Sometimes someone says it just right

In a couple of recent posts, I made some lengthy statements about marketing and media. I just heard Bill Maher say something that succinctly captures my viewpoint:"Television is not a medium of entertainment [anymore]. It's a medium of advertising that occasionally entertains."I don't agree with everything Bill Maher says, especially about religion, but I whole-heartedly concur with…

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On science fiction and sci-fi

I must be one of the few Wiccans who’s blogging on this day, yet is not discussing Samhain.  I’ve read some other Samhain-related blog posts, and found that those commentators spoke far more eloquently on the subject that I could.  I have a spare hour, so instead I’m writing on another topic that interests me.

I grew up on science fiction.  The first science-fiction book I ever read was The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet by Eleanor Cameron; it was given to me by my third-grade teacher.  I’ve been a reader of science fiction ever since. 

I reached adolescence on fantasy.  I don’t recall the first "fantasy" novel I read per se, but I remember the first fantasy work of any significance to me: The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.  I don’t remember who first recommended the work to me, but I remember reading it when I was 14.  I’ve been a reader of fantasy ever since.

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