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2,325 Public Reviews Given
2,325 Total Reviews Given
Review Style
I try to be honest and positive. My Christian faith is an important background factor. I hate rating low but have a system that determines how I grade.
 
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My Philosophy of Rating and Reviewing  (E)
How do I assess people's work when reviewing?
#2259390 by LightinMind
I'm good at...
More interested in the content of what you write than the style. Theological, political, historical, scientific, or experiential, or indeed anything that paints a vision of the future. A good grammar checker will tell you about spelling and commas.
Favorite Genres
Not entirely sure as I like most stuff. I prefer something with a soul rather than purely secular. But I like Sci-Fi, anything Christian, and also 'What-if' type speculations with plausible plots.
Least Favorite Genres
Anything that fails to look for a way out of the darkness. You can be dark, just don't wallow in it. Generally, I try to steer clear of Fantasy, and most Dark or Horror stories just make me laugh or grimace due to their ignorance of the dark side.
Favorite Item Types
I have really liked some of the heartwarming dramas I have read here particularly personal stories. Thought-provoking poems or stories are cool also though I am no expert on poetical forms.
Least Favorite Item Types
Anything that is just an affirmation of the dark side. I hate empty words. I always look for human intelligence. I try and avoid Fantasy and Horror where there is no metaphorical resonance or connection with real-world truth.
I will not review...
I mainly review at random and just see what grabs my attention. I will usually skip stuff I do not like unless it gets me riled or if it is interesting for other reasons.
Public Reviews
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Review of Sorting task  
Review by LightinMind
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: 13+ | (4.0)
Received this via the random 'read & review' button and it seemed topical.

Reader Experience

This was written in 2004 and so it is not a Pandemic poem. It is about people hiding behind masks and its impact on honesty.

Commentary

Must admit I was hooked by the idea this was a covid poem. When I realized it was not it reminded me this is the way we generally think about masks. The whole discussion of burqas and layered masking as in cultures like Japan sprang to mind: Public face, semi public face then private face each layer concealed by a mask. The idea that masks obscure reality runs against the notion that the reality is that people generally hide behind masks and always have. The notion that tears cause the masks to drop if only for a moment obscures the fact that sometimes the tears themselves are a part of the mask, like a painted on tear drop. Crocodile tears are useful in a state like North Korea where you have to look like you love the beloved Leader and feel his pain when he is crying. The idea of interchangeability with masks is also a little controversial as we mainly craft our own unique masks. I guess it depends on the level of masking you refer to. Maybe on the semi public or public level there is more interchangeability than on the uniquely private level.

Thanks for sharing this thought provoking piece all those years ago.


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877
877
Review by LightinMind
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: ASR | (4.0)
Received this via the random 'read & review' button and this guy sounds familiar

Reader Experience

"Old White Fart" can never admit he is wrong, even to his wife. Maybe it is a navy thing?

Commentary

Must be a US Navy thing because Royal Navy Personnel are never wrong *Wink* Wives like guilt trips and love to draw up lists of wrong doing. I guess the maths here works by looking at how good she is at identifying wrong doing (x) and how proud he is (y). If x and y have high values then admission of wrong doing will be low. If x and y are low then admission of wrong doing will be higher. Add in the variable of USN training completion and length of experience and you have your Old White Fart Index (OWFI).

Something like OWFI = IF(USN = TRUE, xy, IF(RN = TRUE, 0, xy))

My formula is absolutely correct and you cannot question it *Wink*


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878
878
Review of Food Hunt  
Review by LightinMind
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: 18+ | (4.5)
Received this via the random 'read & review' button and found it hilarious

Reader Experience

A hunter in the court room because of the game he killed.


Commentary

Hilarious but raises all sorts of uncomfortable feelings and questions, probably as you intended given the genre. Hunting accidents happen but cannibalism is another matter. Would you really need to skin a human being to eat them, it is not as though we have fur? Just wonder if Dick Cheney was tempted to eat Harry Whittington? It is not as though there is a food shortage in the USA and a hunter is therefore not only compelled to eat what he kills. Probably the main point the guy missed though was that people, made in God's image, are not just meat. We have souls. Glad they got the verdict right.

