I Am a Part of All that I Have Met: A Story of Greed, Love, and Inspiration By: Bill Bivins Life is good for highly acclaimed Justice Oliver Browning, well… life is tolerable… until it’s horrible. He’s invited by a colleague to make some “easy” money. However, it’s more illegal than easy, and after being rebuffed when Browning tries to convince his buddy to turn himself in to the authorities, the justice knocks on the FBI’s door. Thus, begins a new life of sorts as he enters the Witness Protection Program and is moved to a small mining town in Colorado. Surrounded by the breathtaking beauty of the area, Browning settles in as “Larry Fields” and faces a long list of WITSEC rules designed to keep him safe from the drug cartel he’s angered by exposing their money-laundering scheme. Since his disinterested and distant wife refuses to join him in this “embarrassing” situation, he’s on his own and soon meets the lovely owner of the local bookstore. But being unable to share his true identity and marital status, their gentle romance begins on very shaky ground. Even so, “Larry” gets a glimpse of how spectacular his life could be when and if his current troubles are resolved. “I Am a Part of All that I Have Met”: A Story of Greed, Love, and Inspiration shows that when love is strong, it can grow, in spite of adversity.
As a boy in Houston, Bill Sarpalius, his brothers, and their mother lived an itinerant life. Bill dug food out of trashcans, and he and his brothers moved from one school to the next. They squatted in a vacant home while their mother, affectionately called “Honey,” battled alcoholism and suicidal tendencies. In an act of desperation, she handed her three sons over to Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch north of Amarillo. At the time, Bill was thirteen years old and could not read. Life at Boys Ranch had its own set of harrowing challenges, however. He found himself living in fear of some staff and older boys. He became involved in Future Farmers of America and discovered a talent for public speaking. When he graduated, he had a hundred dollars and no place to go. He worked hard, earned a scholarship from the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, and obtained a college degree. After a brief career as a teacher and in agribusiness, he won a seat in the Texas Senate. Driven by the memory of his suffering mother, he launched the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse in an effort to help people struggling with addiction. Sarpalius later served in the United States Congress. As a Lithuanian American, he took a special interest in that nation’s fight for independence from the Soviet Union. For his efforts, Sarpalius received the highest honor possible to a non-Lithuanian citizen and was named a “Grand Duke.” The Grand Duke from Boys Ranch is a unique political memoir—the story of a life full of unlikely paths that is at once heartbreaking and inspirational.
Winner, Journalistic Achievement Award, Texas Historical Foundation, 2004 From the simplest slab of weathered stone to the most imposing mausoleum, every marker in a Texas cemetery bears witness to a life that—in ways small or large—helped shape the history and culture of the state. Telling the stories of some of these significant lives is the purpose of this book. Within its pages, you'll meet not only the heroes of the Texas Revolution, for example, but also one of the great African American cowboys of the traildriving era (Bose Ikard) and the first woman in Texas elected to statewide office (Annie Webb Blanton). Visiting cemeteries from every era and all regions of the state, Bill Harvey recounts the histories of famous, infamous, and just plain interesting Texans who lie at rest in Texas cemeteries. The book is organized alphabetically by city for easy reference. For each city, Harvey lists one or more cemeteries, giving their location and history, if significant. At the heart of the book are his profiles of the noteworthy people buried in each cemetery. They include not only famous but also lesser-known and even unknown Texans who made important contributions to the state in the arts, sports, business, military service, politics—truly every area of communal life. For those who want to visit these resting places, Harvey also includes tips on finding cemeteries, locating gravesites, and taking good photographs. Spend time with him in the graveyards of Texas, and you'll soon appreciate what fascinating stories the silent stones can tell.
I Am a Part of All that I Have Met: A Story of Greed, Love, and Inspiration By: Bill Bivins Life is good for highly acclaimed Justice Oliver Browning, well… life is tolerable… until it’s horrible. He’s invited by a colleague to make some “easy” money. However, it’s more illegal than easy, and after being rebuffed when Browning tries to convince his buddy to turn himself in to the authorities, the justice knocks on the FBI’s door. Thus, begins a new life of sorts as he enters the Witness Protection Program and is moved to a small mining town in Colorado. Surrounded by the breathtaking beauty of the area, Browning settles in as “Larry Fields” and faces a long list of WITSEC rules designed to keep him safe from the drug cartel he’s angered by exposing their money-laundering scheme. Since his disinterested and distant wife refuses to join him in this “embarrassing” situation, he’s on his own and soon meets the lovely owner of the local bookstore. But being unable to share his true identity and marital status, their gentle romance begins on very shaky ground. Even so, “Larry” gets a glimpse of how spectacular his life could be when and if his current troubles are resolved. “I Am a Part of All that I Have Met”: A Story of Greed, Love, and Inspiration shows that when love is strong, it can grow, in spite of adversity.
