To the Last Bite

Hello, everyone.

Here is the link to my debut short (crime) story, To the Last Bite. Please be advised not to eat while reading.

http://bit.ly/6qAIXj

Russell

The Artist Lounge Radio Show, December 13, 2009

Tonight I received five poetry requests, my largest number yet. And, oh, I even sing near the end ;)



I come in around 29 minutes with my first recite.

Pandora's Succession, is Russell Brooks's debut novel. Fans of The Bourne Identity will enjoy this edge-of-your-seat action/thriller. Visit here and join the mailing list for free to receive excerpts.

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• Matt Damon interview for The Informant (telegraph.co.uk)

I also slept with Tiger Woods. So when do I get paid to tell my story?

By Russell Brooks

“I’m a former Canadian Track and Field team member, specializing in the 100 and 200 meter sprints as well as the 4x100 meter relay. I too slept with Tiger Woods. And yes, I’m a guy. The picture to the right is of me when he used to come see me for a lap dance.”

This statement, if it were true, would definitely create a media firestorm had it been published. Let’s face it. We all love gossip. Never mind that a lot of celebrity gossip damages reputations, ruins lives, and destroys families. This is why it does not surprise me to read about several women who are suddenly coming out of the woodwork claiming to have been Tiger Woods’s mistress. One should ask why is it that they’re coming out now? Why didn’t any of them come out before? Cocktail waitress, Jamie Grubbs, went as far as accepting an interview on the TV show, Extra, in order to express remorse for what she put Woods’s wife through. Rubbish! Whatever happened to a phone call, or email? Why was it so important that she go on a nationally syndicated television program to say that she had an affair with Tiger Woods? Grubbs’s case as well as all of the other women that came out (with more expecting to come) obviously illustrate their selfish desires to promote themselves at the expense of a well-known celebrity.

People that are otherwise unknown in media circles before celebrity scandals erupt, thus allowing them to profit from it, is nothing new. Take for instance, Ashley Dupre aka Elliot Spitzer’s call girl. Teeth gnashed across New York State in February 2008 when its residents learned how Governor Elliot Spitzer was spending their tax dollars. For those who are reading about Elliot Spitzer for the first time, allow me to summarize what he did that got him into hot water. Briefly put, Elliot Spitzer, Ashley swallowed; FBI agents catch them and get a free porn show at the same time; Spitzer loses job; Ashley’s music career (among other things) gets a huge thrust; The end.

One should appreciate that most celebrities, from famous actors to athletes, got to where they are today from using their talents, their intelligence, and their perseverance. That is exactly how Tiger Woods got to be the world’s greatest golfer and a household name. Yours truly dreams of being the next James Patterson, Barry Eisler, or Ian Fleming. Although self-promotion is an arduous task, I would definitely not choose to profit by bringing down a well-respected celebrity. Many celebrities have messed up at least once in their careers. Bill Clinton, John F Kennedy, and David Letterman—to name a few—have made serious blunders in their careers. Do most of us only think about their blunders whenever we read about them, or do we admire them for what they've done? Hopefully when Tiger Woods’s current problems blow over, he will still be remembered as a famous golfer. As for all of the so-called mistresses that believe that they have something to gain from selling their stories—knowing that it will damage Woods’s reputation, hopefully people will be smart enough to see through them and ignore them. As for Ashley Dupre, whether she wants to call herself a talented musician, or television personality, she will always be high-price prostitute to me.

Visit here to join the mailing list of my upcoming action/thriller, Pandora's Succession

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Pandora's Succession. 1st three excerpts

Pandora's Succession

Imagine if a destroyer of ancient civilizations was dormant under the polar ice caps...until now.





Excerpt 1


Excerpt 2


Excerpt 3


The first three excerpts of the action/thriller, Pandora's Succession, have been recorded and scored just like in the movies. If you want to find out what happens next, either visit www.Pandorabook1.com and subscribe to the mailinglist or email me at:

RussellBrooksWriter@gmail.com and I'll send you all ten excerpts.

So just sit back, relax, and enjoy the podcast.

How do Celebrity Books hurts real authors.

How do Celebrity Junk Books hurt real authors.

I took part in a radio broadcast in October of this year where one caller asked me why is it that some of the most hated celebrities get book deals through the back door whereas real writers constantly get overlooked. I told her that although thousands of people may not like a particular person that may have gotten a book deal, publishers would take an interest in that person simply because the individual has a platform. In other words, the individual has a large enough fan base. And regardless of the person’s talent and credibility—or lack of in most cases—publishers stand to profit more on their investment than if they were to publish a novel from a lesser-known but more deserving author. Is this fair? No it isn’t. However in this day in age it has become a necessary evil in the publishing world to put money before talent. Bestselling author, John Irving (pictured on the right), said in an interview that he worries for new writers and admitted that his first novel would never have been published had it been written today. Why has this trend evolved? Is it because of the economy? Is it because of the rising popularity of digital over print media? Those may be the answers. However one fact that is overlooked is that readers also control the publishing industry. That’s right. It all comes down to the ones that choose to buy Celebrity Books. And I specify Celebrity Books and not books written by celebrities because almost all of them are ghostwritten. The only way that this unfortunate trend will change is if book lovers boycotted Celebrity Books just because they are celebrities and focus on writers with credibility.

