www.storymania.com
Storymania Logo

 

 

Essays




The Legendary Graduate Success by Joseph D Smith How I became a successful author with my book, "The Legendary Graduate" by Josep... [343 words]
The End Of Bullying by Jordan Lee Wellnitz This work was written as an anti-bullying essay. [509 words]
She Likes Trains: The Book Of Engineers by Shelley J Alongi Memories, a new engineer, community, and the book of engineers. [4,114 words]
She Likes Trains Adventures With The Super Hero Bag by Shelley J Alongi Adventures with a railroad grip. [3,881 words]
It's For The Best by John Garlinghouse This is an essay on the positive effects of a lockout. [725 words]
Global Warming By Miles Eyre by Miles Eyre - [486 words]
Conversations With Glen Sweet Engineer Dreams And Metrolink Nightmares by Shelley J Alongi A dream come true; life, money, marriage... [5,852 words]
Oh You Angelic Devil by Dream Rinsed (Gospel Funk!) [99 words]
The Split At Tahrir Square by Alexander Gachikus The demands of “secular” opposition are limited to partial reforms within the framew... [1,512 words]
Conversations With Glenn: A Good Day Up Here by Shelley J Alongi Fatalities and Mickey Mouse. And a man admitting his flaws. What a... [3,566 words]
She Likes Trains: The Railroad Sweet Spot by Shelley J Alongi A question, freights, the railroad sweet spot. [3,015 words]
She Likes Trains: The Locomotive Stairway To Heaven by Shelley J Alongi So many things led to this moment, the moment I took my fir... [993 words]
She Likes Trains: Tales From The Rails by Shelley J Alongi Hit or miss, amazing ladies, the bath. sometimes the train station isn't... [2,395 words]
She Likes Trains: Not Looking For Trouble by Shelley J Alongi The man from the orange trains, two engineers by the stairs, an uncon... [2,064 words]
She Likes Trains: Barely Getting By by Shelley J Alongi Rules, paint jobs, diet Pepsi, kids, pictures, passion. It's all here. [2,142 words]
Violence Can't Stop Itself by Randy Hooper about violence and how we can maybe stop it [603 words]
She Likes Trains: The Stairway To Locomotive Heaven by Shelley J Alongi The metal staircase of Alco 98 curves upward, today is the ... [1,969 words]
She Likes Trains: The South Side Of Paradise by Shelley J Alongi Engineers, food, warm weather, and train chasing. [6,629 words]
She Likes Trains: Steel Tangled by Shelley J Alongi A new restaurant, a systems operation guide, lovely trains, don't get her mad, ... [3,497 words]
Conversations With Glenn: Sweet Engineer Confusion by Shelley J Alongi Short, sweet, confusing, lovely, always worth the wait. Numb... [2,343 words]
She Likes Trains: Sweet Train Dreams by Shelley J Alongi The opening of track 4, more engineers and sweet train dreams. [2,457 words]
She Likes Trains: One Hand Somewhere Else by Shelley J Alongi One hand waving, a bridge to paradise, helpful passengers who take th... [3,838 words]
She Likes Trains: Between Engineers by Shelley J Alongi what takes my time between meeting all my engineers? Happy Easter all my en... [2,742 words]
She Likes Trains: Chatsworth Ephiphany by Shelley J Alongi stories, the missing link, the harvey girls, fatalities, and the Chatswo... [2,768 words]
She Likes Trains: Post Fatality Syndrome by Shelley J Alongi Two years, four switch keys, one lock, one lantern, and three engineer... [2,887 words]
Revolution In The Middle East by Alexander Gachikus What are the prospects of the revolution in Arab world? What sort of a revolution... [2,447 words]
The Human Part Of The Railroad by Shelley J Alongi Trespasser on the tracks. The intimate kiss of the engineer. It's all the human ... [2,519 words]
She Likes Trains: Taking The Engineers Heart by Shelley J Alongi Keys, dogs, stories, and the engineer's hearts. [3,992 words]
She Likes Trains: Journeys To Friday by Shelley J Alongi On our way to Friday, we experience the death of a mascott. The married en... [2,415 words]
She Likes Trains: Missing The Train Meet by Shelley J Alongi Birthday wishes are never too late, heart-stealers, more dogs, and mis... [5,044 words]
She Likes Trains: Flirting With The Locomotives by Shelley J Alongi The switch key attachment, love struck by the locomotives; love... [2,844 words]
