As posted below for you to know

Not the day of “mid-term” election

Not the day of the”off-year” election

Today is more fun than any of those days

Today is the great day of the “Presidential” election

Only once every four years on Tuesday today after the first Monday in November

Jump up. Slip into those shoes. Start running. It is for you that the polls toll. Hear them ringing as you approach. Get in the line. Cast your vote onto the growing pond. See who we will catch. The day is here and the new elect are close upon us.

This is the day that the vote has made

Let us rejoice and be voters in it.

Hooray and pass the ballots,

Grandpa Jim

PS: Mary and I just voted at the local elementary school. Mary was Voter #169 and I was Voter #170. Both good numbers. This bodes very well for the election. There were plenty of empty ballots. Hurry on over, grab a ballot and get your lucky number for Election Day 2012.

PPS: This is a good one. Too close to call. I have to head to bed. Catch you all in the morning. You may be up late for the final call. Voter turnout was outstanding! Thanks to all.

November 6, 2012 is Election Day in the U.S.

In the United States, the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November is set by law for the election of public officials. This is referred to as the “general” election day.

Every year, there is a general election day, but not all public officials are elected each year. To help understand who is elected when and by whom, it may be helpful to review what type of federal government exists in the U.S.

The U.S. federal system of government is composed of three branches. Those three branches are the “executive,” “legislative” and “judicial.” This is referred to as a “tri-partite” system of government because it is composed of three parts. In this system, each part exercises functions the others cannot and all three parts are required for the government to function. In other words, the necessary power to govern resides in no one branch, but can only be exercised by the branches working together and sharing their individual powers. This sharing is referred to as a “balance of power” or a system of “checks and balances.” Without each branch accepting the checks of the other branches and all the branches balancing power among themselves, the government would fail and fall. To avoid this unacceptable result, the branches work together and have for over 200 years.

In part, the continuing success of this three-part system of government is the regular election of new officials.

The federal executive branch administers the day-to-day activities of the federal government. The executive branch issues the regulations that implement the laws the legislative branch enacts. This federal executive branch is led by the President and Vice President, who are both elected. All other employees of the executive branch are appointed.

Every four years, in years divisible by four, the general election day is designated by law for the election of the President and Vice President. This general election is referred to as the “Presidential” election. This year, November 6, 2012 is a Presidential election year. All registered voters in the United States can vote in the Presidential election.

The federal legislative branch makes the federal laws that the executive branch administers. The federal legislative branch is composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Members of the House are referred to as Representatives and are elected for two-year terms. Members of the Senate are Senators and are elected for six-year terms.

Each U.S. state’s number of Representatives is determined in relationship to its population. There can only be a total of 435 House members, so the distribution changes as the populations of the states change. Currently, California has the most with 53 Representatives. Members of the House serve a two-year term and are up for election every two years. Only those voters in a geographically defined district within a state can vote for that district’s federal Representative.

Each U.S. state has two Senators, for a total of 100 Senators for the 50 states. Senators serve a six-year term. Senatorial elections are staggered so only 1/3 of the Senators stand for election every two-years. All the registered voters in a state vote for the state Senator up for election.

Finally, the federal judicial branch reviews, interprets and, if necessary, overturns the laws of the legislative branch and the regulations of the executive branch. The federal judicial branch is the Supreme Court composed of Justices who are appointed not elected. Federal Supreme Court Justices will not be on any election ballot. At the state level, however, state judges may be on the ballot.

In even-numbered years when the President and Vice President are not on the ballot, the general election day is called a “midterm” election.

If things are running smoothly, all Representatives and 1/3 of all Senators will be up for election in each Presidential election and each midterm election. This will be the case this year when all 435 House seats are up for election and 33 Senate seats will be on the ballot for the Presidential election.

Each U.S. State has a Governor, state representatives and state senators. Many states have judges who are elected. These state-level officials are largely elected in the same Presidential and midterm elections years as the federal officials. Most state officials have terms similar to their federal counterparts, so most will be up for election in this year’s Presidential election.

