Bøger af Marques Vickers

Avoid The Tourist Herds. What could be more uninspiring than seeing the identical attractions that everyone else has for decades? This Twisted Tour Guide escorts you to the places locals don't want to talk about anymore...the same places people once couldn't stop talking about. Long after the screaming headlines and sensationalism has subsided, these bizarre, infamous and obscure historical sites remain hidden awaiting rediscovery. Each visitation site in this guide is accompanied by a story. Many of the narratives defy believability, yet they are true. The profiled cast of characters feature saints and sinners (with emphasis towards the latter). Notorious crimes, murders, accidental deaths, suicides, kidnappings, vice and scandal are captivating human interest tales. The photography from each profile showcases the precise location where each event occurred. The scenes can seem ordinary, weird and/or sometimes very revealing towards clarifying the background behind events. If you're seeking an alternative to conventional tourism, this Twisted Tourist Guide is ideal. Each directory accommodates the restless traveler and even resident looking for something unique and different. Historical Scandals: Dead Man's Point, Old Town's Flawed Jail, Hanging A Horse Thief, A Rouge Litany of Flawed Mayors, The Rainmaker, Abraham Lincoln's Love Letters, Kumeyaay Forced Relocation, Children's Hospital Tainted Blood, Strippergate, Big Boom Bust and Del Mar Racehorse Fatalities. Flawed Personalities: Count Agoston Haraszthy, Davis' Waterfront Folly, The Future Duchess of Windsor, Beach Boy Brian Wilson's Vagrancy Arrest, Actor Desi Arnez's Parking Shooting, Bird Rock Bandits Fatal Beating, Distancing From Aviator Charles Lindbergh, Junior Seau, Kellen Winslow II, Online Influencer Ali Abulaban and Unconventional Dr. Seuss. Architecture With A Distinctive Past: Stingaree District, The Golden Poppy Brothel, U.S. Grant Hotel, Cabrillo Monument, Escondido Bomb Factory, 101 Ash Street Skyscraper and Horton Plaza Hospitality and HauntingsCasa de Estudillo, Cosmopolitan Hotel, Whaley House, Villa Montezuma, El Cortez Hotel and Del Coronado Resort Hotel, Financial Sleights of HandCalifornia National Bank Bust, Anti-Gambling Crusade, C. Arnholt Smith's Crumbled Empire, J. David Investments and the Foreign Currency Scam, Congressman Randy Cunningham, Drug Money Laundering Sting of a Political Fixer, Congressman Duncan Duane Hunter and Gina Champion-Cain Legacies and Notorious EventsSouthern California To Phoenix Road Race, Balboa Park's Nudist Colony, Japanese-American Internment, Elvis Presley's 1956 Concert, El Cajon Boulevard Drag Racing Riots, Del Coronado Bridge Suicides, Baseball's Roberto Clemente Abduction, Midair Collision of PSA Flight #182 and Cessna aircraft and Menacing Runaway Tank. Infamous MurdersRuth Sackett Muir, Morse and Goedecke Family Murders, Tara Rand, Donald Tubach, Mobster Frank Bompensiero, Robert Alton Harris, Torrey Pines Beach, Brenda Spencer, San Ysidro McDonald's Massacre, Broderick versus Broderick, John Morency, San Diego State Graduate Student Kills His Professors, Comic Publisher Todd Loren, Charles Keever and Jonathan Sellers, Father Louis Gutierrez, Heaven's Gate Mass Suicide, Santana High School Shooting, Serial Killer John Albert Gardner III, Ryan Jenkins, Trading Places With Your Murder Victim, Vanishing McStay Family, Death at Speckles Mansion, Suburban Bondage Killing, Murder and Abduction By A Trusted Family Friend, Homeless Serial Killer, Poolside Party Shooter and Poway Synagogue Shooting Law Enforcement Related KillingsFatal City Jail Fire, Hub Loan Shoot Out, Grape Street Park, Officers Christopher Wilson, Jeremy Henwood and Jonathan DeGuzman, Demetrius DuBose and Daniel Chong's Isolation Hell.

Avoid The Tourist Herds. What could be more uninspiring than seeing the identical attractions that everyone else has for decades? This Twisted Tour Guide escorts you to the places locals don't want to talk about anymore...the same places people once couldn't stop talking about. Long after the screaming headlines and sensationalism has subsided, these bizarre, infamous and obscure historical sites remain hidden awaiting rediscovery. Each visitation site in this guide is accompanied by a story. Many of the narratives defy believability, yet they are true. The profiled cast of characters feature saints and sinners (with emphasis towards the latter). Notorious crimes, murders, accidental deaths, suicides, kidnappings, vice and scandal are captivating human interest tales. The photography from each profile showcases the precise location where each event occurred. The scenes can seem ordinary, weird and/or sometimes very revealing towards clarifying the background behind events. If you're seeking an alternative to conventional tourism, this Twisted Tour Guide is ideal. Each directory accommodates the restless traveler and even resident looking for something unique and different. Historic Buildings with Paranormal Haunting: Witches Castle, Merchant's Hotel, Kelly's Olympian, White Eagle Saloon, Kell's Irish Restaurant, Hollywood Theatre Portland Scandals: The Open Door and the Great Vice Crusade of 1896, Unsuccessful Sexual Set-Up of Mayor Harry Lane, Richard's Restaurant, Vice Clique Gay Scandal of 1912, Ku Klux Klan's infiltration, Mayoral Election of 1917, Radio's Robert Gordon Duncan, Schneiderman's Music Hall, Michael Grave's Flawed Portland Building Elicit Commerce: Opium Trade, Court of Death, Shanghai Tunnels, Gambling Dens, Prohibition, Read Hotel, Frank Kodat Crime Networt, Historic Prostitution Outlets, The Desert Room, Yam Yam's BBQ Historic Events: Great Fires of 1872-1973, Emma Goldman's 1915 Lecture, Hoovervilles at Sullivan's Gulch, Multnomah Aerial Showcase, Catastrophe at Vanport, Brittany Maynard's Assisted Suicide Institutions with Storied Pasts: Huber's Café, The Boneyard, Society Hotel, Lone Fir Cemetery, Dan and Louis Oyster Bar, Erickson's Saloon, Washington Hotel, Lownsdale Square Public Bathroom, Crystal Ballroom, Golden West Hotel, Vista Bridge, Crystal Hotel, Dude Ranch, Harbor Club, Tel and Tel Tavern, Club Continental Baths, Mary's Club Legendary Personalities: Danford Balch, Liverpool Lil, Boneyard Mary, Carrie Bradley, Anne Jeanne Tingry Le-Coz, Alice Oberle, Joseph Bunko Kelley, Kate Ann Williams, Theodore Berthus Kruses, Gus Erickson, Fred Fritz Jr., Mysterious Billy Smith, Dr. Marie Equi, Henry Lewis Pittock, Mayor George Baker, Henry Albers, Journalists John Reed and Louis Bryant, Nate Zusman, Al Winter, Mayor Dorothy McCullough, Big Jim Elkins, Roma Ollison, Hotelier Gordon Sondland Notorious MurdersReynolds's Homewrecker Shooting, Dark Strangler Serial Killer, Contract Killing of Frank Akin, 1946 Willamette Floating Torso, Bowden Bombing, Killing Under St. John's Bridge, Career Criminal Frank Oliver Payne, Diane Hank Abduction, Forest Park Slayings, Weeks Family Massacre, Veronica Dolan's Christmas Eve slaying, Michele Dee Gate's Saga of Death, Lloyolla Miller's savage axing, Beating Death of Mulugeta Seraw, Tim Moreau and the Counterfeit Ticketing Ring, Serial Killer Scott William Cox, Homer Lee Jackson's Prostitution Murders, The Zone's Shooting Rampage, Federal Public Defender Nancy Bergeson's Murder, Abduction of Kyron Horman, Escort Ashley Benson SalemPioneer Murder of Daniel Delaney, Salem Hanging Grounds, Political Fixer Jonathan Bourne and 40 days of legislative debauchery, Fairview Training Center, Elsinore Theatre, Mass Poisoning at the Oregon State Hospital, Serial Killer Richard Marquette, Fetish Killer Jerry Brudos, Oregon Stat...