On Proletarian Dictatorship And Islamism by Alexander Gachikus Early Islam, which revival at modern level is advocated by revolutiona... [1,309 words]
Conversations With Glenn: Sweet, Lucky Engineer by Shelley J Alongi Train 221's fatality. I am the happiest love sick, star struck ... [3,301 words]
City Miles
The Letter To Maoist Internationalist Movement by Alexander Gachikus Mentioning only the USA as the super-power and hushing up about ... [521 words]
She Likes Trains: Silent, Train Night by Shelley J Alongi A Christmas carol, a messy, rainy week, Christmas presents for cats, love... [3,183 words]
She Likes Trains: Knowing About The Railroad by Shelley J Alongi Engineers, daring passengers, dogs, signals, and love. [4,635 words]
She Likes Trains: Dog Days And Coming In Out Of The Rain by Shelley J Alongi Rain, accidents, dogs and the crazy Fullerton engineer... [3,642 words]
She Likes Trains: Crossing The Railroad Tracks by Shelley J Alongi Happy new year all my engineers! This year has been very eventfu... [3,783 words]
Afghan Revolution And Russian Imperialism by Alexander Gachikus Odious regime of police batons and lying clerical sermons, which rule... [2,070 words]
Advice To Women by Paula Barta-Schielke A single mother who has overcome childhood trauma and an abusive husband, offers insights into ... [630 words]
Advice To Men On Their Women by Paula Barta-Schielke The female author offers suggestions to men on ways they can strengthen their rela... [665 words]
A Man's Perspective by Paula Barta-Schielke The female author lends her views on a man's perspective on relationships gathered by inter... [560 words]
Conversations With Glenn: Sweet Train Engineer by Shelley J Alongi Signals, Chatsworth, hanging in there, and the mad dash on a rai... [3,058 words]
“Communist” Tyulkin Criticizes Bourgeois Authority For Insufficiency Of Nationalism by Alexander Gachikus Today official "communists"... [305 words]
She Likes Trains: The Engineer's Right To Know by Shelley J Alongi What persistence led to. [2,234 words]
She Likes Trains: Hogger Stocker by Shelley J Alongi All my engineers. All my fun, surprised, sweet engineers, and always my best! [2,153 words]
The Blank Analysis 101 by Mike Piotrowski A simple essay that uses abstraction to follow the parabolic pathway of life [289 words]
Sexnlove by Dream Rinsed the basic erotic instinct. [131 words]
Events In Georgia And Communists’ Response by Alexander Gachikus It is no reason for us, proletarians of the rich nations, to lose he... [2,598 words]
She Likes Trains: My Familiar Places by Shelley J Alongi Engineer teasing, returning to my beloved trains, or is it engineers? And ... [1,446 words]
Major Breakthrough In African Literature by Kennedy O Obohwemu It's really very simple...I'd like the relevant authorities to prove m... [581 words]
Chechen Revolution And Russian Imperialism by Alexander Gachikus - [1,922 words]
Metrolink708: Train Orders For The Court by Shelley J Alongi My engineers get a break, and yet life is still eventful at the fuller... [2,272 words]
Metrolink708: Engineer Hunter by Shelley J Alongi the engineer and the switch key. Of cool summer nights and engineer hunting. [3,117 words]
Conversations With Glenn: Engineer Responsibility by Shelley J Alongi He says deal with it. Engineers have to be responsible. he wa... [3,336 words]
Conversations With Glen: Engineer Of My Dreams by Shelley J Alongi It has been six months since I've talked to him, and it is, afte... [2,596 words]
Metrolink708: Railroad Birthday by Shelley J Alongi My very own train party Shelley style. Trains, conductors, engineers, food, fri... [4,633 words]
Metrolink708: Prince Charming by Shelley J Alongi All of Shelley's Prince charmings. [1,829 words]
Metrolink708: The Commuter Train To Paradise by Shelley J Alongi Tales from the Fullerton station. [3,172 words]
Metrolink708: Metrolink Tales by Shelley J Alongi Metrolink tales. [2,576 words]
Youssef Girard. Tan Malakka : Nationalism, Marxism And Islam by Alexander Gachikus Soviet-Russian opportunism kept silence about Tan ... [1,248 words]
The War On Weed. by Dream Rinsed Pt.1 "How The High Became A Low." [129 words]
