Bolognabrain

Just ran across an article quoting a study by Amazon, naming the top cities in America, 100K population and up, who were the biggest reading communities in the nation.

Reading the list I was not too surprised, though I’m not sure I would or could have guessed. Some I would have gotten for sure, even though the order may have been different.
I was proud to see three Florida cities listed; Orlando at #14, Gainesville at #8 and good old Miami at #6. Miami is close enough to Fort Lauderdale that in my mind I can include us there. The truth is, except for the $ factor, from Palm Beach, through Broward and all the way to South Miami, it’s really just one big town with individual cities running border to border with the next community.

I was also proud to see Cincinnati included in the list. At # 17 I think they are close enough to my hometown, Middletown, Ohio, that they deserve inclusion too.

Reuter’s reported that Amazon surveyed and recorded the sale of books, magazines, newspapers and eBooks to reach their conclusion and it appears the results would be fairly accurate.

Here’s the list. If your town isn’t on the list, be like me and stretch your imaginary, literary boundaries and find a way to include yourself. If that doesn’t work… read more.

1. Alexandria, Va., 2. Cambridge, Mass., 3. Berkeley, Calif., 4. Ann Arbor, Mich., 5. Boulder, Colo., 6. Miami, 7. Arlington, Va., 8. Gainesville, Fla., 9. Washington, DC, 10. Salt Lake City, 11. Pittsburgh, 12. Knoxville, Tenn., 13. Seattle, 14. Orlando, Fla., 15. Columbia, S.C., 16. Bellevue, Wash., 17. Cincinnati, 18. St. Louis, 19. Atlanta, 20. Richmond, Va.

Regular readers are sure to have noticed that we have been well off our pace for new material this past week.  It has been for good reason.  We were hacked.  I am pretty sure it was not HECTOR from the Spyder McClusky saga.  Instead it was a person, or persons, in Russia.  Other than almost causing me to have a nervous breakdown, we were able to get everything fixed in a couple of days with some outside help.

For a guy who has started a small company based around computer technology I am not a computer code guy.  Most of this stuff is above my head but I am good at research.  So, when the problem reared its ugly head I diligently searched the Internet looking for a solution.  I found it and printed off page after page of suspect code.  Some of the code even contained anagrams as if the hackers were taunting me.  I gave it my best shot but realizing it was above me I got help.

The first thing I would like to point out is how genius the hack was.  I stared at the multiple pages of code and I couldn’t help but think that these guys should be working to cure cancer or help bring world peace.  I mean, they are brilliant.  Second, I don’t see what they get out of it.  It is not like they made a bunch of money out of picking on Bolognabrain.com.  In fact, there were over 100,000 sites attacked and most of them independent blogs.    I am sure that some of these did not have an expert that they could call in to fix the problem so some will be gone forever.  In a world already dominated by large media mega companies, it was independent voices that were silenced.

Unfortunately some people are making money out of hacking and frankly, it bums me out.  Fortune and NPR have reported on a company of hackers that are finding security vulnerabilities and keeping them secret to sell them to the highest bidder, usually governments around the world.  Is it a surprise that one of the biggest customers is the United States Government.  Rather than reporting the vulnerabilities to the software companies so they can be fixed instead they are kept secret so they can be used for spying or computer warfare.  This is madness.  This is like paying bank robbers to test bank security. World governments are providing a market for illegal and destructive activity.

Shouldn’t governments report this information to the companies so we can all have safer, hack free, and private computers?

In retrospect, it was almost like a dream. I was there, and it still seems like a fictional novel or a Hollywood movie. The whole kidnapping seems to have been a figment of some imagination. Things like this don’t happen to normal people. But, then again… what is normal?

Last week, while my friend Spyder was still in recovery from the ordeal, I spent a lot of time reflecting on the twists and turns that defined this unbelievable story. The kidnapping of Spyder McCluskey from Ralph’s Conspiracy Porch, the emergence of Dr. Maybe and his shadow group of urban terrorists, HECTOR (Help Eliminate Conservative Theories of Right-wingers), the timely appearance of Captain America, the hero we all count on to show up at the last minute and save the day. This was the material of serials and comic books. What a relief that it was all too true and he saved the life of our friend and compatriot while unraveling the insidious plot of these cowardly, un-American subversives.

While mentally going over and over the details of the climax to this story, I felt overwhelmed with the desire to re-visit the scene of the crime, and, in my own mind, put together the action of that fateful night.

So this past week I drove back down to Marathon, in the Florida Keys, and took some pictures to help settle my addled brain. If you’ve read the details of that evening’s events, these pictures might help cement the details for you, too.

As you may recall, the ransom transfer was to take place at the bridge over Tom’s Harbor, just north of The Dolphin Research Center. Dr. Maybe approached on the bridge.

He planned to make his escape, after the ransom transfer, down a rope ladder over the bridge. Captain America showed up, in the nick of time, and saved the day for the good guys.

