Richard V. Rupp

October 20, 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.

 

The baseball gods were with my Dodgers yesterday. What a game. Like those fans that left early, I thought the Dodgers were out of it. One thing you can say for the Dodgers-Giants playoffs, they are exciting games to watch. I'll be watching tonight. GO DODGERS!!!

 

My second novel, DEATH ON THE HIGH SEAS, involves the use of captive insurance companies to launder money and move it between countries to avoid taxes. Here's updated info on these practices from the October issue of BUSINESS INSURANCE  – "A federal court granted a preliminary injunction in favor of a captive management company that alleged the IRS overstepped its authority in imposing a reporting requirement on microcaptives without first submitting it for congressional review.  . . .The IRS has been investigating microcaptives for several years and has won several cases in which it alleged the vehicles were used by wealthy families to avoid taxes. As part of its investigations, in 2016, it imposed rigorous reporting requirements on captive managers., which included stiff penalties for noncompliance."

 

The captive management company "sued the IRS, saying the requirement would cost more than $60,000 a year to comply with and could not be imposed without going through a 'notice-and-comment" rule-making process. The IRS argued the suit was barred by federal law, but after a lower court ruling in the IRS's favor, the Supreme Court allowed the suit to proceed."

 

Yes, wealthy people and drug cartels do use captives. If you read my novel DEATH ON THE HIGH SEAS, you will learn how they can be used by them.

 

I noticed Colin Powell's 13 rules and think they are great ones to follow, so I'm sharing them here -

 

1.     It ain't as bad as you think! It will look better in the morning.
2.     Get mad, then get over it.
3.     Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it.
4.     It can be done.
5.     Be careful what you choose. You may get it.
6.     Don't let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision.
7.     You can't make someone else's choices. You shouldn't let someone else make yours.
8.     Check small things.
9.     Share credit.
10.     Remain calm. Be kind.
11. .   Have a vision. Be demanding.
12. .   Don't take counsel of your fears or naysayers.
13.    Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.

What are they wearing? That's the question I asked myself the other day about the characters in the SKYWARD novel I'm working on. They are going to the Moon and initially living and working in a limited, confined space. They are all in their late 20s to late 30s. Are they going to be in futuristic sci-fi outfits or NASA spacesuits?

 

Note that inside the complex working space, the temperature in the working area is always the perfect 72 degrees. In the living space, it ranges from 72 degrees down to 65 degrees during resting hours. That's assuming all of the habit equipment is properly working. If they venture outside when sunlight hits the Moon's surface, the temperature can reach 260 degrees Fahrenheit (127 degrees Celsius). When the sun goes down, temperatures can dip to minus 280 F (minus 173 C).

 

The outside outfits are easy. Yes, they wear NASA-type spacesuits, which everyone is provided with. Inside it's more desert casual. There are trousers, but shorts become the pants of choice. Lots of knit shirts. The shoes are basically slippered types with velcro strips on the soles to make walking easier. Each Bowman colonist is outfitted with a wardrobe from Earth, but as time passes, the colony starts to manufacture its own clothing. I'm still working on what type of cloth they can manufacture or grow on the Moon. Natural fiber versus synthetic fiber? Both present a problem. Do I grow cotton? Doubt it. And, most synthetic fiber is produced from fossil fuels. Nope. I do know one thing. The materials of every component of the clothing need to be flame retardant, and there can be nothing floppy or excessive. Need to avoid accidents.  Jewelry and other accessories are limited to rings and stud-type earrings. Wardrobe space is limited, but various colors and patterns are encouraged.

 

Yes, I'm having fun outfitting my characters. Then there is the problem of makeup. You don't want to fowl up the air-purification system. Here's what NASA did on this subject –

 

"The engineers at NASA, in their infinite wisdom, decided that women astronauts would want makeup — so they designed a makeup kit…You can just imagine the discussions amongst the predominantly male engineers about what should go in a makeup kit," Sally Ride said.

 

The space kit they designed was never used — complete with eyeliner, mascara, eyeshadow, eye makeup remover, blush, and lip gloss. From what I can tell the women in NASA's astronaut corps have had no interest in makeup. Personal Hygiene kits are nothing new and have been around since the 1960s. Only when there were only male astronauts, they were full of soap, deodorant, a razor, toothpaste, and a toothbrush. No cologne?

 

Can you imagine what cologne or perfume could do in a confined space that cannot be ventilated from the outside?

Life, looks, and the wardrobe that goes with it will be different in the Bowman Colony. Light clothes and natural beauty.

 

Cheers,

 

Richard V. Rupp, Author

Website – www.richardvrupp.com

Email – rupprisk@gmail.com

Copyright©2021 by Richard V. Rupp