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The endless endeavors weaved into our souls, such as writing, photography, cooking, painting, producing music, drawing and cooking are just a fraction of the vital ventures harnessed within the human spirit and mind. 

If Andrew Yang becomes president, his Universal Basic Income for all Americans would fuel creative minds to heavenly heights.  

The quote unquote American pastime is baseball, and Andrew Yang said in his April 2018 book, “The War on Normal People,” America is in the 4^th inning of a financial apocalypse.

When people stress about money, creativity drops, it’s that simple. 

Yang details the math in his book on how each American citizen 18-years-old and older would receive $12,000 a year on top of what they already earn. Futile arguments against U.B.I. claim that people would become lazy and not work. Yang counters; how many people can live on $12,000 year? The Freedom Dividend, U.B.I. is not Yang's idea. He learned this from Martin Luther King Jr. who proposed a guaranteed income for all Americans in the late 1960s. The $1,000 a month is meant as an aide, not a means to retire once your 18-years-old.

U.B.I., would also cut down the crime rate and help relationships. Why are most petty crimes committed? You guessed it, money. Financial futility keeps some individuals from dating. Myself, once the bills are paid, there's nothing left over for dating. What do many couples argue and fight about a lot? The almighty dollar is a major factor in marriage and relationship hardships. The Freedom Dividend, or U.B.I. would strengthen relationships and make people happier.

A penny for every google search and multi-million and billion dollar businesses would be taxed one percent of its income that would go toward financing the $1,000 a month for all American citizens. If you want all the details on where the money would come from to finance the Freedom Dividend; read "The War On Normal People," or google Andrew Yang on U.B.I. 

Yang said in his book, the Freedom Dividend might cost some people $2,500 a year, but when your receiving an additional $12,000 a year, the math works in the favor of the people. 

Yang uses the word ‘normal’ in the title of his book to mean average. “The War on Normal People’ is the best political book I’ve ever read. The book is barely over 240 pages, an afternoon read, and Yang illustrates the need for immediate change in America’s current financial structure.

Right now, Americans seems content and clueless to the imminent future of mass job loss and financial futility. Love it or loathe it, the future is coming, and in this future most cars will be driverless. Truck drivers, taxi drivers, bus drivers and all others who drive for a living will experience intense job loss.

The technology is already in place for a few people to operate thousands if not tens of thousands of driverless trucks and taxies able to driver across town or across the country while a small few people traffic these vehicles from PC’s in an office.

This very second, Google, Apple and Amazon are investing billions of dollars in artificial intelligence. The market rewards business leaders for making things more efficient. Efficiency doesn't love normal people, it loves getting things done in the most cost efficient way possible. We have a 1960s era government that has few solutions for the problems of 2018 Yang said.   

Automation is coming and it’s coming fast and eliminating more and more jobs. Big retailers including Target and Amazon will one day have mass layoffs. Robots can already do cashiering as well as package and distribute products, while needing only about a dozen or so people that now require hundreds, it not tens of thousands of people.

The above information was not much news to me, but doctors and lawyers will also be hit hard by automation, which I never thought possible until I read “The War on Normal People.”

It will soon be common for a doctor to be able to perform an operation on someone who’s in a different state. With technology that already exist, a doctor in California can guide a robot doctor in New York as it does minor or major surgery on its patient. Understand where this is going, the number of doctors needed in America and the world will be massively reduced.

Automation will also affect lawyers and accountants. Yang states that many lawyers, particularly ones who have recently finished law school and go to work in their first law firm mostly do paperwork. Accountants, much like lawyers have a lot of paperwork, and most of the paperwork is money and numbers which a computer can calculate much faster and accurately then people.

“The War on Normal People” illustrates how even the wealthy one percent will one day be in a state of turmoil. “Mad Max,” the movie is something that could very well be in America’s future Yang said, and I believe him.

Yang is far more eloquently than myself about how America’s future is extremely bleak unless the powers that be start doing something to aide the middle class and poor now. Yang has solutions for a fabulous future with much lower crime and poverty rates. The statistics don’t lie as Yang points out. Crime is much higher in poverty-stricken areas.

“The War on Normal People’ is much more detailed and insightful then what I’ve written, and I cannot recommend this book enough. A must read book for those seeking real answers to today's problems. Five stars for "The War On Normal People." 

Mark (Izzy) Schurr

Overdue Book Review

Spartacus was as close to a God humans has ever encountered in the documented history of humanity.

Veronica, the wife of Spartacus was pleasingly possessed by the ecstatic frenzies of Dionysus, a half god in Greek mythology. Professor Brent D. Shaw’s translation of “Spartacus and the Slave Wars” states that Dionysus was a son of Zeus, and the god of fertility, superhuman strength, long life and vitality.