Avoid The Tourist Herds. What could be more uninspiring than seeing the identical attractions that everyone else has for decades? This Twisted Tour Guide escorts you to the places locals don't want to talk about anymore...the same places people once couldn't stop talking about. Long after the screaming headlines and sensationalism has subsided, these bizarre, infamous and obscure historical sites remain hidden awaiting rediscovery. Each visitation site in this guide is accompanied by a story. Many of the narratives defy believability, yet they are true. The profiled cast of characters feature saints and sinners (with emphasis towards the latter). Notorious crimes, murders, accidental deaths, suicides, kidnappings, vice and scandal are captivating human interest tales. Paranormal activity in the aftermath is common. The photography from each profile showcases the precise location where each event occurred. The scenes can seem ordinary, weird and/or sometimes very revealing towards clarifying the background behind events. If you're seeking an alternative to conventional tourism, this Twisted Tourist Guide is ideal. Each directory accommodates the restless traveler and even resident looking for something unique and different. You will never imagine or scrutinize the San Francisco Bay area through rose tinted glasses again. The contents include: SAN FRANCISCO: CIA's Sex and Drug Playhouse, Diamond Jessie Hayman's Brothels, Jerome Bassity's Tenderloin Fiefdom, Sublime's Bradley James Nowell's Heroin Overdose, 1937 Brothel Addresses, Chambers Mansion, 1885 Chinatown Vice, Cliff House and Sutro Baths, Killer Piano of the Condor Club, Curran Theater's Haunting, Dan White's Infamous Murders and Suicide, Dog Mauling of Diane Whipple, Chinatown's Belle Cora and Donaldina Cameron, Gangland Slaying of Fung Little Pete Jing Toy, 101 California Building Massacre, Golden Gate Bridge Suicides, Jeff Adachi's Double Life and Death, Contract Killing of Joe The Animal Barboza, Kevin Collins Kidnapping, Maiden Lane's Infamous History, Mary Ellen Pleasant's Legacy, Miles Archer's Murder Plaque, Golden Dragon Massacre, President Warren Harding's Death, People's Temple, Queen Anne Hotel Legacy, Fatty Arbuckle's Fall From Grace, Political Fixer Abe Ruef's Penthouse, Spreckel's Mansion, St. Elizabeth's Center for Unwed Mothers, Terrific Street, and the International Settlement, Whittier Mansion Nazi Connection, Westerfield House and the Zebra Killings EAST BAY AREAAshkenaz Murder, Port Chicago Explosion and Mutiny, Journalist Chancey Bailey's Shooting, Children of Thunder Murders, Oakland Superintendent of Schools Assassination, Fat Lady Restaurant, Ghost Ship Warehouse Inferno, Henry's Bar Hostage Nightmare, Port Costa's Hotel Burlington, Huey Newton's Demise, Laci Peterson's Saga, Lovelle Mixon's Police Killings, Gambling Era Survivor Oaks Card Room, Oikos University Massacre, Oscar Grant III's Homicide, Patty Hearst Kidnapping, Pleasanton Hotel Phantom, Jockey Ron Hansen's Plunge, Unabomber's Berkeley Experience, USS Hornet's Suicide Reputation and El Cerrito's Dens of Iniquity MARIN COUNTYMitchell Brothers Curse, Blue Rock Inn's Seedy Past, Litchfield's: California's Las Vegas, Marin County Courthouse Shootings, Tamalpais Trailhead Killer, Marin Barbeque Murders, Robin Williams' Suicide and Sausalito's Infamous Madame Sally Stanford PENINSULABrook Hart's Kidnapping, Cameron's Pub, Kohl Mansion, Moss Beach Distillery's Blue Lady, Ocean Beach Hotel, PG& E's San Bruno Pipeline Explosion, Sam's Eclectic Castle and Historic Sanchez Adobe, SOLANO COUNTYPromoter Bill Graham's Fatal Helicopter Crash, Benicia's Capital and Brothel Heritage and Zodiac Killer Murders SONOMA & NAPA COUNTIESBlue Wing Inn, California Industrial Farm for Women, Fishhead Beach Murder, Petaluma's Crooked History, Polly Kla

