Old Men And Infidels Books

Boiled Beef and Claret

2025-10-14

On going to bed in early October, I noticed a bit of blood in my urine. It was rather hard to miss. The color of pinot noir, I think, rather than claret, it filled the bowl. Too much information. I quite agree.

My new wife was distressed, as most civilians would be. After replumbing the works with a catheter, bloodless flow has been reestablished (despite a few white-knuckle hours where the clots obstructed things). Hemoglobin dropped alarmingly before the Red Niagara was halted. The urologists are going for a look-see, biopsy, and/or reconstruction of the works this Friday, the 17th.

The most likely diagnosis is bladder cancer. For those of you playing at home, that makes the count 2 cancers/zero cured. Personally, I think it's due to all the rays I collected trying to hold laryngeal tubes in place while X-rays were bouncing about. No way to know.

Regardless, I covert your prayers for myself and my stalwart, loving and caring wife, Ross.

The enigmatic title? Bear with me. Cockneys have a rhyming language. “My china” means “my mate” as in: mate=>china plate=> china, “Lady from Bristol”=>pistol, blood=claret=> “boiled beef and carrots.” One can only hope some sharp mustard is to be had.

Book Tok in San Francisco May 2023

2023-06-11

https://bit.ly/BookTok-Walter

Distinguishing Facts And Opinions In The Modern Age

2023-01-22

The world is at a critical state where the line between facts and opinions is blurred with each narrative. People find it even more difficult to tell the difference and, in turn, form their beliefs on what they deem as authentic. What are the contributing factors between the two, and how can you put a clear distinction?

Humanity is gifted with the capacity to form personal convictions. Interpreting one's realities can be possible through the lens of values, emotions, and unique experiences. However, the fact has a striking way of doing things, reminding us of certain truths we must accept no matter how hard.

You might wonder, "Why do I have to separate facts and opinions?" Although they always come together, their meanings still differ. Another thing you should know is that facts and opinions are not exactly opposite, nor do they fall under two extremities.

Just like in the "Old Men and Infidels" book series by Walter Clark Boutwell, the main character is blindsided by certain events that may be far from the truth she recognized. Because of those instances, her outlook on life changes as she uncovers more horrific realities that she can no longer ignore.

Boutwell's series delves into the tumultuous journey of how Malila tries her best to survive in a deranged world full of conspiracy and lies. In her search for the truth, she gradually changes as a person who desires to make significant changes in the world.

How different are facts and opinions from each other?

Facts are derived from a statement backed by concrete proof and thorough documentation. Meanwhile, an opinion comes from a subjective place, a personal deduction rooted in a person's beliefs. If we were to go through this in detail, a fact has been proven and cannot be changed. The opinion is merely a show of what someone views and represents the individual's personality. Sometimes, ideas can be based on facts, but the latter can never be based on an opinion.

Unlike opinions, facts can be measured, observed, and proven without much fault. No matter how many references are related to an already point, they can't change what's already there. It could be a record of events or information obtained through various means. In the end, facts are not up for debate and can impact a collective agreement on something.

As mentioned, an opinion can come from personal biases. Therefore, it could be more reliable, depending on the situation. Since the conclusion drawn from such views may be true, you can only count on your internal beliefs to form your statements. Everyone can still change their opinions compared to facts, which no person can alter, no matter what. And there's this other factor that contributes to such change: people can be easily swayed by others' opinions.

Do facts and opinions have the power to influence thoughts?

Although they have distinctive roots, facts, and opinions, they can shape a person's outlook. For example, the heart pumping blood through your body is a fact and has mountains of empirical data to back it up. However, an opinion like a person's preference for food can change. Most of the time, even a person can be swayed by others to try a new kind of menu, and the next thing they know, someone already has a different type of food they like.

However, opinions can be valid, depending on how they are used, especially when you present them to a panel eager to question the validity of your findings and sources. An excellent example of using facts and opinions is using the truth as an opener to grab the audience's attention immediately. Then you can use those facts to back up your opinion; that way, it becomes believable and acceptable. The statement becomes reasonable by showing everyone that even some arguments can be based on indisputable facts.

Facts and opinions don't have to clash.

The first step in solidifying credibility is to distinguish facts from opinions successfully. Comprehensive skills are necessary to put things together into perspective, then evaluate the proofs presented until you finally conclude. Despite the requirement to derive facts from opinions, many people still hold onto their perceived notions of anything they feel is convenient to believe in. Few manage to have an open mind and heart to change their prejudices after being shown the differences between facts and opinions.

If anything, the power of facts remains. They can prove themselves no matter what; opinions can still be accurate, but they cannot stand alone.

