Tag: Kevin Rush (Page 1 of 6)

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A Catholic Reflects on Charlie Kirk’s Assassination

September 14, 2025 / admin / 0 Comments

It’s been a rough few days. When I first heard Charlie Kirk had been shot, I sort of dismissed it, not knowing whether it meant “shot at” or “hit.” I’d gotten too used to the crazies not being able to shoot straight and the hand of providence deflecting bullets. But as the posts became more frantic, I sought out a reliable source and found the video. I watched in horror, immediately knowing that was a kill shot, but hoping for a miracle. I grabbed my Rosary and left the electronic distractions; I took a walk through the neighborhood and recited my prayers. By the time I returned home, I knew for certain Charlie had passed, and a quick look at my phone confirmed it.

Why, Lord? We needed him. Of course, we’d needed Andrew, too. How’d that work out?

I’m a child of the assassination age. I’ve lived through JFK, RFK, MLK, Gerald Ford (twice attempted), Moscone and Milk, Anwar Sadat, Ronald Reagan (attempted), John Paul II (attempted), and Indira Ghandi. I’m sure there are others I’m forgetting.

The attack on Donald Trump was horrific for what might have been, but like Reagan and JPII, it was affirming in its apparently providential outcome. Pope John Paul II had credited his survival to Our Lady deflecting the bullet with her finger. Could Donald Trump have gotten a supernatural nudge to tilt his head at that precise moment? There have been rumors that his Catholic wife, Melania, has asked a priest to place her husband under the protection of the Blessed Virgin. Whether Our Lady acted to spare the once-again US President is highly classified, and we won’t know until… you know.

Providence in Our Nation’s Founding

There’s a story about George Washington’s time as 23-year-old aide-de-camp to British General Edward Braddock during the French and Indian War. It’s told that during the Battle of Monongahela, Washington and other mounted officers rode across the battlefield through enemy gunfire to deliver vital messages. Every other officer on horseback was killed, and Washington had two horses shot from underneath him. His coat was later found have four bullet holes in it, and Washington even pulled shrapnel from his hair. But his person had not even a scratch.

Years later, an elderly Indian chief who’d fought against Washington visited our country’s first President. He recalled that he’d personally shot at Washington 17 times and had ordered his men to do the same. The chief explained the reason for his visit. Before he died, he’d wanted to meet the man who was “protected by the Great Presence Above.” Is it possible that heaven had preserved Washington for his future role as Commander-in-Chief, because he was the indispensable man of the American Revolution? Is it possible that God saved Donald Trump from an assassin’s bullet, because he is the essential man in America’s rebirth? The Lord works in mysterious ways, and He often chooses unlikely servants.

But what about Charlie Kirk? He was a deeply religious man, a devoted family man, and someone very necessary to the conservative movement seeking to restore America. Only 31 years old, he deserved 40 or 50 more years to serve his country, love his wife, and guide his children into adulthood. All that was stolen from him. Why couldn’t the bullet miss?

Twisted Trans violence in Charlie Kirk’s Assassination

As I’m writing this, facts are coming to light about the twisted, disordered mind of his assassin. To no one’s surprise, the trans madness is part of this warped scenario. Weirdly, that diabolical movement has enjoyed near universal support on the Left, despite making no logical sense. It is anti-God, anti-nature, narcissistic, exhibitionistic, and ruthlessly demanding. It is so flimsily pseudo-scientific, that only the highly educated are stupid enough to swallow it. And it has been ever so trendy, affording elites ample opportunity to virtue signal by supporting it, especially if they’re the type of parents who use their children as fashion accessories. In short, the trans movement has everything the modern Left seems to love.

Now it has become hyperviolent. Which again is not surprising. As any homicide detective will tell you, the most brutal murders always have a twisted sexual element. Charlie was an opponent of trans ideology, but a compassionate ally for those whom the movement had harmed. Of course, we’re not allowed to say the movement is harmful, are we? So, Charlie became a target. And we’re left to wonder, why did God let the crazies win?

Harvesting Eden: A Teen Soul’s Journey in the Age of Woke

Of Obi-Wan, Stephen, and Joan

Again, the Lord works in mysterious ways. Sometimes, He takes away what we need and, in doing so, makes it more powerful. Already, millennials are talking about Charlie’s Obi-Wan effect, a reference to Luke Skywalker’s mentor being absorbed by The Force, which expanded his power beyond his Jedi limits. I’ve never been a Star Wars fan, so I’ll draw my inspiration from scripture and Church history.

I immediately thought of St. Stephen, the great debater that the Pharisees couldn’t contend with. They resorted to twisting his words to accuse him of blasphemy, much like the Left took Charlie’s statements out of context to accuse him of their usual litany of sins. Stephen’s crowd didn’t buy what the Pharisees were selling, because they’d heard the words straight from Stephen’s mouth. Just so, Charlie’s audience can access his complete statements in his videos. The Pharisees knew they were losing the crowd and were struck with fear. Just so, the Left knew that they were losing the youth vote in the US, as Charlie’s influence grew. So, the Pharisees resorted to violence, stoning Stephen, who became the first Christian martyr. They couldn’t out-argue him, so they killed him. (And Charlie…?)

Stephen’s death, however, is not the end of the story. Because God decided to use the instigator of the plot to kill Stephen for His own purposes. The Pharisees gathered their stones, not knowing they were dropping their mantles at the feet of a future saint, whose conversion would change the Western world. How many of Charlie’s converts are out there right now, ready to make a difference?

Another saint that comes to mind is Joan of Arc. I recently read an account of her life, The Maid of Orleans by Sven Stolpe. Joan arose at a time when the men of France were in decline, and had allowed their territory to be conquered by an outside force. (Need we list the many ways that Western manhood is in decline today, and how young men especially are struggling with despair?) Joan showed the men of her time how to stand up and fight, leading them to reclaim several key cities. (Likewise, Charlie served as an example to young men on college campuses, who hunger for purpose.) But Joan couldn’t overcome the inertia of the leadership and the political infighting to make a decisive push against the English. Joan was captured, tried as a witch, and burned at the stake.

Joan’s mockery of a trial was a horrible miscarriage of justice, and Joan prayed to be spared her sentence. But God declined. His purpose did not require Joan on the field as a warrior. In fact, Joan’s testimony clearly states that she never took a life in battle. What God needed from Joan was sacrifice. The God who would not spare His only Son would not spare Joan. But Joan’s martyrdom filled the French with such resolve that they were finally able to expel the English and restore France.

Nor did God spare Charlie. But, in the aftermath of Charlie’s murder, in American and across the sea, we’re already witnessing an awakening, especially among young people.

The 19th century Danish theologian, Soren Kierkegaard wrote, “The tyrant dies and his rule is over, the martyr dies and his rule begins.” Charlie’s assassination will prevent him from working campuses across the country in the run up to the midterm elections. This delights Democrats. But we can be confident that Charlie’s influence will still be felt in the tens of thousands of hearts that he touched in life, magnified by the millions who will come to know him only after his death.

The good news for Catholics, as always, is that we know Christ triumphs in the end. In the meantime, we must prayer harder, love more deeply, and find the forgiveness in our hearts that Jesus challenges us to bestow. Yes, there must be justice for Charlie, but then we must move forward. We are in a battle for hearts, minds, and souls. We must use the weapons of persuasion that Charlie wielded so effectively, engaging with the pure intention of uplifting those around us whom the modern world has taught nothing but despair.

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What I Read During “Private Eye July”

August 1, 2025 / admin / 0 Comments

Author Kevin Rush drops some clues for literary sleuths

I’m far from an aficionado of the mystery genre, so I’m probably late to this party. But when I learned that Private Eye July was an actual thing, I laced up my gumshoes, loaded my snub-nosed .38, and doffed my gray, felt fedora. Hot on the case, I pursued several suspects that might pay off with a guilty pleasure. It’s sometimes tough to cut through the thick fog of saturated bookshelves and eliminate the red herrings . And a month is not long when it comes to consuming whole novels. I didn’t want to throw days away chasing dead ends. But I didn’t want to play it too safe either by treading overly familiar territory.

Now that PI July is over, I figure I got more or less what I wanted from the dust jackets I frisked and the pages I flipped. That being a concise narrative told in an engaging style with vivid characters, intriguing twists, and a satisfying resolution. So without further palaver, here are the novels of my PI July.

Black Money by Ross Macdonald.