In odd-numbered years, the general election day is called an “off-year” election. Most federal and state officials are elected in Presidential and midterm elections. There are rare exceptions, but generally the off-year elections are municipal elections for mayors and other local officials and local citizen initiatives.

For U.S. citizens, this is a big Election Day. Everyone can vote for President and Vice President. Voters will have their federal Representative and state representative on their ballots. Many will see a state senator. Some may have a federal Senator. The state Governor may be up for election. State judges could be on the ballot. The list may continue. Check your local news and the Internet for a voter’s guide listing the offices and individuals on your ballot.

Double check your voting location. Be sure to bring your voter registration card. If you can’t find the card and you are registered, your name should be listed at the polling location. Bring your driver’s license or picture ID, and get ready to VOTE!

The best thing about being a voter is voting. The best thing about election day is the vote. The second best thing about election day is watching the results.

Good voting and save some popcorn for me.

I wonder who won,

Grandpa Jim

We are on our way to the 52nd annual Wurstfest.

New Braunfels, Texas has a long history of sausage. The town was established in 1845 by Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels. At the urging of the nobleman, many Germans immigrated to this growing city on the Comal and Guadalupe Rivers. The Comal from Comal Springs to the Guadaupe is only three miles long as its spring-fed waters wind through the town. For its length, the Comal River has the distinction of being one of the shortest rivers in the world. The river may be short, but one thing the city and citizens are not short of are sausages. They love to eat them, they love to share them, and they love a party with good German music and wursts for all.

From Old High German, wurst is the word for sausage.

In 1961, the Mayor of New Braunfels proclaimed the first “Sausage Festival,” a week activity featuring sausages at cafes and markets. With world-wide publicity, that first feastival attracted 2,000 visitors. It was a meaty success. The name has changed from Sausage Festival to Wurst Week and now WURSTFEST, but one thing as not changed, the wursts. They remain the wurst of the best.

In 1966, 35,000 attended and consumed over five tons of sausages. In 1969, 75,000 revelers besieged the sausage capitol of Texas. The vendors of links became even more creative with Wurst Tacos and Wurst-ka-bobs. In 1978, the German-American eat-o-rama was as one of the top attractions in the world for the month of November. In 1987, the WURSTFEST was rated in the top 100 events in North America by the American Bus Association.

People were driving from everywhere to grab a sausage on stick and a whole lot of fun. In 2006, ABC’s Good Morning America TV show showcased the opening day for millions of viewers across the world. In 2007, a special entertainment area for children, Kinderhalle, was introduced, reflecting that the event is a family-oriented festivity for everyone. November 7, 2009 was the most-attended day yet, except for today or maybe tomorrow.

Go Wurst!

We’re on our way.

Save a sausage for us.

We’re on the road and almost there.

Grandpa Jim and Mary

It’s the silk flower time of the year.

We go to the you-can-craft-it-and-make-it-yourself store and buy these amazing bunches of fake flowers. I call them “plastic flowers.” For which remark, I am promptly given the “look” and sternly admonished with the comment, “They are silk and be respectful.” “I am . . . I mean they are . . . they sure are colorful,” I mumble, ending on the upbeat. When in doubt or in trouble, I try to fumble a compliment. It may not get me all the way back, but it can start the rehabilitation process.

It’s a yearly event.

Every All Soul’s Day, the graves in the cemeteries are decorated with bright masses of silk flowers.

We load up the car with sacks of color, make the trek down to the country, grab grandma and head on over the family plots.

This year we have to manage some other schedulings, so we drop off most of the flowers for the rest of the relatives to distribute.

Grabbing a few bright stems, we promise to stop by one of the closer graveyards on the way back to town.

It is a cool evening with a full moon just starting to shine through into the night sky.