Thanks for sharing


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879
879
Review of Birthday Wish  
Review by LightinMind
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: E | (5.0)
Received this via the random 'read & review' button and was intrigued

Reader Experience

A lavish set of wishes for someone's birthday. Who could afford to give all this?


Commentary

My son once did not buy any of the rest of us presents at Christmas. Instead, he gave us all a handwritten note in which he told us what he liked about us. I laughed, treasured the note, and told him to never do that again if he wanted to receive presents from other people. But the list of gifts that you wish on this person is far more lavish than just wrapped gifts. They are lavish acts of kindness from all and sundry, happiness, health and wealth, and an appreciation of the beauty of creation.

Who indeed could afford such gifts?

Thanks for sharing.


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880
880
Review by LightinMind
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: E | (3.0)
Received this via the random 'read & review' button and was intrigued

Reader Experience

A jumble of interesting thoughts on poverty, socialism, social inequality, social Darwinism, the Second Coming.. to name but a few.


Commentary

This piece is interesting but lacks a coherent theme. Also, there are factual errors. Karl Marx did not invent socialism but was rather only the forefather of a very extreme version of it: Communism. You are obviously well read but maybe you were too ambitious with this piece and should have focused it on only one of the themes in it like poverty for example. The result here is a chaotic jumble of profound thoughts lacking system, clarity, and direction.

Thanks for sharing.


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881
881
Review of Seize Cruise  
Review by LightinMind
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: E | (5.0)
Received this via the random 'read & review' button and stayed for a brilliant poem.

Reader Experience

Press ganged, beaten, oppressed, half-starved and then drowned in stormy oceans takes the romance out of the sailor's life.


Commentary

Brilliant poem flawlessly executed. Maritime nations like Britain relied on these press gangs and built an empire on the sacrifices of these enslaved unfortunate souls. Remembering them now in poems like this is important and a helpful revision of the glorious stories of conquest and pride at maps which showed a quarter of the world colored red and belonging in our empire.

Thanks for sharing.


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882
882
Review by LightinMind
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Rated: 18+ | (4.5)
You asked me to re-review this.

Reader Experience

Victoria falls for the newly elected President Naberg of DeLorea. She does a puppet show for the President's family which his kids love. Her friend Alicia does not like the president as much she does and takes action. Victoria is the one hurt by Alicia's action. The President took early action on the Pandemic and was hated by his wife for that. He divorces her leaving him open to fulfill Victoria's dreams.

Commentary

This was a much more professional presentation than last time and the pieces came together better. Grammatically and stylistically this worked very well. It was a fluently written piece.

At the beginning of the Pandemic German Chancellor Merkel took the prompt actions that you associate with President Naberg. But then Germany got fed up with the lockdowns and lax in their implementation. We are currently experiencing our third and most serious wave of this Pandemic. The hero politicians now are the ones that got their vaccination programs in as early as possible as in Israel and the UK for example. Also, the EU messed up its vaccination programme starting too late and negotiating contracts at the last minute leading to a failure of supply chains. So all we have are these lockdowns and this requires a will that is increasingly lacking to implement. So the story does not have that hero politician who took the hard choices for his people vibe anymore which was at the heart of it previously, as we are still enduring this prolonged lockdown and a lot of people have wimped out and caught the virus as a result. The solution to the Pandemic lies in vaccination more than the workaround which is the continual lockdowns, but until the vaccine is physically available we have these interminable lockdowns instead. You have Victoria revisiting the president for puppet shows prematurely because this is not over. He did the right thing but because the end is still some distance away he loses all the affirmation that would have come from being vindicated by events and I feel that circumstances and neglecting to mention any vaccination program, therefore, sabotage your storyline.