Site of Spyder McCluskey rescue

Later, Spyder and I had martinis at Zane Greys, just up the road.

It was a night for heroes, not schmoes like me, but it was a night I will never forget and an experience that may, very well, change my life forever.

Again, in retrospect, I reflect on what this night meant to me and what it must have meant for Spyder. I understand the epiphany that illuminated his path to The White House and solidified his commitment to serve, in whatever capacity, our country and the America he knows and loves.

Spyder McCluskey… as freedom loving Americans… we salute you.

Mother’s Day….A special day; a day of mixed emotions; a pain-in-the-ass to some; a joy to others; a harmonious reunion of the clan; or a spiteful fueling of sibling rivalries. A boon for FTD and Hallmark for those too far from Mom or too busy with their own lives to be there in person….But it’s the one day in the spring that Mom’s or Mom’s past come into focus. It doesn’t get the hype given a Valentine’s Day-most folks have a sweetheart or significant other, but not all of us have a Mother..I’m fortunate enough to still have mine, though she’s not in the “mint condition” she once was. She’s aging gracefully, a coupla month’s from 85; still on her own, and basically, still “sharp as a tack”…I’ve tried for years to coax her into making it an outing. Go to some fancy restaurant for Sunday dinner and maybe a movie. Flowers, cards, maybe a special trinket will do just fine. But she told me today, the way to allow her to have a “Happy Mother’s Day” was to let her fix a big dinner (lunch) for her two boys and have a nice visit afterward. She said the day would come when she wouldn’t be able to do it, and then we’d do it different. But for now, we just let her do what she love’s and does best-be a Mother…I hope you all have had a good visit or grand conversation with your Mom. If your Mom is no longer with you, I hope you’ve had fond memories of times when you did. I guess that’s why today “is” a “special day”.

Even though I write books for children, I am still cognizant of the rights of free speech and freedom of the press. Whenever I hear stories of book burning or books being banned, I tend to get my hackles up.

I was having lunch yesterday with two lady friends and during the course of the conversation the runaway best seller Fifty Shades of Grey, by E. L. James, was mentioned. My daughter is currently reading it and I have no doubt it will be passed around my house, which is all women except me. Even the dog is female. More than likely the dog-eared novel will end up on my nightstand and I will read it too. I don’t really know anything about the book except the rumors I hear in the news and they run the gamut from mommy porn, to hard core sadomasochistic, to soft core to over easy porn. I’ve always said a little titillation goes a long way.

Since timing is always everything, I mentioned I had read that a local, South Florida author, Susanne Jacoby Hale, from Parkland, recently had her book published that was titled “Shades of Gray”. The difference being, that book is about her years as a teacher in a New York school and deals with the struggles of dropout prevention. The fallout from the salacious book has caused her some embarrassing moments but I keep thinking she may have benefitted from unintended sales, too.

Then on top of everything else I discover the library system in Brevard County, Florida is banning 50 Shades of Grey from their bookshelves. It seems they ordered several copies of the book prior to the brouhaha that now surrounds it, and have decided that when they are returned from current borrowers they will no longer grace the shelves in their local lending libraries.

My take goes like this. I know there are differences but it’s almost like television. If there are people who are not supposed to see certain things, parents need to be the authority in those circumstances, not some library director. Let the people decide.

The banning of 50 Shades of Grey, in Melbourne, Florida will probably increase sales by thousands. I only wish I could discover a way to get my book Miller the Green Caterpillar banned.

“If Wall Street greed continues unbridled, a man who can grow food will be worth more than a hundred financial advisors and corporate attorneys”.  CNBC Circa 2011.  Ahh…Springtime and gardening!!  The smell, the texture, the incredible feel of fresh plowed earth ‘neath the feet!!  The planting has been done and the fruits of those labors are showing their tiny heads.  The onions, cucumbers, zucchinis, yellow crooked-neck squashes and Merit Silkless corn were among the first seed crops.  Now the green beans, okra, and peanuts are starting to show.  The sixty or so tomatoes were set out as plants, as were the 30+ assorted peppers.  The second-year asparagus bed is filled with waist high ferns and will present  it’s bounty for first harvest next year.  Later this summer will come second and third plantings of corn, tomatoes, cukes, and squash.  Melons and late season peas will follow.  Then as college football kicks off, so will planting for the fall and winter garden.  More will come later on that endeavor.  For now, lots of work and time will go into assuring fruition of this early spring effort…Wonder what seeds financial planners and Wall Street Bankers have sown, and what kinds of crops are in their harvest plans??

This past weekend, I attended a walk for life event in association with the American Cancer Society.  The event was held in the parking lot of an old and closed amusement park that holds some dear memories for both Suburbanhobo and I.  Now the property is owned by a camper sales company but back in the day it was something!