Avoid The Tourist Herds. What could be more uninspiring than seeing the identical attractions that everyone else has for decades? This Twisted Tour Guide escorts you to the places locals don't want to talk about anymore...the same places people once couldn't stop talking about. Long after the screaming headlines and sensationalism has subsided, these bizarre, infamous and obscure historical sites remain hidden awaiting rediscovery. Each visitation site in this guide is accompanied by a story. Many of the narratives defy believability, yet they are true. The photography from each profile showcases the precise location where each event occurred. The scenes can seem ordinary, weird and/or sometimes very revealing towards clarifying the background behind events. If you're seeking an alternative to conventional tourism, this Twisted Tourist Guide is ideal. Each directory accommodates the restless traveler and even resident looking for something unique and different. Historic and Frequently Flawed Personalities: Andy Warhol, George Washington, Mayors Joseph Barker and Charles Kline, Composer Stephen Foster, Biddle Brothers and Mrs. Soffel, Harry Thaw, Evelyn Nesbit, Mary Schenley, Henry Clay Frick, H. J. and Howard Heinz, Actress Eleonora Duse, Prohibition Reformer William King, Joe The Ghost Pangallo, President Calvin Coolidge, Aviator Rose Collins, Father James Cox, Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black, Dr. Jonas Salk, Mister Fred Rogers, Robert Duggan and the Mysterious Hat Bandit Architecture With A Distinctive Past: Cathedral of Learning, Pittsburgh Bridges, Union Railroad Station, Kaufman's Department Store and Famed Clock, Lyndhurst Mansion, Pitt University's Log Cabin, Union Trust Building, Heinz Lofts, Schenley Park Hotel, Hendel Building, Syria Mosque, Saint John's Hospital, William Penn Hotel, Heinz Field, Crawford Grill, Stock Exchange, Langley Hall Explosion, Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, Bellefield Tower and Iron City Brewery Hospitality and HauntingsMonongahela House Hotel, Pittsburgh Playhouse, Carnegie Library, Chatham College's Woodland Hall and the Frick Mansion Legacies and Notorious EventsTarleton Bates' Fatal Duel, Great Fire of 1845, Market Square Riot, Founding of the AFL Labor Organization, Fifth Avenue Fire, Cyclone of 1889, Armstrong-McKelvy Building Collapse, Lion Mauling at Luna Park, Spontaneous Human Combustion, Aetna Dynamite Explosion, Document Establishing Czechoslovakia, Donnelly Building Elevator Fall, Carnegie Ku Klux Klan Invasion, Sunday Blue Laws, Equitable Gas Company Explosion, Pittsburgh Jazz Heritage, Little Sisters of the Poor Fire, Winter Flooding of Point Park, Communist Scare, Commuter Bandit, Kennywood Pavilion Fire, Lottery Scandal, Purolator Heist, Todd Becker's Dormitory Fall, Braun Baking Company and Town Talk Bread, Homeless Memorial and Operation Pork Chop Historical Scandals: Whiskey Rebellion, Labor Strikes and Accompanying Violence, Thaw-Seymour Marriage and Financiers Michael Carlow and Earl Belle Infamous Killings and MurderArchitect Stanford White, Frontier Public Hangings, Dead Man's Hollow, Suffocation By Folding Bed, Prohibition Gangster Leader Deaths of Luigi Lamendola, Stefano and Sam Monastero, Morris Curran, Giuseppe Siragusa and Jack Palmere, Rum Runner William Gregory, Lobianco Brothers Grocery Massacre, Volpe Brothers Contract Killing, Michael Chervenak, George Lee, Jimmy Goodnight, Spree Shooters Richard Baumhammers and George Sodini, Ricardo Tobia, Serial Killer Sidney Brinkley, Tree of Life Synagogue, Jim Rogers and Uber Driver Christina Spicuzza Transportation CalamitiesMt. Washington Christmas Eve trolley crash, Graham Ferry Sinking, Bettis Airfield Balloon Disaster, Railroad Derailments, Island Queen Ship Detonation, Ghost Bomber and Air Disasters

Evade the Tourist Herds and Enter Into An Insider's Lyon. For the infinitely curious, this edition offer known and unknown history, hidden delights and fascinating stories pervade the history of Lyon. This kaleidoscope of discovery, personalities, egos, scandals, conflict framed by sheer beauty creates a vivid tapestry defining over two millenniums. This guide transports you geographically and photographically to the precise famous and infamous locations where history occurred. The scenes may sometimes appear ordinary, weird, but often illuminate the physical background and descriptions behind events. Many of the narratives defy believability, yet they are true. This Twisted Tour Guide is your alternative to conventional travel. It accommodates the restless visitor, tourist and resident seeking a unique and different perspective to traditional tourism. Lyon remains one of the most beguiling, seductive and enchanting cities of the world. Historical Attractions: Settlement of Lugdunum, Fourviere Hill, Roman Amphitheatre, Aqueduct of Gier, Ancient Bath Sites, Amphitheatre des Trois Gaules, Montees du Gourguillon and Saint-Barthelemy, Chateau Pierre-Scize, Ille Barbe, Place Sathonay, Guillaume Leroy Studio, College of the Trinity, Ancient Astronomical Clock, Place Bellecour, Beaux Arts Museums, Traboule Passageways, Passage de l'Argue, Charvet Clock, Gadagne Museum, Celestins Theatres, Notre Dame Basilica, Bartholdi Fountain, Feyssine Park Bunkers, Immense Glacier Stone, Tata of Chasselay Cemetery Memorial, Hotel Terminus, Building Façade Murals, Deportation Center and Former Saint Paul Prison Inmate Mural Gallery Famous Architecture: Grand Hotel Dieu, Saint Bonaventure Church, Maison Lantillon, Hotel Paterin, Saint-Jean-Baptiste Cathedral, Saint Polycarpe Church, Maison Brunet, Fort de Caluire Ruins, Maison des Canuts, Fort Saint-Jean, Fort de Loyasse, Church of the Immaculate Conception, Bon Pasteur Church, Fort de Brun, Fourviere Tower, Fort Montluc, Fort de Montessuy, Lyon Music and Dance Conservatory, St. Nizier Church and Le Kraken Sculptural Installation Historical Noteworthy Events: Papal Coronation of Clement V, Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre, Eleven Lions Heads Mystery, First Hot Air Balloon Flights, Siege of Lyon, The White Terror, Revolt of the Canuts, Legendary Peeing Child Statue on Rue Lanterne, Festival of Lights, Lyon Commune Movement, Auguste Burdeau Memorial Omission, Invention of Cinematography, The Mitraillades Killings, Cognet de Seynes Automobile, World War II Jewish Deportations, Bombing of Grand Synagogue, Bron Airport Execution, Tablets and Memorial of Stolen Lives, Vinatier Mental Hospital Starvations, Sex Workers Church Takeover, Trial of Klaus Barbie, Ballet Maternity Leave Scandal and Rhone River Homeless Camp Criminality: Sadi Carnot Stabbing Death, The World's First Forensic Laboratory, Serial Killers Martin Dumollard and Luigi Richetto, Police Commissioner Rene Lacroix's Killing, Gros Caillou Gang Shootout, Mobster Jean Auge's Murder, Judge Francois Renaud's Contract Hit, INTERPOL Headquarters, Jean-Claude Romand's Family Slaughter and Axelle Dorier Car Dragging Death Profiles: Blandine The Slave, Saint Justus, Pere Auger, Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier, Architect Pierre Bossan, Explorer Charles de Chavannes Mayor Antoine Gailleton, Lumiere Brothers, Edmond Locard, American Wartime Spy Virginia Hall, Butcher of Lyon Klaus Barbie, French Resistance Symbols Jean Moulin and Rene Hardy, Sister Elise Rivet, Historian Marc Bloch, Marguerite Flavien, Abbe Pierre and Pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet

Avoid The Tourist Herds.What could be more uninspiring than seeing the identical attractions that everyone else has for decades?This Twisted Tour Guide escorts you to the places locals don't want to talk about anymore...the same places people once couldn't stop talking about. Long after the screaming headlines and sensationalism has subsided, these bizarre, infamous and obscure historical sites remain hidden awaiting rediscovery.Each visitation site in this guide is accompanied by a story. Many of the narratives defy believability, yet they are true. The profiled cast of characters feature saints and sinners (with emphasis towards the latter). Notorious crimes, murders, accidental deaths, suicides, kidnappings, vice and scandal are captivating human interest tales.The photography from each profile showcases the precise location where each event occurred. The scenes can seem ordinary, weird and/or sometimes very revealing towards clarifying the background behind events.If you're seeking an alternative to conventional tourism, this Twisted Tour Guide is ideal. Each directory accommodates the restless traveler and even resident looking for something unique and different.Scandals:Sister Aimee Semple's disappearance, Zoot Suit riots, Howard Hughes' collisions, George Michael sex sting, Dr. Lanterman's abortions, Pio Pico shortsighted swap, Rodney King beating, Roman Polanski's flight from justice and Julian Oil, Valhalla Cemetery and Girard SwindlesFamous Homicides and Killers:Billionaire Boys Club, Barbara Graham, Black Dahlia, Bonnie Lee Bakely, Edward Allaway, Police Captain Walter Auble, Charles Crawford, Christian Brando, Dominique Dunne, Dr. Raymond Finch, Efren Saldivar, Ennis Cosby, Geneva Ellroy, Haing Ngor, Johnny Stompanato, Mickey and Trudy Thompson, Newhall CHP Shootout, Nicole Brown-Simpson, SLA Fuselage, Phil Spector, Ramon Novarro, Rebecca Schaeffer, Ronni Chasen, Sal Mineo, Sam Cooke, Susan Berman, Ted Healy, North Hollywood Bank of America Heist, Van Cleef & Arpels Hostage Standoff, William Desmond Taylor and the Wonderland massacresSerial Killers:Charles Manson, Golden State Killer, Richard Ramirez and Hillside StrangerMurder-Suicides:Dorothy Stratten, Johnny Lewis, Ned Doheny and Phil HartmanAssassinations and Contract Murders:Bugsy Siegel, Notorious B.I.G., Raymond Washington, Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Vic WeissCelebrity Suicides and Locations:Brian Keith, Carol Landis, Hotel Cecil, Pasadena's Colorado Street Bridge, Darby Crash, DeeDee Ramone, Del Shannon, Don Cornelius, Freddie Prinze, George Reeve, Herve Villechaize, Hugh O'Connor, Keith Emerson, Lupe Velez, Margaux Hemmingway, Peg Entwistle, Pete Duel, Pier Angeli, Ross Alexander, Tony Scott and Verne TroyerShocking Celebrity Deaths and Overdoses:Dennis Wilson, Lenny Bruce, Janis Joplin, John Belushi, Michael Jackson, Paul Walker, River Phoenix and Whitney HoustonProstitution and Renowned Madams:Lee Frances, Hollywood Love Market, Heidi Fleiss, Calle de los Negroes and Actor Hugh Grant's Indiscretion