This is the 13th of Ross Macdonald’s 18 novels in the popular and critically acclaimed Lew Archer series. Archer is also featured in nine short stories. A native of Southern California, operating from the late 1940s to early 1970s, Archer is something of an heir apparent to Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe, who roamed Los Angeles in the 1940s. Equally world-weary, Archer is nevertheless smarter and more empathetic than Marlowe. We’re told he served in U.S. Army Intelligence during WWII, was briefly a Long Beach, CA cop, was married at some point, and values his independence.

Black Money, published in 1966, is the third Archer novel I’ve read. A couple of years ago, I picked up a collection entitled Archer At Large (1970). So, by now, I had already read and enjoyed The Galton Case (1959) and The Chill (1964). Macdonald is adept at weaving intricate plots, but what I really like is his economical style which is simultaneously terse and rich. As a narrator, Archer has a knack for relating his observations of behavior in terms of character, so we understand who the players are and what motivates them. The books are peppered with references to philosophy, psychology, and literature, lending the characters and their dilemmas an archetypal resonance.

The Archer novels are more than puzzles; they’re intricate human dramas. William Goldman, writing in the Book Review section of The New York Times, stated that the Archer books are “the finest series of detective novels ever written by an American.” More than a mere genre writer, Macdonald is generally recognized as one of the best American novelists of his generation.

We won’t get deeply into the screen adaptations of Macdonald’s Archer books. Suffice to say that Paul Newman (Harper, 1966) had the blue eyes of the character, but little else. Archer is described as a lean and rangy six foot two, capable of handling himself against menacing baddies. Newman was notoriously short, with a large head that ample goons could easily use as a speed bag. Though he played a middle-weight boxer convincingly in Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956), Newman’s most famous onscreen dustup came in a brief knife fight with no rules.

My choice would have been Robert Mitchum. In the mid-1960s, Hollywood’s first King of Cool could have played mid-series Archer. But, the choice was made to start with the first book The Moving Target (1949), and Newman was a star in his prime.

A couple of reasons have been given for changing the PI’s name from Archer to Harper in Newman’s films. The most credible one is that Macdonald had named his character for Miles Archer, Sam Spade’s deceased partner in The Maltese Falcon, and somebody had been hypersensitive of the potential for copyright disputes.

Harper was a hit, but it was nearly a decade before Newman filmed Macdonald’s second Archer novel, The Drowning Pool (1950) in 1975. Newman was a little busy making better movies, such as Cool Hand Luke (1967), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and The Sting (1974). A third Archer book, The Underground Man (1971), was made into a television movie in 1974. It starred Peter Graves, who is much more the Archer type.

I highly recommend the Archer series, but I’d advise you to start at the beginning.

An Unsuitable Job for a Woman by P.D. James

In this 1972 novel, British writer P.D. James introduces Cordelia Gray, a novice sleuth who inherits her mentor’s detective agency after he abruptly commits suicide. Her first case is an apparent suicide, which provides her with all sorts of mixed feelings, which she must work through to complete her assignment. My previous exposure to Ms. James was limited to her novel, Children of Men (1992), and its film adaptation (2006), which I blogged about here.

I found Unsuitable Job very engaging. It went deep into Ms. Gray’s character, as she fended off doubts based on traumas in her past and faced present dangers. But I never sensed there was too much “processing” of her feelings, and I liked seeing the growth in her character. The way Cordelia Gray steels herself against her own frailty is the perfect antidote for today’s tiresome girl-bossery. Ms. James only wrote one more Cordelia Gray mystery, which strikes me as a shame. The character had a bit more of a life on television; four movie-length episodes of a series were shot over two seasons. A 1982 film version of Unsuitable Job was not well received.

Ms. James’ primary detective is Inspector Adam Dalgliesh, for whom she wrote 14 novels. He appears in Unsuitable Job.

Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosely

This 1990 novel gives readers their first look at Mosely’s amateur detective, Ezekiel (Easy) Rawlins. Most folks are probably aware of the song Devil with a Blue Dress On, which contains a vamp with the line, “Devil in a blue dress, blue dress, blue dress.” Written and recorded for Motown in 1964 by Shorty Long, the song failed to chart. Two years later, Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels paired it in a medley with Good Golly, Miss Molly, and their single hit No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Bruce Springsteen covered the Ryder version in 1980 at the No Nukes Concert in Madison Square Garden.

However, the song has nothing to do with this book, which is set in 1948. So, I’ve got a little bone to pick with Mr. Mosely about his anachronistic cultural reference. Fortunately, that’s about all I have to quibble with.

The book is told mostly in a spare style, with just enough description filtered through Easy’s wry observations. However, Mosely knows when to elaborate and even when to wax poetic. Easy is a bright everyman, good hearted but far from saintly. He’s also a WWII combat veteran with just enough PTSD to be lethal and maybe even his own worst enemy. The characters Mosely throws in with Easy are varied and believable. The story is well-paced, at times gripping and surprising, and resolves well. We’re left wanting to join Easy on another case. My only other (minor) gripe is that I had a little trouble keeping the characters straight. That might be a lack of exposition, or it might just be a me problem.

I’m sure many people have seen the 1995 film version, starring Denzel Washington. I haven’t seen it in 30 years, and I recall it being an okay thriller, but nothing too special. It did not turn into a franchise opportunity for Denzel. That’s perhaps a shame, since there are 16 Easy Rawlins novels to date that might be adapted.

This is where I say, give it a read even if you’ve seen the film.

Lady, Go Die! by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins

I was going to read Mickey Spillane’s I, the Jury, to get an introduction to PI Mike Hammer. But I couldn’t get my hands on a copy. Instead, I settled for its “posthumous sequel.” Apparently, when he died, Mickey Spillane had a slew of unfinished Mike Hammer novels laying about. The task of completing these fell to Max Allan Collins, a prolific crime fiction writer perhaps best known for the graphic novel, Road to Perdition.

After 84 pages, I put this one aside. It was a little over the top for me. One of the cardinal rules of tough guys is they don’t go around proving they’re tough. This rule gets broken in the most cartoonish, buffoonish manner possible. Hammer, in the middle of a police station, goads a few cops into a fight and then shoots a gun out of one of their hands. This guy literally shoots up a police station and the cops let him walk out with a warning.

I’ve got a few more weeks on the library loan, so maybe I’ll pick it up again. But as of now: Zero stars. Would not recommend.

The Godwulf Manuscript by Robert B. Parker

Published in 1973, this is the first of 40 Spenser novels from the prolific mystery writer who also gave us Jesse Stone. The fictional Boston PI first came to my attention with the 1985 TV series Spenser: For Hire, starring Robert Urich. I wasn’t watching much TV in those days, and after a childhood saturated with Quinn Martin Productions, it was hard to get excited about a new detective show. Elvis Costello could have written his song about my mother, because she was always, “Watchin’ the detectives.” Columbo, Dragnet, Cannon, Barnaby Jones, Mannix, Kojak (“Who loves ya, baby?”), The Rockford Files, Baretta, Peter Gunn, The Mod Squad, and The Streets of San Francisco.

Then, in 1981, cop TV changed forever with the advent of Hill Street Blues. Steven Bochco’s groundbreaking series ushered in stark realism, overlapping storylines, and a huge ensemble where every character, no matter how apparently inconsequential, was fully fleshed out. Spenser: For Hire might have been better than standard 70s fare. But after Hill Street, it struck me as retrograde, a return to simple plots, flat dialogue, and pat endings. I didn’t give it a chance.

However, while I was searching for another PI to try, the sheer volume of Spenser books caught my attention. I found a collection of the first three books entitled Enter Spenser, and I dove into The Godwulf Manuscript.

Firstly, this book is steeped in the 70s culture of sex and drugs and college radicalism. It mostly takes place on a university campus, a milieu which Parker knew intimately as a Northeastern University professor. Spenser is a relatable protagonist. Charming when he needs to be, but not suffering fools patiently. Some of the lip he gives authorities comes off as gratuitous, and a fair number of his quips don’t land. Of this latter point, Parker seems aware. On more than one occasion, he has a character comment on Spenser’s wit, as if that validation will get us readers to play along. But, all in all, the story was well plotted, moved at a brisk clip, and was resolved satisfactorily. I’m not a terribly fast reader, but I sped through this book. Now, since I’ve got two more Spenser novels chambered, I’ll probably give him another shot.