The ending is morally better but still suffers from the fact that it was an adulterous impulse that brought them together in the first place which neither of them was really that sorry about. Had Naberg died and come back then you could have suggested that he was released from his vows, by death, to a distant wife who did not support or understand him making the hard choices necessary for his nation. Victoria had no such commitment to be released from in the first place. So simply swapping the character's sacrifices does not work because it was this sacrifice by Victoria that convinced the president about her.

If his wife had slept with a rival politician advocating a lax approach to the Pandemic that would have technically released him from his vows because she commits adultery. Though she had forgiven him previously for sleeping with his secretary so does he look like a cad for not doing the same? I guess he was sorry about that affair but maybe his wife could be completely unrepentant about hers and then it might work. For it to work Victoria has to come to a point where she renounces her impulse to sleep with him and respects his wife and marriage and is comfortable with that. Also, the idea of marrying Victoria cannot be the reason that the president splits with his wife. I think your existing storyline implies that already but it could be spelled out better.

Thanks for allowing me to review this interesting piece again.

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883
883
Review by LightinMind
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: 13+ | (4.0)
Received this via the random 'read & review' button and stayed to contemplate Christ on the cross.

Reader Experience

On Good Friday we remember that Christ died for us on the cross. Here we have a glimpse of the feelings of the Centurion that speared him in the side


Commentary

John 19:34 also recounts the Spear of Destiny being thrust into the side of Christ to check if he was really dead or not. The flow of blood and water that came out is also interpreted as a sign of his humanity (blood) and divinity (water). Before mass, a Catholic priest mingles a little bit of water into the wine to illustrate this. The story goes that Longinus (the Centurion) retired a little after that implying that he was an auxiliary in the employ of Pilate rather than a full legionnaire. The Legions were mainly based in Syria and Pilate only had a small force of regulars in Caesarea.

So factually there are some errors in the poem. The Centurion was not impatient for Jesus to die, he was checking if he was already dead. If he had not been they would have broken his bones to hasten death.

Also this line:

Into his hands and feet they naile = Into his hands and feet they nailed

Thanks for sharing.


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884
884
Review of my best friends  
Review by LightinMind
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: ASR | (3.0)
Received this via the random 'read & review' button and stayed to learn about friendship

Reader Experience

The author goes through a list of friends he has had way back to childhood. The list is fairly dynamic.


Commentary

Having three brothers made me less inclined to seek best friends though I had some in school. We lost contact when we went to different universities and had already begun moving apart before that. Your list seemed therefore as dynamic as mine since then. Moving around you meet a group of people and click with them and then a few years later are in a different place. Maybe someday I should have a party and see who comes from all these different locations. Facebook changes the dynamic somewhat as you get the news without the intimacy of face-to-face contact.

There were a lot of issues with the writing here. Capitalization, inappropriate word choices and grammar need a lot of work. There is a free tool called Grammarly which you could load and which underlines errors in red. Just about the whole thing is underlined.

Thanks for sharing.


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how did you meet your best friend?"

my best friend? do I HAVE a best friend? I suppose I do...well, I've had multiple...let's start with the earliest, and move from there...

First, there were twins, two boys name Alex and Max. At this time, I was...I want to say 6, but probably more like 9 or 10. I don't know how I met them, but I was REALLY close to these boys, and any day I could, I'd go over to their house. in fact, there were several times where I went over just to invite them to my house. They introduced me to several of their friends, and never once would they ignore me. At first, Alex seemed to fluctuate, sometimes he'd be my friend, sometimes he seemed to hate me, I could never figure out why. He soon opened up as he matured, but Max was always my friend...and still would be, if he hadn't moved away...that's when I learned how much it hurts to loose your best friend.

I had another friend named Brandon. I don't think he could truly be defined as a best friend, but he came close. maybe it was a year, maybe only a couple of months, but I was introduced to him soon after I met Alex and Max, by the two twins. He often hung out with the twins, and was often around when I was with them. After a couple of years, he opened up enough to come over on his own sometimes. but, when the twins moved away, Brandon stopped coming over.