“Over here.” I follow to where she stops. Kneelling, I pull out the faded blooms from last year. Mary arranges the new bouquet. We stand with our thoughts, say a prayer and move on to the next grave and then the next and another. Finishing up, I gather the frayed last-year petals and carry them to the bin behind the bushes for the caretakers to manage. As we leave that cemetery in the country, I turn and snap a picture between the trees at the graves of our family and friends with their new evening robes.

All Souls’ Day is the day after All Saints’ Day, which is the day after All Hallows’ Eve or Halloween. Halloween is October 31^st, All Saints’ Day is November 1^st and All Souls’ Day is November 2^nd. They’re the same every year, so you can’t miss ‘em, even though we all do miss them, our close ones who have left this world. We remember them all on All Souls’ Day.

In the ancient thought, each of us is composed of four separate parts: heart, soul, mind and strength. The strength does the lifting. The mind does the thinking. The heart does the listening – I think of the heart as an old two-way ham radio, “Roger that, Big Buddy.” And, the soul does the deciding.

I believe it is our decisions that make each of us uniquely human. No two people have ever made, or will ever make, the same set of decisions. To me, the portfolio of my life’s decisions is the fingerprint I leave behind in this land and take with me wherever I may go. Those old thinkers also seem to see the soul as that part that leaves the body and moves on its way.

On our yearly pilgrimage with the flowers, it is a comfort to me that the souls of those we visit are what continue and may still be lingering about that place.

With Halloween near, I quickly turn my head to see if I can catch a glimpse of a ghostly shape slipping between the trees. As we walk to the car, I lift my eyes to try to spy the more saintly in their heavenly gear. With a smile and silent laugh, I close the gate, gaze at the blues and reds of the fading sunset and feel the warmth of all those souls there.

I look forward to seeing you all again, and we will certainly stop by next year.

Happy All Souls’ Day,

Grandpa Jim

Watching the news last night, the pictures from Hurricane Sandy were sobering.

People are suffering.

The warm winds of the storm have passed. The cold now touches the survivors. Many are without power. They huddle in flooded homes or shelter in temporary retreats. Much of what they owned is destroyed. Some wear borrowed clothes.

I worry that I have made too light of Halloween. Not all spirits are good. Not all ghosts are small and helpful.

Wind, rain and water are good. What propels them to cause such ill to so many is not good. It is bad.

This Halloween with this Hurricane, I am reminded to be be careful in what I say, to be wary in what I do, and to care for those in need.

I know that in our culture Halloween is more custom than belief. As much as anyone, I enjoy a good tale of spooks, spectres and ghosts. In such writing, in my writing, I am convicted by these events that there should be a recognition of the malevolence that is present here on our Earth. If what I have written has in any way diminished the caution we must each practice for ourselves and others, I regret those words and retract those statements.

There is a dark side, as there is a bright side. There is bad, as there is good. There are those that work to make things right, and there are those that do not. There is evil, and we must guard and fight against it. There are those who have been damaged by its touch, and those we must help.

As we pray for the safety of friends, family and neighbors damaged by this storm, let us be ever more diligent in guarding the safety of our children on this Halloween night.

Grandpa Jim

Boo! Trick or Treat? Wow, that’s some costume.

When did Halloween start and why?

The word “Halloween” is a shortened form of “All Hallows’ Eve.” Halloween is the eve or evening before “All Hallows’ Day.” To “hallow” is an old English verb meaning to make holy or to “sanctify.” When used as a plural noun, “hallows” refers to all those who have passed from this life and are now holy persons or “saints” in the next world. So, Halloween is the evening before All Hallows’ Day or All Saints’ Day.

Holy persons have always been remembered. Many view martyrs as saints. On May 13, 609 A.D., Pope Boniface IV established “All Martyrs’ Day.” Recognizing there are more saints than martyrs, in 835 A.D., Pope Gregory IV expanded the festival to include all saints and renamed the day “All Saints’ Day.” To coincide with the Celtic festival of Samhain, Pope Gregory moved the observance of the holy day, or holiday, to November 1st.