Interestingly, I learned that Parker completed an unfinished 1958 Raymond Chandler novel, Poodle Springs, published in 1989. (Chandler had written the first four chapters.) Then in 1991, Parker published his own Marlowe novel, Perchance to Dream, a sequel to The Big Sleep. This one has me curious. Maybe we finally learn who killed the chauffeur.

So there it is. My complete book report from Private Eye July. Now, what about August?

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Did James Gunn Tell 81M Americans to Skip Superman?

July 8, 2025 / admin / 0 Comments

The liberal dog whistle hints film will be toxic for flag-waving patriots

Days before the most anticipated movie of the summer opens, its director may just have tanked the box office. In a July 4, 2025, interview with The Sunday Times, director Gunn said, “Superman is the story of America. An immigrant that came from other places and populated the country, but for me, it is mostly a story that says basic human kindness is a value and is something we have lost.” This might be an innocuous statement by the foaming-at-the-mouth, MAGA-hating standards of Hollywood. But placed in context of the Trump administration’s aggressive repatriation of criminal illegal aliens, it seems to echo the same, tired liberal line that enabled a border crisis that has created an internal, national security crisis. It throws shade on those Americans who are tired of headlines replete with illegal immigrant violence, which has ruined the lives of so many of our fellow citizens. In true CNN form, Gunn implies that if you care more about Laken Riley than you do her murderer, Jose Antonio Ibarra, you’re a xenophobic, racist bigot, who has lost the value of basic human kindness.

In tooting his liberal dog whistle, Gunn offends more than half the nation. He also reveals that he gets America totally wrong. (What liberal doesn’t?) But most importantly for DC’s upcoming film release, the director tabbed with rebooting the Superman franchise has telegraphed that he hasn’t a clue about the iconic comic book hero. We’ll take these points separately, and as always, America first.

Those Americans who support the aggressive repatriation of illegal aliens do not hold this stance due to bigotry, hatred, xenophobia, white nationalism, or any of the common calumnies the main stream media regularly recycles. We believe that if a nation is to exist, it needs borders and laws. Both have been violated, and we must correct that situation. We believe in fairness, particularly towards those hoping to immigrate via the legal process. We believe in security, which means being free from criminal gangs and terrorist sleeper cells. And we believe that exceptions prove the rule, they do not obliterate the rules. Therefore, if you cite an illegal alien who is otherwise a solid individual, we’ll concede he’s not likely to bomb a skyscraper. However, it’s madness to think that his reluctance to bomb a skyscraper justifies his continued existence in this country. He broke the law; he’s got to go. Period.

Gunn implies that since immigrants “came from other places and populated the country,” the country owes a debt to all foreigners everywhere, which can only be repaid by granting unfettered access. He associates this with kindness, but by every practical metric, it’s madness. This reminds us of an important point Vice President J.D. Vance made recently about the Christian duty to love our neighbors. Liberals regularly assert that putting up border fences to keep out Third World migrants is a failure to follow that great commandment. But this view, if implemented, would bring about absurd, unworkable, and ultimately cruel consequences. Vance was correct to site St. Thomas Aquinas on the “right order” of our duty to love. We must love our family first, then our country, then the outside world. The notion that parents struggling to put food on the table for their children should have an equal concern for the Tren de Aragua hitman recently released from the bowels of a Venezuelan prison is patently absurd. Yet, this is the ivory tower standard Gunn’s comments conjure: kindness uber alles. In the liberal mind, prioritization is discrimination, and that’s a no-no. But failing to prioritize is a recipe for anarchy.

Why can’t Hollywood get Superman right?

What Gunn seems to get wrong about Superman, Hollywood has gotten wrong before. Recall the Zack Snyder travesty entitled Man of Steel, where Superman was cast as an innocent immigrant, irrationally hated by the ugly, paranoid knuckle-draggers that make up America. His adopted father had warned young Clark against revealing who he was, because the peasants would come out with their pitchforks. Snyder’s Man of Steel was a migrant forced to live in the shadows, for fear of exposure and expulsion. This contemporary politicization of Superman was not only tedious and inartful, it betrayed the essence of Superman’s character, and the essence of the noble American immigrant. Gunn’s remarks lead us to believe he’s retreading the trail Snyder blazed.

Gunn says America has lost the value of human kindness. Therefore we cannot welcome the immigrant, Superman included. This belies the reality in America, wherein legal immigrants are regularly naturalized in moving public ceremonies. Naturalized citizens are welcomed into the fold, regardless of race, color, or creed. This fact is inconvenient for the liberal narrative, which seeks to conflate the illegal with the legal, as though there is no substantive difference. By the liberal measure, human kindness dictates that we treat the criminal and the law-abiding exactly the same. But, as is often said, those who will be kind to the cruel wind up being cruel to the kind.

To be clear, what liberal Hollywood (whether it’s Gunn or Snyder) gets wrong about Superman is their insistence that he’s an immigrant who makes the country better, full stop. While that much is true, it’s not the whole story. The whole story is one of reciprocity. We hear all the time about how immigrants make America better; but how often do we hear the reverse asserted? That American makes immigrants better people. America is a country that makes its residents better, because it gives them the freedom to pursue well-ordered lives within the framework of a just society.

In his essence, Superman is great because Superman is good. And Superman is good, at least in part, because of the influence America has had on him. Superman is good because he grew up on a farm in Kansas, working the soil to grow food for his family and the nation. Superman is good because his adoptive parents were salt-of-the-earth folks who gave him a loving upbringing and taught him the Golden Rule. We’re certain he read Matthew 20:26 in Sunday school (“Whoever wants to become great among you must serve the rest.”), marched in the Fourth of July parade, studied the self-evident truths of our great Declaration, and pledged allegiance with his hand over his heart. Superman is good because life in Smallville, Kansas, USA is good.

Try transplanting Superman anywhere else on the planet. What kind of a man does Kal-El become if he lands in the Soviet Union, Saudi Arabia, or Somalia? Is Superman great if he grows up in Gaza and is constantly fed propaganda about killing Jews? Is he great if he lands in Mao’s China and grows up reading the Little Red Book? No, Superman is great because of the formation America gave him, and that’s why he eagerly, generously, and patriotically gives back.

But when you hate America as passionately as liberal Hollywood does, you cannot admit of her greatness. You must prop up the lie that immigrants make America better irrespective of the country’s influence on them. You must show America in the worst light possible, so that Superman is only good because he lives as a being apart, undefiled by an oppressive country in need of a fundamental transformation.

Truth. Justice. Y’know, the thing.

As someone who grew up on Superman, I’m saddened that his legacy is in the hands of people who don’t understand or care about him. Who want to use him cynically to drive their own dubious agenda. But this has been a long time coming. When I was roughly 11, I bought a Superman comic which had replaced the familiar slogan of “truth, justice, and the American way,” with “truth, justice, and the Terran way.” The what now?

The Terran way seemed to suggest that there was a common mode in which all humans operated. But it was evocative of nothing. Was the USSR dedicated to “the Terran way?” What about Fidel Castro’s Cuba? Mao’s China? The American way might have been too idealistic and downright corny, but at least it was rooted in something. It was deeply rooted in the principles articulated in our founding documents. The Terran way was flotsam, woven from pixie dust, unicorn tears, and wishful thinking.

The reactions I’m seeing suggest that Gunn’s comments have dampened what was already tepid enthusiasm for the upcoming film. I was on the fence myself. Having already been brutally disappointed by Superman Returns and Man of Steel, I have no confidence that contemporary Hollywood can get Superman right. Not that they care. Film projects are no longer entertainment vehicles; they are delivery mechanisms for “the message.” James Gunn’s remarks reinforce in my mind that “the message” is his primary concern and telling a good Superman story finishes a very distant second.

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Kevin Rush Talks Pope Leo in Reel Talk Radio Appearance

June 6, 2025 / admin / 0 Comments

Catholic novelist sees reasons to be optimistic about first American pope

My good friend, Audrey Russo, invited me onto her radio show, ReelTalk with Audrey Russo, to talk about my impressions of our new pope. Here’s a link to the segment, which was broadcast June 5, 2025. I also get in a plug for The Wedding Routine 2: Destination Lyon.

Is Dorothy Hughes’ Pink Horse Worth Another Ride?

February 2, 2025 / admin / 0 Comments

Author Kevin Rush answers the question, “If I Saw the Movie, Should I Read the Book?”