Next on the list is Nick. A couple years ago, maybe 4 or 5, Nick moved in next door to me. I didn't meet him right away, but my sister did, and a couple weeks later, I was introduced to him. originally, Nick was good friends with Trace and J.J., who I'll get to in a moment, but after a couple weeks, he became a close friend. I rarely went to his house, but practically every day he'd come over to mine, whether it be to play videogames, run outside, or play games inside! sadly, after about a year and a half, he moved away too.

then we get to J.J. I never learned what his name stood for, but since I was too little to remember, I've been his friend. In fact, though I've never thought about it, I believe Trace was the one who introduced us. J.J. was one of Traces best friend too, and often went over to his house or vice-versa; in fact, J.J. was the one who often brought Trace over to my house when Nick moved. About a month after Nick moved, J.J. moved as well.

Then there's Trace. Trace has been my friend since I could remember. and, in fact, he was only two doors down from my house. I didn't spend a lot of time with him at first, but he came over a LOT. Once Alex and Max moved, I spent more time with him. Now, he never moved, but our interests were different, especially since he was into sports. soon after J.J. moved away, he rarely came out of his house, so we grew distant.

I DO have more friends I could talk about, but there's almost nothing worth noting. one was my best friend, but we lost contact after a year. another moved away suddenly without warning after a couple months...there ARE two that I could talk about...but it becomes a bit hard to describe what happened...or how we met...oh well, now you know my friends!


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885
885
Review of a zombie hangover  
Review by LightinMind
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: 18+ | (1.0)
Received this via the random 'read & review' button and stayed for some Zombie action

Reader Experience

Zombies love to chomp on human brains. But apparently, not even Zombies will eat some brains. This Zombie discovers why when he dines in the gutter.

Commentary

It is all pretty dark and grotesque, but then I guess that is the genre. It is also a little ironic that we have a poem here from a mentally impaired dead creature. This piece reminds me of the attempts to write stuff from an orcs perspective and even distinguish between good and bad orcs. I guess the dead have quite a list of candidates to speak for them including Zombies and Vampires. I find the possibility of Zombies more convincing because people can indeed become mentally impaired. But I find the idea of Zombie poetry a little impossible for the same reasons.

Anyway, the poem worked, thanks for sharing. You asked for a low rating hence the 1 star.


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886
886
Review of Broken Tears 13  
Review by LightinMind
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: 18+ | (4.0)
Received this via the random 'read & review' button and was intrigued

Reader Experience

Bradley wants to be a pilot. Melody is someone he knows and she leaves at the beginning driving. He had an experience at some time with his father in the airport where he met some pilots. He has just had coffee at home with Melody but walks across the street to a cafe. He was pickpocketed shortly after having had coffee. He is hit by a car. He journeys in an ambulance with a broken defibrillator to the hospital but his night is just beginning.


Commentary

Bradley is clearly having a bad day. As the saying goes when troubles come they come not as single spies but entire armies.

I found the opening here a little confusing. When did Bradley meet the Pilots? This day or in the past? He had coffee before Melody left the garage which implies at home. But someone pickpocketed him while having coffee. If he has just had coffee why is he going to the cafe?

Thanks for sharing.


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887
887
Review by LightinMind
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: E | (5.0)
Received this via the random 'read & review' button and this sounded familiar

Reader Experience

Can we ignore the problems over there on the evening news. Can we live in our own comfy bubbles and pretend that all the pains and needs of the world can just be safely ignored


Commentary

Loved this well written poem. This was written 6 years before the corona pandemic united the world in lockdowns and economic crises. But it was 13 years after terrorists attacked the World Trade Centre and 73 days after Pearl Harbor so it seems ignoring the world has not be easy even for Americans this past 100 years. Now we have global Climate Change, Global issues like Migration, Crime, Economics and Security. That said there is only so much a person can take and sometimes it is necessary for our sanity to switch off the news. Your poem reminded me of that famous quote from Pastor Martin Niemöller here in Germany:

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

Thanks for sharing


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888
Review by LightinMind
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: E | (4.0)
Received this via the random 'read & review' button and stayed to learn about victopry

Reader Experience

Because we all want to win we will fight to the end. But as it approaches it becomes clear that only the victors will win.