Ever wonder if you could relive part of your life, to experience again the innocence of childhood or to correct a grievous mistake that has haunted you? Mack McCoy may have done just that unwittingly. Mack is a good man, captain in the Dallas Police Department who would describe his career as "in the weeds," thanks mainly to an incident in which he shot and killed two unarmed teenagers in the act of robbing a pizza restaurant. Though cleared of wrongdoing, he has become a pariah, busted back to captain from deputy chief. Mack is paired with a fire captain for a project they both perceived as dead-end with no potential growth for either of them and more importantly, no redemption for Mack. Just as it seems things couldn't get any worse, they do. A violent traffic accident kills Mack's best friend and leaves Mack fighting for his life. Through recovery, Mack begins to realize there are certain realities in his life that are quite different from the way he remembers them. People begin walking into his life that had passed or played a completely different roll in his life in the past. New people such as a homeless man and other unknowns that come and go in the shadows and call themselves "advocates" also become a part of his new reality. What happened to Mack while in surgery, and what childhood event could be a gateway that changed everything? No one expects a "Do-Over" in life. Mack didn't expect it. The question is, did he take it?
Sports talk in America has evolved from small-time barroom banter into a major media smorgasbord that runs 24/7 on TV and radio. With hundreds of billions of dollars generated annually by pro and college teams in major markets nationwide, sports fans across the country are more dedicated than ever to their teams. And when it comes to sports talk -- especially all-sports radio -- it's all about entertainment, information, prognostication, analysis, rankings, and endless discussion. Prominent sports-media figures in each of the three target cities -- Cleveland, Detroit, and Washington, D.C. -- engage in this phenomenon with a compilation of sports lists sure to delight as well as stir up debate within these already-buzzing sports communities. List topics include: What were the most lopsided trades in local sports history? Who were the most overrated athletes to play in our town? What local athlete had the best appearance in TV or film? What was the most heartbreaking loss in local sports history? What was the greatest single play in local sports history? Who are our team's most hated rivals? Plus dozens of "guest" lists contributed by famous local sports and entertainment celebrities. With franchises in three of the four major pro sports -- the Browns (NFL), the Indians (MLB), and the Cavaliers (NBA) -- plus a dedicated following of the Ohio State University athletics, Cleveland's fans are some of the most rabid and knowledgeable in the country, and Bill Livingston and Greg Brinda are the acknowledged authorities on Cleveland-area sports.
Alaska's fermented legacy retains the fiercely independent spirit that propelled the state's beer drinkers through the gold rush and sustained them through Prohibition. Today, craft brewers produce outstanding suds in some of the harshest and most remote locations on the planet. And while the beer scene in Alaska has roots that trace back to days when spirits had to have "medicinal, mechanical, and scientific purposes," the contemporary crop of breweries can thank industry pioneers like the Alaskan Brewing Company for staying on the cutting edge of beer-making technology. Join beer columnist and historian Bill Howell on an exploration through this hop-filled history of the Last Frontier.
In this collection of essays, interviews, and profiles, William Banfield reflects on his life as a musician and educator, as he weaves together pieces of cultural criticism and artistry, all the while paying homage to Black music of the last 40 years and beyond. In Representing Black Music Culture: Then, Now, and When Again?, Banfield honors the legacy of artists who have graced us with their work for more than half a century. The essays and interviews in this collection are enhanced by seven years of daily diary entries, which reflect on some of the country's most respected Black composers, recording artists, authors, and cultural icons. These include Ornette Coleman, Bobby McFerrin, Toni Morrison, Amiri Baraka, Gordon Parks, the Marsalis brothers, Spike Lee, Maya Angelou, Patrice Rushen, and many others. Though many of the individuals Banfield lauds are well-known to most readers, he also turns his attention to musicians and artists whose work, while perhaps unheralded by the world at large, are no less deserving of praise and respect for their contributions to the culture. In addition, this volume is filled with candid photographs of many of these fellow artists as they participate in expressive culture, whether on stage, on tour, in clubs, behind the scenes, in rehearsal, or even during meals and teaching class. This unique book of essays, interviews, diary entries, and Banfield's personal photographs will be of interest to scholars and students, of course, but also to general readers interested in absorbing and appreciating the beauty of Black culture.
