Vegas Sculptor’s Blog

I’ve been an avid reader all my life and I’ve always loved books. Of course books have their disadvantages. For one thing, as any student can tell you, they are heavy and awkward to carry around.

For years we’ve been hearing how the internet will replace the printed word. There’s no doubt that newspapers and magazines are seeing the impact of people getting their news online. But for most of us the computer just can’t replace books. It’s just more convenient to carry a book and read wherever and whenever the mood hits us.

Imagine being able to carry 200 books around with you, get instant access to new books, newspapers, magazines, and blogs all in a package that weighs about the same as a paperback book.

Amazon has come up with a device called a Kindle that does just that, and more.

When I first heard of the Kindle it seemed like another electronic device that I could probably live without. After all, I’ve always been perfectly satisfied with my books. But this thing is amazing.

First of all, the screen reads more like paper than what you get from most electronic screens. According to Amazon , “Utilizing a new high-resolution display technology called electronic paper, Kindle provides a crisp black-and-white screen that resembles the appearance and readability of printed paper. The screen works using ink, just like books and newspapers, but displays the ink particles electronically. It reflects light like ordinary paper and uses no backlighting, eliminating the glare associated with other electronic displays. As a result, Kindle can be read as easily in bright sunlight as in your living room. The screen never gets hot so you can comfortably read as long as you like.”

Want a new book? Instant access to newspapers like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, or foreign newspapers like Le Monde? How about the current issue of magazines like Time, Forbes, or Atlantic Monthly? Want to check your favorite blog like Slashdot, Boing Boing, The Onion, or Huffington Post? Just access the Kindle Store where most New York Times Bestsellers and new titles are only $9.99 and newspapers and magazines start with a 14 day free trial.

You don’t even need anything extra to shop at the Kindle Store. The unit comes with wireless access called Whispernet that works anywhere. It’s not WiFi, so you don’t need to search for a hotspot.

Again according to Amazon, “Whispernet utilizes Amazon’s optimized technology plus Sprint’s national high-speed (EVDO) data network to enable you to wirelessly search, discover, download, and read content on the go. Amazon pays for Kindle’s wireless connectivity so you will never see a monthly wireless bill for shopping the Kindle Store. There is no wireless setup—you are ready to shop, purchase and read right out of the box.”

When was the last time you bought an electronic device that didn’t involve monthly access charges?

Add to that the fact that Kindle comes loaded with The New Oxford American Dictionary, free built-in access to Wikipedia.org, adjustable text size, a full QWERTY keyboard, and only weighs 10.3 Ounces.

Kindle is a little pricy at $399, but it really could revolutionize the way you read. Check it out!

Last week, in my entry concerning desegregation, I mentioned that the unintended victims of the Civil Rights Movement were the all black clubs, restaurants, hotels, and amusements.

I never really knew these existed until I ran across a license plate holder advertising American Beach in Florida. It referred to American Beach as the “Negro Ocean Playground”. I was quite intrigued by this and began doing a little research into the subject.

License Plate Holder From American Beach

As it turns out, American Beach was quite the swinging place in the ‘40’s and ‘50’s playing host to numerous celebrities including: folklorist Zora Neale Hurston, singer Billie Daniels, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles, Billy Eckstein, Hank Aaron, Joe Louis, and actor Ossie Davis.

The story of American Beach starts in 1935 when Florida’s first African American millionaire, Abraham Lincoln Lewis, bought two hundred acres of beach front between Fernandina Beach and Amelia Island Plantation.
At that point in time beaches were for “whites only” and Lewis developed the property originally for use by the employees of his Afro-American Life Insurance Company. He began to sell lots to other African Americans and soon the beach included hotels, restaurants and nightclubs as well as homes and other businesses. People came from all over the South to play in the ocean, dine in the restaurants, and pack the clubs to watch musicians like Ray Charles and Duke Ellington perform.

The beginning of the end came in 1964 when hurricane Dora struck. Many of the homes and businesses were destroyed by the storm. The near fatal blow came soon after when segregation ended. No longer the lone beach option for African Americans there was no need to travel so far to get to American Beach. Businesses closed, homes fell into disrepair and the once popular resort nearly became a thing of the past.

Eighty of the original two hundred acres were sold to developers before the historical significance of the site was recognized. Efforts were made to preserve as much of the history of American Beach as possible. In January 2002, American Beach was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of several attractions on Florida’s Black Heritage Trail.

Today American Beach is experiencing a resurgence as more and more people are realizing the importance of preserving this historic community. It is now home to a variety of people, from federal judges and corporate executives to custodians, and is truly a representation of the American dream.

To learn more about American Beach, I recommend reading American Beach: A Saga of Race, Wealth, and Memory by Russ Rymer, American Beach: How ‘Progress’ Robbed a Black Town–and Nation–of History, Wealth, and Power by Russ Rymer, An American Beach for African Americans by Marsha Dean Phelts, and The Shrinking Sands of an African American Beach by Annette McCollough Myers (hard to find).