Richard V. Rupp

April 17, 2024

I'm Richard V. Rupp, writing to you from Burbank, California.

 

I am sending this newsletter out a little later in the day than usual because I'm exhausted. I just returned from Orange County, where I spent the last two days. Yep, LA traffic is a disaster.

 

Spent yesterday at DISNEYLAND with my two sons and grandson. Started out for the parking lot at 9:00 am and finished up at 10:00 pm. The Park was packed, so the plan was to go on rides that had a waiting time of fewer than 50 minutes, which we did until 7:00 pm, and then we did bar hopping in the Park. We started with Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar, moved on to Carthay Restaurant Bar (Named after the Carthay Circle Theatre in LA, which I used to go to as a kid) (one of the greatest Martinis I have ever tasted), and then onto Craftsman Bar where added some food. In case you're wondering, my son Matt, who is a teetotaler, was the designated driver. The day was arranged for us by my son Brian who does work for Disney. He joined us mid-afternoon after scouting a movie shoot location in LA.

 

Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of being invited to visit WARNER BROS STUDIO Burbank, as part of an evaluation of a new tour they are developing called the "Classic Film Tour." The group I was with was made up of studio retirees. The tour development group was interested in their comments and remembrances of what the studio was like when they worked there. I learned a ton more about the studio and the movie industry. What a fun day. It was also interesting to note as we toured the studio all of the young people working on productions.

 

The death of O.J. Simpson reminded me of being glued to the "tube" (not "screen" then) for hours when living in an upside-down house on the beach in Half Moon Bay, California. It is estimated that 150 million people tuned in to see Simpson declared not guilty on Oct. 3, 1995. The interest in the case was such that Domino's Pizza reported a spike in orders 15 minutes before the verdict and not one single order throughout the entire United States while it was read. I have no idea why, but we were all fascinated by the bizarre two-hour Bronco chase across LA, learning of the grisly murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, and watching what would be termed the "trial of the century" live on TV. Then there was the ending with the trial glove scene – "If It Doesn't Fit, You Must Acquit." Like me, many have said O.J. got away with murder. Yes, if you have money, you can get away with almost anything.

 

ECLIPSE

 

My title for this RUPP'S NOTES— "Eclipse"—was selected because of the recent solar eclipse we experienced. I saw many fantastic friends' photos of it, and the word "eclipse" interested me. Forgetting about a solar eclipse, what else does an eclipse mean? I'm looking at these definitions: "to make less outstanding or important by comparison; surpass" and "a dimming or extinction, as of fame or glory."

 

I have a feeling that "eclipse" applies to a lot of things in our world today.

 

As those who follow me know, the subtitle to the book I'm working on, SKYWARD, is "The World Has an Expiration Date." Yes, eclipse applies to our planet as it is dimming and heading toward extinction or an "expiration date." I just read several scientific articles that indicate this. And, I have to say it seems to me that the timeframe is sooner than recognized by much of the general public. I have the impression that the younger generation recognizes this, and it is the reason for some of the actions they are taking or not taking.

 

WOW! Isn't that a positive start to a newsletter?

 

But that's what my gut tells me, and that's why I moved from traditional FBI SPECIAL AGENT HARTMANN SERIES crime stories to a unique story that reflects a worldly eclipse on the way.

 

STABILITY

 

The LA TIMES states, "Over the last three decades, the U.S. population has undergone huge changes: The country has become more racially and ethnically diverse, education levels have shot up, and religious attendance has dramatically declined."

 

For years, it was believed that democracy and the free-enterprise system that built America would spread worldwide and create rising wealth and living standards for all. Rather, they are now creating instability based on greed and are controlled by people with inflated egos. Sorry to pass this on to you, but that's my reading at the moment. The spreading of the American Dream has evaporated. Will it return?

 

My gut tells me that an increasing number of people in this world are looking for "stability" – a roof over their heads, less crime, food on their plates, and less bickering among their leadership. They are leaning toward or willing to accept a different form of government to achieve stability. They have analyzed liberal thinking and characterized it as academic with no foundation to build upon. All it leads to is a never-ending debate.

 

WHAT DEFINES US

 

Stories! Writing! They allow us to connect like no other creature. They are the fabric of human society. Stories teach us history; stories convey cultural values. Stories help us connect with our cultural and societal identity and, ultimately, define our sense of who we are. They provide a direct daily connection and allow us to store information. The written language is the single most important and far-reaching technology available to humans and has served as the foundation for virtually all other information technologies from early etchings in clay to the world of digital access that we enjoy today.

 

I love that I write and hopefully contribute to society by what I say.

 

I'M MAKING PROGRESS

 

In my upcoming novel SKYWARD, a new form of society evolves as the pioneer moon colonists figure out how to survive in the space environment they are faced with. It's not necessarily the type of society I believe in, but rather one established by the strong, young, highly educated pioneer colonists for the survival of humanity once Earth's expiration date is reached.