Among film noir afficionados, of whom I can’t claim to be one, Ride the Pink Horse has gained near mythic status. That high regard might be due as much to its limited availability for viewing as for its quality. If you want “in” among the “in-the-know” noir buffs, you have to have ridden this particular carousel. (Y’know, kind of the way you can’t talk seriously about Big Foot unless you’ve seen him in the wild.) Yet, beyond being a necessary box to check, Pink Horse is undoubtedly a quality film.

Released in 1947, it’s an exemplar of what the Golden Age studios could do with a tight script and fine actors on a low budget. Pink Horse hooks the viewer and keeps up the tension for its 101 minute run-time, then delivers a satisfying, bittersweet conclusion reminiscent of Casablanca. But if you’re among the lucky few who’ve been able to see Ride the Pink Horse (more on that later), is it worth your time to read the book?

Readers of this column know I’ve asked that question a few times before, including with another Dorothy Hughes project, and the answer is always subject to personal taste. As goes my taste, I’d highly recommend Hughes’ noir novel, which is even more gritty, suspenseful, and noir-ish than the film adaptation.

Classic Actor/Director proves his mettle

Ride the Pink Horse stars Robert Montgomery, best known these days as the father of America’s favorite TV witch. He’s also remembered for being a stalwart Hollywood Republican, back when such out-of-the-closet actors could still have a career. But, back in the day, Bob Montgomery was a prolific B-plus movie actor, whose best films include the original Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941, directed by Alfred Hitchcock) and Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941, remade as Heaven Can Wait, starring Warren Beatty in 1978).

Montgomery also directed six films, five of which he starred in. These include the World War II classic, They Were Expendable (1945, starring John Wayne) and Lady in the Lake (1946). In Lady, Montgomery plays Raymond Chandler’s private eye, Philip Marlowe, and employs an odd technique that shows everything from Marlowe’s POV. That choice, IMHO, makes for very uncomfortable viewing.

In directing Pink Horse, Montgomery abandons the costly experiment that undermined Lady. And he shows that he was paying attention when Hitchcock directed him. Shot selection, framing, and pacing all contribute to the tension of the story, which builds to a gripping climax. The unfolding drama is so enticing, one hardly notices the cheap set, which at times looks like a community theater production.

A familiar post-World War II suspense thriller

The plot of Ride the Pink Horse is fairly simple. Lucky Gagin (Montgomery), a WWII combat veteran and fringe mob guy, has a score to settle with Mr. Hugo (Fred Clark), a corrupt businessman who got rich during the war while better men gave their lives. To cover up his corruption, Hugo did a bad thing, which Gagin is determined to set straight.

The confrontation takes place in a mostly Mexican town within the American southwest during a fiesta which has filled the small town beyond its capacity. While Hugo enjoys a suite at a luxury hotel, Gagin must seek shelter among the poor of the street. Most notably, Gagin falls in with Sancho, an affable carnie, who owns the carousel called Tio Vivo that entertains the children. He also meets Pila, a beautiful young girl from a nearby town, whom he treats to a carousel ride, lunch, and a makeover.

Without spilling the tea, the climax of Pink Horse, like Notorious, is haunting, subdued, and personal. It comes down to a contest of wills, not brute strength or explosive weaponry, which is refreshing in this age of bombastic pyrotechnics. Unfortunately, the resolution intrudes upon, rather than resolves, that conflict, and this is the greatest weakness in the film.

The cast—also featuring Wanda Hendrix, Thomas Gomez, and Andrea King—is uniformly excellent. Hendrix is stunningly beautiful in many closeups, and absolutely convincing as a waif. I particularly liked Clark as Hugo, the tough talking, but ultimately fragile, mob boss.

Hard-boiled noir with a glimmer of hope

At its core, Pink Horse is a familiar story of a not-so-bright, average guy, who’s not as tough as he thinks, going up against a powerful scoundrel who pulls the strings of an invisible, malevolent machine. It’s a standard plot in the noir canon, but is delivered in a fresh setting, far from the mean streets of America’s “great wrong places.” Usually, we wouldn’t expect our sullied hero to get out alive. In the noirest of noirs, our hero has made a fatal error, usually a false moral choice, which he cannot shake and which dooms him in the end. The corrupt machine is just too powerful and the system is too well rigged.

But this script, written by Ben Hetch (Notorious, 1946, and the original Scarface, 1932) and Charles Lederer (His Girl Friday, 1940, and Kiss of Death, 1947) gives Gagin an ally from elsewhere in the system. Naturally, our hero would rather go it alone. But his unwelcome ally is determined to make the system work as designed, in support of the little guy. The result is noir with less cynicism and more than a glimmer of hope.

I recommend that anyone with an interest in 1940s film noir see Ride the Pink Horse. As I noted earlier, it’s a tough horse to corral. But, if all else fails, our comrades in Russia have pirated it for your viewing pleasure. Use that link at your discretion and may the web surfer beware.

A solid thriller from a prolific author

Now, what about the novel on which this film is based? I came across the book on a recent trip to Barnes & Noble. Since I had so thoroughly enjoyed In a Lonely Place, I simply had to buy. I was not disappointed. As with Lonely Place, Dorothy B. Hughes puts us inside the mind of a desperate individual and makes us privy to his desires, urges, resentments, and sudden bursts of sentimentality. Hughes’ protagonist is simply called Sailor. His opponent is Senator Douglass, whom he calls “the Sen,” and his unwanted ally is called McIntyre.

The basics of the plot remain the same. Sailor comes to a remote southwestern town in search of the Sen. Because of fiesta, Sailor can’t find a hotel room, and must spend most of his time on the street and in the plaza. There he meets Sancho, who becomes his friend and resource in a time of crisis. Sailor’s relationship to Pila is more pronounced in its love-hate dichotomy than in the film, and the reader would not expect Wanda Hendrix to play her.

Another point at which the film and book diverge is the presence/absence of the ever-popular femme fatale. In the movie, Hugo’s female companion is a scheming, grasping beauty playing both sides of the showdown. But in Hughes’ novel, the Sen’s object of affection, strikes Sailor, who views her only from a distance, as a figure of purity, and decency. She breathes rarified air, at heights unattainable for a street thug like Sailor or a chiseler like the Sen.

Overall, the book is a much grittier affair. Hughes chronicles Sailor’s discomfiture in agonizing detail, as he deals with the indignities of being without a room. Hughes also pulls no punches about Sailor’s racist attitudes towards Mexicans and Indians.

Plus, the book gives a detailed backstory for Sailor, the Sen, and McIntyre. In the film, Gagin meets Hugo and the McIntyre figure for the first time. Their encounters are immediate and potent, but there’s no history between them. The book draws on decades of interactions to build Sailor’s tension to a breaking point. Hughes artfully raises the stakes of Sailor’s predicament to an explosive climax, which in the truest noir fashion, was darkly inevitable.

Sailor’s story is a tragedy of a lug who had a way out, but refused to take it, because taking it would have betrayed the stubborn choice he’d embraced. Readers who enjoy unvarnished realism, taut suspense, and heartbreaking tragedy will find every reason to Ride the Pink Horse, even after giving the film a whirl.

Disclaimer: Links on this page might be affiliate links. When you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, this website receives a small commission at no extra cost to you. These commissions support our work, so we thank you in advance.

Christmas Discounts for Two New Catholic Novels

November 25, 2024 / admin / 0 Comments

Author Kevin Rush wishes you Merry Christmas with 25% off his latest books

We’re coming up on Thanksgiving, and in no time we’ll be preparing for Christmas. There is much to be thankful for this year (including, perhaps, the preservation of our beloved Republic), but even so, our posture should be prayerful anticipation rather than premature jubilation. As we do every year in Advent, we must reflect on our shortcomings, our flaw and failures, and marvel that in spite of it all, God our Father wishes to shower us with mercy. May His mercy draw us closer to Him and farther from the abyss of “fundamental transformation” we’ve been toeing of late.

On the point of gratitude, I am very thankful for the loyal readers who’ve supported my modest efforts to tilt the cultural axis back to quality entertainment that uplifts and edifies. Your willingness to purchase, read, and post reviews of my books has kept me going, despite the Sisyphean existence of the independent author. In the spirit of gratitude, I want to offer you these links for Christmas discounts of my most recent books, Harvesting Eden and The Wedding Routine 2: Destination Lyon.

Hardly a warm-and-fuzzy Christmas story, Harvesting Eden is a rough-edged fable that employs fantasy and sci-fi motifs to illustrate the dangers of contemporary, secular society, where today’s fleeting feelings are weighed more heavily in the balance than 5,000 years of hard-won wisdom.