Evade the Tourist Herds and Enter Into An Insider's Guide to Northern Virginia.Known and unknown history, hidden delights and fascinating stories pervade the history of Northern Virginia. This kaleidoscope of discovery, personalities, egos, scandals, conflict framed by sheer beauty creates a vivid tapestry defining over three centuries.This guide transports you to the precise famous and infamous locations where history occurred. The scenes may sometimes appear ordinary, weird, but often illuminate the physical background and descriptions behind events. Many of the narratives defy believability, yet they are true.This Twisted Tour Guide is your alternative to conventional travel. It accommodates the restless visitor, tourist and resident seeking a unique and different perspective to traditional tourism. Northern Virginia remains one of the most beguiling, historic and enchanting regions of the United States.ArlingtonPreserving the Declaration of Independence, Arlington National Cemetery, Actress Pola Negri's Lovenest, Watergate's Deep Throat, Serial Kill Timothy Spencer, Vincent Foster's Suicide, Spy Aldrich Ames, 9/11 Memorial and Congressman William Jefferson. General Rochambeau,AlexandriaMargaret Brent, George Lincoln Rockwell, George Washington and Mount Vernon, Cameron, John Carlyle, Duvall's Tavern, Colonial Michael Swope, Lee-Fendall House, Pineapple Symbolism, Potts-Fitzhugh House, St. Mary's and Contrabands Cemetery, Yates Gardens, Malpractice Killing of George Washington, Dr. Elisha Dick, Colross Estate, Alexandria's Shameful Surrender, Female Stranger Gravestone, Devil Bat, Fire of 1827, Slave Trader Sites, Lyceum Theatre, Alexandria Canal, Windmill Hill Park, Oscar The Manaquin Guard, Wilkes Street Tunnel, Floating Brothels, Colonel Elmer Ellsworth, Forts Ellsworth, Williams, Hunt and Willard, Bank of Alexandria Building, Battery Rodgers, Black Diamond Catastrophe, Burned Bride, Confederate Funeral Markers, Shiloh Baptist Church, Benjamin Thomas Lynching, Homicidal Clem, Silent Sentinels Trial, Sergeant Elton Hummer, Washington Masonic Memorial, Civil Rights Sit-In, Gerald Ford, U2 Pilot Gary Powers, Loving versus Virginia, Murders of Donita Cutts, Carol Ann Dodd, Constance Mellon, Betty Ayele, and Elizabeth Elliot, Police Officer Charles Hall, Purple Heart Trail Origins, Serial Killer Charles Severance, Ship Excavations, Congressman Steve Scalise Shooting and Appomattox Monument Removal.FairfaxBattle of Fairfax Courthouse, Execution of James Lewis, Motorcycle Gang Madness, The Christmas Tree Lady's Puzzling Suicide, Spy Robert Hanssen and Mayor Scott Silverthorne.FredericksburgSt. George Episcopal Church, Mary Washington, George Carter's Gambling Losses, Battle of Fredericksburg, Chatham Manor, Confederate Treasury Embezzlement, John Washington, Freedom of Religion Monument, Serial Killers Melvin Rees, John Muhammad, Steven Briel and Lee Malvo, Police Burglary Ring and Pre-Pay Funeral Scandal.RichmondPatrick Henry, John Marshall, Theatre Fire, Confederate White House and Civil War Museum, Canal Walk, Hollywood Cemetery, William Grant House, Union Spy Elizabeth Van Lew, Belle Isle, Samuel Putney House, Civil War Abandonment, Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis and Ulysses S. Grant, Stewart-Lee House, Church Hill and Monte Maria Academy and WRVA Complex, Washington Monument, Collectible Trading Cards, Former City Hall Building, Valentine Museum, Main Street Train Depot, Edgar Allen Poe Shrine, Public Bath Houses, First National Bank Building, State and Local Politic Scandals, Oliver Hill, Tobacco Row, Richmond's Gay Godfather, Golden Years Serial Killer(s), Baron Otto von Bressensdorf, School Board Eviction and Removal of Confederate Civil War Monuments.

Evade the Tourist Herds and Enter Into An Insider's Central California.Known and unknown history, hidden delights, blood curdling and fascinating stories pervade the past of Central California beginning from the high tech Silicon Valley heading south until seaside Santa Barbara. In between, the Central Valley and Central Coast offers contributing tales of vice, tragedy and insightful discovery. This kaleidoscope of attractions, personalities, egos, scandals, murders stir the mixture of historical conflicts within the entire region.This guide transports you geographically and photographically to the precise famous and infamous locations where history occurred. The scenes may sometimes appear ordinary, weird, but often illuminate the physical background and descriptions behind events. Many of the narratives defy believability, yet they are true.This Twisted Tour Guide is your alternative to conventional travel. It accommodates the restless visitor, tourist and resident seeking a unique and different perspective to traditional tourism.RENOWNED STRUCTURES AND ATTRACTIONSRobinson Jeffers Tor House and Hawk Tower, Writer John Steinbeck's Birthplace, Paso Robles Inn Haunting, Carnegie Libraries, Paso Robles City Park, Almond Growers Building, Atascadero Administration and Printery Buildings, This Ole House, Madonna Inn, San Luis Obispo's Gum Wall, San Luis Creek, Pirate's Cove, Morro Rock, Dana Adobe, Casa de la Guerra, Arlington Theatre, Modesto Historical Mementos and the Fresno Water TowerSCANDALSFlagrant Silicon Valley High Tech Subterranean Poisoning, Finger in the Chile at Wendy's, Morgan Hill's Century Apart Scandals, Gilroy Police Department, Hollister Motorcycle Invasion, Paso Robles Police Chief, 1969 Altamont Motor Speedway Concert, Cedar Funding Debacle, Cesar Chavez Jailing, Eastside Salinas' Gang Wars, Monterey County Prison Escape, Illicit Prescription Meds Distribution, King City Towing Scandal, Sunny Acres, Chumash Rebellion, Sambo's, Closure of the Santa Barbara News Press, California Aqueduct Dumping, Frank Carson Persecution, Colin Kaepernick, Fresno's History of Corrupt Police Chiefs, Clovis Bank Heist, Reverent John Kiggin's and The Lords of BakersfieldFAMOUS ABDUCTIONS AND MURDERSBrook Hart, Black Panther James Edward Carr, VTA Mass Shooting, Mary Quigley, Garlic Festival Massacre, Sonjii Johnson, Christina Marie Williams, Mel and Elizabeth Grimes, Mission San Miguel Murders, PSA Flight #1771 Crash, Werewolf Murder, Historic Chinatown Murder, Helen King, Kristen Smart, Eugene and Nancy Walker, Elyse Pahler, Bob Domingos and Linda Edwards, Ramona Irene Price, Officer Thomas Guerry, Kym Morgan, Nicholas Markowitz, Holzer Family, Cleveland Elementary School Massacre, Juliani Cardenas, Deborah Whitlock, Laci Peterson, Dr. Amanda Crews, Chandra Levy, Chowchilla Bus Kidnapping, Glenn Reitz, Mary Stammer, Ewell Family Murder and Hmong Massacre.INFAMOUS KILLERSHerbert Mullin, Karl Francis Werner, Edmund Kemper III, John Linley Frazier, Raul Zamudio, San Luis Obispo's Final Public Lynching, Rex Allen Krebs, Lynwood C. Drake III, Peter Derks, Orcutt Sniper, Elliot Rodger Mass Shooting, Clarence Gray, Elizabeth Duncan, Armenian Assassin, Thor Christiansen, James Tramel and David Kurtzman, Speed Freak Killers, Arthur Sanchez, Dr. Frank Vincent, Clovis Acid Queen, Marcus Weston, Kori Muhammad, Golden State Killer, Cary Stayner, Jose Manuel Martinez, John Lee Holt and Vincent Brothers.CELEBRITIES PASSING THROUGHSinger John Denver's Plane Crash, Actress Doris Day's Cypress Inn, John C. Fremont's California Expedition, Kevin Costner Divorce, Martha Baird-Rockefeller, Writer William Saroyan and James Dean's Fatal Crash