A very good online acquaintance of mine and fellow author, Donna Carrick, said that when she approached agents with her book, she was turned down by all of them. Many of them gave her the same excuse: that Americans would not be interested in a story that takes place in China. I laughed when I read this, considering that The Bourne Supremacy (the novel, not the movie) took place in China and is a bestseller. The truth is that agents are gatekeepers for publishers and have established relationships with acquisition editors. Agents know what publishers are looking for, and it’s what’s hot at the moment. Take for instance, Sarah Palin. She’s had so much bad press in the past several months—mainly due to the fact that she could never back up her quotes (Remember the Katie Couric interview? ‘Nuff said). Yet, her book outsold Dan Brown’s latest thriller. Rupert Murdoch biographer, Michael Wolff, wrote in his column that Palin’s publisher, HarperCollins, “Does not really believe Sarah Palin has written a valuable book—or even that it is really a book, not in the way that HarperCollins has historically understood books, or in the way that people have counted on HarperCollins to have understood a book.” Add insult to injury, Palin did not even write her own book. This illustrates how publishers are so desperate that they will peddle celebrity junk to bookstores before effectively marketing quality books that are written by real authors.

The literary world is continuously going through major changes. Publishers are desperate to recover the millions that they’ve lost in books that either broke even on their initial investment or haven't sold well. Remember Joe The Plumber’s book? Yeah, he had a book too. At a book signing at Borders in Washington, DC in February, 2009, only eleven people attended, fewer remained behind to buy his book. Oh yeah. It crashed and burned, which serves his publisher right. This is the type of message that readers need to send to publishers more often. If more people exercised proper judgement, publishers would have no choice but to drop the fake Celebrity Books and invest more in quality fiction and non-fiction that are written by real authors. As for Palin’s book, all I’ll say is this. I already watched her numerous times on television make an ass of herself—for free. I won’t spend money reading about her doing it.

Russell Brooks is the author of the upcoming action/thriller, Pandora's Succession. Visit here to join the mailinglist to hear excerpts and receive updates.

Jacket blurb for the action/thriller, Pandora's Succession

Imagine if a destroyer of ancient civilizations lay dormant under the polar ice caps…until now.

CIA operative, Ridley Fox, never stopped hunting his fiancé’s killers—a weapons consortium called The Arms of Ares. When an informant leads him to an old bunker outside of Groznyy, Chechnya, Fox is captured and left for dead. When the informant rescues him, Fox learns that his capture was no coincidence: someone had set him up—possibly another government agent. Fox barely escapes after learning that Ares has acquired a hyperdeadly microbe—called Pandora—that is believed to have wiped out ancient civilizations. The trail leads Fox to Tokyo where he discovers that other forces —including agents within Japanese Intelligence—want Pandora for themselves. The only ally Fox turns to is a woman from his past who he nearly got killed.

The first three chapters of the upcoming action/thriller, Pandora’s Succession, have been recorded and scored as they do in the movies. Visit http://www.pandorabook1.com and subscribe for free to receive serialized excerpts each week.

Is Eddie Murphy a thief?

Guest Gregory L Hudson discusses copyright issues in the movie and publishing industry and also his fight against Eddie Murphy and Universal for copyright infringement on the movie, Life, which starred Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence.



I was asked to recite an excerpt of Justina Wheelock's upcoming novel, Twisting the Script, and a poem by the poet Ka_Tee, as a tribute to her husband.

Russell Brooks is the author of the action/thriller, Pandora's Succession. Visit here subscribe for free in order to receive excerpts from chapters 1 through 3.

From Rihanna to Safia Abdulleh. Do we really give a damn about abused women?

On November 6, 2009, millions of viewers were glued to their television sets to watch the much anticipated interview that Diane Sawyer had with pop singer, Rihanna. In February 2009, Rihanna was the victim of domestic abuse by her ex-boyfriend and fellow artist, Chris Brown. It did not take long before pictures of her bloodied and bruised face circulated around cyberspace, making it one of the most talked about topics of 2009. In the lesser-known Galguduud region of Somalia, a young woman named Safia Abdulleh got married to a 112 year-old man in late October, 2009. Although it has become the norm in Somalia for women to face psychological and physical abuse, less attention was given to the most likely circumstances that surrounded Abdulleh’s marriage. The fact that western journalists chose only to sensationalize the wedding rather than highlight the likely injustices surrounding it illustrates western society’s double standard when it comes to women’s issues—namely abuse.

After having watched Rihanna’s interview on November 6, 2009, one ought to have respect for Rihanna for having the courage to open up about everything that she went through. Rather than use the interview as a means of attacking her ex-boyfriend, she made better use of the time to help other women who are victims of domestic abuse. One could not help but notice the sympathy that was drawn towards Rihanna for the horrific and life-altering experience that she went through. In contrast to Abdulleh’s marriage, most of the attention was not even about her. It was mostly given to her husband—Ahmed Muhamed Dore—who has over 114 children and grandchildren. Furthermore, one would be forced to read between the lines and draw inferences from the article in order to recognize that Abdulleh is an abused woman.