As 16-year-old Tara Hartzwell mourns the loss of her twin sister, she’s ready to throw her own life away, until the appearance of a mystery girl plunges Tara into an intragalactic struggle, that teaches her there is no peace for a creature at war with its Creator. But now that I think of it, Harvesting Eden might be a classic Yuletide tale, in the tradition of A Christmas Carol. “God bless us, everyone!”

Readers of The Wedding Routine, which I released three years ago, will recall that Christmas played a prominent role in the climax of that story. I won’t give anything away for those of you who haven’t started the series, but Celia and Emile are back in The Wedding Routine 2: Destination Lyon. Yes, it’s a destination wedding for our two lovebirds, but not without the screwball complications that make for an entertaining RomCom.

Destination Lyon is also my personal love letter to the city I visited in fall of 2019. It’s filled with cultural and historical references woven into the narrative, as the reader encounters this beautiful city through the eyes of its natives and Celia’s crazy New Jersey relatives.

Again, not to give too much away, but as Celia finds her dancer’s feet getting a bit cold, she’s pretty much on her own. She has no luck seeking advice from her uncles or even her mother, who seem to be going through simultaneous midlife crises, which their experience in Lyon helps them happily resolve. Destination Lyon neatly sets up The Wedding Routine 3, which I hope to compete in a timely manner.

Order your books today and save $3.50 off the cover price

To get your discounted copy of either book, just click on the link in the second paragraph above. They take you directly to IngramSparks, the printer. Once again, thank you for your support, and I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving and a Merry Christmas.

Disclaimer: Links in this column may be affiliate links. When you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, this website receives a small commission at no extra cost to you. But this support is very much appreciated.

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Is NAD a Healthy Weight-Loss Alternative to Ozempic?

March 15, 2024 / admin / 0 Comments

NAD+ overcomes insulin resistance without disastrous side effects

Social media is burning up with images of celebrities who’ve dropped significant tonnage, but are mute about their methods. This is an odd phenomenon, given the characteristic eagerness of this class to publicly pledge their allegiance to the newest fad, no matter how bizarre that craze might seem to the average person on the street. Yet, at each exhibition of luminary lipid loss, the same word is uttered in hushed whispers: Ozempic.

And we have to wonder, why the muted tones? If Ozempic is a miracle weight-loss drug, shouldn’t we be shouting about it from the rooftops? Turns out there are ample reasons to be wary, and even more reasons to choose a particular safe and effective alternative: the natural coenzyme NAD.

Step 1: Design a catchy ad campaign

Want to charge $1,200 a month for an injection whose benefits are decidedly short-term, and which puts patients at risk for numerous painful, debilitating side-effects, as well as a dispiriting rebound of the conditions they sought to alleviate in the first place? Then you must, must, must pick a catchy, long-forgotten pop song from the 1970s, whose original lyrics were all about the wondrous state of being in love.

Now you’ve got “Oh-oh-oh-Ozempic!” subliminally telling viewers of ubiquitous pharma commercials that “It’s magic.” Fossils of my era will remember the Scottish band Pilot cautioning listeners, “Never believe it’s not so!” But should we believe the advertising hype around Ozempic? Many sources, including those in the health and fitness sphere outside of Big Pharma, are telling us “No.”

What is Ozempic and why should I be skeptical?

According to the website Health.com, Ozempic a semaglutide, a “synthetic version of a human hormone called glucagon-like peptide one, or GLP-1.” Humans secrete GLP-1 when food reaches our gut. It tells our brain that we’re full and tells our pancreas to get off the schneid and produce some insulin, the hormone that signals our cells to open wide and receive blood glucose. When all works well, GLP-1 ensures that we don’t gorge ourselves and that the vacuoles of our cells widen, taking in glucose to convert to energy. This latter process also lowers our blood glucose levels, sparing us the consequences of diabetically high blood sugar.

People with type II diabetes either don’t produce enough insulin or suffer from extreme insulin resistance, so that while their insulin’s a knockin’, their vacuoles are sayin’ “Don’t come in.” (This is a problem with cell-signaling, one of the many cellular functions that depend heavily on the co-enzyme nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, or NAD.)

Ozempic is designed to increase insulin production for type II diabetics who have had trouble getting their blood sugar under control with other methods. Ozempic is delivered via twice-monthly injections, at a cost of about $1,200 per month. Health.com tells us, “After injection, semaglutide increases insulin production and lowers blood sugar. This causes the stomach to empty more slowly, reduces appetite, and makes people feel full.” So, it should come as no surprise that Ozempic has delivered another sought-after benefit: weight loss.

Is the bonus benefit just a dangerous illusion?

The Ozempic bonus has led overweight people, especially celebrities who can afford the high price tag, to request the drug for weight loss, a use for which the FDA has not approved it. Yet, doctors seem willing to prescribe Ozempic for off-label use, a practice that is often controversial if not illegal. In fairness to these doctors, we should note that another semaglutide prescription, Wegovy, has FDA approval as a weight-loss drug. But should either of these synthetic hormone drugs be used for this purpose?

This lady in a lab coat says no. And we must listen, because she is appropriately dressed. (Also note that she’s an MD, not an actress.)

Thank you, Dr. Annette Bosworth.

A litany of side-effects, some of which are deadly

If you’ve seen an O-O-O-Ozempic commercial, you’ve heard the recitation of side effects, which range from unpleasant to deadly. The mild variety includes:

Fatigue
Dizziness or vertigo
Discomfort and/or skin discoloration around the injection site
Increased heart rate
Changes in perception of taste
Digestive problems, such as belly pain, constipation, diarrhea, flatulence, burping, nausea, and vomiting

Ozempic patients have also started reporting hair loss.

The more serious side effects include:

Kidney problems, such as kidney failure
Low blood sugar
Pancreatitis
Gallbladder disease, such as cholecystitis or gallstones
Thyroid cancer
Allergic reactions

All of these are potentially fatal.

After reading these lists, the reasonable reader might wonder, “At what point do the risks outweigh the possible benefits?” For people who cannot control their diabetes, the disease is eventually fatal. Other messy consequences include blindness and amputation of extremities. So, a roll of the dice with Ozempic might be in order.

Alternatives to a potentially deadly roll of the dice?

However, most people with type II diabetes can control their sugar through dietary and lifestyle modification. These changes are generally not easy, which is why many so people are open to taking a magic shot, courtesy of our consistently trustworthy friends at Big Pharma. This mindset, which seems to be the basis for Ozempic’s marketing strategy, has really rankled celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels, who has voiced her concerns about Ozempic to Megyn Kelly (video below) and Bill Maher.

As Ms. Michaels explain, Ozempic treatment is necessarily short. And for many patients, the benefits sunset early, as their weight loss plateaus and the pounds rebound. Unfortunately, the side-effects seem to linger well beyond patients’ use of the drug. Another reason for concern is the psychological effect Ozempic seems to have on type II diabetics, who should maintain a strict exercise regimen. According to a report from MSN, Ozempic seems to discourage overweight people from working out.

Is NAD+ optimization a better way to manage insulin resistance?

Dr. Jin-Xiong She is a prominent microbiologist who has spent a significant portion of his career studying the relationship between cellular functions and age-related/metabolic diseases, including type II diabetes. The precursor to type II diabetes is the condition we call insulin resistance, where the cells do not respond to the insulin’s signal. This forces the pancreas to produce more insulin, eventually exhausting itself. When the body no longer produces its own insulin, a patient must take insulin orally or via injection. For people in a prediabetic state, insulin resistance causes stubborn weight gain, along with ancillary health problems.

Dr. She has studied the role of NAD in cellular functions, and in this short video, he explains four key benefits of NAD as they pertain to normal insulin sensitivity.

Unfortunately, people lose NAD due to age, stress, and lifestyle choices, such as a poor diet, smoking, alcohol consumption, and a sedentary lifestyle. This can turn insulin sensitivity into insulin resistance. The good news is that replenishing lost NAD can return the system to healthy homeostasis. Replacing lost NAD is tricky, but Dr. She has developed a highly effective supplement he calls Vitality Boost.

NAD optimization: a safe, natural path to better health

One of the great benefits of Vitality Boost is the increased energy one feels after just a few days of using the product. This can empower an overweight person with insulin resistance or type II diabetes to hit the gym and get the natural health benefits of exercise. Many people have been able to reverse type II diabetes and return to good health through dietary and lifestyle modifications. Supplementing to achieve NAD optimization makes the process easier, so more patients should be able to improve their health for the long term.