The Break-Up Of Ussr: Collapse Of Socialism Or Collapse Of The Old Colonialism? by Alexander Gachikus Soviet Union was not Socialist ... [1,989 words]
Teens And Drugs by Michael Finch it is about the real facts of the effects drugs can have on kids [408 words]
Space For The Future. by Spencer A Morin An amazing idea [220 words]
Metrolink708: On The Trail Of Gold by Shelley J Alongi Gold, engineers, it's all good, it's all gold. [3,498 words]
Manifesto Of The Russian Party Of Bolsheviks by Alexander Gachikus Opportunism of official communist parties compelled us, Russian Bo... [4,151 words]
Letters To Molly Norris by Wael El-Manzalawy - [152 words]
L.B. Some Preliminary Thoughts About Modern Class Structure by Alexander Gachikus The main advantages of the article of L.B.: 1) Rath... [2,307 words]
God's Love: A New Perspective On The Unified Field Theory by Ellen Rosser An essay describing the effect of God's love on the e... [853 words]
From What Is To Begin? by Alexander Gachikus Let us recollect Lenin’s idea of the formation of the party. The essence of this idea is... [1,323 words]
About The Slander Of Proletarian Dictatorship by Alexander Gachikus At imperialist stage the states of 2 types are possible – bourgeo... [459 words]
Metrolink708: Replacing The Engineer by Shelley J Alongi So many engineers, so many stories, so much potential, so little time, and... [4,401 words]
Metrolink708 Making Connections by Shelley J Alongi There's no place like home, I guess. New engineers, connecting with trains, it'... [3,225 words]
Metrolink708: Engineer Day by Shelley J Alongi freight baby, social butterfly, drama, fun, and the gold standard. [5,147 words]
Metrolink708: Being There Tomorrow by Shelley J Alongi Not a good day, but such a great day. Already it has been eventful and we're... [2,200 words]
What It’S Like For Me To Be An Interpreter And Translator by Kclb The satisfaction of being bilingual explained. [383 words]
Metrolink708: Getting The Right One by Shelley J Alongi the FP59, the engineer, it's definitely the right one. And even if he is le... [5,635 words]
Answering Atheism I by Wael El-Manzalawy - [196 words]
Answering Atheism 2 by Wael El-Manzalawy - [119 words]
Metrolink708: Remembering My Name by Shelley J Alongi Do the engineers remember me? Seems so. This week they all either know, use, ... [2,015 words]
The Waterboarding Of Americans. by Dream Rinsed or The Trickle-Down Theory.(as it was called.) [130 words]
Metrolink708 Engineer Magic by Shelley J Alongi One can't stand the MPI, one wants to know where I've been, one wants to know if I'... [5,802 words]
Metrolink708: Engineer Drama by Shelley J Alongi Oh goodness! If you don't like drama, even if it's all in my own head, and you don... [6,420 words]
Metrolink608 The Railroad Facts Of Life by Shelley J Alongi Oh the drama! Showing the engineer the switch key, changing the route, ... [9,681 words]
Metrolink608: Meeting Locomotive 800 by Shelley J Alongi Teasing, loco 800, wary Glen, the two woman fan club, it's all Glen. [2,844 words]
Metrolink608: Making It Through Tuesday by Shelley J Alongi Love, a hard taskmaster; tortured by the bell; two engineers, and stand... [5,677 words]
Conversations With Glen: Engineer Gold by Shelley J Alongi There's gold in that there engineer and I didn't have to dig for it. Oh ... [3,419 words]
She Likes Trains: The Human Gold by Shelley J Alongi Gold digging at the fullerton station. Everything about everything, the gad ab... [2,945 words]
Muslim Versus Atheist by Wael El-Manzalawy - [217 words]
Muslim In The Western World by Wael El-Manzalawy - [309 words]
Metrolink608 Learning The Story by Shelley J Alongi Learning the story, following advice. [3,760 words]
Wisdom - Lost With Tradition by Richard Koss An essay which compares the concept of traditional wisdom with the minds of today'... [500 words]
Metrolink608: Playing Hooky by Shelley J Alongi The first week after New Year's day, quiet, the same question over and over, and my... [2,426 words]
Metrolink608: Making The Engineer Happy by Shelley J Alongi Big trouble, morning blessing, and no sympathy even if I have a cold. h... [4,549 words]

