Chernobyl Dog Novel First Page

I have been "working" on a new novel (see my website: GBMooney.com "Novels in process) during the past year. The first six chapters of the first draft are on my harddrive.

I plan to finish the first draft  this year.


This is the first page.
Would appreciate your input.

Chernobyl Dog   First draft

Chapter 1a

Sunset, Gulf of Mexico

Southwest Florida, USA

David Nelson carefully lowered himself into his low slung beach chair. Although obviously fit and younger appearing than his advancing years, he was weary from his evening beach walk. As usual, he would rest for half an hour before heading home, allowing his thoughts to wander aimlessly.

           

Just this past week he had read a newspaper column about the dogs of Chernobyl. Shortly after the nuclear accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear plant the Russian government had ordered the evacuation of the city. Civilians had an hour to gather up the belongings they could carry and were loaded onto busses. As the busses pulled away from the neighborhoods the people on the bus could see the family dogs running after the busses. The little ones gave up first but some of the large dogs ran for miles. Finally the dogs had stopped and started to look around and at each other. Why had their masters, the object of their unconditional love, abandoned them? Most of them found their way back to their homes and became the first victims of the nuclear accident to perish.  

            David imagined how the dogs must have reacted. They most likely stayed near their homes, sharply aware of every movement and noise, hopefully waiting for their master’s return. David knew from experience how the dogs agonized and then panicked when they realized they were alone. He had been abandoned at age five. He was a Chernobyl dog

My Facebook Pages URL's

I have two facebook pages.

The personal page URL is:   facebook.com/gerald.mooney3

The business page URL is:   facebook.com/GB.Jerry.Mooney.Novels

I would really appreciate your visiting both of the pages.

The PERSONAL page opens a connection to you and provides an opportunity to post your comments and reach me and my “Friends”.

Input from new friends expands my knowledge and understanding of what is going on in your life. I’m interested in your humor, concerns, achievements and position on US and World politics and leaders. Posting on my page will give you the opportunity to agree or disagree with my positions and most importantly, post “Mind Bogglers” and “Ponderisms”.

The BUSINESS page connects you to my Novels.

The page provides descriptions of my novels (The kind of info you would get in a bookstore from the cover of my novels).

 I also post pages from my novels, allowing you to sample my writing style. On my website, GBMooney.com, my new, in development novel, Chernobyl Dog, is described. I will soon post the first chapter of that novel on the facebook page for your review and comments.

I will also post info on how I research content for my novels and identify items that surprised and created interest on locations, history, world politics and most importantly, people.

Sales and promotions are identified. I recently, during January and February 2012, reduced the price of all my E book Novels to $0.99. It was a “Thank You” for all the people who support my writing.

PLEASE visit my face book pages. If you like (or even if you dislike) the content, comment and press the LIKE button.  That will expand our contact with new and interesting people.

I will Publish Facebook comments on my BLOG.

PROFILING

            I have submitted a Profiling complaint to Federal, State and Local officials!

            WHY?  The elite thinkers assume that Irish people are drunks.

            One elitist said, "God invented alcohol so the Irish would not take over the world.

            COME ON!  I'm Irish and I'm not stupid!

            I know DUI checkpoints are set up to profile the Irish.

            I've contacted Al and Jessie. I'm positive they will join me in an anti-profiling march       

            on Bourbon Street. 

            Contact me if you wish to participate.

            Today’s Ponderism:

          Why is it that a person who plays the piano is called a pianist but a person who drives   

             a race car is not called a racist?

Stealth Partners

            I advised my Business Management Consultant clients to avoid business partnerships: they tend to be messy and frequently end in litigation. Imagine my chagrin when I realized that I had at least seven partners in my own business; they were very demanding, required a great deal of my time, contributed nothing and took more money out of my business than I did.

            Who were these "stealth partners" that had slid, uninvited, into my business? They first came into focus when my accountant showed me how much money the various governments had extracted from my business during the previous year.

            First of course were the Feds. I collected income and social security tax from my employees for the Feds and deposited it in a Federal Reserve Bank. The rules for depositing were so confusing that I deposited the withheld money ever payday in order to avoid fines. Of course I matched the employee’s contribution into social security, made quarterly reports, prepared W2's and a reconciliation report at the end of the year. I also contributed to a Federal Unemployment Compensation Fund and filed a quarterly report. The Department of Commerce also selected me to submit a monthly report on sales and a complicated report on the goods and services I had used.

            Then we had the state crowd. Once again I withheld income tax and submitted it with quarterly reports, summarizing my monthly deposits. We also withheld state sales tax and submitted the tax with a monthly report. The state also had an Unemployment Compensation Fund that I contributed to with yet another quarterly report.

            Last we have the locals. In my case I had a County, two Townships, a Borough and a City to contend with. They required the collection of a variety of income taxes, work privilege taxes and mercantile taxes, all submitted with quarterly reports and year-end summaries. I had stores in three locations, employees who lived in various locations and some employees who worked in all thee stores. Record keeping was a nightmare. Keeping data and completing the one hundred plus reports per year consumed a lot of my sixteen-hour workdays.