Commentary

Is success and victory all important? In races I often encourage others along the way, particularly as I pass them. I remember one lady though in a triathlon was not at all happy at my encouragement and she took my encouragement as an insult on her fading ability to run the race. Quite a stream of abuse she gave from behind, though she may have boosted my time by a few seconds as I sought to distance myself from her. It is nice to win, to have the trophy cabinet fill up. But it is also nice to see my children win things and sometimes when someone is completely dominant in a race to acknowledge that and to learn from their example. I run a regular 8 mile route but was very slow 3 days ago on this (no explanation , sometime the legs just do not cooperate) and this man over took me at some pace. I laughed and told him he was "Super, Schnell" very fast. He laughed. But then I took a short cut and beat him to the next intersection. He was 10 meters behind me as I gave my victory whoop. He laughed and promptly me overtook me again. As he passed he said in German, we are like the eagle and the hare (he generously called me a hare not a tortoise). I laughed and replied, again in German, "Exactly, and for my next trick". I have run the same distance at a pace 17 minutes faster and I think then I would matched his speed or even overtaken him. But I think sometimes just enjoying the sunshine and the running is more important and everyone has an off day.

Thanks for sharing your poem which provoked these thoughts.

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889
889
Review of Say What?  
Review by LightinMind
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: E | (4.5)
Received this via the random 'read & review' button and stayed for the laughter.

Reader Experience

Mona is Lisa's mother-in-law and all your worst stereotypes apply in this case. Mona is a moaner continually pouring out the negatives about Lisa's mothering skills and little Jayden's developmental speed. And then one day Jayden surprises everyone...


Commentary

I remember well that time just before my kids could speak. We would make up sounds and swap them with each other long before they articulated any actual words. Of course there was the considered campaign to make my children's first word daddy. Failed both times! But I remember just enjoying making sounds and seeing my baby laugh and then she or he would make sounds back and smile just enjoying swapping noise with smiles.

I liked your story but it was a little unrealistic showing a self consciousness and language command of a much older kid. Still it made me laugh so who cares.

Thanks for sharing.


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890
890
Review by LightinMind
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: E | (3.5)
Received this via the random 'read & review' button and was glad for the opportunity to read about this important issue.

Reader Experience

Minorities have been especially hard hit by the covid Pandemic. The relative poverty, poor and crowded housing, jobs involving social contact, and a lack of resources to take leaves of absence are all blamed for this disparity. He discusses various options to help these communities through the Pandemic including lockdowns and handouts.


Commentary

A lot of commentators have echoed your sentiments on this theme and obviously, racial inequality and discrimination is the big issue in the news right now. On the right, the argument goes that these people are the victims of their own choices. They are poorer because illegitimacy in the black community makes an overwhelming number of families single-parent ones, with reduced opportunity, and this also helps explain why they do not do so well in school. Black people have been statistically more prone to obesity which makes them more vulnerable to Pandemic-type conditions.

That said the overwhelming factor here is the legacy of slavery from which Black people have not yet fully recovered. Breaking the hold of slavery and slave mind influences black people means giving them better opportunities to earn a living and get a nice place to live. Positive discrimination in favour of black people comes against that backdrop. Black people do not have to be victims only they can be president or CEOs. Marital stability and revised attitudes towards sleeping around would also reduce the poverty factor related to broken or single-parent homes as the context for rearing children. Also, Trump did actually do some good things addressing injustices in the criminal justice system which made it statistically more likely that a black man would be convicted and serve a longer sentence than a white man. But there is still a disposition in the police and criminal justice system to believe that black men stole that car and are more likely to be dangerous. Large-scale possession of firearms in gang-type inner-city situations with black men recruited into criminal and drug-related situations has not helped either. They need better opportunities to avoid recruitment in the first place.

There are some sentences here that need reviving.