Follwing his earlier sucessful edition The Ultimate Guide To Selling Art Online, author Marques Vickers' newest release is an updated reference source for artists enabling creative entrepreneurs to maximize the expanding sales capabilities of the Internet. This edition details important exposure strategies, existing and emerging sales opportunities and valuable promotional outlets. Over 500 useful reference websites are provided referencing art marketing, website design, sales and promotion outlets. From One Artist to Another stresses the importance and urgency of cultivating a vibrant social media presence via active postings and participation with content, social networking and weblog websites. These activities supplement an artist website with videos, feedback capabilities and resources to cultivate new and return buyers. The book stresses the importance of personalization and an artist's articulation of their creative vision. Practical firsthand advice and supplementary consulting sources are offered on every aspect of website design, effective promoting through media exposure, direct mail and the cultivation of a potential and existing client base to establish long-term sustainability. Concrete and instructive sales advice is provided on the most direct online sources available today for artists including online art galleries, eBay, Amazon and Etsy marketplace stores, auction houses, design industry outlets and barter exchanges. A chapter stresses alternative income sources including giclée reproductions and licensed art images. CONTENTS: What Art Selling Outlets Are Profiting By Online SalesThe New Gallery Business Model For Selling OnlineBreaking Into The Art World's Closed CircleGlobal Selling OpportunitiesChapter #1 A Fresh Dependency and Integration of Social MediaHow to Personalize Social Media Follow-UpThe Three Categories of Social Media Best Suited For Artists Chapter #2 An Artist's WebsiteAttractive PackagingYour Role in Creating The Design ConceptDesigning and Personalizing Your Own WebsiteEvaluating Your Website HostMemorable Domain NameClarity of VisionMake Your Site Simple to NavigateHow The Cellular Phone and Tablets Affects Website Layouts Chapter #3 Drawing Traffic To Your Social Media Pages and WebsiteQualifying Your Website ViewersSearch Engines and IndexesWhere and How Often Should You Submit Your Website PagesBuying Traffic and Ad Words Programs Chapter #4 Who Buys Art? Online Art Gallery Sales OutletsIdentifying Primary Buyer GroupsRepeat Art Buyers Chapter #5 Cultivating Media Exposure and Email MarketingStrategies For Sending Out Press ReleasesBulk Email Press ReleaseSpecific Media Submission GuidelinesDirect Mail and Permission Based Email Selling Lists Chapter #6 Alternative Income SourcesGiclée Print TechnologySelf-PublishingLicensing Opportunities Chapter #7 Selling Via eBay, Etsy and Amazon Marketplaces Chapter #8 Consigning and Selling Through Auction HousesThe Process of ConsigningGrowing Role of Auction Houses Chapter #9 Barter Exchanges and Cashless TransactionsTrading Fine ArtInternet-based BarterJoining A Barter Exchange Reference Category ListingsArt Industry Mailing Lists. Art Weblogs, Artist Website and Portfolio Services, Social Media Marketing, Barter Trade Exchanges, Bulk Email Services, Content Community, Currency Converters, Digital Encryption Technology, Domain Name Brokers, Domain Registration Services, E-Commerce Shopping Carts, Social Networking Websites, Fine Art Marketplace Websites (Painting, Drawings, Sculpture, Photography, Handcrafts, Fashion and Jewelry), Press Release Services, Search Engines, Weblog, Website Design Software, Host Comparisons, Website Hosting, Translators and Troubleshooting.

The setting is an April's afternoon saunter through the Palais-Royal and Bibiotheque Richelieu in Paris' second arrondissement. Amidst my casual ramblings, a storm arrives punctuated by a dash of thunder. The rhythmic staccato on the historic sloped roofs and skylights invites me indoors into one of the city's prominent shelter arcades. The Galerie Vivienne becomes my refuge. Constructed in 1823, the decorative and elongated shopping gallery features boutiques, bookshops, restaurants and teas rooms.Sighting a vacant table further down the mosaic tiled passageway, I stake my escape chair and order a steaming cappuccino. The ambiance and calm appears ideal for musing, thought and reflection. I begin to scribble poetic verse into my notebook. Three hours later I return outdoors to a welcoming sunburst.I vow to return to the Galerie Vivienne. I uphold that pledge throughout the following month. The quiet stimulates my writings and focused perspectives regarding my life and contemporary society.My familiar themes of desire, intimacy and renewal resonate throughout Galerie Vivienne Poetry. This third edition of poetical works resumes my introspective taut writing style that integrates emotion with reflection regarding paths pursued and forsaken.Vivid imagery attempts to pierce the complexities of relationships and entanglements leaving sufficient space for ambiguity. My musings are constructed with candor, empathy and my eclectic humor. The resulting discoveries reveal a commonality of shared human expectations, experiences and fragility.The collective whole resembles an illuminating prism into behavior. More pointedly, the image attempts to make sense of a culture laden with conflicting messages and pronounced but often-flawed moral judgment. The evaluation process often reinforces my own estrangement with contemporary society. The aging process has introduced a fresh perspective towards an unsettling realization. Aging relegates us into an uninvited contributor role observing change from the periphery.The obstinate wire between conviction and subjectivity becomes a perpetual conflict. Listening to one's inner voice and expressing originality forcefully remains a tenuous process. I'm increasingly more drawn towards a soliloquy whisper than society's distractive and abrasive shouting.The intention of my Galerie Vivienne collection becomes a search and shifting for intuitive clarity. The objective remains to view and articulate life beyond the increasingly clouded madness and clutter.

