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danbloom

danbloom
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Danny Bloom is a global citizen who helped midwife, er, midhusband, Jim Laughter's new cli fi novel titled POLAR CITY RED, now for sale worldwide, google the title to find ordering info. In the distant future—some say the near future—North America, northern Asia and Europe will see millions of climate refugees from southern lands trekking northward, and the entire Lower 48 might be under threat from the devastating impacts of “climate chaos” —from rising sea levels to a scary scarcity of food, fuel and shelter. Polar City Red is set in an imagined Alaska in the year 2075. But it could just as well be Tokyo or Oslo or Berlin. Global warming is borderless, and so are our fears. “A thought experiment that might prod people out of their comfort zone on climate.” —New York Times “Planning a good retreat is always a good measure of generalship. The retreat will be toward the poles.” —New York Times “We cannot regard the future of the civilized world in the same way as we see our personal futures. The planet may have already passed the tipping point on global warming. Is it already too late? Are the well-intentioned preservation campaigns just feel-good window dressing?” —James Lovelock, CBE, FRS, author of Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth (2000) “We’re seeing the collapse of the Arctic sea ice. This year (2011) alone, planet Earth lost an area of Arctic sea ice twice the size of British Columbia. The impact on the entire global climate system will be enormous—the Arctic sea ice is the canary in the coal mine, and the canary is almost dead.” —Dr. Michael Byers, Professor of Politics and International Law at the University of British Columbia

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Salon.com
FEBRUARY 11, 2012 1:00AM

Trying to make sense of Jeff Zaslow's senseless death

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Jeffrey Zaslow, WSJ reporter based in Detroit, and overall good good man, great husband to Sherry, wonderful dad to three wonderful girls, aged 53, dies in senseless fateful freak car accident skidding on icy Michigan road to go to a small book signing in a very small town, for his new non-fiction book THE MAGIC ROOM. RIP, 1958-2012.

 http://plogspot101.blogspot.com/2012/02/what-if-jeffrey-zaslow-had-not-driven.html

Things is: why was this bestselling famous author driving solo on an overnight trip to North Michigan just to sign a few books and come home the next day. Question is: he commands national PR news interviews on NYC and LA tv outlets and NYTimes front page, so why did he have to drive in winter, alone, to a small town for a nothing event? It shows he has heart and that he cares about his readers and bookstore friends. Still, he is gone now.

 

''Good of you to ask your question, though it has no good answer',' says NYC reporter to me today. Adding:

''why did he go on that trip?

1) Because people ask you favors, and you do some of them

2) Because he didn't think he was going to be killed there ''

 

Michigan news outlets have  learned the identity of a man killed in a crash in Antrim County on February 10.
The driver was reportedly Mr Jeffrey Zaslow, a downstate man and columnist for the Wall Street Journal.
Police say Zaslow lost control of his car on M-32 in Warner Township around 9:15 a.m.
The Antrim County sheriff says he lost control on the snow-covered road and went into the path of a semi trailer truck. Ouch! Zaslow died on impact, he is from the Detroit area and has written a number of best selling books. His books include The Last Lecture, Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope and the Girls From Ames. He was in Petoskey yesterday signing copies of his latest book, The Magic Room.
He left behind a wife and 3 daughters.

Reminds me of that book from 1927 by Thornton Wilder, The Bridge Over San Louis Rey that we all read in high  school.

 

My take on the senseless tragic road accident and comments from friends across the nation here: Among comments are: please ADD yours...

 

''Good of you to ask your question, though it has no good answer. Would never want to drive long 2-lane stretches at night in snow and ice. Interstates are bad enough.''

''Some of these same questions occurred to me. That's a long way to drive to meet a few fans and sell a few books. I knew Jeff pretty well back when he ws in Chicago. He attended my wedding. Very sad."

 

This all reminds me of ''The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' by Thornton Wilder

Thornton Wilder's second novel, ''THE BRIDGE OF SAN LUIS REY'', was published in 1927 to worldwide acclaim. The plot is deceptively simple: On July 20, 1714, "the finest bridge in all Peru" collapses and five people die.