The stats show that African Americans are 1.4 times to die from the virus = The stats show that African Americans are 1.4 times more likely to die from the virus

With all these factors and weighing down minority groups,= With all these factors weighing down minority groups,

If the continued trend of these communities is hit harder than others =
If the trend continues that these communities are hit harder than others

Thanks for sharing, you have the beginnings of a very interesting piece here.


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891
891
Review of Joyous Spirits  
Review by LightinMind
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: E | (4.0)
Received this via the random 'read & review' button and stayed for an experience of Christmas in April.

Reader Experience

Christmas is about cold weather, warm drinks, happiness, carols, and about the One who bestows life and the promise of heaven


Commentary

Did not really feel this understood Christmas. There was a considerable amount of culture-bound imagery relating to snow and warm drinks for instance that Australians might not understand for instance as Christmas is in the middle of Summer there. Globally not everybody does carols at Christmas even in the Western world where this tradition began. Christmas time is about a child who is both God and man and demonstrates the love God has for us, by coming to share in our humanity. His presence and this birth are greeted with great joy, sung about by angels, and offer hope to those who are poor or oppressed that a greater hope has been born into this world. The Kingdom of darkness can be overcome because God is with us in Jesus Christ the promised Messiah who fulfills the prophecies and shows us the way.

Thanks for sharing.


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892
892
Review by LightinMind
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: 13+ | (4.5)
Received this via the random 'read & review' button and stayed to meet a more shapely version of ET

Reader Experience

Matthew O'Reilly sees a pretty girl that looks like she is from outer space and pursues with coffee in hand. His attempts at intergalactic diplomacy are compromised by clumsy social skills and the suspicion that this might be a comeback for a previous prank on his friends. So having burnt her with coffee and been pinned to the floor with her foot on his neck he finally realizes the joke has been on him after all.


Commentary

OK, this does raise all sorts of questions about why Matthew should have been singled out for a visit from ET rather than me. What has he got that made him so interesting when viewed from outer space. What communications or special characteristics so intrigued this alien visitor to risk coffee burns and sexual harassment at the hand of this earthman. Anyway, his romantic intentions come to nothing and she departs in quite a spectacular style leaving him realizing he has blown his biggest chance of some kind of mind-expanding, mind-blowing, and truly exciting relationship with ET.

Thanks for sharing.


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893
893
Review by LightinMind
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: ASR | (4.0)
Received this via the random 'read & review' button and stayed for some reworked Greek mythology

Reader Experience

Marpessa and the author both opt for human beings as partners over the gods. The author contemplates sharing cookies and coffee to discuss their choices.

Commentary

Idas was actually the son of Poseidon and so a demigod I suppose. Probably explains some of his hero prowess. Poseidon's chariot was definitely not on loan to mere mortals. But he like Apollo in fact is not around now so maybe immortality and god status have been misdefined in the old greek myths somewhat. But the choice to marry a mortal over a god requires some kind of explanation. The author suggests that because we live with the prospect of death somehow life is also enhanced. Not sure that would be the reason I would adopt. Marrying a goddess would mean I was always second best in a completely unequal relationship where my partner was perpetually beautiful, youthful, etc and I was doomed to die. I think sharing one's life with an equal probably means aging together to some extent.

Thanks for sharing.


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894
894
Review of Atomic Fire  
Review by LightinMind
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: E | (4.5)

Received this via the random 'read & review' button and stayed to discuss open-air nuclear testing.

Reader Experience

The Trinity A-Bomb test on July 16th, 1945 near Alamogordo, New Mexico created Trinite (green radioactive glass). It also marked the emergence of the nuclear age and the Cold War ideologies of East and West.


Commentary

It is unbelievable today that they used to do this in the open air. People would watch the explosions from Vegas. They would collect the glass as jewelry before they knew how radioactive it was. Apparently, they bulldozed most of this in 1953 and buried it under the desert so it is still there warming the sands from underneath. Not sure that it was just nuclear weopans that defined the emergence of the Cold War ideological conflict. The race-based European empires were destroyed by the war against the race-based ideology of Nazism leaving just the USSR with its version of Communism and 50000 T-34 tanks and the USA with its overwhelming economic power and air and sea supremacy. But nukes may have stopped Stalin from finishing the job in Europe and just invading the rest. They ended the war earlier in Japan.