Samhain (which can be pronounced Sah–win) was one of the most important days in the medieval Celtic calendar. Samhain is half-way between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice. For the Celts throughout northern Europe, November 1^st was the start of their New Year (which we celebrate on January 1^st). The day marks the transition between the warm months of the sun to the cold months of the dark.

In ancient times in the Northern Hemisphere, the cold months were the sad months because without the heating systems we have today, many of the sick and elderly could not survive the days of cold, snow and ice. Sadly, they passed on. Samhain was a time to remember those who had left this world. In that respect, it coincided well with the All Saints’ Day of the early popes, which also remembered those in the next life.

In early Celtic thought, October 31^st, the night before their New Year, was a “thin time.” Those early people saw it as a night when the boundaries that surrounded the worlds of the living and the dead somehow mysteriously came closer together, touched, and thinned. In those thin places on that night, it was thought that one might see and even move through to the other realm, and those in that other place might do the same. Perhaps a part of this view was a wish to remember and see again those loved ones who had passed away and were now in that other land.

To prepare for the night, children were sent house-to-house to request wood and food for a party. (This may be the origin of those trick-or-treating children we find at our front doors.) With the gathered wood, bonfires were lit, brightening the night and inviting friends and family to gather round. In the light of the dancing flames, food was passed and treats shared. Neighbors laughed, feasted and enjoyed memories.

As the flames dwindle and the night darkens, the storytelling begins. Stories were the books of those early ones. They had few written words. On that night, remembering their own who had passed from view into the next land, I imagine some of those stories became a bit spooky and scary. A good storyteller plays to his or her audience, and this was a night when the lines between places became blurred, strange things might happen and shapes might appear. Can you see them all gathered by the fire? Suddenly, at just the right time in the story, a costumed figure jumps out from the smoke, sounds an eerie and frightening screech, and sends everyone screaming and covering their eyes.

Now, that was a good effect. You sure scared me. I like that costume.

Well, the next year, folks started showing up in costumes. You know, to ward off that scary actor before he or she appeared, or maybe to apply for the job themselves. Maybe, they wore costumes because it made the night feel more friendly, safe and welcoming to be dressed up. Maybe, they liked to dress like the ones they remembered.

We’ll never know for sure when the trick-or-treating began and the costuming started. Mystery surrounds the night of All Hallows’ Eve. That night, the night of Samhain, is, in the eyes of many, a “thin time” when forms can and do appear different than they might otherwise be. I think there will always be that which is not fully known or understood on this night.

One thing is clear, and you should remember this: When you answer the door on Halloween and hear those children’s voices echoing “Trick or Treat?” be sure to act scared, tell those kids what wonderful costumes they have on, and hand out the candy.

Whatever you do, do not forget the candy.

Have a safe, fun All Hallows’ Eve.

Get ready for a surprise.

Boo!

Trick or Treat?

Wow, am I scared!

That is some costume.

Take all the candy you want.

You’re doing a good job and stay safe out there,

Grandpa Jim.

At 10:15 am, smoke drifted up from his size 70 boots.

It was last Friday, October 19, 2012, the start of the last weekend of the 2012 Texas State Fair. Just over 60 years ago in the Fall of 1952, the first fairgoer families of that year walked through the entrance to Fair Park, stopped and stared at the Fair’s newest arrival. Together, they held hands and gazed up in wonder, as Big Tex, the world’s tallest talking Texan, greeted them with a loud and friendly “Hoooowwwdeee, Fooollllks!”.

Towering above the crowd last Friday, as he always did, Big Tex, the official mascot of the Texas State Fair, greeted this year’s fairgoer families and their children and was in the middle of his announcements.

Before anyone could do anything, red and yellow flames reached up, traveled quickly to the five-pocket denim jeans, curled around the 23-foot-long belt and caught the red, white and blue Western shirt in a burst of fire, heat and smoke!

Around him in Big Tex Circle, fairgoers pointed and yelled. Teenagers texted for help. Children lowered their eyes and dropped their corny dogs.

It was over in ten minutes.

