WHAT IS A WRITER TO DO - 09.07.2021
September 8, 2021
Good Wednesday morning. I'm author Richard V. Rupp, writing from Burbank, California. Welcome to Rupp's Notes/FBI Special Agent Hartman Series posts.
Today is International Literacy Day. One a writer loves. On October 26, 1966, UNESCO initially declared it at the 14th session of UNESCO's General Conference and first celebrated it in 1967. It highlights the importance of literacy to individuals, communities, and societies.
Yes, I spent a lot of time watching college football over Labor Day weekend, and my Dodgers play the Giants. Both USC and UCLA are now ranked, and the Dodgers are in the running for the World Series. Boy, I love my local teams.
Just what I need. Another excuse to procrastinate in finishing my novel SKYWARD. I think it may have started with the hoarding of toilet paper. But, now publishers are reporting a cut back in printing books because of a paper shortage. A story in the Washington Post indicates that "Book publishers, dogged by paper shortages and shipping delays, are pushing fall releases into early next year."
The Ingram Book Group LLC reports that "the book industry, like all physical goods industries, is experiencing Covid's negative logistic impacts due in large part to labor and supplies shortages and transportation issues." The company warned of "a perfect storm brewing."
It seems the publishers of books are competing with pizza box manufacturers for paper. Both are in great demand as the pandemic is keeping millions home. I also noted an article indicating that people are back to hoarding toilet paper. Not sure what they foresee?
"In truth, printer capacity in the U.S. for domestic printing has fallen short of peak needs for several years now. This year seems certain to be worse," says Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt.
On the other side of the coin, I had better speed up my writing before my scifi story becomes a reality. Millennial billionaire Jared Isaacman is planning a space venture that could lead to what my millennial Bowman Twins are planning in SKYWARD. Here is what he intends to do later this month, based on his Inspiration4 website –
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Inspiration4 is the world's first all-civilian mission to orbit. The mission will be commanded by Jared Isaacman, the 38-year-old founder and Chief Executive Officer of Shift4 Payments and an accomplished pilot and adventurer. Inspiration4 will leave Earth from Kennedy Space Center's historic Launch Complex 39A, the embarkation point for Apollo and Space Shuttle missions, and travel across a low earth orbit on a multi-day journey that will continually eclipse more than 90% of the Earth's population. Named in recognition of the four-person crew that will raise awareness and funds for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, this milestone represents a new era for human spaceflight and exploration.
The Dragon spacecraft is capable of carrying up to 7 passengers to and from Earth orbit, and beyond. It is the only spacecraft currently flying that is capable of returning significant amounts of cargo to Earth and is the first private spacecraft to take humans to the space station.
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For my old insurance and risk management friends, I have noticed several news reports suggesting that property insurance may no longer be affordable or available for many homeowners and small businesses. This is because insurance companies have raised premiums and deductibles to the point where people consciously decide that they can no longer afford to purchase it. Additionally, many insurers are pulling out of the high-risk wildfire and coastal areas. This seems to be confirmed by SWISS RE in a recent report. They expect global property and casualty premium to more than double by 2040.
The report further indicates that property insurance is expected to grow by 5.3 percent annually. Global insurance premiums stood at $450 billion in 2020, which SWISS RE predicts will reach $1.3 trillion in 2040 owing to economic development and evolving climate-related risks.
While the actuarial projections are probably correct, they also indicate that the traditional spread of risk insurance model may no longer work. My read on this is that this will bring the government to a "much" greater extent into the insurance business. It will also have a significant inflationary impact. Not just from increased insurance costs, but also from upgraded building codes and less available land allocated for building structures.
Meanwhile, if you have not read classic scifi author Robert A. Heinlein's THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS, here is my Amazon review of it – There is no question in my mind that Heinlein was a man ahead of his time. But isn't that what scifi is about. It is written in a quirky style, which took some getting used to, but it's an easy read. No, the moon will not be used to grow vast crops, but it will probably be used as a jumping-off spot for humans to explore the Universe, as he suggests. Yes, catapults and "mike" like computers are for real. His concept of a "cell" is precisely what terrorists use today. His ideas on community and government get you thinking. I strongly recommend this novel.
Cheers,
Richard V. Rupp, Author
Website – www.richardvrupp.com
Email – rupprisk@gmail.com
Copyright©2021 by Richard V. Rupp