Thinking About the End Times: Likely Scenarios People Will Face

2023-01-15

apocalyptic themes in current culture

The Fourth Wise Man

2022-12-23

The real story of the wisemen as imagined by the author

Anyone Can Be a Writer: Fact or Fiction?

2022-12-22

Anybody who desires to write a story can become an author. Boutwell was able to finish a three-book series without literary background.

Factors Shaping People’s Political Beliefs

2022-10-20

The political fiction in the books of OMAI depicts that people have varying political views. This situation isn’t far from what people experience in reality.

Means To Embracing Aging In A Youth-Obsessed Culture

2022-11-28

Without a doubt, being young is fun, fast, and exciting. But there is a season and a time for all things. Trying to hang onto the fast lane for too long deprives people of the self-understanding, introspection, and deep thoughts that usually accompany growing older.

Like Clark Boutwell's book on Post-apocalyptic fiction, Outland Exile (Book 1) is a towering tour de force of a novel.

There Are Ghosts

2022-10-18

Sci-fi ghost story

Science Fiction Books: Not A Future Teller

2022-10-06

Photo by Pixabay

Humans are amazed by how sci-fi books enrich their minds about the future, but does it tell you what the future will bring?

Science fiction is a genre of writing that includes themes and plots related to future scientific advances and significant social changes, often based on an author's imagination rather than factual knowledge. With the advancement of human knowledge resulting from the scientific revolution, fictional predictions resulted in believable new works of science fiction. Some authors pictured future technologies that would benefit humanity in some way or let people experience new boundaries that had previously limited human exploration.

It is a vast literary genre that many have tried to contain its definition into much more accessible terms. Unlike any other genre, science fiction is changing the academic world and the world we live in. It is proof that there's nothing impossible that science can't achieve. The rampant advancement of technologies indicates that there are no boundaries to science and technology.

The world of science fiction isn't just one-sided. This genre is incredibly complex and has dozens of subgenres; one story can contain one genre or many! The universe of SciFi subgenres is endless. Below are some of the most well-known worlds.

Hard Science Fictions

Technology takes center stage in a brutal science fiction story. These stories provide scientific realism since scientific concepts are explained in great detail. Sometimes the scientific aspect can get in character development and plot—a category of science fiction characterized by concern for scientific logic and accuracy. The core of the "hard science fiction" designation is the relationship between the attitude and science content to the rest of the narrative and the rigor or "hardness" of the science itself.

Soft Science Fictions

Soft science fiction stories, technology, and facts aren't as prevalent here. A genre that consists of futuristic or scientific elements but does not delve deep into the detailed technicalities of science. It focuses more on politics, psychology, society, and culture; there is less emphasis on engineering, math, computer science, biology, etc. There is less focus on the how and more focus on the why.

Military Science Fictions

Military science fictions commonly has a story that revolves around a military conflict or a war. Most have strong themes about honor, duty, or heroism and the characters of military members. It features the use of science fiction technology, mainly weapons, for military purposes. This usually has principal characters that are members of a military organization involved in military activity, sometimes occurring in outer space or on a different planet or planet. It exists in literature, comics, film, and video games.

Space Operas

This is one of the more confusing subgenres. A space opera is a long-running series with a continuing story arc. The set of this type of story will take place in space and have several characters who recur throughout the series. Many space operas have themes surrounding politics, war, space exploration, rebellion, etc.

Apocalyptic Science Fictions

After a cataclysmic event, an apocalyptic science fiction story will soon follow. This focuses on the back of civilization through nuclear war, plague, or other global catastrophic risks.

Dystopian Science Fiction

Dystopias are societies in cataclysmic decline, with characters who battle environmental ruin, technological control, and government oppression. Dystopian novels with a didactic message often explore themes like anarchism, pressure, and mass poverty.

The Books of OMAI (Old Men and Infidels) describe the average age that has fallen to teens in much of the world. The book is not a grand conspiracy nor an act of famine, war, or pestilence, but due to better infant care, better food, and western intolerance to war. This book is about two countries that went opposite in their age profile, one retiring everyone at 40 (never to be seen again), and the other retiring no one, despite their life expectancy of double your own. Thus, the Young have no youth, and the Old has no age. OMAI comprises the book series; Outland Exiles, Exile Escape, and Malila of the Scorch.

Closing

Nevertheless, it is the human race that creates and decides the future. Science fiction opens up people's minds to millions of possibilities. Still, it doesn't necessarily mean that all ideas and inventions in the story can be created or invented in real life. There's no guarantee that every object that will be made in the future is for the betterment of humanity. Therefore humans should always bear in mind their initial purpose.