Lesourdesville Lake was actually started in the 1920′s in Monroe, Ohio as a place for picnics and swimming.  My grandfather worked on the lake when he first moved to Ohio from Kentucky in the 1930′s.  In the 30′s and 40′s Glenn Miller and Stan Kenton played there.  By the 1960′s, Bob Braun and the Cool Ghoul did remotes from there.  In the early 1970′s, I used to watch Suburbanhobo play with a band called Sagebrush in the western town attraction know as Tombstone Territory.  By the start of the next decade I was playing in a band on the main stage.

My memories of the place go far deeper than that.  It was the first amusement park that I was allowed to go to without adult supervision.  It was the first time I hooked up with a girl.  It was the first time that I screamed and screamed and maybe even cried on a ride. (o.k. I sobbed.)  And it was my first regular and reoccurring gig as a musician.

The place has been closed for 10 years now.  Visiting it during the cancer event, I had to walk down to the front  gates to look inside.  The place is all falling apart and overgrown but with the exception of the sadness for the fact that it is now close, I was overcome with the memories of its glory years.

In my first summer as an entertainer, I was not only very popular with the young ladies but I opened up for Gary Lewis and the Playboys and the Four Tops.

As I gazed through the locked gates at the empty amusement park in disrepair, I felt like I was living the last scene of the movie, Titantic, and all the old ghosts were on the great staircase with a smile.

Under various conditions, Spirit Airlines is going to start charging $100 for carry on baggage. The article I read on MSN.com went on to say, that was more than the price of some tickets.

My wife is of the opinion that, with current security concerns, they should do away with carry-ons entirely. She believes every bag on a plane should not only be x-rayed, it should be sniffed by a dog. I’m ok with that. When terrorists put bombs in their tennis shoes, let alone in their underwear, a peek in a carry-on is not overly intrusive. Test every freakin’ bag that is going to be on a plane. It’s bad enough the place you fly out of is called “a terminal.” No wonder I drink heavily before I fly.

I flew Spirit Airlines a couple years ago. The low fares did the trick, but it was the absolute worst flying experience since that bad blotter acid in 1970. When I asked if I could “Gate Check” my guitar, they asked if it would fit up my (expletive deleted). No extra fee for that, they said.

Knowing how fares tend to escalate in the summer, I booked my flight way back in March for some performances in Iowa this July. By doing so, I did not have to pledge my first born child and a quantity of blood, to be determined at a future date.

When a commercial airline receives more income from ancillary fees than from the fare for basic passenger service, there has to be something wrong with the state of the market. By earning record profits, Spirit Airlines proves I’m right. Think about it this way. Here’s an analogy. The Snickers I used to buy at the corner convenience store for a quarter now costs a dollar. That sucks. And if Spirit gets away with it, how long before every other airline matches this unfair practice?

I’m all about support for business. I’m a conservative. But when big business runs roughshod over the common man, I start to think Obama is right. Ok… not really. I was stressing there for a moment. But still, a modicum of social consciousness is not always totally out of the question.

Between high air fares, The TSA and the price of gas, I am thinking I should stay home. If not… I’ll hitchhike…
This video is from one of my FB friends, Doug Spears, another Florida folkie

Today is a powerful anniversary for someone from Ohio.  It marks the 42nd anniversary of the shooting at Kent State University that ended with 4 people dead and 9 others injured.  It seems especially poignant this year given what has occurred both here and abroad.  Last year we saw what power can come from protest with the Arab Spring and, here, we still see the Occupy protests refusing to die.

It seems to me that sometimes we take this right for granted and don’t realize it is a right many have died for.  In the Bill Of Rights it states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances”  The whole idea of assembling to petition with free speech is so powerful because that is how ideas grow.  It makes governments nervous and despots tremble.

I believe the right of free speech is so important that we should not turn our heads away when it makes us uncomfortable.  When I was in college I did my very first Web page for a political science class.  In the page I included things to reinforce my views but I also included a neo-Nazi page to reinforce my views on free speech.  The best way to fight against views that offend us is to have the discussion out in the open; not drive it underground.

So tomorrow take a moment to reflect on the First Amendment.  Take a moment to consider why it is important and all of the changes it has brought to our world… and why it is feared by governments.

I’m still in recovery but just few words. It is going to be h rd for me to hit the “A” key bec use evil Dr. M ybe cut off my left pinky finger s proof of life. He boxed it nd sent it to Suburb nhobo but I know they sent it to his old ddress. I’m not sure who received it but even if it is found it prob bly couldn’t be sewn back on since so much time h s p st. Currently, they‘re working on pinky prosthetic. I should be b ck in ction very soon. For now mericans, look up the term “STOCKDALE PARADOX” for I will be writing to you soon unveiling the force th t drove me to survive and sh re my revel tion.
Regards,
Spyder McCluskey gre t mystery writer, former hockey pl yer living in the Keys