I liked your poem which provoked all the right questions about the success of the Manhatten project in a down-to-earth (or glass) way.

Thanks for sharing

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895
895
Review by LightinMind
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: E | (4.5)
Received this via the random 'read & review' button and thought I saw echoes of truths here

Reader Experience

This poem is about Rama the 7th avatar of Supreme Being Vishnu (#8 was Krisha and the Buddha is also in the Hindu majority Vaishnavi tradition). Rama's story includes exile, giving up his throne, living a hermits life with his wife, seeing her kidnapped, fighting and killing King Ravan, and then being welcomed home to his kingdom in a great festival of lights. The poem celebrates this in a Naga Uta format.

Commentary

I do not understand the notion of repeat incarnations. The Christian tradition only has one incarnation and with that one, God accomplishes the perfect sacrifice and models the perfect life. It is not something he needs to repeat. But Vishnu does it 24 times! I understand that Modi is a Rama fan these days and has welded the worship of him into a form of Hindu nationalism. He is the central character of the Hindu epic the Ramayana, though the various accounts of his life vary massively across different traditions and locales and these writings lack any historical credibility. I love the symbolism of light as that of joyful return and restoration to the rightful place. Jesus ascends into the blinding light of the presence of God. But Hindu avatars seem all too human to me and the notion that they represent the Divine nature is difficult to accept. For example, Rama lives a reasonably good life, makes some good choices but also fights like a warrior against King Ravan. Why does God need to pick up a sword and if he does why is it a struggle to overcome his enemies. Jesus could have blown all his opponents away with a word, or called on 12 legions of angels to do it for him, but did not because his life was about the cross. Rama fights but takes years to achieve a result and seems to lack perfect knowledge (he is temporarily outmaneuvered by the demon that kidnaps Sita for instance).

Anyway, the poem was good and brought out the story. It is the life of Rama that I find difficult to accept.

Thanks for sharing


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896
896
Review by LightinMind
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: ASR | (4.5)
As discussed, raised your rating.

I liked your story and maybe this is just subjective and my mark was a little harsh (I will change it to 4.5 stars). I am content orientated in my reviews. Stylistically you have little to improve there. But I felt this one lacked detail. For example, the Rotterdam fly-by occurred in July 2016 a month before the airforce version (F-35A) with the larger wing entered service. The variant that flew by was the F-35B which was a Marine core version with the VSTOL capability for example and it was flying with an F-16 escort. That was interesting to me, does that mean it was carrying no armaments for instance? The aircraft has had so many teething problems but I understand the excitement about it. Once it is established technology and bug-free it will be a more potent complement to Western airpower.


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897
897
Review by LightinMind
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: ASR | (4.0)
Received this via the random 'read & review' button and stayed because I love combat aircraft

Reader Experience

They missed the airshow and so they never got a proper chance to take the pictures of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.


Commentary

In the UK I used to live near Farnborough where there was a regular military airshow every 2 years. I would cycle 25 miles to the airshow, watch it and then cycle 25 miles back. I remember falling in love with classics like the SR-71A Blackbird there. I saw a Raptor and a B1 bomber. I saw the Red Arrows with their Hawks and even a helicopter explode on the runway after a malfunction in mid-air. I loved it and my friends and I were never dependent on my parents to take me there.

The Lightning was meant to be a one-stop-shop for all the military services. Maybe they tried to do too much with one aircraft. The latest modular business practices were incorporated. But this has been a financial disaster with massive cost overruns. There are more than 8.8 million lines of code in its software and it is so complicated it takes an average of 172 days to fix one. As a result, availability is well under the 65% Fleet requirement. The numbers of errors are being steadily reduced but it will be a while until this aircraft is bug-free and truly combat-ready. To be honest I am a little disappointed with it so far. The British Royal Navy was sailing massive new carriers without aircraft for a while as a result having scrapped their GR9 Harriers way too early in a cost-cutting exercise.

