(NewsUSA)

(NewsUSA)

"A masterful storyteller." -Sacramento Bee

"One of the 21st Century's most exciting authors." -Washington Times

"Mike Bond's books are a national treasure." -Art Zuckerman, WVOX

Bestselling author Mike Bond is best known for his thrillers. His "Pono Hawkins" series, along with his novels of international espionage and military action, have garnered him much critical acclaim over the years.

Then he surprised us in 2018 with a volume of poetry, "The Drum that Beats Within Us," which spanned a wide range of subjects, from breathtaking studies of wilderness and the natural world, to the intimate corners of the human heart, and outward into life's biggest existential questions.

Mike Bond has done it again, focusing his formidable talents on yet another genre: the historical novel. "America" (Big City Press) is the first of a planned seven-volume series "capturing the transformations and heartbreaks of the last 70 years, and of our nation's most profound upheavals since the Civil War -- a time that defined the end of the 20th Century and where we are today." It's a wildly ambitious project.

FOUR FRIENDS SWEPT INTO TURBULENCE OF THE 1960s

Set in the '60s around Nyack, NY, four kids from disparate backgrounds grow up together.

Troy, an orphan living at the local Boy's Home, luckily meets Mick, who has a happy home life on a farm with his parents and sister Tara. He is later adopted by Mick's family. Tara, Mick's little sister and the girl Troy grows to love, takes off to become a rock star, mostly singing the blues like a young Janis Joplin.

Troy eventually joins the service, with his goal to explore the world of flight and outer space, encouraged by an exuberant and idealistic young president aiming to get us to the moon. Mick becomes a rebel who questions the war in Vietnam. His girlfriend Daisy ends up moving away with her abusive father and a mother who is brutalized every day. She escapes to join the Peace Corps and eventually to study the human mind.

America brings to mind classic coming-of-age masterpieces such as "Look Homeward, Angel" by Thomas Wolfe. The characters are so vivid and alive, you think you're reading about old friends and recalling fond memories of youth.

These are young people transformed by their times, by the emergence of the pill and sexual liberation, drugs and, of course, rock music. They are both witness and catalyst as America evolves from a post-World War II nation to a place where women's rights, civil rights, riots, soul searching, burning cities and bra-burning shake the country's cultural and political foundations to the core.

We now wonder if this generation had any impact in changing America for the better in the '60s, or if its struggles continue today, evolved but not solved. Think Black Lives Matter, the Women's March on Washington and the environmental movement. We wonder if the youth of today will have to fight the same fights for the same rights all over again. It would behoove them to read this book.

BookBites is presented by BookTrib.com.

(NewsUSA)

(NewsUSA) - Are you doing all you can to reduce your risk? Research shows people with elevated #triglycerides have 35% more cardiovascular events compared to people with normal triglyceride levels who are on statins. Fish oil dietary supplements and some commonly used medications, like fibrates, are not recommended or approved to reduce risk and may not offer the protection you are looking for. Talk with your doctor and get the facts about triglycerides. Visit http://bit.ly/NationalTGDay to learn more!

See full-sized image here.

(NewsUSA)

As we begin to transform to a “more normal life,” many of us are still expected to continue the trend of working from home in 2021 and beyond. However, working remotely doesn’t mean you need to compromise your work performance. Tech Expert Marc Saltzman and the KillerApps.com website recently partnered with brands that can help turn your home office into a more productive workspace. Let’s go through the numbers.

1. HP ZBook Firefly G8

Starting with a PC. The Z by HP PC line provides high performance laptops, desktops, displays, and solutions to power your next creative breakthrough. HP ZBook Firefly gives office power users and creators the performance and reliability to run professional apps, preventing the slowdowns and crashes of their previous business laptop – all in an incredibly thin and light design. HP’s lightest ZBook provides true mobility for those who push typical business PCs past the breaking point. For more information, visit www8.hp.com/us/en/workstations/zbook-firefly.html.