Importantly, NAD is a natural compound, not a synthetic, so there’s no list of horrendous side effects. I’ve written in this column about the numerous health benefits I’ve experienced with Vitality Boost. It’s precisely because of those health benefits that I asked Dr. She to make me an affiliate marketer for his company Jinfiniti Precision Medicine.

If you are struggling with insulin resistance or type II diabetes, I urge you to try this amazing product. Ask your doctor which is more likely to help you: the all-natural compound that’s an essential cofactor for virtually every cellular function, or the synthetic hormone with the catchy jingle, a monthly cost equal to your mortgage, and a list of side effects the length of the King James Bible.

O-O-O-I think I know what they’ll say.

Great news: Get started with NAD for 10 percent off!

You can get started with Vitality Boost for 10 percent off the standard price by using my offer code KevinRush10 at checkout. Just follow this link: Jinfiniti!

Disclaimer: The column may contain affiliate links, which help support the website. When you clink on an affiliate link and make a purchase, the website receives a small commission at no additional charge to you. Thank you for your support.

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NAD: The Best Sleep Aid I’ve Ever Encountered

March 6, 2024 / admin / 0 Comments

Essential molecule rebuilds your sleep mechanism on the cellular level

For as long as I can remember, I have struggled to get a good night’s sleep. The problem started after a childhood accident left me with a nasty case of whiplash and misalignment of my spine. I suffered from stiff necks, and it became exceedingly difficult to get comfortable. I often woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. As the years progressed, my sleep got progressively worse, because now I had daily concerns that I took to bed each night. I turned them over in my mind, as I tossed and turned in my bed.

So, naturally, I was tired all the time, which too often seemed to be the defining characteristic of my life. I got through high school on sheer adrenaline and caught a break at college where free time between classes allow me to sneak an occasional nap. Studying didn’t come easy; reading was so relaxing, I’d often fall asleep at the beginning of an assignment. There wasn’t enough coffee or speed, (readily available at the campus infirmary), to enable me to pull an all-nighter. As a result, my grades were far from stellar, and I graduated thoroughly unready for the working world.

man sitting on bed in morning — Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

Working 9 to 5, as I often did between acting gigs, was torturous. When three o’clock rolled around, I could barely keep my eyes open. I had to fight to stay awake until I got my second wind. I often waited tables, beginning an evening shift around 4 o’clock, which meant leaving home around 3 pm, which was the height (or depths) of my afternoon slump. Eventually, I went into teaching, where the workday mercifully ended with a 3 pm dismissal. I could leave school by 3:30 and either get my much-needed nap or fight the slump and go running…slowly…after a long, slow warmup. Many an afternoon, I felt like a vampire crawling back to his coffin at dawn.

There were years when I commuted by motorcycle or car, and my heavy lids put me in mortal danger. You might recall the old Bill Cosby routine about negotiating with himself over how long he could “rest his eyes” while driving. I mentioned this to a colleague who said he actually did fall asleep driving home one afternoon and awakened just in time to brake, to avoid crashing into a car stopped in front of him.

There were times when lack of sleep had me so stressed out, I’d have horrible nightmares. This pattern made me apprehensive at bedtime, making it even harder to relax and fall asleep. Of course, the nightmare would come, like a self-fulfilling prophecy, guaranteeing a couple of insomniac hours before I could fall asleep again…often 10 minutes before the alarm went off.

My futile search for a good night’s sleep

I was not cavalier about my sleeping problem. I knew that poor sleep was ruining my health, and I did everything I could to overcome it:

Acupuncture
Aspirin
Tylenol PM
Benadryl
Chamomile tea
Dragon bone
Dolomite powder
Tryptophan
Melatonin
Rosebud tea
Hot baths
Massage
Therapy
Meditation
Calcium, magnesium, and zinc
SAMe
St. John’s Wort

None of this really worked. Oh, perhaps for a time I might sleep better, then the insomnia would creep back in. Or I’d go out like a light and not be able to wake up in the morning. Or the remedy would work, but a side-effect would force me to give it up.

I even went to a sleep clinic, and they gave me a machine to monitor my sleep. They said to put a clip on my finger and sleep as usual, and the machine would record my oxygen level to determine whether I had apnea. I put the clip on my finger, and the annoying thing kept me awake all night. No sense getting a C-PAP machine. If I couldn’t sleep with a clothespin on my finger, I wasn’t going to sleep in scuba gear.

thermometer on medical pills — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

At one point, I wondered if I was clinically depressed, so a doctor prescribed some antidepressants. I took them for a couple of nights, but they left me feeling utterly desolate. It’s hard to explain the sensation, but it felt like a knife was scraping the flesh from the bones of my soul. I tossed the rest of the pills in the trash.

Ultimately, my strategy for decent sleep became a low-stress schedule, a panoply of supplements, occasional acupuncture and massage, regular but not too strenuous exercise, rosebud tea, afternoon nap, and a near-total ban on red meat. (And, of course, no sugar, but that was for other reasons.) Over the last several years, since I’ve been working freelance and making my own hours, I could catch some Zs on the back end of a rough night. If I was wide awake from 3 to 5 am, I could sleep until 9 am. If it took me 10 hours to get seven hours of sleep, so be it. It was high-maintenance sleep hygiene, but at least I could function.

Sleep restored through NAD+

What a difference three months make! That’s how long I’ve been taking Dr. She’s NAD+ optimization formula, Vitality Boost. In that time, my sleep has become deeper and more restorative. I still wake up once or twice during the night, but I quickly fall back to sleep. Sometimes, I’ve been out so deep, that it takes me a while to come around, but once I do, I have a great deal more energy. In short, Vitality Boost is the most effective sleep remedy I’ve ever encountered. I’ve had such great results from Vitality Boost that I asked Dr. She to make me an affiliate marketer for his company, Jinfiniti Precision Medicine. So, here’s my pitch for your best night sleep.

NAD restores essential molecules for cell functions

photo of sleeping man — Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

NAD+ is an essential, natural compound for maintaining a healthy circadian rhythm. When you have sufficient levels of NAD+, your body understands that it’s time to sleep. NAD+ also reduces inflammation, so aches and pains melt away. You’re more comfortable, relaxed, and ready to sleep. Plus, NAD+ improves cell signaling, thus correcting problems like insulin resistance that can cause blood sugar spikes that disrupt sleep in the middle of the night.

People lose NAD+ with age, stress, exposure to toxins, and poor lifestyle choices. Once your levels fall off, NAD+ is very hard to replenish with just diet and exercise. Fortunately, when the importance of intracellular NAD+ became apparent, scientists like Dr. Jin-Xiong She set out to discover effective ways to optimize for it.

More than an effective insomnia remedy!

As I alluded to above, NAD+ is an essential cofactor in a wide array of cellular functions, such as energy production, respiration, and cell division. Without NAD+, our cells struggle to function, which means our tissues, organs, and systems struggle, opening the door to various metabolic and age-related illnesses. I’ve written in this blog about how NAD+ helped me overcome a panoply of symptoms, including:

Allergies
Brain fog
Fatigue
Insomnia
Muscle strain
Inflammation
Sciatica
Shoulder impingement syndrome

My experience is not unique. I’ve spoken to numerous people, including Dr. She himself, who have overcome age-related aches, pains, and decline. They report greater energy and mental clarity, as well as higher libido and improved sexual performance. But research has also shown that optimizing NAD+ levels can alleviate the symptoms and/or deter the onset of:

PTSD
Insulin resistance
Type II diabetes
Cardiovascular disease
Cancer
Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s

Based on what I’ve experienced and read over the last several months, I firmly believe that anyone over 35 should be supplementing to optimize their NAD+ levels.

All NAD+ supplements are not created equal

Unfortunately, NAD+ is hard to supplement, and not all products or methods are equal. Many are, frankly, a waste of time and money. Dr. She has tested his supplement, Vitality Boost, against other products on the market, and has documented that it is far more effective. It’s also super convenient to take, and is reasonably priced for all the benefits it bestows.

Great news: Get started with NAD for 10 percent off!

You can get started with Vitality Boost for 10 percent off the standard price by using my offer code KevinRush10 at checkout. Just follow this link: Jinfiniti!

If you routinely struggle to get a good night’s sleep, you know how insomnia is undermining your health. Do yourself a tremendous favor and order Vitality Boost today. You’ll be very happy you did.

