Bluebirds Fly Past

Following the four books describing his successful career as a military and civilian pilot, in Flying Past Mike Brooke gives the reader a fascinating insight into his experiences flying historic aircraft at airshows in the UK and Europe. From the highs to the lows he takes us through the feeling of flying a Spitfire, working with the Red Devils Parachute Team, flying with The Shuttleworth Collection and in the Harvard Formation Team, and the pressures put on display pilots – as well as the importance of preparation, discipline and safety. This entertaining and informative collection of stories will not only delight the many who have enjoyed Mike's series of memoirs so far, but also appeal to anyone with an interest in classic historic aircraft, aerobatics and airshows.

Ruby won't talk about the past. She clings instead to her collection of rocks and stones which remind her of Nanna, her garden, and happier times. When she is sent to live in a residential school for girls with emotional problems, meeting Pearl forces Ruby to remember the very thing she was trying to forget. But with remembering comes the shocking revelation that Pearl might be more than a friend. Where Bluebirds Fly is a moving story about making friends with your enemy, dumping your past, and daring to hope.

“Over the Rainbow is a compelling story, both entertaining and thought-provoking. It was written from the unique perspective of a Chinese author who has lived through multiple stages of life and recognizes that professional success, happiness, and health are intertwined aspects of a balanced life. Through the effective use of stories, the author helps the reader relate to the personal struggles we all face as we mature and try to balance all aspects of our lives. Over the Rainbow provides a simple set of rules on how to stay balanced and enjoy success, happiness, and health.” —Jim Owens, President & CEO of H.B. Fuller “After achieving financial freedom, SWOT has persistently shared his reflections and inspirations, as well as a sense of satisfaction beyond money, with everyone. The hope is for everyone to be successful, healthy, and happy, and this jewel of a book has organically integrated the common pursuit of success, health, and happiness and introduced to us a simple and practical approach to make dreams come true. SWOT himself is a practitioner of success, health, and happiness and the true model of making all this happen in reality.” —Feng Lun, Founder of Vantone Group

Ashville enjoyed prosperity after the harsh and lean years of the Depression and WWII. Predominately, low-middle income, there were no social or economic divisions, all were rich in mutual respect and pride of community. As youth, the homogenic culture and ethnicity of our small-town was not recognized. The focus was on the Thursday night dances in the park, the Fourth of July celebration, and winning county sports championships. Teachers were neighbors, compassionate and dedicated to their profession. There was a sense of freedom, but is something was wrong or not to expectations, parents would know about it immediately. An attitude of optimism prevailed, unaware that Ashville, like many rural communities, was not realizing the growth of the metropolitan and industrial areas, and that for the younger generation the future was not likely to be in Ashville. Later in life we understood the blessings and meaning of small-town values, the unique shared experiences, and lasting friendships from growing up in Ashville.

"When Bluebirds Fly speaks of the unspeakable--the death of a child--from the parents' perspective, and shares the journey of sibling grief through their observations of their eldest son. JoAnn and Dick, a skeptic by nature, recount the inspirational after-death communications and spiritual visitations that could not be explained through coincidence. This is a gift for the bereaved parents and siblings of the world. Poignant statements from first responders portray an untold story, leading to a place of closure. One can only conclude that the future can't always be controlled, but must be accepted. This is a gift for the firefighters, doctors, babysitters, and Good Samaritans who have felt unwarranted guilt through their failed heroic attempts to save a life. The path is pain and healing, the destination is hope and acceptance. This is a gift for anyone who wants to find light through their darkness."--Page 4 cover

Musical sounds are some of the most mobile human elements, crossing national, cultural, and regional boundaries at an ever-increasing pace in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Whole musical products travel easily, though not necessarily intact, via musicians, CDs (and earlier, cassettes), satellite broadcasting, digital downloads, and streaming. The introductory chapter by the volume editors develops two framing metaphors: “traveling musics” and “making waves.” The wave-making metaphor illuminates the ways that traveling musics traverse flows of globalization and migration, initiating change, and generating energy of their own. Each of the nine contributors further examines music—its songs, makers, instruments, aurality, aesthetics, and images—as it crosses oceans, continents, and islands. In the process of landing in new homes, music interacts with older established cultural environments, sometimes in unexpected ways and with surprising results. They see these traveling musics in Hawai‘i, Asia, and the Pacific as “making waves”—that is, not only riding flows of globalism, but instigating ripples of change. What is the nature of those ripples? What constitutes some of the infrastructure for the wave itself? What are some of the effects of music landing on, transported to, or appropriated from distant shores? How does the Hawai‘i-Asia-Pacific context itself shape and get shaped by these musical waves? The two poetic and evocative metaphors allow the individual contributors great leeway in charting their own course while simultaneously referring back to the influence of their mentor and colleague Ricardo D. Trimillos, whom they identify as “the wave maker.” The volume attempts to position music as at once ritual and entertainment, esoteric and exoteric, tradition and creativity, within the cultural geographies of Hawai‘i, Asia, and the Pacific. In doing so, they situate music at the very core of global human endeavors.