 

My background has slowed my writing process down as I try to understand and accurately portray what it will take for humans to colonize space. I've figured out that a lot of what I am reading is way over my head.

 

I have been following what Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have been saying on this subject. Musk is looking to colonize parts of the solar system, starting with the Moon and Mars and moving on to other planets.

 

Bezos, when he was a student at Princeton, was influenced by Gerard K. O'Neill, a Princeton physicist who has detailed concepts for human settlements in space in his book, THE HIGH FRONTIER – Human Colonies in Space, which I am in the process of reading. I agree with Bezos/O'Neill's concept that "As the population continues to expand, we'll have to abandon the development of greater individual freedom and accept a much more regulated life with diminished options." The freedoms we are used to here in the United States will not work in space colonies, which are fragile.

 

O'Neill's proposed colonies would be mile-wide spheres or cylinders spinning to create artificial gravity on the inside. They would be constructed from material mined from the moon and delivered into space using enormous electromagnetic catapults. Mirrors would pipe in the sunshine, and solar panels would provide continuous electricity. As the population expands, people would simply build new cylinders to accommodate their needs.

 

I had come to many of the same conclusions as O'Neill before reading the above about him. I have expanded on his idea of using material mined from the moon to include mining material from asteroids as the space colonies move further into space.

 

I've also just received a book by Lisa Kaltenegger, Director at the Carl Sagan Institute, titled ALIEN EARTHS – The New Science of Planet Hunting In The Cosmos, which I am looking forward to reading.

 

The current Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Large Language Models (LLM) come into play in my story as humans in space need them to protect themselves from catastrophic events.  

 

In SKYWARD, I have settled in on the heavy use of glass (which, according to a recent NATIONAL GEOGRAPHICS article, "A glass revolution is underway. Spoiler alert: it bends and bounces.") and aluminum as my primary Moon, Mars, and space colony building materials. My sources of electricity are solar panels and "nuclear fusion," which is advancing rapidly as a new source of energy here on Earth.

 

I just noted that the motto for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, just 14 miles from me, is "As humans, we like to 'dare mighty things." With that in mind, I'm making us humans, the rats or cockroaches of the Universe – we go anywhere. Yes, we will colonize the Moon. Yes, we will colonize Mars. Yes, we will venture on to find a new Earth.

 

I love this quote from Jules Verne Jules Verne, French novelist, playwright, and poet book "From the Earth to the Moon" (1865): "If we are to believe certain narrow-minded people — and what else can we call them? — humanity is confined within a circle of Popilius from which there is no escape, condemned to vegetate upon this globe, never able to venture into interplanetary space! That's not so! We are going to the moon; we shall go to the planets; we shall travel to the stars just as today we go from Liverpool to New York, easily, rapidly, surely, and the oceans of space will be crossed like the seas of the moon."

 

PEOPLE EVERYWHERE

 

According to the US CENSUS BUREAU, the world's population grew by more than 75 million people this year, up 0.95% from New Year's Day 2023. On Jan. 1, the population was expected to reach a little over 8 billion, from 7.9 billion a year ago. Next year, 4.3 births and two deaths are expected worldwide every second. 

 

Regarding the makeup of the 8 billion people, I note that MARK MCCRINDLE, BSc (Psychology), MA, GAICD, a social researcher and demographer, has indicated that a new demographic is coming. Gen Alpha, born between 2010 and 2024, are mostly the children of millennials, grew up entirely online, and are all younger than the iPhone. According to McCrindle, Gen Alpha is expected to be the largest generation in history, with an estimated two billion people, or a quarter of the population.

Then, I noted a report that indicated last year that the global population of adults 50 or older surpassed the number of children under 15 for the first time on record. 

 

MORE BOOKS BANNED

 

According to the AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, more books were listed to be banned in 2023 across US schools and libraries than in any other year on record. Book banning has surged in recent years, with 4,240 titles banned last year, a 65% increase over 2022, the highest figure documented in over twenty years of tracking.

Public libraries are now the primary battleground for proposed bans: the number of titles targeted for censorship at libraries rose by 92%, compared with 11% at schools. Moreover, librarians now face harsh penalties, including potential fines and imprisonment in a number of states, for distributing books that are deemed inappropriate.

 

Not a good sign.

 

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If you are new to my posts and find this one interesting, you can read my prior posts, learn about my novels, and learn more about me on my website at www.richardvrupp.com. You can also sign up in the Rupp's Notes section to get my posts directly.

 

Cheers,

 

Richard V. Rupp, Author

Website – www.richardvrupp.com

Email – rupprisk@gmail.com

Copyright@2024 by Richard V. Rupp