Go to page: 1 2 [3] 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
TITLE (EDIT)
City Miles
DESCRIPTION
City Miles is an essay on an argument between Karl Marx and Uncle Sam that has spilled into a new century.
[1,414 words]
TITLE KEYWORD
Psychology
AUTHOR
Dan Smith
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Published three books (The Stigma, Circles, The Cycles Building) under the pen name J. Floyd King. Maintain a popular blog at myspace.com/blinverted as well as a popular column at The Entertainment Magazine (emol.org).
[January 2011]
AUTHOR'S E-MAIL ADDRESS
blinverted@yahoo.com
City Miles
Dan Smith

Mile 1

 


     Sam is very old. He is much older now than Karl ever lived to be. Sam's birth was revolutionary, his adolescence was civil and now in old age he misses the chill of his relationship with Karl.

      Karl was a social leader. His message spread like a red fire and the whole landscape was equally burned. Sam and Karl never saw eye-to-eye but there was an irony to their differences. In his old age, with Karl but one of many memories rattling around in is old head, Sam often remembers a discussion between he and Karl.

      Karl looked Sam in the eye and said his vision of democracy is:
      "One group of high-ranking officials running the country."

      Sam looked to the ground, shook his head then returned his eyes to Karl’s. He spoke in a low whisper.

      "My vision of socialism is one group of high-ranking officials running the country. But in my system we have checks and balances."

      Karl looked to the ground, shook his head then returned his eyes to meet Sam’s. He was on the cusp of losing his temper as he clearly told Sam this:

      "So you have rich men balancing the power of other rich men."

      The two were on the cusp of an argument. Neither one of their ideologies was perfect yet they were both rigid in their defense of them. Sam thought Karl's social views catered to the wealthy and Karl thought Sam's democratic views catered to the rich. Yet the two could never see eye-to-eye.

 

Mile 2

 


      Sam was able to watch the birth of the corporation. Karl was aware of the potential of corporations but knew they were a contradiction to his ideology. Karl knew that eventually corporations would be given the same rights as people and in a social system, that would mean that a corporation's voice would instantly be much louder than any single person of the proletariat.

      Sam saw this slowly develop and has been powerless to stop it. It could have been the manifestation of a flaw in democracy but to have a dream means that all can dream it. The working class hold dreams that are every bit as ambitious as that of the corporations they work for. It is those corporations whom allow many dreams of the proletariat to come true.

      Karl was adamant that his vision of social structure would divide the power of the corporation in a true sign of checks and balances. Karl held convictions that every person should have a collective part in their own success and that would lead to the collective success of an entire nation.

Sam is powerless in his old age as Karl's ideology seemed to have died, other than a few countries throughout the world, when he passed on. Sam sometimes envies Karl because Karl does not have to live to see the corporations he despised take the souls of those who need them to attain their dreams.

      When a dreamer has no soul then what becomes of their dreams?


 

Mile 3

 


      It's happening to me again. I am caught in this terrible situation and this guy in front of me is holding me accountable. His nametag reads David Miller. How many corporate shills are named David Miller? It's a faceless name to a faceless bank that keeps putting holds onto the paychecks that I earn.

