The Writer's Life 5/17 - Stuff

There was a lot of good stuff in today’s NY Post. Starting with the most significant, kudos to Delta Forces, which pulled off a daring raid that killed Abu Sayyaf, the head of the oil and gas black market operations of ISIS. The intention was to capture him, but resistance was so fierce there was no choice. 19 of the enemy were killed, while Delta suffered no losses. Sayyaf’s wife and many computers and documents were also seized.

In the business section, Jonathon Trugman cites a stat that negates the happy talk about the economy. 89% of those earning minimum wage are over the age of 20. Teens are getting squeezed out of the job market by adults desperate for work. Trugman argues that raising the minimum wage won’t do much to relieve the problem. What’s needed are the well-paying jobs of a dynamic economy.

In a fascinating article, Maureen Callahan profiles Cole Cohen, who was born with a hole in her brain the size of a lemon. Cohen has written a book, Head Case, about her struggle. Remarkably, the young woman, in her 20’s, is now living on her own, despite cognitive difficulties. Had the hole been in another area, she would have been completely incapacitated, probably dead. Here's the book's great cover:

Chip off the old block: Dominique Sharpton, 28, eldest child of the Reverend Al, is suing NYC for five million for an injury incurred in a sidewalk fall. She sprained an ankle. In the past 22 months NYC has paid 60 million to settle such claims.

A blurb on the main op-ed page provided an interesting bit of useless information. A poll on civic pride found that residents of Des Moines, Iowa, have the highest rate, 76.5%. The lowest? Fayetteville, Arkansas, 12.5% -- what the heck is going on there? New York scored 59.7%. I'm surprised it's so low. Even a conservative like me is proud to be a New Yorker.

My thanks to the kind folks who made purchases at the floating book shop, and to the young woman who donated about 40 books of impressive variety. I'd guess she's 18, and she's reading across a wide range that includes Free Masonry, Japanese authors, anime and grammar and writing manuals, as well as some popular fare. It will be interesting to see how much interest some of the works attract.
Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5

Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j

Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp

Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Vic's Blog: http://vicfortezza.blogspot.com/

Vic's Web Site: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/