According to the BBC article, it was reported that she was "happy with her new husband." However Abdulleh was not quoted as saying this, it was her family. Dore was later quoted as saying, “I didn't force her, but used my experience to convince her of my love; and then we agreed to marry” (1). According to Somalian Human Rights activist, Zam Zam Abdullahi Abdi, parents take their daughters out of school at a young age and marry them off. They may even give their daughters away, selling them as if they were property (2). With these facts highlighted by Abdullahi Abdi, it is very unlikely that both Dore and Abdulleh had both agreed on getting married? Furthermore at the end of the BBC article, it was reported that Dore hoped his new bride will give him more children and was quoted as saying that, “It is a blessing to have someone you love to take care of you” (3). Sure, easy for him to say. Considering that his genitals have not been mutilated to the point that he would not have painful ejaculations. Abdulleh, on the other hand, is most likely among the 98% of Somali women who have had Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) forced on her at a young age. Not only will she experience extreme pain without pleasure during intercourse, but giving birth would be murder on her body, apart from suffering from extreme health consequences that range from infertility to having cysts. What is worse is that her husband will decide how many children she would bear for him.

Hopefully every woman has learned from Rihanna’s experience and should enjoy their freedom to choose to be with—or to leave—any man of their choice. By the same token, more responsibility ought to be taken as to not sensationalize unethical marriages in countries where abuse towards women is supported. If one were to compare Rihanna to Abdulleh, Rihanna suffered less and was able to bounce back. As for Abdulleh, she may have been conditioned to accept her oppression. But it’s more likely that she is silently crying for help. How do I know that? Just look at both pictures of both Rihanna and Abdulleh. Rihanna isn’t smiling. Have you ever wondered why Abdulleh isn’t smiling in her wedding photo? If you haven’t before, I’ll bet you are now.



Russell Brooks is the author of the upcoming action/thriller, Pandora’s Succession. Visit www.Pandorabook1.com to subscribe for free to receive excerpts from chapters one to three

Sources:
AFROL: http://www.afrol.com/Categories/Women/profiles/somalia_women.htm
AWID: http://www.awid.org/Issues-and-Analysis/Library/What-is-the-situation-of-women-in-Somalia
World Health Organization (WHO): http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs241/en/
BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8331136.stm
Amnesty International: http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/feature-stories/struggling-womens-rights-somalia-20090120

My radio interview with Jill Delbridge to discuss my novel, Pandora's Succession

My first radio interview for my novel, Pandora's Succession

The Artist Lounge Radio Show

I was the featured guest on The Artist Lounge Radio Show to promote my upcoming action/thriller, Pandora's Succession. Here I chat with Jill Delbridge and answer various questions about myself and my novel from callers.



Where would you hide if you learned that the CDC and a major pharmaceutical company unleashed a hyperdeadly microbe on the human race?

Visit http://www.Pandorabook1.com and enter your email address to join the thousands who have listened to the first three chapters of this upcoming action/thriller.

When desperation and ignorance combine, everyone loses

When desperation and ignorance combine, everyone loses.

Mariam Staford Bandaba, a Tanzanian native, was brutally attacked by machete-wielding thugs a year ago in her home village in the north-western Kagera region. Bandaba lost an arm in the attack and the other was amputated in the hospital where she had remained for several weeks. Although senseless attacks occur in Africa on a regular basis as they do in the streets of any major city, this particular attack ought to spark particular interest. Bandaba is one of thousands of Tanzanian albinos that live in constant fear of being attacked. It is believed that mutilated body parts of albinos are sold to synthesize potions. Bandaba’s attackers would have been paid a lot of money for her body parts. Fortunately Bandaba survived the assault and was brave enough to identify her aggressors—some of whom were arrested, and then sentenced to death. Nevertheless, should one examine any of the three parties—Bandaba, her attackers, or the consumers of these so-called albino potions which have not been proven to work—all of their losses result from acts of desperation and ignorance.

According to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA),Tanzania is in the bottom ten percent of the world's economies in terms of per capita income. The economy depends heavily on agriculture, which accounts for more than 40% of GDP, provides 85% of exports, and employs 80% of the work force. Due to its topography and climatic condition, cultivation of crops is limited to only 4% of the land area. (1). Although outlawed by the government, witch-doctors still practice in this country, claiming that a potion made of an albino's hair, blood or limbs paves the way to riches (2). Regrettably, enough people were gullible to fall for this fairy tale that over 53 innocent albinos were murdered in grisly ritualistic killings in the past two years.

On the other side of the planet, the U.S. Secret Service has be

Image via Wikipedia

en overwhelmed in its duties in the past several months. According to a U.S. congressional report, the Service’s activities have increased due to terrorist threats and the expanded arsenal of weapons that terrorists could use in an assassination attempt or attacks on facilities. According to specialists who study homegrown radical movements, the domestic threat has risen—fueled in part by Barack Obama being elected as the nation’s first black President. As a result, Obama was given Secret Service protection 18 months before the election—the earliest ever for a presidential candidate—making him the target of more threats since his inauguration than his predecessors. (3). Based on the number of celebrations that occurred worldwide after Obama’s victory, it would be correct to assume that the number of radical groups pushing for his assassination is in the minority. If an assassin were to succeed in his or her attempt, the hope that Obama was able to instil in the hearts and minds of people worldwide would greatly be diminished. In addition, America’s image in the eyes of the world—which has steadily increased since Obama took office—may falter (4).