As the flames engulfed the 52-foot tall frame and 75-gallon cowboy hat, Big Tex kept talking. His long Texas drawl could be heard across the 277-acre Fair Park. He was talking to the end.

Big Tex never recorded his messages. He worked 12 hours a day, alternating between 30 minutes of announcements and 30-minutes breaks. Even on break, he kept waiving and greeting the guests and smiling shyly at the pretty girls.

Last Friday, the big hand finally stopped moving.

Fair workers who had known the rugged good-looking cowboy for years stood silently and cried.

A crane arrived and lowered the charred remains onto a flatbed truck. Workers covered the long frame with a huge piece of canvas. Escorted by Dallas Police officers, the draped figure rolled slowly by. Fairgoers clapped and waved goodbye to their beloved cowboy.

Watching, the Mayor of Dallas, who had rushed to the scene, vowed that Big Tex would return next year.

One of the workers, who knew the cowboy well, as so many did, smiled between the tears and sighed, “It’s a new beginning.” His tone brightening, he added, “Because we’re going to build him back bigger and better than ever.”

It is a new beginning.

We look forward to seeing and hearing you again next year, Big Fella, bigger and better than ever,

Grandpa Jim

In Japanese, “Hiroshima” means “Wide Island” or “Big Island.”

In 1589, the Warlord Mori Terumoto built Hiroshima Castle on a big island in a river delta extending into the Seto Inland Sea. Mori Terumoto was a powerful and respected man controlling 1.2 million koku. A koku is enough rice to feed one person for one year. This means Mr. Terumoto’s land holdings could feed 1.2 million people. That allowed Warlord Terumoto to mobilize 120,000 soldiers. Although Landowner Terumoto was a good manager, he was not as successful as a general. General Terumoto was on the losing side in the Battle of Sekigahara, and in 1619 the castle and the City of Hiroshima that had grown around it passed to the control of another warload.

That is how the City of Hiroshima began, and since its beginnings the city has grown and prospered.

Today, Hiroshima is a large and vibrant metropolis. In the year 2000, the metropolitan area claimed more than 2 million residents. Hiroshima is a busy port shipping out many cars from its biggest industry, Mazda Motor Corporation. The City is also known for its favorite dish called okonomiyaki which is a hot layering (no mixing allowed) of egg, cabbage, bean sprouts, meats and seafoods (the ones you choose), cheese, noodles, another egg and a generous dollop of the local sauce to top it off. Hmmmm, that sounds very scrumptious to me. The local baseball team is the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, and they have been champions of the Central League six times and won the Japanese Series three times. The city has always been a center of education and ideas, and Hiroshima University continues that rich legacy today and into the future.

There have been hard times and there have been sad events, very sad events.

At 8:15 AM on August 6, 1945, an American B-29 bomber dropped the first atomic bomb to be used against a city. The bomb exploded over Hiroshima. Much of the city was destroyed and many died that day. World War II ended about 10 days later.

The official flower of the City of Hiroshima is the oleander. It was the first to bloom after the explosion.

This weekend the story “Hiroshima” will be on the home page. It is the story of a new life that began that fateful day in 1945. The city itself is the story of the new life that continues there today.

Grandpa Jim

What is story writing — for me?

Story writing is the discovery of a place never been before.

Preparing the house for guests is part of the fun.

The other is their arrival when the story is done.

To be there is to see their faces when we open the door.

Stage 1: Get The Story Out

I’ve learned not to stop. I believe stories already exist in the ether of fiction space. When I glimpse the thread of a story, I grab at it quickly or the line may be lost. I try not to wait. I take some notes right away, even if I have to do it in the dark, pen in hand, on a page I can’t see. At first, I may only see the title, a few lines or the ending paragraph. I write that down. When I return to discover the rest of the story, I start writing, I try to push through (it may be a couple of days), and I try not to back-write too much at this stage. This is the first draft, getting the story out, getting it down on paper, so the outline can be seen.