Brother Juniper, a Franciscan missionary, happens to witness the tragedy, and as a result, he asks the central question of the novel:

"Why did this happen to those five?"

He sets out to explore the lives of the five victims, and to understand why they died. Ironically, his quest will lead to his own death.

In later years, when someone asked Thornton Wilder about his purpose in writing THE BRIDGE, he replied that he was posing a question: "Is there a direction and meaning in lives beyond the individual's own will?"

 

What if Jeffrey Zaslow had not driven to northern Michigan in the winter for a book signing for his latest book, THE MAGIC ROOM, in Petosky? Did he really have to go that far, overnight, just to sign books in a small town? SIGH and REST IN PEACE, JEFFREY: a good man gone too soon!

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''This is just awful. I recognize his name from WSJ, though don't remember specifics. He really got into positive things.

I've been up in that area of MI before but in the summer. Got as far as Saginaw and Midland in the (brutal) winter. One time was in Alpena, almost as far north but on east side, during really bad winter weather.''

''Good of you to ask your question, though it has no good answer. Would never want to drive long 2-lane stretches at night in snow and ice. Interstates are bad enough.''
danbloom
February 11, 2012 01:01 AM
Anonymous said...
why did he go on that trip?

1) Because people ask you favors, and you do some of them

2) Because he didn't think he was going to be killed there
danbloom
February 11, 2012 01:01 AM
Anonymous said...
''Some of these same questions occurred to me. That's a long way to drive to meet a few fans and sell a few books. I knew Jeff pretty well back when he ws in Chicago. He attended my wedding. Very sad. ''
danbloom
February 11, 2012 01:02 AM
reminds me of ''The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' (by Thornton Wilder

Thornton Wilder's second novel, THE BRIDGE OF SAN LUIS REY, was published in 1927 to worldwide acclaim. The plot is deceptively simple: On July 20, 1714, "the finest bridge in all Peru" collapses and five people die.

Brother Juniper, a Franciscan missionary, happens to witness the tragedy, and as a result, he asks the central question of the novel:

"Why did this happen to those five?"

He sets out to explore the lives of the five victims, and to understand why they died. Ironically, his quest will lead to his own death.

In later years, when someone asked Thornton Wilder about his purpose in writing THE BRIDGE, he replied that he was posing a question: "Is there a direction and meaning in lives beyond the individual's own will?"
danbloom
February 11, 2012 01:03 AM
According to the Antrim County Sheriffs Department, Zaslow was killed
in an automobile accident in northern Michigan Friday morning. It
happened just after 9 a.m. on M-32, about half-mile from US-131 near
Elmira. Police report he lost control of the vehicle on the snow
covered road and was hit by a semi-truck.

On Thursday night, Zaslow attended an event at the McLean & Eakin
Bookseller in Petosky's Gaslight district, to promote his latest book
" The Magic Room: A Story About the Love We Wish for Our Daughters ."
danbloom
February 11, 2012 01:04 AM
According to the Antrim County Sheriffs Department, Zaslow was killed
in an automobile accident in northern Michigan Friday morning. It
happened just after 9 a.m. on M-32, about half-mile from US-131 near
Elmira. Police report he lost control of the vehicle on the snow
covered road and was hit by a semi-truck.

