Writing.Com • 4th May 2022

The New Normal: Next Up

Some of us are wondering when we will return to normal. We must understand though we’re not returning to “normal.” We can’t return to a place we never left. Normal isn’t set in stone. The one enduring trait about normality is its evolution. Normal continues to prove the adage “the more things change the more they stay the same.” Yet some still speak of returning to “normal” as in the pre-2020 Covid-19 era world. Others talk about the new normal. However, the next normal is upon us. The like

Simily • 31st March 2022

Phony Baloney: The Prize for Pretense –

“And the nominees are” … these words announced with enthusiasm as only Biff Demonson, social medias’ golden voice could utter them. The words spoken with a lilt that once led a critic to quip that Biff could make watching paint dry sound exciting. This gush of expression was followed by a brief but dramatic pause. The audience reflected on the contest and its dubious backstory as the drumroll rattled on. The False Prophets Sweepstakes, informally known as “the phonies” possessed a great stature

28th October 2021

Literary Hall of James GoodRead Review: The Book of Cain

Vengeance wouldn’t be taken out on him for killing Abel. The lack of retribution that would seem a blessing is actually a curse. He wont die and to his chagrin he don’t die.

7th September 2021

Literary Hall of James GoodReads Review: The Island of Sea Women

For this is at heart a story of friendship began as youth that strayed and frayed because their island home was no safer from the interference of people from afar than it was the tsunamis and typhoons that stirred the sea around it.

ToughNickel • 7th September 2021

The Chicago Driver's Guide to Rideshare Street Smarts: Busy Boulevards/Michigan Ave

I drive people to their destinations as I drive towards my destiny. Frank Sinatra croons “State Street that great street” in his lyrical homage to Chicago. To me, Michigan Avenue is that great street when it comes to rideshare driving. It offers tremendous money-making opportunity. Michigan Ave is not a boulevard for its whole length. Its non-boulevard south side trek flows practically uninterrupted from 31st Street towards the southernmost city limits. Here it runs north to south and includes

ToughNickel • 7th September 2021

The Chicago Drivers' Guide to Rideshare Street Smarts: The Lake's Edge—Near South Side

James has driven rideshare good through all 77 Chicago neighborhoods. The ten best rideshare driving locales include seven with Lake Michigan beach fronts. The remaining three rub elbows with Chicago River banks at some point. Near South Side shares a coast line with both the Chicago River and Lake Michigan.Its city center location flanked by Chicago’s premier waters draw residents, visitors and their rideshare demand. Neighborhoods that provide two sources of extraordinary demand will make yo

ToughNickel • 5th September 2021

The 10 Best Places to Make Money Rideshare Driving in Chicago

James drives people from here to there with nary a care when he drives Chicago rideshare. 9,000 trips by the 2019 new year. The familiar mantra "location, location, location" is used to explain business success for everything from real estate to restaurants. Rideshare, the chauffeur on-demand service offered by Uber, Lyft, and Via follows the same model. Location matters. Chicago is a city of neighborhoods. I've found the best way to get rideshare dollars is by going to the busiest areas. Here

29th June 2021

Literary Hall of James GoodReads Review: Black Boy

The fear, savagery, and betrayal along with constraints enforced upon him by law and equally binding custom extracted a psychological price, a black tax of sorts that was levied upon his spirit.

14th June 2021

Literary Hall of James GoodReads Review: Queen of the South

The author’s skillful writing took this reader on a book journey that I could not put down. Whereas, I could not put it down, television people could not resist picking it up

Owlcation • 13th June 2021

Juneteenth: A Celebration of Freedom

James is a self-proclaimed history nerd who believes that for many Americans, Independence Day happens in June. Juneteenth honors the official end of slavery in the United States of America and its territories. It is the oldest known observance that celebrates this historic event. Today, Juneteenth is designated as a commemorative observance holiday or legal holiday in the District of Columbia and 48 of the nation’s 50 states. Hawaii, and South Dakota are the only states that don't recognize it

31st May 2021

Literary Hall of James GoodReads Review: Son of A Preacherman

His heart breaker reputation and her heart broken situation would cause an impasse in ordinary times. But in this time of the riot before the storm idealistic inclinations like love at first sight to her just doesn’t seem right.

AxleAddict • 26th May 2021

Sweet 15: The Anniversary of an Automotive Legend

15 years and over 180,000 miles later my Cavalier proved legit, and showed no sign of quit. It has been over 10 years since General Motors quit producing the Chevrolet Cavalier. Yet, the Cavalier still rolls on. I visited the acclaimed Kelley Blue Book web site (the place to go when evaluating cars) in 2015. The 2000 Chevrolet Cavalier, with 1,672 consumer reviews, had an overall rating of 7.9 on a scale of 10. Upon reading this, it occurred to me that I was even more satisfied with my ’00 cava

LetterPile • 19th May 2021

The Literary "Hall of James" Favorite Fictional Characters /Julie

James is a fan of action adventure stories that have a historical element to them.. Julie had to leave her house to find her home. Along the way, she survived not as a lone wolf but as alone among the wolves. Character Julie (new school name) Miyax (old school name) Julie much like Mark Sway, the adolescent hero of The Client is a survivor despite her young age. She begins her journey alone on Alaska’s unmerciful tundra during the burgeoning stage in life that is 13 years of age. She arrives

2nd May 2021

Literary Hall of James GoodReads Review: The Long Guest

The thing about any story, event(s) or time is that once completed its history but for those present within it it’s still a mystery. They don’t know how it will play out. The historical fiction that knows this best shows this best. It documents, details and delivers a fictional story that makes sense of the non-fictional history.

LetterPile • 2nd March 2021

The Literary "Hall of James" Favorite Fictional Characters / Teresa Mendoza

James is a fan of action adventure stories that have a historical element to them.. The Queen of the South (cover) Life gave Teresa Mendoza lemons and she made lemonade… with a vengeance. Teresa, better known by her alias, “the queen of the south”, took her lemons and squeezed out lemonade using an ingredient mixture of good fortune and even better fortitude. As a result, she transformed from a mild mannered girlfriend of a Sinaloa drug cartel pilot (Güero Dávila) into a mysterious, enterprisi

12th February 2021

Imani is Her Name

Imani is the Swahili name meaning faith. It's also the last but not least principle of the Kwanzaa cultural celebration. Here, it is personified in a poem dedicated to the struggle of black Americans. Also, it's published at Discovery Hubpages.

LetterPile • 10th February 2021

The Literary "Hall of James" Favorite Fictional Characters /Bagheera

James came to know Bagheera from books borrowed from his home town library while in grade school. Baggy is still among his favorites Bagheera was a big cat who hung out with a bear and wolves. That alone makes him stand out. Best among the Beast Bagheera is my favorite animal among fictional literary characters. I being canine centric tend to favor dogkind. Raksha, a wolf from the same story, displayed fearlessness defending Mowgli her adopted man cub. She is the only one among the four legge

Writing.Com • 15th December 2020

Soul Searching

Matthew 18:8-9 KJV Holy Bible 8) Wherefore, if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. 9) And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee: it is better to enter into life with one eye than having two eyes to be cast into hellfire. Americans delivered the Republican party a Godsend in the guise of a seven