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Did NAD+ Cure My Allergies?

February 26, 2024 / admin / 0 Comments

No more pills and no more sneezes!

At this time last year, I was taking two, sometimes three, all-day Loratadine pills a day, but still sneezing my head off, scratching my itchy eyes out, and gargling warm tea in a futile attempt to clear my throat of phlegm. It’s now been eight days since my last pill, and I am virtually symptom free. The only difference I can point to is … three plus months ago, I began supplementing NAD+.

(For the uninitiated, NAD+ is a naturally occurring compound our cells need to perform virtually every task of being a cell, including energy production, respiration, and reproduction. When NAD+ is depleted, as happens when we age, experience trauma or persistent stress, or make unhealthy lifestyle choices, our cells cannot perform properly, and we suffer the consequences, including premature aging and metabolic illnesses. Restoring NAD+ to optimum levels can arrest this decline and restore our vitality. I’ve written about my NAD+ experience previously on this blog, but the disappearance of my allergic symptoms is a new milestone.)

“Oh,” but you’ll say, “isn’t this the holy season of Lent? And haven’t you taken the pledge for the duration? So, maybe it’s the fact that you’ve eliminated alcohol for more than a week?” Perhaps, O Prophet of Prohibition, but I’ve gone dry for extended periods in the past, (voluntarily, not court-ordered) and I’ve never observed any change in the horrendous allergies that oppress me 12 months out of the year. This is clearly different.

Where did these allergies come from anyway?

I was not born with allergies. And as a precocious (also obnoxious) youngster, I neither understood them nor had sympathy for children who suffered from them. Allergies struck me as a sign of weakness, and don’t even get me started on asthma, which I totally regarded as a ‘sissy’ illness. So, it was either poetic justice or divine retribution that in my early teens I developed hay fever. With a vengeance each spring came the hell of itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, congestion, headache, and scratchy throat.

Back in the Jurassic period of my youth, there were no effective OTC allergy treatments, and even the prescription meds were of doubtful efficacy. I was put on Actifed, which might as well have been a sleeping pill. It wasn’t quite the hammer to the head that Benadryl is today, but it was very nap inducing. And the more I took, so it seemed, the more I needed to have any effect on my symptoms.

ill man sitting at desk and sneezing — Photo by Gustavo Fring on Pexels.com

Actifed made me feel like I was carrying a piano everywhere I went. During high school, I tried to get off it, especially during the allergy off-season (if such a time exists). But invariably I’d wind up at a house party with a feline in residence, and to avoid anaphylaxis, I’d have to beg tabs of Chlor-Trimeton from similarly afflicted friends.

I started acupuncture when I was about 26, which boosted my overall energy and gave me relief from a range of symptoms, including my nasal allergies. For a brief time, I was able to keep the demons at bay with just homeopathic remedies. But the acupuncture was too expensive to keep up, and the symptoms came clawing back, and I went crawling back to my old friend, Actifed.

Dawn of the ‘Non-Drowsies’

yellow and white red pills on blister pack — Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.com

In the early 1990s, they came out with Seldane, the first of the ‘non-drowsy’ allergy treatments. I was pretty desperate at that point, so I asked a doctor to prescribe it. He refused, because he’d heard of cardiac complications, such as ventricular arrhythmias, cardiac arrest, and cardiac death. He recommended continue on Actifed. I went to find a doctor who would prescribe Seldane.

I didn’t have to take Seldane long, before Claritin became an option, and I got clear. Then the generics were released, and the price plummeted. Still, the ‘non-drowsy’ meds were really only ‘less drowsy.’ I was stuck between a rock and a hard place, since the allergies, left untreated, also knocked me out. Remember the Cowardly Lion in the field of poppies? “Come to think of it, 20 winks doesn’t sound so bad…. Zzzzzzzzzz.” The spring pollen dumps, those days when I’d come out to find my white Civic under a yellow crust of plant poison, turned me into an itchy-sneezy zombie.

Only within the last couple of years have I realized that, whereas one pill would relieve the nasal symptoms, but leave me wiped out, a second pill would relieve the allergy induced drowsiness enough that I became functional. After I moved to South Carolina, a new environment notorious for allergens everywhere all the time, I reached the point where I was taking as many as three all-day pills a day!

A couple of weeks ago, as I ingested the last Loratadine pill in my cabinet, I figured I’d better get to the pharmacy quickly. I picked up a two-month supply, but when I got home, I didn’t feel the need to open the package. No sneezing. No itching. I felt better than I had the previous year at the same time, after taking a double dose. So, I put the Loratadine tabs in the cabinet, and I haven’t touched them.

Eight days later, I’m wondering, am I finally clean? I can’t remember the last time I went this long without a torturous flareup. I don’t know if it will last. I remind myself that this is only February. It’s not even vaguely pollen season, and when that hits at the end of March, beginning of April, I may go running to my medicine cabinet, deliriously happy to find the pills I’m ignoring now. But, in this moment, it’s quite a relief to be able to abstain.

Apparently, I’m not alone: NAD+ cured Jimmy’s allergies, too!

After hearing my story, my friend Greta put me in touch with her pal, Jimmy, who’s had a similar experience. At 65 years old, Jimmy was running the customer-facing operations at a high-end steakhouse. Not the kind of position where you’d want sinusitis headaches, watery eyes, and a drippy nose. But Jimmy had severe allergies, which caused such inflammation and nasal congestion that, even on prescription allergy meds, he was going through a box of tissues a day. Because Jimmy has atrial fibrillation and high blood pressure, he can’t OTC decongestants, so he was paying a heavy price for drugs of doubtful efficacy. Like me, Jimmy’s allergies had developed over time, getting progressively worse with age, and haunting him year ‘round.

a healthcare worker measuring a patient s blood pressure using a sphygmomanometer — Photo by Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels.com

Then, he found NAD+. After about eight months of NAD+ optimization with Vitality Boost from Jinfiniti Precision Medicine, Jimmy reports that his symptoms have eased up considerably. But not just the allergies. His blood pressure has improved as well, and he has more stamina on the job. That last part is key, since he spends long hours on his feet at the restaurant and claims to cover about six-to-eight walking miles a day.

How does NAD+ treat allergies?

Perhaps the reason science has not developed a cure for allergies is that we still don’t know exactly what causes them. The puzzle seems to involve genetics, environmental triggers, and even human psychology. What we do know is that allergies are an overreactive response to perceived threats to our health. It’s possible that environmental toxins and/or emotional stress put the immune system under the type of strain that flips the switch on allergy genes, and voila !, we become sniffling, sneezing messes.

The problem sort of boils down to a defect in cell-signaling, a function in which NAD+ plays a vital role. It’s possible that the stressers that trigger allergies also deplete NAD+, or perhaps they deplete NAD+ first, which interferes with immune cell signaling, thereby causing the overreaction we call allergy. If so, it makes sense that replenishing intracellular NAD+ would enable healthy signaling and stifle any tendency for our immune system to overreact.

Scientists are exploring the efficacy of NAD+ supplementation in treating allergies and asthma. While it’s too early to declare victory, the early results are promising.

Get started on NAD+ today and recover your vitality!

My vanishing allergies is yet another reason I am sold on Vitality Boost. I’m now an affiliate marketer, and I invite you, dear reader, to recover your youthful vigor with NAD+ supplementation from Jinfiniti Precision Medicine.

Enter the offer code kevinrush10 for a 10 percent discount off your first purchase, and 10 percent off every subsequent purchase.

I’ll continue to keep you updated on this blog about my progress and any new NAD+ discoveries. Until then, good luck and good health!

Disclaimer: This column may contain affiliate links. When you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, this website receives a small commission at no extra cost to you. Affiliate links help support my writing, so your participation is greatly appreciated.

cell seen under microscope — Photo by Fayette Reynolds M.S. on Pexels.com

My NAD+ Story: After Three Months, I Feel 30 Years Younger!

February 19, 2024 / admin / 0 Comments

Breakthrough formula restores health and vitality on the cellular level

You may not be aware of this, but a revolution in health sciences is happening, because of discoveries surrounding a compound called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, abbreviated as NAD+. This molecule, as it turns out, is essential for virtually every function of human cells, and not only do we not get enough of it, but aging, stress, and poor lifestyle choices cause a depletion of NAD+ at the cellular level. NAD+ depletion leads to a wide range of metabolic and age-related disorders, including chronic inflammation, insulin resistance, type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic fatigue, cancer, and on and on, seemingly ad infinitum.