Stage 2: Get The Words Out

Now, I prune, pummel and polish my first rough draft. I use words to wrap form and color around the ghost-like story shape. I want to capture it, as it seems to want to move away. I believe a story cannot be lost — once I make those first saving notes. After that, I don’t worry about the story (it will exist), but I may lose my way and never return. At the end of this stage, the second draft gives substance and character to the emerging shape and allows my reviewers something to work with, in the next stage.

Stage 3: Put The Mat Out

Third, put out the mat. Let someone see that rough draft, that unfinished work. A story will not be done until it is reviewed and critiqued. At this stage, “copy” and “content” are my by-words. I have two people who work the copy over — the word choices, the grammar, the punctuation, the flow, the understandability. If I hear “I don’t understand this,” I know I’m on the right track. The story is there. I just have to find the right words. Those same two people slam the content. “They didn’t have this then.” “He wouldn’t talk like that.” “If you say that, your reader will know you know nothing about what you’re talking about and will quit reading.” This is called “No Pride of Authorship.” I get over it. It’s not my story. I’m just the writer. It’s not humility, it’s reality. I have to get it right with the world of words, or the world of readers will never get right with the story.

Stage 4: Walk Out And Look In

This stage is for me to walk outside and look back in. I open the door, step outside, turn around and look at the story from a distance. I ask myself, “Will the reader see the story?” If I, now the objective self-critical writer, can’t see the story that I saw, the reader won’t see anything. This is the third-party objectivity that I, as the writer, bring to the story. In the last stage, the reviewers of the story brought their objectivity to the written words. They didn’t find the story, so they cannot critique the integrity of the story. They can only critique the words, the copy and content, as they see them. Only the writer can critique the alignment of the words with the story itself, because only the writer sees the story without the words, as it exists in the realm of untouched fiction. I ask myself, “Will the story rise through the words?” I lose the most sleep over this stage, because the show is on this stage. Does the story shine out and will it pull the reader in?

Stage 5: Invite The Guests In

It’s Christmas in the snow, a bright chilly night. A couple is coming over for dinner. They approach the house, walk up the steps and push the bell. We open the door. Colors, lights, candles, the tree, presents and smiling faces explode out to greet our guests as we reach out and pull them into the house to enjoy the warm company of family and friends. That house and everything and everyone inside are the story. It has taken time and effort to decorate, arrange, place and polish to make sure it is just right. No other story will ever appear like that house does on that night when those guests enter for their first time.

May you have many bright and festive evenings in the company of good friends and good words,

Grandpa Jim

The macrophage Commander sits in his control chair and scans the battle screen. The pathogen TIE fighters are swarming forward. He can’t see the bigger pathogen ships, but he knows they’re coming.

“Mr. Sula, give the order for our macrophage Pac-Man Destroyers to attack.”

“Yes, Captain.” Mr. Sula pushes buttons activating the “All-Attack” command to the fleet.

In the waiting room, the Person is reading an article on his body’s immune system. “Macrophages are specialized white blood cells. They protect your body by fighting foreign invading cells, called pathogens or infectious agents. The macrophages are themselves specialized into control cells and attack cells. The large macrophage attack cells can launch smaller antibody fighters that harass and incapacitate the pathogen invaders.” The person rubs his shoulder. He has a pain there and a headache. He feels hot. Something is going on, which is why he’s at the doctor’s office.

On the screen, the Pac-Man Destroyers engulf the smaller enemy fighters. With the overpowering fire of their turbo lasers and ion cannons and the aid of their antibody X-wing fighters, the big ships disable the Tie fighters and then use their powerful tractor beams to pull them into the main ship for disassembly and analysis.

“Mr. Chekhov, can I have the analysis of the invaders?” the Commander asks.

“Yes, Captain.” Mr. Chekhov adjusts his ear transmitter. “I have it, Sir. Yes, definitely. Interpretation of the Antigen markings on the exteriors of the vessels is complete. The fingerprint is that of the ‘Pneumonia Bacterium.’ Each of the attackers is marked with the Antigen flag ‘PB.’ That’s the personal identifier, Sir. That’s how we can recognize them.”