Although Bandaba’s attackers may have sold her limbs, their gains were short-lived since most of them were sentenced to death. As for Bandaba’s father and four siblings—who have been taking care of her since the attack—they all live in fear of reprisals. Even though a physical threat against Obama has not made the news lately, the constant racket perpetuated by the Teabaggers, the Birthers, and a certain Faux network has done everything but bring a nation together. Everyone has a right to their beliefs. However if one were so desperate as to physically or psychologically harm another person in order to push their own belief, they ought to do themselves and their neighbours a favour: don’t be ignorant.

Russell Brooks is the author of the upcoming action/thriller, Pandora's Succession. Subscribe for free to receive serialized excerpts here.

Hey, Kanye. Lay the fuck off of us authors

Hey, Kanye, lay the fuck off of us authors

By Russell Brooks

Neck-related sprains surely rose across the planet this morning due to the number of double-takes readers (and authors) would have done after having read the latest news about Kanye West. The Grammy Award-winning artist and “proud” non-reader has produced a book. I specify the word, produced, because West did not write the book himself. It was written by J. Sakiya Sandifer. What is shocking is not the fact that he has produced a book as so much that he has shown complete disrespect for books and inadvertently to thousands of authors. For this reason, I would like to illustrate the importance of reading and how Kanye could benefit from doing so more often.

William Kamkwamba

Most of us probably have not heard of this young 21 year-old genius from Malawi (Most likely because he has not committed an act of mass genocide). In 2002, his country was plagued with disease and a serious drought. Coming from a family of 20, he was forced to drop out of school because his parents could not afford the $80 school fee. At the age of 14, rather than accept his fate and starve, he borrowed books from the library and taught himself the physics of electricity. Having nothing to work with but old spare parts from the junk yard to work with, he built a primitive windmill. Yes, he was laughed at by his neighbours. But according to him, once he had generated electricity for his family, the entire village was lining up at his house to charge their mobile phones.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yb080R3DO48

Everyone that is pissed off at their insurance company for not paying benefits that they expected

I’m sorry, but this is a topic that I cannot get away from because despite the amount of literate and educated people out there, there are still too many people that don’t read contracts. My previous essay dealt with me illustrating to a 70 year-old woman how she got swindled by an unscrupulous agent from a competing insurance company. The fact remains that people don’t read their insurance contracts or re-read the specifics of their contracts regularly to refresh their memories on what they purchased. Fact (and I invite everyone that reads this to write this down and place it where you can see it every day): Insurance companies never pay a penny more or a penny less than what’s written on the contracts that a policyholder signs. It is up to the policyholder to learn the specifics of their contract. If they can’t do it, then have a licensed professional explain the specifics to them.

Kanye West

Above it is illustrated how reading has changed the life of a poor 14 year old that knew very little of the internet, CNN, or much of the world outside his village. By the same token it is also illustrated why more educated and well-to-do individuals who earn more money in an hour than what Kamkwamba’s family earn in a month, should read more. You have some excellent songs, I will not deny it. I have never turned off the radio or changed stations when I hear one of your songs. But for you to say: “I am not a fan of books. I would never want a book’s autograph” while you want other people to purchase and read yours, just illustrates how much you’re an immature, very low-class individual with too much money to spend. I may not be able to write out a check for 1 million dollars like you can. Neither do I have the fan base nor the publicity engine that you have that allows you to travel the world in first class and stay in five star hotels. But I plan to get to that level one day. It shouldn’t be too complicated. I’ll just keep reading, much of which will be about you. That way I can be sure not to fuck up like you have.

Reference: http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE54P5L820090526

Russell Brooks is the author of the upcoming action/thriller, Pandora’s Succession. Visit www.Pandorabook1.com to subscribe for free to listen to excerpts from chapters 1 to 3.

"Of course it's not a scam. Oprah endorses it."

“Of course it’s not a scam. Oprah endorses it.”

On October 7, 2009, the company that I work for notified me that a client, a seventy-year old woman, had canceled her health protection. I knew her personally and was surprised as to why she had done so, considering that she received a $1400 claim the year before for fracturing two fingers. I visited her to discuss the matter, since she’s covered until she’s 85 years old without any limitations. She told me 85 isn’t long enough for her and that she took out another insurance that will cover her for life. When she showed me the contract, I noticed three things. The first thing was that in order for her to be compensated, she would have to be incapable of performing her duties at her place of employment for at least 90 (she’s retired); hospital fees are covered under the condition that they are for accidents only (in Quebec, seniors over 65 don’t have any hospital fees to pay); and disability benefits are paid only to individuals under 60 years of age (she’s 70). Although I showed her these clauses on the new policy and compared it with the plan that she had canceled—which covered her for everything her new plan did not, she refused to accept that she had been swindled. This experience clearly illustrates when it comes to someone wanting something bad enough, they’ll always check their intelligence at the door.

