Richard V. Rupp

February 19, 2025

I'm novelist Richard V. Rupp, writing to you from Burbank, California – "Media Capital of the World."

 

Welcome to my monthly newsletter, published on the third Wednesday of each month.

 

I'm an old-timer who was brought up in a time that was depicted by the TV Show "HAPPY DAYS," which presented a simple and idealized vision of life in the 1950s and early 1960s. I can tell you those days are long gone. I look around the world today and don't foresee them returning. "Simple and idealized" has been replaced by "complicated and distrustful."

 

My comments below cover wildfires, rain, trucks, jeans styles, what we're watching on our screens, and a few other things.

 

WILDFIRES, RAIN AND TRUCKS

 

I am looking over my computer screen out the window behind it at a beautiful blue sky and a garden lit by bright sunshine. In my last Newsletter, I mentioned the wildfires that devastated communities around me. Two of the fires were relatively close to me here in Burbank. The Eaton Fire was in the Altadena community, roughly 20 miles east of me, and the Palisades Fire was about 15 miles west of me. Thankfully, neither fire directly impacted Burbank.

 

Since my last Newsletter, we have had an extended period of rain fueled by an atmospheric river. The storm played havoc with the areas damaged by the fires. It produced flooding, mudslides, and hurricane-force winds that caused significant additional damage to Altadena and the Pacific Palisades. Evacuations were ordered near the Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire burn areas due to the risk of mudslides and flash flooding.

 

As I write this Newsletter, the roads around me are filled with trucks directed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hauling ash and debris from my neighboring communities. It is estimated they will be doing this for over a year.

 

Army Colonel Eric Swenson, who is leading the mission for the Army Corps, said that it is anticipated that there will be approximately 4.5 million tons of debris removed from the two fire footprints. With respect to this process, he indicated that one of the biggest challenges facing his crew would be Los Angeles's infamous traffic. "Because all of this fire ash and debris, the green waste, the concrete … all of that has to get out of these neighborhoods and to a proper disposal location," Swenson said. "Which means we're going to be on the roads. That is going to be a challenge."

 

My heart goes out to my neighboring communities for what they have suffered. They will be facing their loss for years to come.

 

NARROW, WIDE, LONG OR LONGER

 

As I take my daily walks down San Fernando Boulevard, I have noticed a change in what the younger generation is wearing.

 

There is no question that jeans are in. Rips and holes seem to be a must. But I laugh as the Z's seem to be moving from skinny jeans that have a sleek fitted look to wide-leg or should I say wide-wide-leg jeans. They must have at least twice the material of the skinny jeans. Part of the material expansion is in length. They don't stop at the shoe tops but rather gather two or three folds on top of the shoes or drag them on the ground. Now some of them are saving material at the other end. I have found out they are called low-rise jeans. Make sure you cover your feet but show your belly button, and some butt seems to be in style.

 

When I first noticed a group wearing the wide-wide, long-long, jeans I thought of the clowns I used to see in the circus. Their outfits were typically baggy which added to their exaggerated and whimsical appearance. The clowns' oversized clothing allowed for larger-than-life movements and physical comedy. Yep, the clown concept seemed to fit the individuals I saw on San Fernando Boulevard.

 

So much for the concept of a fitted or tailored look.

 

Just what we need now: more clowns.

 

OH, FOR AN EGG OR TWO

 

The high cost and limited availability of eggs is all over the press. They are a major indicator of how fast grocery prices have risen. I have noticed that coffee prices have also increased significantly.

 

Between the eggs and coffee, my favorite breakfast meal is getting expensive. I use many eggs for breakfast, from one in waffle mix to two in a couple of egg baskets or three in an omelet. Here in California, shell eggs are required to be sold cage-free, so we have the highest egg prices in the country. Last week, I paid a little over twelve dollars for a dozen extra large eggs at Ralph's, or a buck an egg. Yes, I like eggs for breakfast.   

 

I have also noticed on recent visits that they are now limiting the number you can buy, and I've been in the market when the egg case was empty.

 

Each Saturday, I go to the Burbank Farmers Market mainly to get fresh raspberries and blackberries to put on top of my breakfast waffles. In recent weeks, I have been astonished by the line to the egg stall. It must be over a block in length, and I understand people wait in it for 45 minutes or more to get one or two egg trays that hold 20 eggs. I suspect they are trying to feed a large family.

 

Apparently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture protocol is to slaughter an entire flock of chickens (and, in some instances, adjacent flocks) when avian flu is detected in the flock. Since its initial outbreak in January 2022, farmers have slaughtered more than 75 million egg-laying chickens. But, for some reason, the avian flu continues to expand, which means millions of birds are being killed each day while the demand for eggs remains steady.