A compilation of chronological written correspondence can provide valuable insights into the growth and development of an individual. "When Letters Still Mattered" is a 137-page autobiographical portrait by California artist Marques Vickers. Each profile candidly summarizes the effect of thirty writings and individuals that distinctly influenced his life. His early writings reveal glimpses of his immediate family relations including several humorous and touching accounts of his Alabama raised aunts, beloved grandfather and his most remembered letter from his mother recounting the separate and unexpected deaths of three acquaintances. Drawing from his formative years correspondence, Vickers recounts the exploits of an ethically straying local minister, his close relationship with his freedom-obsessed dog and his reaction to a greeting card delivered on the morning of Christmas Day by the postman. Subsequent chapters address his earliest failed encounters with intimacy and romance, a fortunate near-miss and his ongoing resolve to achieve equilibrium with a partner. He traces the labyrinth that defined his first marriage, initially fueled by a tenderly composed poem. Vickers shares lessons and disappointments culled from an often dehumanizing workplace and a noble gesture of fidelity that transcended his own humiliation of being very publicly fired from a high-profile job. The author details a twenty-year friendship with a mentor, Marshall, once a renowned public personality. Marshall had formerly managed the swank Los Angeles Coconut Grove nightclub, Las Vegas Flamingo Hotel and dated actress Marilyn Monroe during her prime. Marshall's own fallen acclaim due to his 1950s Las Vegas association was accompanied by an admirable loyalty that he maintained until his death with formerly renowned actors, prizefighters and celebrities that had endured their own reversals of fortune. For the author, Marshall's insight and experiences provided an enlightening glimpse of the tenuousness of fame. Weaving through various accounts, Vickers encounters a variety of diverse personalities, acquaintances and friends, ranging from a perverse travel agent he encountered in Rio de Janeiro to a counseling therapist seeking to sort out her own passionate and wordy nature. His final chapter concerns a book inscription sent to him by painter Andrew Wyatt's famed muse Helga Testorf as a notable gift of friendship. Her ordeal and the accompanying controversy and public condemnation she endured were overshadowed by the dignity she maintained throughout in his eyes. The passages from each correspondence are concise with the focus oriented primarily on Vickers' interpretations and storytelling. The cumulative effect of his analysis is that of an artist looking inwardly and coming to terms with who he is, how he arrived there and why he actively creates. This mirror of one's past and the resulting conclusions become a reference guideline. The author discovered these illustrative samplings shaped his present behavioral patterns and decision-making priorities. The texts provide tangible and enduring time capsules of thought and expression by individuals who mattered most for diverse reasons to the author.

One of the most unconventional and fascinating tours of Berlin should include tracing the path of the former historic Berlin Wall. This edition takes you on a visual tour showcasing the changes, constructions and alterations to the terrain that for thirty-eight years divided Berlin. Over 325 images intimately detail the core of the city's center, commencing from the northern Wedding district to southern Oberbaum Bridge. Concise commentary illuminates the background of prominent structures, memorials and historical events. Over a quarter century has followed the permanent dismantlement of the concrete slab barrier. Few remnant sections still remain. The outline of the wall has been identified locally through dual rectangular cobblestones embedded in the streets, walkways and under structures. The visual pathway showcases what remains and what has been reconstructed since the German reunification of 1990. Berlin has eluded becoming a mausoleum of antiquated remembrance. The city radiates vibrancy. It has successfully integrated the shame of historical actions, consequences and memorials into its present tense. The majority of new constructions are located within the former territories of East Berlin. That land was essentially vacant in 1989 when the Wall was first permanently breeched. Due to its previous proximity to the Wall, the real estate then was significantly undervalued. This valuation discrepancy no longer exists." Amongst his most notable images include the Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag, Adolph Hitler's Bunker site, The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Potsdamer Platz, Checkpoint Charlie, East Side Gallery, Lantag of Prussia Building, Topography of Terror Museum, foundational remains of the Gestapo headquarters, Oberbaum Bridge and the lone stretch of remaining undeveloped No Man's Land in the core of Berlin. His visual documentary also includes residential, commercial and governmental buildings, cemeteries, memorials and neighborhoods. The Berlin Wall's creation did not immediately follow the conclusion of World War II. The East German Democratic Republic (GDR) was established in 1949 under Soviet Union occupation. Russian domination proved unpopular amongst a large percentage of the eastern population. A 1953 Berlin worker's uprising directly challenged Russian authority and was brutally crushed. The sole outlet for protest and discontent became flight to West Germany via the portal of Berlin. Within twelve years of existence, the GDR had lost 20% of its population, particularly badly need skilled laborers and professionals. At the summit of the exodus, approximately 1,000 people per day were defecting to the West. On August 13, 1961, East Berlin residents awoke to barbed wire fencing that had been installed dividing the city's east and west sectors. Dual concrete barricades incrementally fortified this temporary barrier. The failure of the GDR and the Berlin Wall remain valid lessons for today. Insight may be perceived regarding Russia's renewed foreign policy aggressiveness and political discussions about the construction of national barriers. The edition illustrates how Berlin expediently revitalized desolate urban wasteland into aesthetic and functional relevance. The Berlin guide is the perfect travel accompaniment for viewing a fascinating slice of Berlin many tourists overlook. The work can also serve as a valuable reference overview even if one never sets foot in the city.

This edition is an architectural survey of contemporary downtown Bellevue, Washington. Documenting the city's explosive growth within the cor, the profiled mid-rise and high-rise developments cover the period of 2016-2023. The photography captures the projects from a variety of completion stages and perspective angles. Suburban architecture projects dominated the focus of Puget Sound's architects post-World War II. The construction of the initial bridge across Lake Washington in 1939 radically changed Bellevue from merely being a farming community into a residential suburb directly linked with Seattle. In 1940, Bellevue had only a population of 5,000 residents. That figure would only modestly increase to 6,000 by the end of the war. Population increases continued gradually throughout the 1950s. In the 1960 census, the population had reached 13,000. The 1960s witnessed a population expansion that by 1970 had increased the level to 61,000 residents. The emergence of the tech industry had a profound growth effect upon the city. In 1990, the population increased to 98,000 swelling to 152,000 by 2020. The city is currently ranked the 178th largest in the United States. City projections envision a 25% growth rate over the next twenty years. Bellevue was officially incorporated in 1953. In 1963, the Evergreen Point Bridge opened across Lake Washington becoming a second commuter option. The positioning solidified Bellevue's central hub status from Seattle into the Eastside suburbs. Essentially a bedroom community, Bellevue evolved into a major commercial center. Bellevue steadily cultivated a business core attracting finance. insurance and real estate corporate headquarters. Two of the most prominent included T-Mobile and Smartsheet. The demographic educated base and elevated quality of life enticed decision makers at Google, Facebook and Amazon to establish a growing corporate presence. Additional technology firms and start-ups have followed. The rate of growth within the downtown core accelerated beginning in 1996. Five initial skyscrapers were erected during the 1980s before development stalled during the early 1990s. A major element of the renewed stimulus involved creating a pedestrian friendly urban environment. Long range city-planning decisions created accompanying priorities to accommodate the influx of anticipated pedestrian traffic creating a desirable environment. Bellevue's sustained growth has stimulated infrastructure investment and developments including the expansion of Sound Transit's Link Rail connecting Seattle with Bellevue and continuing to Redmond. The Grand Connection, a 1.5-mile pedestrian pathway begins at Lake Washington winding through the downtown. Restoration and transformation of the freeway network has coincided with expanded residential capacity.