Anyway thanks for sharing. You should have gone to the airshow.


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898
898
Review of Terror  
Review by LightinMind
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: E | (4.0)
Received this via the random 'read & review' button and stayed to fight the war on terror

Reader Experience

The roots of war and terrorism lie in poverty, despair, and hopelessness. It is easy to convert these people to violence and a makeshift creed that some call Islam. Religion becomes the revolution and the resistance against the privileges they do not enjoy.

Commentary

Many of the 911 terrorists were well educated and from well-off families. Many poor people live exemplary lives. To use poverty as an excuse for murder would be bad as using selfish ambition. The fact is most of the terrorist groups in the world today are Islamic in origin. It is a contentious subject in the Muslim world as to whether they are true Salafists keen on returning Islam to the "purity" of its beginnings. After all, Muhammed waged continual warfare and massacred the men of an entire Jewish tribe for instance. Islam itself expanded by conquest and it is secured in the countries it dominates by a violent minority of whom many of the others live in fear. Under Empire, there might have been a case to suggest Islam was the resistance but without the levers of social control in many countries, it lost ground. Despite that much of the trouble in the British Raj came from Muslims rather than Hindus. The Mujahadeen were trained by the USA to fight the Soviet Occupation of Afghanistan and in the form of the Taliban are still fighting there. Personally, I think these jihadists capture the essence of original Islam and explain why it is so unattractive to people who know either the truth of Christianity or the freedoms of the Christian West. As an oppressive lie, it fits neither group's agenda. The Muslims I have met, that have come here to Germany, are often quite broken by their experience of cultures torn apart by factionalism in the name of Islam and the clear abuses of God's name that have taken place. They come to us seeking refuge and I guess we should pray they never forget the misery from which they came. Many of these, but not the majority, have become Christians or atheists.

Islam is dominant in many of the countries where it is fighting itself. It explains why the majority of people around the world would not want to live under Sharia law

Thanks for sharing.


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899
899
Review of Absolute Zero  
Review by LightinMind
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: E | (5.0)
Received this via the random 'read & review' button and stayed for a masterpiece made out of ice and romance

Reader Experience

Dancing sunlight in a world alive and free is replaced by frozen ice sculptures and empty hearts. Until your beauty is only a frozen memory that has lost its magic.

Commentary

Loved the poem which has already been lauded and well received by many. I appreciate the contrast between summer and winter, freedom and frozenness. But I have enjoyed the freedom of mountain snows also and the white wide-open vistas and it is possible to work up a sweat even in such inhospitable landscapes. Romance can live in an igloo or out under Summer stars. It can die on sun stroked beaches or in a snowdrift that buries all traces of a place we once loved.

Thanks for sharing


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900
900
Review of Finding Pharaoh  
Review by LightinMind
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: 13+ | (4.0)
Received this via the random 'read & review' button and stayed to discover the tomb of Hatmetushep.

Reader Experience

Hobbs the archaeologist has dedicated his life to the search for the lost tomb of Hatmetushep. When he finds it quite by accident in the desert he is overjoyed and the first to go into the tomb. But then in Indiana Jones fashion, the trap is set and a great stone block prevents his exit. Then there is a voice from Hatmetushep's tomb!

Commentary

Think it would have been scary in the context. Obviously this guy does not watch enough TV or he would know that only bad things happen when you enter tombs so laden with treasures. Egyptian pharaohs fancied themselves as being on a par with the gods and spent their lives and much of Egypt's wealth on preparing for the afterlife. Of course, Hatmetushep might just have been a mob boss who was pretending to be a Pharoah. He never got a tomb because he never was one. If you google his name you get a lot of Russian speculation about gangster origins and maybe some video game pictures also. Not really definitive evidence the guy ever existed really.

But I enjoyed the story thanks.

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