Now our Person is sitting on a chair in a small examining room and reading from the article in his lap. “A macrophage will disable a pathogen invader by using its size and strength, with the aid of its antibody fighters. After neutralizing the pathogen, the macrophage pulls the foreign particle through its cell wall and into the cell. There, it will be broken up and the distinctive ‘antigen’ marking on the surface of the invader will be catalogued and transmitted to the other macrophage defenders in the body. This allows the body’s defense systems to distinguish a bad cell from a good cell.”

“Uhura, signal the fleet with the ‘PB’ antigen marker information.”

“Yes, Captain.” Uhura talks into her speech transmitter and then listens for a response. “Sir, a squadron of what appear to be our Pac-Man Destroyers is approaching from downstream in the vascular system. Wait. Yes. Sir, our field commander sees the ‘PB’ through the cloaking. Those are not Pac-Men, they’re Imperial Cruisers. We’re being flanked, Captain.”

“I see them on the control screen. Mr. Chekhov, signal the ‘General Alert’ and activate all reserves. We’ll throw everything we have at these bad guys. Mr. Sula, signal the ‘All Hands.’ We’re going in too. I don’t want to miss this fight, but I sure hope our Person is doing something out there to help. There are too many of those Imperial Cruisers. We are badly outnumbered.”

“So, Doc, what’s wrong?” The Person sits up on the examining table, his legs dangling over the side. The doctor has just finished the examination. “You have a fever, a high fever. You’re body is fighting an infection, and it needs some help.” Behind the doctor, the nurse holds up a needle and pushes a little fluid out the tip. “Not a shot, Doc, I don’t like shots.” “Your body will. I’ll give you the shot now and some more antibiotic pills to take at home. Roll your sleeve up.” The Person shuts his eyes, as the needle stings and the antibiotics rush into his bloodstream and toward the battle. “An antibiotic contains antibodies,” the doctor says. “An antibody is like a little star fighter, like the X-Wing fighter that Luke Skywalker flew in Star Wars. It can’t usually knock out a big infection all by itself, but a whole bunch can turn the tide and help the big macrophages in your body do their work.”

“We’re being pushed back, Captain.” Mr. Sula says, slowly studying his smaller screen. “And, we’ve lost most of our antibody fighters. Our shields our weakening.”

“Captain,” Mr. Chekhov interjects. “Should I order the ‘Retreat?’”

“Not yet.” The Captain is thinking. “Have a little faith in our Person, Gentlemen.”

“Captain, I’m getting something?”

“Yes, Uhura.”

“Sir, it’s unbelievable. Thousands of X-Wing antibody fighters have appeared out of nowhere. The enemy TIE fighters are spiraling out of control. The intruder’s Imperial Cruisers are being pounded. They’re listing and turning.”

“Mr. Sula, give our Pac-Man Destroyers the ‘All Forward’ signal. Let’s go gobble up some Star Destroyers.”

“Captain,” Uhura’s voice is excited. “One X-Wing fighter just took out the enemy command ship with a single photon torpedo.” The bridge explodes with cheers.

“Take us in, Mr. Sula. It’s time to pick up the pieces.” He turns to his side. “Mr. Spock, you’ve been unusually quiet through this all.”

“I never doubted the outcome, Captain. I believe our Person is part Vulcan.”

The Captain smiles at his friend. “Mr. Spock, do you think you could scare up a medal for that young pilot with the good aim?”

“Scare, Captain?”

“Never mind, Spock. It’s old English from early Earth. You know, like being afraid of a good shot in the arm.”

“Captain, why would a shot in the arm be good?”

Now the Captain does laugh with the rest of the crew. “Mr. Spock, you need to talk to our Person. He may be more human than you suspect.”

On the battle screen, the Pac-Man Destroyers are finishing with the enemy fleet.

“Paku-Paku,”

Grandpa Jim