Several months ago, one could not check their email or their favorite website without being bombarded by weight loss plans or the like. The latest fad is the acai berry supplement and colon cleansing products. A few hours before I wrote this essay, I was on a website and saw what appeared to be a news channel’s ad banner. After clicking the banner, I was brought to a news reporter’s website where she described her skepticism of acai berry supplements. To make a long story short, the reporter wrote that she lost enough weight that she was able to fit into two smaller dress sizes after only four weeks. What was more interesting at the bottom of the page was the fine print that declared that the mentioned company is not affiliated with ABC, CNN, NBC, CBS, etc. Furthermore, after I closed the page I was brought to the website of the company that sold these supplements. Although this was an obvious scam, these scammers are obviously selling enough of their crap to enough dumb people in order to pay for these phony ads. As mentioned earlier, when people want something badly enough, they will check their intelligence at the door.

This naivety is also found among a more unlikely group—first-time authors. As ironic as it may sound, first-time authors often fall victim to unscrupulous agents and vanity publishers who will always charge for their services. This author will admit to almost being a victim. Often in this case, the first-time author would have been rejected dozens of times by agents and traditional publishers. One could imagine the excitement they would feel after receiving a letter of acceptance from an agency or publisher they had queried. Unfortunately most sign the contracts failing to realize that they’ve been scammed. They will find themselves paying large amounts of money to see their work published only to wind up with a garage full of books that bookstores don’t want. Although there are numerous sources where writers could inform themselves on the legitimacy of agencies and, most don’t even bother to research the ones that they choose to do business with. After all, since they wanted something badly enough, their intelligence was also checked at the door.

Scams of all sorts have always been around and are not likely to disappear anytime soon. Regardless of how many laws that are enacted to protect consumers, this form of non-ethical and criminal conduct will still persist one way or another. What’s annoying is that most victims could have protected themselves from falling prey had they not been so lazy to use the multitude of information sources that are available and that are free. As harsh as it may sound, people that ignorantly fall for these scams do not deserve much sympathy for their losses. As for the scammers that run off with their money, one could argue that they get away with it because they themselves wanted something badly. The only difference is that they get what they want because they never check their intelligence at the door.

Russell Brooks is the author of the upcoming action/thriller, Pandora's Succession. www.Pandorabook1.com

I am so happy to hear this boy say this N-Word

I am so happy to hear this boy say the N-WordBlack. African-American. These are two common names that are used to describe men and women of African descent. Negro—meaning black in Portuguese and Spanish—was a term that was more commonly used during the Civil Rights era, but less today. However the word Nigger, or its derivation, Nigga, are still widely used. It is disturbing that those two words are still popular in today’s culture. I am not referring to the white supremacists or other racists who deliberately use the word to degrade black people, I am specifically referring to black people that use those words amongst themselves. This habbit has even prompted people from other racial backgrounds to use the word. Not out of malice, but in order to sound cool. One does not have to go far to observe how much the word is still in circulation. One could simply peruse social websites. Many profiles contain the N-word. The sad truth is that most of the individuals that use the N-word in a friendly way among their friends, are clueless as to the true meaning of the word. These same people will continue to use the word without realizing how they are insulting themselves.
This is why I am so happy to see this young black man repeatedly say the N-word.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3kfS9gnyE0

Russell Brooks is the author of the upcoming novel, Pandora's Succession. Visit here to subscribe for free to receive and listen to serialized excerpts from chapters one through three.

Presidential Testosterone. Obama shows Italy's PM Berlesconi who's really packing the bigger D*ck

Holy Presidential Testosterone, Batman! Obama shows Italy's PM who's really packing the bigger D*ck!

In a moment rarely seen, President Obama made it clear to Italian Prime Minister, Sylvio Berlesconi, that he would not be kissing his wife, Michelle. Assuming a role that was better suited for one of his secret service agents, Obama stood between the accused sex addict and his wife--thwarting Berlesconi's attempts at making physical contact with Ms Obama.

Unlike other world leaders who had gathered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for a pre-G20 summit dinner, Berlesconi attended the event alone. This is not a surprise considering that the Italian PM is in the middle of a divorce and has faced several allegations of improper sexual behaviour. This would include having an improper relationship with 18-year-old lingerie model, Noemi Letiza.

On a side note, a source of mine has told me that former US President, Bill Clinton, has given up hope of attempting a similar maneuver.

As many would have guessed, I could not help myself from going into author mode. If a novel had this scene, I would suspect that it would probably go something like this:

Don't even think about it, Obama thought as his Italian counterpart extended both of

his arms to receive Michelle. The nerve of you thinking that you can touch my wife. You've only had your hands all over every woman that has walked into your house and God knows where else.

Obama shot a cold stare at his angel, one that Michelle was very familiar with. It was the same stare Joe Biden had gotten to know all too well whenever he fucked up a press conference. No. She wouldn't be the source of a humiliating moment for him. He will not allow his true love to unknowingly set him up--making him easy prey for sadistic vultures such as Limbaugh, O'Reilly, and Beck.

His angel paused, smiled, and extended her hand to Berlesconi under his watchful eye. They shook hands and Michelle retreated.

Obama glanced at the Italian's defeated expression one last time as he and his angel walked away, letting his hand slide down just above the swell of her sensual booty.

Obama smiled the billion-dollar smile that made him one of the most loved public figures in the world. His smile grew just as his hand fell a bit lower onto that tight muscular booty. It took him everything to resist the urge to squeeze.

Damn.

