‘Peace House Community Journal’ Archives
Efficiency Be Damned
from the series Peace House Community Journal Marti Maltby By Marti Maltby Like many people, I have watched Elon Musk’s dismantling of the federal government with everything from bemusement to unspeakable foreboding. The bemusement comes from Musk’s own claims that he is making the government more efficient. If that was the real intent of the Department of Government Efficiency, Musk would be the equivalent of the kid whose dad throws him into a deep lake to teach him to swim. He flails around a lot but doesn’t accomplish much, and eventually he sinks out of sight. Musk has made many claims about how much he is saving the government, but the claims are not believable in the slightest. Compare Musk’s approach to the investigation into Feeding Our Future, an organization that fraudulently billed the government for $250 million. The investigation required numerous investigators, working for years, to bring charges against hundreds of individuals. By contrast, Musk [...]
It’s All About Your Point of View
from the series Peace House Community Journal... By MARTI MALTBY Marti Maltby My daughter and I enjoy watching the British murder mystery comedy series Death In Paradise. In many ways, it is mindless fun, and as with most mysteries, there is a plot twist somewhere along the way that leads to the unmasking of the murderer. Of course, the plot twist is always in the mind of the viewer; the writers knew what was going to happen all along, and if they had written the story from the murderer’s point of view, there would be no mystery to solve. All the suspects’ lies, the lines of investigation that go nowhere, the clues that end up mislead the investigation … all of it falls into place and seems quite reasonable once you know the solution (if the mystery is well-written, that is). I know the same thing happens in real life, but despite that, it can be difficult to escape my own point of view. I know some things, but I think I know other things that later on turn out to be [...]
Your Place in the World
from the series Peace House Community Journal... By MARTI MALTBY Marti Maltby I’ve recently been reading various autobiographies. I started with Clint Malarchuk’s The Crazy Game, and am now working my way through What Does This Button Do? By Bruce Dickenson and My Effin’ Life by Geddy Lee. Malarchuk was a goalie in the National Hockey League who almost died on ice during a game after a teammate’s skate sliced his throat. Dickenson and Lee are singers with Iron Maiden and Rush, respectively. Of the three, I have to rate Lee’s book above the others, although they all have their strong points. My Effin’ Life stands apart from the others because of Lee’s sense of history, and his understanding of where he fits into the world. Although he is telling his story, he makes sure to ground it in the world around him.He lays the groundwork in the first sentence, where he provides his birth name. I have known since I was a teenager that Geddy’s real name was Gary Lee [...]