The good news is that scientists, most notably Dr. Jin-Xiong She in Augusta, Georgia, have developed effective ways to boost intracellular levels of NAD+, thereby restoring youthful vigor and deterring a slew of adult-onset illnesses. Now, if you’re thinking this pitch sounds too good to be true, I can hardly blame you. As a fourth grader reading about Ponce de Leon, I had to laugh at the gullible rube who was searching Florida for the Fountain of Youth. And, as you might have read, I’m appalled by corrupt practices in modern medicine. But when it comes to all-natural methods of improving my health, I’ll try just about anything once. So, three plus months ago, I started taking Dr. She’s NAD+ supplement, Vitality Boost, and am I ever happy I did!

Where did I go wrong?

A little personal background. When I was six, I suffered a nasty whiplash accident that left me with a misaligned spine and a sacrum that was ever-so-slightly out of the socket. My family’s quack doctor said to rest, and I’d been fine. But I wasn’t fine, and he did nothing to help. As a result, I grew up with atrocious posture and sleeping problems that hampered my growth and left me chronically exhausted. I was in fairly constant pain, which fluctuated between dull and excruciating, and I had to deal with ever-increasing metabolic health problems, which included a panoply of allergies, tinnitus, “sinus headaches,” a “nervous stomach,” hypoglycemia, and low-level asthma. I was rarely my best self, underperformed at school, lived under constant stress, and simply didn’t have the energy to pursue my life’s goals.

Now, I don’t want to paint a picture of abject misery. I’ve done a lot in my life and have known a great deal of joy and contentment. And I feel like I’ve earned those moments. I fought for them, exploring every potential avenue to restore my health: chiropractic, Atkins’ diet, cytotoxic four-day rotation diet, nutrient supplementation, meditation, crystals, acupuncture, traditional Chinese herbs, complete abstention from sugar and alcohol, massage therapy, electrical muscle stimulation, and regular exercise. I poured my meager earnings into expensive treatments that for a time allowed me to feel better, before the exhaustion and the pain crept back in. For the amount of exercise I put in, I should have had a chiseled physique, but I never made the progress others made, and pushing my boundaries resulted in exhaustion, inflammation, and more pain.

Chronic pain/fatigue has been my cross to bear. It’s a lighter cross than many others have endured, and for that I’m grateful. But it nevertheless has limited my success personally and professionally. I could recite a litany of times I ended a relationship or made a career change, because I was just too tired to move forward. When I was trying to break in as an actor, a common observation from the agents who interviewed me was, “You need to have more energy.” As a singer, I never fully developed my voice, because the energy I lacked stunted the development of my vocal instrument. As a writer, I’ve had a million stories bouncing around in my head that I just haven’t had the time—make that energy—to put down on paper. So, at age 63, I perceive a huge chasm between my potential, based on an honest assessment of my talent and intelligence, and my accomplishments. Augh, so much spilt milk.

Saved from managed decline by NAD+!

The good news came about four or five months ago, when my friend Greta asked if I wanted to do a little marketing writing for a product she was involved with. At that time, I was feeling every bit of my age. I’d wake up every morning with a song in my heart, but it went something like this:

“Why does everything hurt, hurt, hurt?

Why does everything hurt, hurt, hurt?

Why does every little thing crackle and ping

When I take off my shirt?

It’s a day above dirt,

But why does everything hurt?

Here’s a brief list of the symptoms I was struggling with:

Asthma
Allergies
Brain fog
Lethargy
Insomnia
Peripheral neuropathy
Swollen feet
Inflammation everywhere
Sciatica and piriformis syndrome
Shoulder impingement syndrome
Tinnitus
Neck pain
Restless leg syndrome and night cramps
Afternoon slump a la Rip Van Winkle

I dutifully exercised for an hour each day to keep these symptoms from worsening, but I was clearly managing my decline, not recovering.

So, then Greta introduced me to Dr. Jin-Xiong She, a molecular biologist who had founded Jinfiniti Precision Medicine. Dr. She has been studying cellular functions relative to age-related diseases for decades. His studies confirm that there is one essential nutrient that operates as a cofactor in virtually every cellular function, including the production of energy, a compound called NAD+. People lose NAD+ with age, leading to a decline in our cells’ ability to perform, which opens the door to various maladies. Supplementing NAD+ can restore cellular performance to peak levels, so we build healthier tissues, bones, and organs.

Dr. She also confirmed through his studies that NAD+ is a difficult nutrient to supplement. Because it’s such a large molecule, it does not penetrate the gut barrier, and even if given intravenously, NAD+ is too large to pass through the vacuoles in the cell membranes. Thus, the way to boost NAD+ levels is to supplement the precursor molecules, the building blocks of NAD+, and let them enter the cells where the organelles in the cell will use them to create NAD+. Dr. She claims to have developed the most efficacious NAD+ supplement on the market, and after three months of taking it, I have no reason to doubt him.

Dr. She is a very data driven scientist, so the first thing he wanted to do with me was draw some blood and measure my levels of essential biomarkers. Not surprisingly, my NAD+ level was that of a mid-70s man. The way I figure it, constant stress depleted my levels, and even the strict diet and exercise regimen I’ve been on for decades was not enough to replenish this vital nutrient. I was also deficient in creatine, which could explain the muscle soreness I experienced after exercising, and I had poor biomarkers for inflammation and antioxidant levels. Armed with this information, I started taking Dr. She’s NAD+ supplement, Vitality Boost, along with creatine, anti-inflammatory supplements, and antioxidants.

What three months on Vitality Boost has done

I’m now on my third jar of Vitality Boost, and as I wrote at the beginning, I feel like I’m back in my mid-30s. Now, my mid-30s might translate to a fit individual’s early 50s, but I’ll take it, because here’s what I’m experiencing:

Vastly improved overall energy
Deeper sleep
Allergies are milder
Mental fog gone
Better mood
Tightness in my trapezius and neck during computer work/piano playing greatly diminished
Tenderness in the shoulder greatly diminished
Pain/swelling in my feet and lower legs greatly diminished
Sciatica and piriformis pain barely noticeable
Greater flexibility, greater ability to stretch muscles and hold deep stretches longer
Hardly any muscle soreness after exercise
Easier, quicker workouts
Singing is easier with better airflow, greater range, and more power

This is after only three months. Dr. She says he’s been taking Vitality Boost for two years and is still discovering new benefits.

Is NAD+ real hope for humanity?

In my research, I’ve found that NAD+ optimization is proven or suspected to be beneficial for an incredible number of conditions related to faulty metabolism, genetic mutations, poor neural signaling, and aging, such as:

Addiction
Age-related macular degeneration
Allergies and asthma
Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases
Autism
Cancer
Cardiovascular disease
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Depression
Female infertility
Insomnia
Low libido
Obesity
PTSD
Type II diabetes and insulin resistance

Now here’s where I offer my disclaimer. Because of my own experience, the mounting hard scientific evidence, and enthusiastic anecdotal testimony, I am sold on Vitality Boost and am excited to share what I know with anyone who could benefit. So, I asked Dr. She to make me an affiliate marketer for Jinfiniti Precision Medicine. I think what Dr. She has accomplished is amazing, and the word has to get out to the public. Just thinking about all the unhealthy, suffering people in this country who could benefit and turn their lives around…it makes my head spin.

Get started on NAD+ today and start feeling younger!

So, I invite you, dear reader, to explore Jinfiniti Precision Medicine and make it your source for NAD+ supplementation. If you decide to make a purchase, enter the offer code kevinrush10 for a 10 percent discount off your first purchase, and 10 percent off every subsequent purchase.

If you are suffering from any sort of systemic illness, you need to give your system the fuel it needs to fight back. And if you’re feeling the decline that comes with age, NAD+ can help you turn back the clock and get a youthful spring back in your step.

I’ll continue to keep you updated on this blog about my progress and any new NAD+ discoveries. Until then, good luck and good health!

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Get started on NAD+ today and recover your vitality!

Enter the offer code kevinrush10 for a 10 percent discount off your first purchase, and 10 percent off every subsequent purchase.

Share this:

Breakthrough formula restores health and vitality on the cellular level

Where did I go wrong?

Saved from managed decline by NAD+!

What three months on Vitality Boost has done

Is NAD+ real hope for humanity?

Get started on NAD+ today and start feeling younger!

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