Zug Island Wins Two Awards

When I found out I had won a Finalist Award in the USA Book News 2011 competition, I felt an immediate sense of accomplishment and validation. What for me was a quirky blue collar coming of age story about race relations in the Detroit suburbs was meaningful to others.

Since publication of Zug Island: A Detroit Riot Novel, one year ago this May, I have received many emails testifying to the unflinching honesty of my portrayal of a time in American history many people would prefer be left unwritten.

In February, I was surprised to discover that I had received another award for Zug Island, an Honorable Mention from the 2012 Los Angeles Book Festival competition. These awards have motivated me to forge ahead with my next writing project, The Water Tower, about the John Norman Collins murders in Michigan of the late Sixties.

If you are looking for an entertaining and meaningful summer read, click on the Zug Island book cover in the right sidebar for more information. Available from Amazon in a quality paperback edition and Kindle format.

Fifteen Things You Should Give Up To Be Happy

Our Declaration of Independence has a radical statement which had never appeared in any political document before July 4th, 1776 - the idea that individuals have a right to the "pursuit of happiness." This may be the wellspring where Americans derive our characteristic optimism.

In my travels to Europe, I am always struck by how serious people seem to be. Where Americans tend to smile and enjoy a hearty laugh out in public, Europeans tend to be stoic and reserved.  Americans feel that happiness is a birthright, and when we don't feel happy, we feel like something is wrong or missing from our lives.

The expectation to be happy all of the time is unrealistic. Life is not a continuous laughfest - it has its ups and downs which most of us realize. But then there are those people who are devoid of happiness - which leads to depression and other mental health disorders.

There are doctors you can consult, pills you can take, liquor you can drink, and groups you can join, but the potential for greater happiness lies within you if you can be honest with yourself. Ultimately, happiness is a self-improvement project. Get started by opening the link below.

http://www.purposefairy.com/3308/15-things-you-should-give-up-in-order-to-be-happy/#

Five Regrets of the Elderly

Life is a gift and it amazes me how many people don't bother to unwrap the present. Too many people live deferred lives for all sorts of reasons
only to discover in their later years that life has passed them by. These people often become bitter in old age. Some people are lucky enough to get a wake up call and have a second chance at improving the quality of their lives.

Most of us are familiar with the "If I knew then what I know now" cliche. The link below explains the "Five Regrets" most often expressed by the elderly in their final days. Maybe some of us will benefit from the wisdom of the aged and teach these lessons to our children and our grandchildren.

https://apps.facebook.com/theguardian/lifeandstyle/2012/feb/01/top-five-regrets-of-the-dying?fb_source=other_multiline&fb_action_types=news.reads

Man Flies Grand Canyon with Jet Pack and Lives

Some things you need to see for yourself to believe. This video clip of a man flying the western reaches of the Grand Canyon in Arizona propels Commander Cody and Ironman from the realm of science fiction into the realm of science fact.

As beautiful as the Grand Canyon is, this primeval place has an unforgiving and deadly landscape. One mental lapse, one operator error, one equipment malfunction, and this test pilot would not walk away alive. This extraordinary individual has the ride of his life, and he takes us with him.

http://www.wimp.com/jetmanflight/

Easter Egg Tree in Germany

Imagine the incredible effort that went into attaching each of these hand decorated Easter eggs to this tree. I don't know the story behind the Easter tree, but I'm tempted to write one.

 

Happy Easter, Everyone!

 

The Ideology of Whiteness and the Trayvon Martin Debacle

In the wake of the Trayvon Martin killing in Florida, the issue of race in America has once again hit the front burner of our national consciousness. The rhetoric of race has rippled through communities across the United States, this time fueled and aggravated by partisan television commentators and their army of devoted listeners who have taken their message to the internet. Race baiting for political gain may once again put our nation at risk of civil unrest and embarrass us internationally.

Different accounts of what happened surface daily in the press. If Florida doesn't adequately investigate this ambiguous incident, the Federal  Office of Civil Rights surely will. I remember the race riots of the Sixties and the Chicago Democratic Convention. Believe me, our country does not want to see a repeat of those times. It was a zero sum game for everyone, and some cities never recovered from it.

Racial discrimination against people of African descent has been a feature of the cultural and political landscape in America for over three hundred years, but its roots run deep in European history when white supremacy was taken for granted and Europe sought to master and control people of color to amass great wealth and political control. The Triple Passage of the Eighteenth Century made England rich and powerful, and planted the scourge of white supremacy in the New World with its legacy of racism.

The ideology of whiteness in America was further advanced by the American labor movement of the 1930s and 1940s. As jobs became scarce during the Depression, black men were discriminated against in hiring and could only get the dirtiest and lowest paid factory or foundry jobs. This priced most blacks out of the housing market and forced them into overcrowded inner city slums with substandard housing.

The problem of employment for black women was not as pronounced because of the large number of underpaid domestic service jobs available. Often, black women could get jobs when many of the men couldn't, which further destabilized the African-American community. The uniform of a maid only reinforced the imagery of subservience for black women and supremacy for the white women who hired them.

As industry burgeoned in the Twentieth Century and the labor movement took off in America, many of the old rivalries of the immigrant Europeans who worked in the factories had softened by the second or third generation. Now, these "white" workers organized and conspired against blacks from the South, who were arriving in the northern industrial centers in growing numbers looking for work and the promise of a better life.

The article linked below attempts to answer the difficult question: What is white culture anyway? It isn't as easy to define as you might think.

http://www.thegrio.com/specials/trayvon-martin/transforming-white-culture-in-the-wake-of-trayvon-martin-shooting.php

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers Dancing to "The Time of My Life"

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dance clips from several of their movies are synced together to the song, "The Time of My Life," by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes from the movie Dirty Dancing.

Dancing with the Stars fans will appreciate the grace and skill of Fred and Ginger, as the film clip editors did a wonderful job bringing this iconic modern song to life with dance routines over seventy years old. The great dance numbers of the Golden Age of Hollywood musicals, which were often better than the movies they appeared in, are readily accessible on YouTube.

When I get tired of the clash and clutter of empty words, especially during an election year, watching a dance video takes me to the harmonious world of music and movement. It is a great break from the cacophony of everyday life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvaClxiF-xM&feature=related