Jack Kost

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Stephen King Reflects on Childhood in Animated Interview from 1989:

by Blair Marnell

December 13, 2016

Stephen King has been one of the greatest horror novelists for decades, and we’re always interested in hearing what he has to say about writing and the genesis of his stories. And now, one of King’s classic interviews from nearly three decades ago has resurfaced and been reanimated for a more visual story.

Via Laughing Squid, Blank on Blank has released a classic King interview that was conducted in October 1989 by Thomas Smith for The Public Radio Book Show. The animation for this video was created by Patrick Smith and it offered some humorous visuals for King’s words as well as a few visual callbacks to some of his most famous tales including Carrie, and It.

The video opens with King’s reflection on childhood, as he witnessed a little girl lost in her own world of imaginary people while realizing that it was not only very close to what he does as a writer, but something that would get him locked away if he did it in public. King also shared a few thoughts on why the minds of adults are so different from those of children, while once again clarifying that his predilections toward horror were not born out of some childhood trauma that he suffered.

“I think that a lot of what we think of as horror fiction or fiction of the macabre comes out of this sense of futurity that we have,” said King. “As we grow older we become aware of the fact that we are going to die and most of us are going to die in ways that are that are unpleasant. For most of us, it’s there, it’s waiting for us. We understand that on an intellectual level. But I don’t think on an emotional level or a spiritual level we ever quite come to terms with it. Mentally we grasp it, emotionally we can’t quite grasp it.”

King went on to explain how his supernatural horror stories tap into that innate fear of death by serving as symbolic representations of mortality while dealing with those ideas in a way that readers can more easily accept. King compared it to the way that dreams can bring up our darkest fears in a context that let the dreamer experience them while still remaining somewhat acceptable to our sleeping brains.

You can read more of King’s interview at Blank on Blank.

http://nerdist.com/stephen-king-reflects-on-the-origins-of-fear-in-animated-interview-from-1989/

Sad but so often true:

In support of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research:

Never give up!

http://www.nationalmssociety.org

http://msfocus.org

https://multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com

http://mymsaa.org

http://positivelivingwithms.com

From the ‘Dark Ages’ to Now … Let’s Start at the Very Beginning:

by Cathy Chester

December 14, 2016

I’ve been mulling over what to write for my initial post for Multiple Sclerosis News Today. I want to make a splash, to keep you interested and let you know who I am and why I’m here. As Rogers and Hammerstein wrote in The Sound of Music, let’s start at the very beginning.

I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in 1986. I call that period of the disease “The Dark Ages.” There were no approved medications, the internet was in its infancy, and most medical professionals turned a deaf ear to discussions about alternative therapies.

After my diagnosis my doctor told me to go home, rest and call him for a prescription of steroids if I had any symptoms.

That was then. This is now.

Today there are more than a dozen approved medications for MS, with more in the pipeline. Pharmaceutical companies are clamoring to discover new and better MS drugs. And when drug patents near their expiration dates, researchers scramble to get FDA approval for effective and less-expensive equivalents.

Competition in the marketplace benefits us.

We also have a lightning-fast means of finding credible information to answer some of our questions. There’s a deluge of reliable websites on the internet. Unfortunately there also are scams and get-rich-quick schemes begging for our attention. Those sites realize our need for a better quality of life so they offer empty promises of instant wellness or cures. Placing your trust in them can carry dangerous and expensive consequences.

That is why I chose to become certified in patient advocacy. Marrying my new degree with my work as a freelance writer helped me find a way to help others find the information they need. I wanted to help others manage their disease in a way that’s valuable, honest and compassionate. That is my mission in life, with every fiber of my being.

When I was diagnosed I was treated with kindness and compassion. My nurse practitioner taught me that, despite my diagnosis, I’d always matter and add special value to the world. That’s why I’m paying it forward, to teach others the same important, life-changing lessons I learned long ago.

It’s what empowers me.

This is a busy time in the world of MS, one with new treatments, research, MS organizations, websites, legislation, articles, books, blogs, patient-centered forums — the list goes on. This growing amount of information can contribute to feelings of confusion or helplessness for many patients.

With an ever-increasing number of patients being diagnosed each year, that means my job grows exponentially.

Thirty years ago there wasn’t much to report except the promise of a disease-modifying medication. Today the challenge is to keep up with what’s new. It’s certainly a welcome challenge. We have more and more choices and options in MS care, and that is a dream come true.

So, here I am, a writer and patient advocate who is excited to write for Multiple Sclerosis News Today. I’ve been an admirer of theirs for a while, and now I’m proud to be a contributor. I look forward to engaging with you as I share what I hope will be valuable, honest and compassionate reporting for everyone. You all matter and you add great value to the world.