      I would bank at my corporation’s bank if that were possible but their bank is out of another state. Right now David is trying to be nice and see if I want to set-up direct deposit.
      “With direct deposit there is never a hold on your paycheck.”

      “Why is there a hold now? Again?”

      “It has to do-”
      "I mean, what's the difference?"

      And now he is about to hold me accountable and tell me that it is the way I maintain my account. Who is this David Miller to hold me accountable? Just because he works at a bank he can tell me to have more money? I hate banks. I hate Corporate America and every David Miller that smiles while he puts my paycheck on hold.

      I can take it to one of those check cashing places. The David Miller's that work there have less corporate rules and they never hold any checks. They suck my soul away by taking more of my money though.

      Is this what it is all about? Am I not important because I don't make as much money as Mr. and Mrs. Jones? Hell, I don't even make as much money as this lowly bank teller named David Miller.

      "Put the hold on my paycheck, I guess. What do I care? It's only money, right? Who needs money?"

      I wonder when Sam stopped being my uncle. I wonder why Karl's way of seeing things is such a dirty word. Why do they have to hold my paycheck when I earned it and I am good for it? I think soulless people like David Miller still bother Sam even though he is too old to do anything about it.


 

Mile 4

 


      "I had to hold this guy's paycheck today."

      I looked at my wife and wanted to tell her so much more. I wanted to tell her that it was not fair. I wanted to tell her how badly I felt for our customers. I wanted to tell her how thankful I am that we maintain our checking and savings accounts in a way that is deemed acceptable. I wanted to thank her for holding me accountable so that when I go into the world I am not held accountable by strangers. I wanted to tell her that Corporate America has such a loud voice. My wife also works at a bank and she shared one of her travails from the day.

      "This guy today cashed a check for one thousand dollars and wanted it all in fives."
      "Did you have to count out one thousand dollars in fives?"

      She nodded her head with a whimsical smile upon her face. Although it was inconvenient for her to do it, she was able to give at least one person what he wanted. That made me feel good and I don't know why anymore.

      “The paranoid is totally rigid. His fixed ideas cannot be shaken and they dominate his life.”

      Our paranoia revolves around the Jones family. We have tried to keep up with them by spending on our credit cards but in the end we never truly compete because while we pay back those loans with interest, the Jones family is paying with cash. Our paranoia is vanity that someone might think we cannot afford the newest toys. Our vanity leads to debt and we want to hide that debt from the Jones family. Our paranoia is that the Jones family might actually care about what we have but there is something we have lost in the paranoia and the vanity.

      It is a philosophical dilemma that we have become too near-sighted to see anymore. The Jones family is trying to keep up with the Bush family and the Bush family wants to keep up with the Kennedy family.

      It is democracy in its simplest form.

     Socialism is a dirty word but we are told as children that sharing is not a dirty word. Democracy was once a shining star but the elite have never learned to share because they fear that sharing would lead to Socialism.

      If only Sam and Karl could have ventured past the coldness and taken advice from one another. From one extreme to the other are both too far but the middle will always be there, between them and possibly holding a solution. Whether or not the solution is right or wrong can only be discovered through answers to unasked questions.

      Corporate America is about procuring every last nickel and with that powerful voice telling us to give into our vanity, the paranoid will always think they need more. So now the paranoid look like you and me and Mr. and Mrs. Jones and Uncle Sam and Karl Marx. We all have great new toys and question why we are not happy. We are only happy when our toys stop working because then we finally have a reason to be mad.

 

Submit Your Review for City Miles
Required fields are marked with (*).
Your e-mail address will not be displayed.

Your Name*     E-mail*

City     State/Province     Country

Your Review (please be constructive!)*


Please Enter Code*:

Submit Your Rating for City Miles

Worst     1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9     10     Best

COPYRIGHT NOTICE
© 2010 Dan Smith
STORYMANIA PUBLICATION DATE
January 2011
NUMBER OF TIMES TITLE VIEWED
1392
 

Copyright © 1998-2001 Storymania Technologies Limited. All Rights Reserved.