It was such a distraction, but it didn't make him lose the smile. Naw, he was just glad knowing that the old Italian pervert saw just how big his hand really was.

To be continued. . .

Dailymail.co.uk

Russell Parkway is the author of the upcoming action/thriller, Pandora's Succession. Subscribe for free to receive weekly excerpts.

OTL: Carry On - ESPN VIDEO

Toil Like A Negro for Russia? No You Shouldn't.

Toil Like a Negro for Russia? No you Shouldn’t

During election periods, North Americans are accustomed to being exposed to memorable, unexpected, and sometimes horrible facts. Last year, despite the having braved adversity from conservatively biased networks such as FOX, neo-nazis, political rivals that include a well-known polar bear killer from Alaska, Barack Obama defied all odds and became America's first African-American President. Over in Russia, a young ambitious watermelon merchant by the name of Vasily Ivanovich, has registered to run for a district seat on the Municipal Council in the southern Volgograd region. The 37-year old would not have turned heads and caused an overnight media sensation if it were not for his campaign posters, depicting a black man, born Joachim Crima—a former student from Guinea Bissau. Crima has the most challenging road ahead of him—running for public office in a country that is known to have grown in its racist attitudes towards immigrants, including himself. This is a reason why his campaign slogan, “I will work like a Negro for Russia,” is the most disastrous mistake he could make.

Being no stranger to racist attacks, Crima has had run-ins with skinheads in his home town of Srednyaya Akhtuba in southern Russia. According to Crima, people used to cross the street whenever he was nearby. Today, the same people that used to avoid him, approach him and proudly shake his hand. The fact that his neighbours have changed their attitudes towards him illustrates why hard work and tenacity in the face of adversity is enough to gain acceptance from most people.

Crima’s timing could not have come at a better time. Skinhead and Neo-Nazi uprisings have surged to the point that African immigrants living in big cities such as Moscow and St Petersburg are in danger of walking the streets alone. According to research conducted by the Moscow Protestant Chaplaincy, nearly 60% of Africans living in Moscow have been physically assaulted. According to the BBC, 80% have faced verbal abuse.

Gaining acceptance as a minority in a predominantly racist society takes time and a lot of patience. It also involves making the fewest mistakes possible. This is what made Wade Alexander Watts, a Civil Rights Activist, one of the most remarkable men in history. Wade single-handedly took on the KKK, to the point that he was able to change the heart of a former KKK leader, Johnny Lee Cleary. Long before Watts passed away, Cleary—who was once his enemy—had become his best friend.

Crima’s courage and tenacity may very well pave the way for other visible minorities to run for public office in Russia, which now mirrors 1950s USA. Although he might not be offended by using the Negro term in his slogan, opponents can potentially misuse it in order to debase Africans living in Russia. One should hope that he would show a bit more discretion in what he says as to not ruin it for others who will follow in his footsteps.

Russell Brooks is the author of the action/thriller, Pandora's Succession. Fans can subscribe for free and listen to excerpts.

Pandora's Succession

Russell Brooks had the audio of his action thriller Pandora's Succession
recorded by an actor and scored with music just like they do for the
movies. It was produced by GumboWriters.com. Check it out at:
http://www.pandorabook1.com. You can sign up to receive a weekly
excerpt of the book for free.

Is the USA still the land of the free? Apparently not if you're African American.

Is the USA still the land of the free? Apparently not if you're African American.

A few days ago at a Missouri town hall meeting, hosted by Senator Claire McCaskill, a black woman was forcefully escorted from the event after a white man walked over to her and snatched a poster from her. Apparently the rules were that no one was to display any posters.

As it turned out, the black woman, Maxine Johnson, had her poster rolled up and was minding her business. A reporter from the St Louis Post-Dispatch approached her, curious to know what was on the poster. She quietly unrolled it to show the reporter that it was a picture of Civil Rights Activist, Rosa Parks.

Suddenly, a 67-year old white man, James Winfrey, walked out of the bleachers and snatched the poster from her while others in the audience cheered. When Johnson went to retrieve her poster she was accosted by police and removed.

In an interesting twist of events, another video surfaced showing the same police officers speaking quietly to two white individuals that were displaying signs. Yet, they were left alone.

With the overwhelming evidence that illustrated the racial double standard by the police officers in this video, how long will it take for Maxine Johnson to get justice for what was done to her?

What would you have done had this happened in your country?

Russell Brooks is the author of the action thriller, Pandora's Succession. Subscribe for free at www.Pandorabook1.com to listen to weekly excerpts.

Hey, I just killed someone. Check me out on YouTube to see how I did it.

Hey, I just killed someone. Check me out on Youtube to see how I did it.

Saturday, August 8, 2009, three men were arrested for illegally shooting ducks in rural Saskatchewan. A few days earlier south of the border in good old state of Ohio, a twenty-year old woman was arrested for killing rabbits at the pet store where she worked. Neither of these people were arrested because they were spotted unsuspectingly by witnesses. They were caught because they bragged about their illegal cruelties over the internet, which would in turn make a great episode of World’s Dumbest Criminals. The sad truth is that this illustrates that criminals—including the white collar ones—show little remorse over what they do. Furthermore, this also illustrate that although our governments invest millions into Provincial, State, and local police forces, they cannot stop every criminal without public support.