 

Unfortunately for us breakfast lovers, the USDA predicts egg prices will continue to rise, up to 20 percent during the remainder of 2025, and they have no idea when the avian flu will be under control.

 

I HAD TO WATCH

 

I don't watch sporting events as much as I used to, as they seem to have become so commercial and money-oriented. But I and a lot of other people had to watch LUKA DONČIĆ play his début game with the LOS ANGELES LAKERS against the UTAH JAZZ with all the hype it got.

 

The blockbuster trade between the LAKERS and DALLAS MAVERICKS, in which ANTHONY DAVIS was exchanged for LUKA, shocked everyone. I suspect it is a further indication of sports being commercialized by the big egos of sports team owners.

 

It was shocking as it was the first time two reigning players were traded midseason. The press had pictured LUKA as the cornerstone of the MAVERICKS franchise, making the trade even more suspect.   Analysts concluded that the LAKERS won the trade. I think they are right. And I love the way LUKA plays the game. I will be watching more LAKERS games because of LUKA. The trade has increased the average ticket price for the LAKERS-MAVERICKS matchup in Dallas on April 9 to $257, an 8% rise since the deal was consummated. Additionally, the average ticket price for the only remaining LAKERS-MAVERICKS game in L.A. on Feb. 25 is $309, while the overall listed prices now range between $298 and $3,996, an 111% increase since the trade. Both games are sold out.

 

IT DOESN'T FEEL THE SAME

 

I look at my cable TV bill and wonder why I'm still paying it. The shows on traditional TV channels have become uninteresting to me, and news shows have replaced many traditional journalists and reporters with inexperienced individuals and strange formats. Most of the shows I watch are streaming shows produced by the BBC or from Canada or Australia.

 

I have read several articles recently that indicate legacy media is a declining business, with viewership plunging 26 percent since 2020 (CBS dropped by 20%, ABC 6%, NBC 5%, MSNBC 21%, CNN 46%, FOX NEWS 27%). With declining viewership, advertising time is increasing (to make up for advertisements getting smaller audiences), which in turn causes people not to want to watch traditional TV.  

 

MY TOWN 

 

The wildfires and flooding I mentioned above played havoc with actors, musicians, and media crews who reside in my area. Many of them lost their homes, and media shooting schedules had to be cancelled or modified or, even worse, moved elsewhere. Not only did a lot of industry people lose their homes, but the scaring of the landscape around Burbank/Hollywood has industry analysts saying this could be the last straw in moving media production elsewhere. So, their income streams here are drying up.

 

* * * *

 

I frequently mention the Burbank Farmers Market and noticed this piece about it from the city -

 

The Burbank Farmer's Market is so much more than great produce and community connection—it's a historical happening. As the market enters its 40th year, it's recognized as one of the oldest farmer's markets in SoCal. If that weren't impressive enough, all produce is certified California-grown and oh-so-fresh! Take part in community and history and browse the downtown market for your favorite produce every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon."

 

SKYWARD UPDATE

 

Yes, I'm still working on the manuscript for SKYWARD.

 

There is no question that my plot for this novel has been used many times before. But in my mind, it is a good plot that can be updated based on the world today.

 

Here's what French Novelist JULES VERNE had to say on the subject in 1864 in his novel JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH – "If we are to believe certain narrow-minded people – and what else can we call them? – humanity is confined within a circle of Popilius" (a character in the novel)  "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."

 

In his 1950 science fiction novel FARMER IN THE SKY, which I read as a teenager, ROBERT A. HEINLEIN describes how a family decides to emigrate to the farming colony on Ganymede, one of Jupiter's moons, because food is rationed on an overcrowded Earth.

 

Then there is ELON MUSK. Whether you like him or not, he is a person who fulfills his ideas and builds an empire and fortune with them. He is looking to colonize space. He has indicated he intends to spend much of his vast wealth to make human settlements on Mars a reality. Such an interplanetary expansion, he claims, would help ensure humanity's long-term flourishing by allowing our species to avoid existential threats that might otherwise befall us in vulnerable isolation on Earth.

 

It's time for me to get back to writing my version of why and how humans will colonize space.

 

* * * *

 

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.

 

For those of you who have not read my novels, they are available on Amazon.com. Amazon.com: Richard V. Rupp: books, biography, latest update 

 

Until next month.

 

Cheers, 

 

Richard V. Rupp, Author

Website – www.richardvrupp.com

Email – rupprisk@gmail.com

Copyright@2025 by Richard V. Rupp