Breaking through pervasive misconceptions, Jazz in the 1970s explores a pivotal decade in jazz history. Many consider the 1970s to be the fusion decade, but Bill Shoemaker pushes back against this stereotype with a bold perspective that examines both the diverse musical innovations and cultural developments that elevated jazz internationally. He traces events that redefined jazz’s role in the broadband arts movement as well as the changing social and political landscape. Shoemaker immerses readers in the cultural transformation of jazz through: official recognition with events like Jimmy Carter’s White House Jazz Picnic and the release of The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz; the market validation of avant-garde musicians by major record labels and the concurrent spike in artist-operated record labels and performance spaces; the artistic influence and economic impact of jazz festivals internationally; the emergence of government and foundation grant support for jazz in the United States and Europe; and the role of media in articulating a fast-changing scene. Shoemaker details the lives and work of well-known innovators (such as Art Ensemble of Chicago, Anthony Braxton and Sam Rivers) as well as barrier-breaking artists based in Europe (such as Derek Bailey, Peter Brötzmann and Chris McGregor) giving both longtime fans and newcomers insights into the moments and personae that shaped a vibrant decade in jazz.
Murfreesboro was recognized as an official city in 1817, and from 1818 to 1826, it was the capital of Tennessee. In its early years, the town established itself as a rich agricultural community. By 1853, the area was home to three colleges and several academies. Murfreesboro played a decisive role in the Civil War and suffered the loss of many of its people and much of its architecture. However, in the early 20th century, Murfreesboro regained its momentum and began to rebuild. Many of the buildings from this era still exist today and stand as great reminders of the towns past.
At the time of the Civil War, roughly three out of every four southern whites did not own slaves. Most of the rest owned only a few. Until recently, these "common whites" have been largely forgotten. In the past few years, several important studies have examined common whites in individual counties or groups of counties, but they have focused on family life, the economy, or other specific features of the common-white life. Common Whites: Class and Culture in Antebellum North Carolina is the first comprehensive examination of these non-slaveholders and small slaveholders in over forty years. Using North Carolina as a case in point, Bill Cecil-Fronsman has sketched a broad portrait of the world made by this group. Drawing on travelers' accounts, newspapers, folksongs and folktales, quantitative analysis of census reports, and, above all, the common whites' own words, he has woven the individual threads of the culture into an in-depth analysis of their world and their responses to it. This work focuses on the issues of class and culture. Here, Cecil-Fronsman explores why the common whites accepted the slave system even though it worked to their disadvantage. He demonstrates how the market economy of the outside world played a negligible role in their lives and how their unique traditional attitudes toward family and community evolved. Finally, he recounts how, though most common whites supported the Confederate cause during the Civil War, many of the old loyalties broke down during the war years. The common whites, though they outnumbered the slaves and the elites, make up the least studied group in the Old South. This book takes us beyond the stereotypes and misconceptions to a betterunderstanding of a group of people virtually ignored by traditional history.
Although Bill Nye (1850-1896) was America's best known humorist in the late 1880's and early 1890's, his work is little known today--his books long out of print and his columns yellowing in newspaper files. Now T. A. Larson, a dyed-in-the-wool Nye fan for more than thirty years, has assembled the best of Bill Nye's work, most of it dating from the seven Wyoming years when Nye made his name. The selections are chosen from Laramie, Cheyenne, and Denver newspapers and from six books published in the 1890's. The resulting collection is both good fun and a valuable picture of a lively period.
From the hosts of a nationally syndicated radio comedy show, a humorous endorsement of American lifestyle and cuisine, with recipes and dining tips. “ALL THE FAT IS THE LORD’S . . .” —Leviticus 3:16 Radio personalities Rick Burgess and Bill “Bubba” Bussey love their grub, and they love it well—and now they want to tell you everything they know about it! In this bountiful buffet of all-things-vittles, Rick and Bubba of the syndicated Rick & Bubba Show—heard nationally on more than 60 radio stations—will offer you a veritable smorgasbord of tantalizing tidbits to help you get the most out of America’s favorite pastime—eating! Features of Rick and Bubba’s Big Honkin’ Book of Grub include: Rick and Bubba’s no-fail Weight Loss Tips Palate-pleasing recipes to tickle your tummy Rick and Bubba’s Tribute to the Casserole “Da Rules” for eating with excellence and grace (including Rick and Bubba’s Never-to-Be-Broken Rules of the Church Potluck) Rick and Bubba’s Favorite Places to Eat The official list of interesting Food Fairs and Festivals “Eating is an art . . . an event . . . an experience,” say Rick and Bubba. So grab your forks, y’all, and come on. There’s eatin’ to do! Let Rick and Bubba show you how!
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