2. eero Pro 6

Moving to Wi-Fi in your home, the eero Pro 6 brings a fast, reliable, secure internet connection to your home office so you won’t need to worry about buffering or dead zones again. It works with your existing internet service to cover up to 6,000 square feet, bringing Wi-Fi to every corner of your home. Its TrueMesh technology intelligently routes network traffic to avoid congestion, buffering, and drop-offs so customers can video conference, stream in 4K and play games with ease. The eero Pro 6 can support more than 75 devices simultaneously to keep your whole-home connected. For more information, visit www.eero.com.

3. HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e

And you’ll need a quality and reliable printer. HP’s OfficeJet Pro 9015e all in one wireless printer is a smart choice. Made from recycled plastic, OfficeJet Pro is perfect for shared home offices doing a range of print tasks while working, learning and creating. With the HP+ smart printing system, this printer keeps itself up to date, secure and is always ready to print from virtually anywhere at any time. And with HP+, get 6 free months of Instant Ink, an extra year of HP warranty, and peace of mind knowing HP will plant trees and protect forests in equal measure for every page printed. For more information, visit www.HP.com/plus.

4. T-Mobile Tuesdays

Let’s not forget our smartphones. Many people know that T-Mobile customers can get free stuff and discounts from popular brands every week via T-Mobile Tuesdays, just for being a part of the T-Mobile family. But now, and every week, millions of Metro by T-Mobile customers can also get thanked with free stuff and exclusive offers from some of today’s most popular brands, like Pandora, Dunkin’, Popeyes, Shell, Redbox, Booking.com and more! For more information, visit www.t-mobile.com/offers/t-mobile-tuesdays.

5. Shure MV5C Home Office Microphone

And don’t underestimate the importance of great audio for work at home. The Shure MV5C Home Office Microphone is designed for professionals, students, and teachers who require pristine, studio-quality audio for important video calls and meetings. Unlike laptop microphones that can pick up every sound in the room, the Shure MV5C is a directional microphone that prioritizes the user’s voice, not the environment. Set up is intentionally simplified, so anyone can unbox, plug it into a computer, and that’s it.  For more information, visit www.shure.com/MV5C.

Head over to KillerApps.com for everything covered and more tech roundups. 

(NewsUSA) - One of the lingering images of the early days of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States is store shelves stripped clean of paper products -- mainly paper towels and toilet paper.

Fortunately, supply chains have rebounded, but consumers can help combat future paper product shortages by recycling not only paper, but cartons used for milk, juice, soup, and other food or beverage products.

Much of the information consumers receive about recycling can be confusing, according to the Carton Council of North America, an organization composed of carton manufacturers such as Elopak, Evergreen Packaging, SIG Combibloc, and Tetra Pak.

A national survey conducted by the Carton Council found that an overwhelming majority of consumers (95 percent) are supportive of recycling and 58 percent say the circumstances of 2020 and the pandemic have made them feel it's more important to recycle now than it was before.

However, only about a third of consumers say they thought recycling might help with shortages of toilet paper and paper towels. In fact, one ton of paper made from recycled fibers instead of virgin fibers conserves not only 7,000 gallons of water, but also 17 to 31 trees, 4,000 kilowatt hours of electricity, and 60 pounds of air pollutants, according to the Carton Council.

"It's great to see that people are recognizing the importance of recycling, but we need to remain diligent," says Carla Fantoni, vice president of communications for the Carton Council of North America and for Tetra Pak Americas.

"We need to reinforce the connection between recycling and creating new products to consumers, showing why it's so important to recycle and the benefits," Fantoni adds.

For example, a persistent myth about cartons (a multi-layer package) is that they can't be recycled or are too difficult to recycle.

However, cartons can be recycled and contain the highest quality paper fibers in the recycling stream, and they are used by paper mills to make new materials including paper towels and toilet paper.

Recycling cartons is easy, according to the Carton Council. Just make sure milk, juice or other cartons are empty: no need to spend time washing them. Caps can be left on, and small straws that accompany juice boxes can be pushed inside the carton before dropping it in the recycling bin.

Visit RecycleCartons.com for more information about carton recycling.