joan asked her about the color of her eyes. “They come from the sky,” smiling, she added,” At least that is what my mother always told me.”
Allyahn’s eyes are purple. Not violet, but purple. Purple is not a frequency of light, it is a combination of light-red and blue. Ally’s eyes are not the light violet of Elizabeth Taylor’s, oh no! Violet is between a magenta and blue, a pinky purple. Ally’s eyes are true purple, that great dark hue of Crayola crayons. No human has such a color.
Her planet has the regular gases: oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide, but it also has many more small particles of dust and water plus much more hydrogen than we do, about 20%. The particles reflect the light in all directions, as it does here on Earth, but the hydrogen emits red, cyan, blue and violet in such proportions that the result is a true purple, a darker world than ours. Ally told Joan of her childhood, running through the fields that flickered silver under that gorgeous sky. “We still have the sun shinning through, and the moons at night” “The sky turns black as yours”. “But it is not the same” Joan responded “I cannot imagine a world without the blue sky, it goes with our blue oceans”. That is not really true, our skies are a product of the reflections of light from the gases, sun and particles, just as Ally’s are. Joan wondered whether that darker world caused Ally’s white skin. Just beneath the surface you can see the purple blood that was returning to her heart. She thought that might be too personal, Ally was very private, so she was quiet and listened to Ally describe her planet.
“It’s small, smaller than Earth, and one more planet out, the 4th. There is a smell in the air, like a grape/licorice. Even today, I miss that smell. It is like fresh air here, we hardly notice it. The smell comes from a plant that blooms most of the year, which for us is 400 days long. It has a green flower and an orange fruit. Quite tasty.” Ally finished with a wee smile. “I would love to see it.” Joan replied, wondering if that could ever be. Ally’s face sagged, a look of sorrow came over her. “My people were killed by the same group that attacked here, I’m afraid no one could greet you.” She slowly rose and walked back into the meeting, content to leave the conversation there.

Gerald held tight to the side of the boat. The turbid water was getting to him. He had planned a small outing, sneaking a look at his neighbors through the borrowed telescope. It wasn’t really an instrument for this purpose, but it would have to do. All Gerald wanted was to find a good location from which to watch his glorious fire. Tomorrow, the small incendiary device would detonate and this reclusive arsonist could watch the house go up in flames. He would finally be able to watch the process from beginning to end, but the weather was not cooperating. The once calm lake seemed to be telling him he wasn’t allowed. Well, that would not do!

Gerald had always been a quiet, shy man seemingly without many social skills, but he held close to his heart a love of the flame. How it would flare up, engulf and wildly dance around, so beautiful, so lovely. People had come and gone in his life. His parents had grown old. Women took little interest, but the flame would smile at him. It seemed to be grateful for the life Gerald bought to it.

Never before had he allowed himself to stick around and see, with his own eyes, what he had brought into being. This time he would, he would watch and in watching he would know the joy of his love, the wild, spectacular joy and it was almost time. The boat rocked again, he hadn’t been paying attention. Must concentrate, wouldn’t do to fall out, stupid lake. The breeze picked up and as Gerald watched the boat pitch itself out of the water, riding a wave. “NO, you will not stop me, this is mine, mine!” he screamed. “I will watch. She will be mine. I make the choice!” and with that the boat flew up again, Gerald and his telescope falling into the deep lake. Seems there was another opinion.