            All of these agencies loved to send what I called Yellow Flyers. Paraphrasing, they said things like "Three year ago you did not submit your third quarter report in a timely fashion and are therefore subject to fine. If you do not submit payment by the close of business yesterday we will seize your monetary resources, put your family in jail and shoot your dog". That might be a slight exaggeration but let me tell you they sure scared the tar out of my wife. It's no solace that they were never correct. It would have helped if they had just once said "Sorry for all the work and anxiety we caused".

            This may sound like whining I know that I should consider myself fortunate that I live in a country where I could start my own business. However, I did not get in to business to work for governments. There has to be an easier way for government to collect their money. I once suggested that retailers collect one big sales tax, throw it in a pot and let the bureau "cats" fight for their share. While they are fighting among themselves the business people would be free to do what they do best; provide goods, services and jobs.



Ten Thoughts to Ponder

Ten Thoughts to Ponder

If you have read my “Keeper” blog you know about my “Ponderism” File.

Enjoy these—provided by “Friends?”.

Number 10: Life is sexually transmitted.

Number 9: Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.

Number 8: Men have two emotions: Hungry and Horny. If you see him without an erection, make him a sandwich..

Number 7: Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach a person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks.

Number 6: Some people are like a Slinky... not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you shove them down the stairs.

Number 5: Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals, dying of nothing.

Number 4: All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.

Number 3: Why does a slight tax increase cost you $200.00, and a substantial tax cut saves you $30.00?

Number 2: In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.

And The Number 1 Thought: Life is like a jar of Jalapeno peppers; what you do today, might burn your butt tomorrow.

Oh, …and as someone recently said to me: "Don't worry about old age; it doesn't last long."

Fire Medicare

Government Health Care

Retrieved this from my “Editorial” file after hearing Mitt Romney’s comment about “Firing People”. (see fourth paragraph).

This is a message to those who think old folks who are opposing new government nationalized health care should just shut up or turn in their Social Security and Medicare Cards. You know who you are. You think you are smarter than us, know what’s best for us, and call us idiots if we dare to protest.

I tried to opt out of Social Security when I started my first real job. I appreciated that my employer would match my contribution. I didn’t want to participate because our contribution would not have an account in my name, did not accumulate interest, would not be paid to my heirs if I died before age 65, and would have the excess of paid in versus paid out “loaned” to the Treasury.

When I became eligible for Social Security I asked for a lump sum payment of my forty five year “contribution” (and my employers matching payments), with 2% compounded interest. I can imagine the reaction to that letter. I then requested just a lump sum payment without interest. I’m still waiting for a reply.

When I became eligible for Medicare I again asked to opt out. I asked for a yearly government voucher that would pay my non-government Health Care Insurance provider. I wanted to be able to negotiate cost, payments, disputes or differences and change (2012 note: replace “change” with “fire”) providers if necessary. That request failed but I was able to opt out of the government Rx program. The RX program “donut hole” provision is typical of government thinking.

That’s my set up; this is my message to those that want me to shut up:

I will provide you with the lump sum figure of my (plus my employers) total contribution to SS, adjusted to a value if invested in a safe Mutual Fund for 40 years, less the amount paid to me by Social Security and paid Medical bills by Medicare. Write me a check for that amount and I will send you my monthly Social Security check. Put Up Or Shut Up.

And while I’m at it, stop telling me to stop sending my kids to public schools or government funded colleges and driving on government highways.

I haven’t had anyone in grades 1-12 since 1970.  I have been paying school taxes since 1950!

I paid for my children’s college education. My children paid for my grandchildren’s college education. I worked full time and earned an engineering degree after eight years of night school.

Every time I buy gasoline I pay 40 cents a gallon in taxes.

This is a message from a member of “The Greatest Generation” to the “Gimme Generation”, respectfully, get your head out of your butt and wise up!

Today’s Ponderism:

If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked, and dry cleaners depressed?

Don't Confuse Me With Facts!

“My minds made up! Don’t confuse me with facts”!

Dilbert cartoon published May 22, 2011. News-Press

Dilbert’s boss is sitting at his desk, holding a document, speaking to Dilbert.

The boss says, “This doesn’t feel right.”

Dilbert replied, “It came straight from our lawyer”.

The boss says” It just feels wrong. Can you research it a little more?

Dilbert scratches his head and replies, “Sure. I can do that research in my head.  Let’s see…Our lawyer got his degree at Harvard and has twenty years in this exact field. Whereas your have a “feeling’ that is probably the result of an unholy combination of greasy food and ignorance. The data clearly favors the Harvard Law degree over the cheeseburger.”

How often have you had Dilbert’s reaction when a politician, TV talking  head , TV guest or Group Thinker has shown total stupidity?

The “Spinners” are the most frustrating, particularly when they shout- “Your stupid because you don’t realize that black is white”!!