Liz Carlisle, aka. The Bunny Drowner, of Ravenna, Ohio, boasted to her friends that she drowned the rabbits because they injured each other while fighting. Despite the fact that her employer prohibits employees from euthanizing animals, she not only drowned the animals but also posted their pictures on Facebook. Of course, her father says that she is a well-behaved girl who is working to pay her way through college. However it was not enough to prevent her from being charged with two-counts of animal cruelty by the Greater Akron Humane Society.

North of the border in rural Saskatchewan, three hunters were arrested for illegally shooting ducks with their rifles—sometimes from a car window. Despite the fact that the three men broke several firearm and hunting laws, they were bold enough to brag about their exploits on YouTube. Fortunately, their celebrations were short-lived when viewers complained and the RCMP was able to use the video to track down the exact locations where they had committed their crimes.

Who could forget about the infamous Bernie Madoff. But hold on, Quebec—La Belle Province—also deserves its share in the limelight. A few weeks ago, Earl Jones (and yes, there is no James)—was also arrested for pulling a Bernie Madoff, better known as a Ponzi scheme. Both men conned their way to success off of the hard-earned money of their clients. I cannot comment much about the Madoff case because I am not familiar with New York State laws except the ones that involve speeding, rape, fraud, murder, and being caught with Elliot Spitzer with his pants down. In the case of Earl Jones, his investors could have exercised more common sense. From my knowledge of the private health insurance sector—a field that I have worked in for the past eight years—anyone that is working in the financial sector—whether it is insurance, financial advisement, or broker—must have a license. In Canada, each province has its own regulator to control the activities of these professionals in order to protect consumers. Jones did not have a license. And although his clients were educated people from some of the most affluent neighborhoods in Montreal, it never occurred to any of them that they should have checked up on his credentials before handing their money over to him.

Some reports have indicated that many lost their life savings, while others indicated that widows in lavish elderly care facilities were kicked to the curb with nothing more than their walkers. Although Jones did not brag about his scheme, life caught up with him when he ran out of money. Then again, so did all of his clients who will most likely never see their fortunes again. Does he have remorse? One could assume that he does— about being caught.

Victims of fraud can always blame the government for not doing enough to prevent the Madoff’s and the Jones’ from ripping them off. Although little could have been done to prevent the animal cruelty cases that took place in Saskatchewan and Ohio, it was civilian action that stopped the animal abusers. The police merely enforced the laws to help bring the perpetrators to justice. Laws against fraud, animal cruelty, and other crimes have existed for decades. But it no way means that criminals will attempt to break them. And it will always take the vigilance of honest civilians as well as the police to stop all of them. In the case of Jones’ clients, their losses were merely a result in their lack of vigilance. Unfortunately, the only people they can blame are themselves.

Russell Brooks is the author of the debut action/thriller, Pandora's Succession. Check it out to subscribe and listen to exerpts for free at www.Pandorabook1.com

Why does Vancouver not deserve to host the 2010 Winter Olympics

Thousands of Canadians were elated on July 2, 2003, when International Olympic Committee President, Jacques Rogge, announced that the 2010 Winter Olympics would be hosted by the cities of Vancouver and Whistler. By the same token, many Canadians were saddened when the city of Toronto lost to Beijing for the 2008 Summer Olympics. As for me, from the standpoint of a former Canadian rack and Field team member who has represented Canada on the world stage, I didn’t lose a bit of sleep over Toronto’s loss. Neither did I cheer the Vancouver-Whistler victory. When one analyzes the struggles that Canada’s budding and elite athletes face while comparing it to Canada’s politicians, athletic organizations, and most big businesses that sit on large piles of money, no Canadian city has earned the right to host any Olympic, Pan-American, or International amateur sports events.

In April 1999 while I attended Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, I received an email from Athletics Canada. They informed me that I was pre-selected to represent Canada in the 100 metres, the 200 metres, and the 4x100 metre relay at the World University Games, that were to be held in Palma-de-Mallorca, Spain the summer of the same year. One could imagine how excited I was. I remember screaming out the loudest cheer that could be probably heard blocks away, running a victory lap around the block, and being on the phone with my parents in Montreal to give them the news.

After all, I trained myself to death, going through hamstring injuries on a yearly basis, coming home late at night from track practice to then have to start my homework at 7PM while I was in high school (8PM in the winter because I had a one-hour commute on public transport to the Montreal’s only indoor track facility at the time). I would sometimes finish my homework as late as1 AM. My social life on weekends was non-existent. The previous year I had run a personal best of 20.89 seconds in the 200 metres, which was the second fastest time in Canada at that time behind Olympian Bruni Surin. For once, my achievements were finally recognized.

In my excitement I continued to read the email: Please be available between the dates of…blah blah blah…and most importantly, please come up with $1100 to pay for your flight from Montreal to Palma. For the sake of keeping this essay under 100000 words, I’ll omit the long set of expletives that flew from my mouth over the next hour. I reread the email three more times, hoping that I misread it. Unfortunately I did not. I, a full-time university student on partial scholarship, who was not allowed to work for cash under NCAA regulations, had to come up with $1100 within a month or forfeit my opportunity to participate on the world stage.