Thus far, everything written about Spartacus is mostly from his enemies, the Romans. The two books I’ve read about Spartacus illustrated that he was indeed real, and a true humanitarian who should be revered forever.

“Spartacus and the Slave Wars” documents how Spartacus escaped his slave training camp in Capua, Italy with his wife Veronica, his friend Crixus and about 60 other slaves. The name of Spartacus’s wife is not known. There is no documentation of her actual name. Everything you may read about his wife, or see in a movie, including the four-year Netflix series “Spartacus” is a made-up name, so in my mind, her name was Veronica.

More than 70 years before the birth of Jesus Christ, Spartacus was forced to fight in arenas for the Romans. Spartacus may have been Roman himself, but many claim he was a Thracian, which is Belgium today. The Netflix “Spartacus” series adhered to the books very closely with awesome embellishments. A resounding thumbs up for the Netflix “Spartacus” writers.

The people who wrote about Spartacus claim he was indeed a man of great spirit and bodily strength. During his peak years, early 30s or late 20s, he was not only a physical specimen to behold, but also a noble man with great intelligence and like the movies, a romantic. Coming from his enemies, this make the documented history of Spartacus even more powerful. He was indeed a fan favorite in the arenas, a true figure of fame and fear.

Upon escaping his slave encampment, his 60 or 70-person army swelled to 60,000 or 70,000 warriors in less then two years. Some historians claim the Spartacus army was more the 200,000 troops. Regardless, upon their victorious battles, Spartacus spilt all the money evenly amongst all those who fought with him which is the main reason slave warriors were eager to join Spartacus and fight in a justified war.  

“Spartacus and the Slave Wars, A Brief History with Documents” pointed out how pirates betrayed Spartacus. Had the pirates joined Spartacus like they said, they could have shipped him and his army to Sicily, and maybe Spartacus and his army may have defeated the Roman army.

Spartacus’s body was never found on the final battlefield, but historians claim he was killed. It took the Roman army two years to defeat Spartacus and his army who were fighting for freedom and justice.

Large governments are ruled by greed and massive numbers of brain-washed soldiers, and in the end, more than 6,000 of Spartacus’s troops were crucified and their dead bodies upon their crosses lined the main road to Rome for a long time, as a warning to not rebel against the government and its evil regime.

“Spartacus and the Slave Wars” (2001) translated by then professor Shaw at the University of Pennsylvania is an easy a quick read. It also documents the history of the two other slave wars approximately 35 and 60 years before the Spartacus war.

Mark Schurr aka Izzy Schurr

More mutant than man, I feed my mind with fact and fantasy while learning to silence my joy in the embers of the crisp summer nights.

As a creature of chaos, my passion is harbored in the printed pages of the ancients and today’s follies that fill our minds with too much doubt and distrust. Friends are just distant acquaintances while books provide stability and peace of mind.  

The solace of the shadows and the wisdom of various writers calm the rough seas of reality and allow me to embrace to the infinite warmth of patience and creativity.

Mark Izzy Schurr

Ancient Art Marries Modern

More then a 150 years ago Lewis Carroll wrote his fantasy novel “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and the ballet adaption at Spreckels Performing Arts Center in June of Carroll’s classic was a refreshing recap of Alice’s mind adventures. 

Without a single word, the talented dancers on Tuesday, June 18 at Rohnert Park’s Spreckels Performing Arts Center conveyed the story of Alice, a young girl eager to explore the uncharted realms of her imagination via the art of dance. 

The Italian Renaissance in the late 1500s introduced the world to the art of ballet dancing. (Wikipeda) Classical and Contemporary Dance with Tamara Grose on June 18, 2019, "Alice in Wonderland" ws indeed fun and entertaining. 

Without dialogue to follow the story, this ballet of "Alice in Wonderland"  was extremely easy to follow for all those familiar with Lewis Carroll's MFE 1865 tale, "Alice's Adventure in Wonderland." MFE 

Without dialogue to follow the story, the ballet of "Alice in Wonderland" was extremely easy to follow and comprehend for all those familiar with Lewis Carroll's 1865 tale.

I'm not much of a ballet fan, but the these dancers showcased their amazing skills, and because of this production, I understand the lure of this ancient art form. Xanther Saarinen (Alice) did a fantastic job displaying her awesome abilities in fine art dance, as did the rest of the cast.   

displaying her abilities in fine art dance, as did the rest of the cast. 

 

My knowledge of ballet is extremely limited but I did admire how this show of "Alice in Wonderland" mixed the origins of ancient ballet into the modern dance of today. A resounding thumbs up for this show. Four and a half stars easy for this live show. 

Mark Izzy Schurr 

 

All pictures, Schurr Shot with my Sony DSL cyber shot camera.