On Thursday night, Zaslow attended an event at the McLean & Eakin
Bookseller in Petosky's Gaslight district, to promote his latest book
" The Magic Room: A Story About the Love We Wish for Our Daughters ."
danbloom
February 11, 2012 01:05 AM
Describing the sources of his novel, Wilder explained that the plot was inspired "in its external action by a one-act play by [the French playwright] Prosper Merimee, which takes place in Latin America and one of whose characters is a courtesan. However, the central idea of the work, the justification for a number of human lives that comes up as a result of the sudden collapse of a bridge, stems from friendly arguments with my father, a strict Calvinist. Strict Puritans imagine God all too easily as a petty schoolmaster who minutely weights guilt against merit, and they overlook God's Caritas' which is more all- encompassing and powerful. God's love has to transcend his just retribution. But in my novel I have left this question unanswered. As I said earlier, we can only pose the question' correctly and clearly, and have faith one will ask the question in the right way."
danbloom
February 11, 2012 01:05 AM
''Some of these same questions occurred to me. That's a long way to drive to meet a few fans and sell a few books. I knew Jeff pretty well back when he ws in Chicago. He attended my wedding. Very sad.''
danbloom
February 11, 2012 01:07 AM
1) Because people ask you favors, and you do some of them


2) Because he didn't think he was going to be killed there
danbloom
February 11, 2012 01:07 AM
Does anybody reading this have an answer? I am just asking. Jeff was a friend of mine and I mourn his untimely and premature passing. A freak accident indeed. But did it have to happen? Who and what set this tragic event into motion and WHY WHY WHY?

''A good friend, a wonderful human being, and a massive talent." a mutual friend told me today by email.

Another mutual friend, also a journalist, tells me in an email today: "His wife is a news anchor at the Fox station in Detroit. I haven't watched this yet, but a friend sent me the link to the report from their early evening newscast."http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/local/author-jeff-zaslow-dies-at-age-53


Says another journalist friend, "yes. sad news indeed. tweeted earlier.."
danbloom
February 11, 2012 01:08 AM
I feel your grief Dan. Life throws such terrible stuff at us sometimes. Somehow we have to pick up the pieces and carry on. It will be hardest for his immediate family and right now nothing anyone says can console them. He joins a much loved Engineer and politician from Cornwall, England who was on his way to meet constituents at Christmas time about 25 years ago when his car too skidded on the ice. A bunch of cyclists in North Wales a few years ago, also at Christmas, had a car skid into them whilst out on a ride in icy conditions. You never know what is coming just around any corner - all the more reason to live each moment as if it is your last and to behave towards others accordingly.
danbloom
February 11, 2012 06:28 AM
Life is everything­. Death is the unwelcome ender. When death comes before justified by nature, the pain to the living is seemingly unbearable if the victim practiced those virtues that attract and are the golden rule. Knowing that life is ephemeral and fragile may help those harmed by this man's meaningles­s death. All deaths remind the living of how precious and short is life. Death reminds the dedicated living that time is fleeting and there is work yet to be done.
danbloom
February 11, 2012 06:29 AM
Maybe Jeff had a cottage up north. Petoskey is a beautiful town in northern Michigan, near ski resorts and golf courses. The wind and blowing snow make for dangerous driving, but a resident of Michigan knows the situation is dicey. I've made winter treks on the same hwy. many times, once a gust of wind caused me to 360 into a snow drift, while going 35 mph. Another fine writer died several years ago on the way to a book event. David Halberstam was a passenger in a car hit in northern California­. Crap happens in this thing called life.
danbloom
February 11, 2012 06:30 AM
re
http://open.salon.com/blog/danbloom/2012/02/15/i_do_not_accept_jeffrey_zaslows_death

On Sat, Feb 18, 2012 at 9:40 PM, Reynolds, Lindor


> I've just skimmed your Salon entry. I've never heard of you and I don't
> read Salon.
>
> Lindor Reynolds
> Columnist
> Winnipeg Free Press
danbloom
February 18, 2012 09:40 PM
"danny Look, Jeff was part of the media, not the object of it. If he were the object of it, perhaps his death would be treated like that of Whitney Houston--which is plain over the top in the US. And just like Michael Jackson, once in death, they again become a media icon--in spite of the media tumble they both endured during the last ten years of their lives.


And why is this, you might ask? Because upon their death, a fallen mega-star's name sells newspapers, magazines and scores TV ratings. It feeds into a national obsession, but what the hell do I know.


Why don't you go at it with that angle and see who pays attention.


R in NYC''-
danbloom
February 18, 2012 09:45 PM