I questioned some of my peers on a Canadian track and field internet forum about the issue. Some of the replies, some of them from Athletics Canada employees, were that I should apply for loans at certain organizations to help me. I replied to them, asking why there isn’t a committee within Athletics Canada taking care of this issue. Let’s be realistic, their reps were getting a free trip to Spain after all. One would think that it was their responsibility to ensure that all selected athletes get all of the funding. I was about to take my final exams within a few days and wouldn’t have the time to stress myself over this. Not surprisingly, no one could answer me. I got to go eventually, but only because a family friend—a pensioner—paid for me.

This was how things were for me back in 1999, and I didn’t get much more in terms of financial support after, either through the government or sponsors. When I graduated, I had to get a full-time job as an insurance salesman in order to survive. My story is typical of what thousands of Canada’s athletes go through each year. And based on what I’ve read recently in the news (1)Canada’s top athletes and up-and-comers are still struggling as I once have.

The atmosphere always changes when it is an Olympic year. One cannot turn on the television, listen to the radio, or open a newspaper without being hit with an Olympic-themed commercial. The common theme is: We support Canada’s Athletes. Interestingly, most of the same companies are absent the three other non-Olympic years when the athletes are killing themselves to get selected to a Canadian team. This hypocritical attitude that Canada’s business community has towards amateur sport only strengthens the fact that when the 2010 Olympics come to Vancouver, the only winners will be Canadian businesses and the Canadian government who’ll profit from tourist-inflated dollars and sales tax dollars respectively. The biggest losers will be Canada’s athletes, who will highly unlikely get their fair share of the profits, no matter how well they perform. It is a very sad reality, but Canada’s athletes are nothing more than modern-day slaves to the benefit of Canada’s business community, its athletic organizations, and its government.

The facts presented above represent a history of Canada’s failed commitment to its athletes. It is unacceptable that Canada is classified as an economic superpower, but lags far behind most third-world countries when it comes to showing commitment to the development of its athletes from elementary school and onwards. It is not acceptable for Canada to ignore its young promising athletes in their developmental stage, yet, only support them financially when they’re at the world stage.

As for Canada winning the Vancouver-Olympic bid, that was nothing earned and completely undeserved. The real champions in the big picture are the athletes, including their families, coaches, and peers that have supported and nurtured them from the beginning, most of whom will not get much in return. To all of Canada’s athletes, whether they make the Olympic team or not, whether they make it to the podium or not, every one of them will get a thumbs-up from me. As for Canada's CEO’s and its politicians that will see their personal bank accounts fatten as a result of these games, you definitely have earned a huge thumbs-down.

Russell Brooks is a former Canadian Track Team member and is the author of the action/thriller, Pandora's Succession.

My child sued me for grounding her. I guess she’s always right.

Adults in “La Belle Province” have another reason for not having children. Apparently in Quebec, children have the right to sue their parents if they don’t agree with their punishment. In the case of one Quebec father, he’s living this nightmare right now. He did not abuse his child. He simply didn’t grant her permission to go on a field trip after she disobeyed his orders to stop posting inappropriate pictures of herself on internet websites that he had blocked. The twelve year old girl, with the help of her legal aid attorney, sued the father in court. The father appealed the court decision in Quebec Superior Court—and lost. This kind of court ruling brings us to question the credibility of our justice system. Furthermore, the ruling also highlights the fact that our justice system does not encourage proper family values.

When I was a youngster, there was one consequence of disobeying my parents. This involved an ancient form of punishment known as The Spanking. It was either done by hand, belt, a slipper, a wooden spoon. In fact, it was enforced with anything that was within my parent’s reach on the spur of the moment. Spanking taught one thing to children: there’s a consequence for wrongdoing. I’ll be the first to admit that just the threat of getting hit with a belt was enough to keep me in line. Don't be alarmed, I wasn't abused. Unfortunately today, Quebec has passed a law that prohibits physical form of punishment. The result, I see more children disrespecting their parents and others in public. That is something that never would have happened in my day. Then again, the government feels that they can govern how parents raise their own children, even when the children exercise poor judgment. After all, the child is always right.

In the case of this father—who’s separated from the mother and had custody of his daughter on certain days, he was exercising his moral duty as a parent. One would not expect to use the same punishment methods on a twelve-year-old girl as they would with a five-year-old. However, he warned her that he would not allow her to participate in a field trip if she did not keep away from websites that he blocked. Not only did she disobey him, he alleged that she posted inappropriate pictures of herself online. The father followed through with his warning and withheld his written permission for the trip. The school was then forced not to allow her to go on the field trip in June 2008. To his surprise—and to the shock and awe of many parents and non-parents, she sued him. But it shouldn’t be a surprise in this province. After all, the child is always right.

Readers who live outside of Quebec will have a good laugh, and rightfully so because the judge’s ruling was asinine. This sends the message that in this province, parents have little control over how they raise their children. We live in a society where police are actively patrolling the internet to stop child predators. This father was doing his part to protect his daughter from them. Yet the judge ruled that he’s at fault. After all, the child is always right.

I don’t have any children and I am in no way discouraging Quebecers from having children. I just hope that Quebec judges, lawyers, and even the politicians that create these laws try to discipline their own children. They’ll learn quickly that their children are always right.

Reference: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2009/04/07/mtl-quebecgirl-sues-dad-0407.html