"The Architectural Elevation of Technology" is a photographic survey of 75 prominent Silicon Valley corporate headquarters buildings. The 134-page edition is photographed and authored by California artist Marques Vickers. The geographical territory included with the book is framed to the north by Redwood City and extended to the south until Cupertino. Corporate headquarters are included within the cities of Palo Alto, Santa Clara, Mountain View, Menlo Park, San Jose, Sunnyvale, Milpitas and Fremont. Notable structures include the Oracle, Samsung and the Apple 2 campus, currently under construction. Background is provided on each building's history and when each present tenant began their occupancy. "The photo project's motivation was based on my curiosity as to the public face of the information technology sector," notes Vickers. "Did the more prominent companies mirror the aesthetic polish of their online renown and presence? Would their architecture reflect the affluence and prosperity many of these industry icons have come to represent?" "Silicon Valley technology parks, corporate campuses and headquarters appear indistinguishable from other more traditional office construction. Their appearance is generally consistent with contemporary design trends favoring reflective glass framed by steel and masonry." Vickers observes in his accompanying commentary several distinctive traits regarding high-tech constructions. Among those include decentralized layouts, lack of streetfront parking and the significant shielding of inside views by landscaped trees and foliage. "The true innovation and resources appear to have been concentrated on interior space management schematics and novelty design." Vickers adds, "The intention is purposeful. By creating a playful and aesthetic interior environment for employees, many are inclined and stimulated to spend significant additional hours on work-related projects in the facility. Social bondings are encouraged, creating a synergy of professional comradery. Working hours assimilate into lifestyle preferences."

"The 2014 Napa Earthquake and Anniversary Aftermath" is author/photographer Marques Vickers fourth and final photographic chronicle of the damage and reparations resulting from the August 24, 2014 Napa Valley Earthquake. Beginning from the day following the earthquake, Vickers has successively photographed the most affected historical buildings on five occasions within the city's historic core. This one-year anniversary edition, features nearly 200 images providing a comparative time sequence documenting the restoration process. Among the profiled buildings include the Alexandria Hotel Annex, Andaz Hotels, Franklin Post Office, Sam Kee Laundry, First Presbyterian and First Methodist Churches, Winship-Smernes Building, Napa Law Center, Goodman Library, Napa Firefighters Museum and territory encompassing the ambitious Napa Center retail development. Detailed commentary is included citing architectural origins, history and local significance. Damage from the unprecedented 6.0. Magnitude earthquake has been estimated to have already exceeded $500 million and expenditures continue to mount. The majority to damage sustained by the historical buildings has been attributed to unreinforced masonry. Some of the buildings that had been retrofitted were still damaged when the shaking crumbled the century old mortar loosening and tossing suddenly detached masonry. The anniversary photographic edition is a remarkable visual insight into resiliency and rebuilding. The images represent a model for how a small and internationally renowned city has overcome the adversity of an unprecedented disaster.

California artist Marques Vickers' second poetic edition "Zen By Default" establishes a sustained interior dialogue between the poet and his ongoing life evolution living along the American Pacific Coast. His 300+ concise works address the ongoing themes of displacement and relocation and the challenge of cultivating and sustaining relationships in the midst of upheaval. Vickers examines his spectator role with regard to his own life: i am a third party to my own life spectator of my existence my river of words a stream overflowing the banks of reason as if eros alone were reason enough and i inhabit you you me for the short span of eternity those small hours destiny has provided Reminiscences of youth: the nutmeg radiance of youth adorns the summer sands forcing the amnesia of aging into remission Love and its complications: the fire of my soul faces my terrors contrast and paradox i look at myself i look for you one to kiss, embrace, stroke a splash of dazzling wash' my heart packs itself and contains itself my heart astonishes itself without bar or barrier more vast than a memory we trade vows we may not keep a time where the shadows die only instants prevail the broken silences shedding our perceived chains yes my love we do not inhabit the air we must separate as simply as continents divide, waters disperse Language and sounds: i know the song of the night through the tenor of your words the sacred chant of rossignols serenading a panorama of stars beside me on the hillside garrigue we trade candies of conversation muses and supposition over the lyrics of each song Shredding Personal Limitations: a window shatters glass ceiling mirrors southward no longer mosaic tiles of imagination adjoined and mortared stray impressions fastened plumbed from the depths mined from experience a simple twisted phrase keying a bolted memory an unspoken phrase i bury my soul on the parchment of posterity A View of One's Mortality: a man stares at the crossroad of his immortality a man realizes his years are passing he looks back at the mirror of his youth distant and removed from the present an intersection with no return poverty no longer stalks his doorway he is simply too far to take the return road The View of His Lover: settling slow and soft into an intimacy sweet and sacred tangled words like our wrapped bodies awaken my anticipation of dialogues in accord harmonies in synch you cannot imagine my silent soliloquies shrouded in dreams the tenor of your voice soft and slow as a graceful and welcomed caress As the Days Pass Between Them: dark days night descent enter the dense night bravely beauty as a darkness descends on another day lacking the lightness of youth innocence separated engulfed into the depths of rest eternal Goodbyes: you are next to me as parallel wings on a soaring bird i carry a tear in my clenched hand because goodbyes wear poorly on me there are few farewells in my existence only separations where the fissures and pauses remain gray repairable More views of time: by the flame of a thousand lit candles i scan the horizon of time an eternal reminiscence of the long grass of springtime lying in our shared sunshine you crawl inside my beautiful memories my cyclone of emotions the roots of desire planted upon my lips The eternal crossroads: rows of light illuminate the stranger within my vision blinded by the currency of strangely traded words crossroads of time blind a caged bird who must extend wings to fly Acknowledging conclusions: you may return to a place but never a moment in time a young man old an old man feeling young it matters little time will not cease but in your mind and you are laid to rest in the grave with your memories both young and old Vickers works are typically untitled and entirely in lower case. His themes are interwoven into soliloquy compositions and internalized realizations. The process of discovery is as relentless and ongoing as the travels he has opted to purs

"So You Think You Know Washington State Wines?" is designed to simplify your understanding by identifying growing trends, grape descriptions and the history of Washington wine production. The edition profiles the 15 top wine grapes and the unique aspects of the state's growing sectors. The 62-page edition is idea for wine collectors, winemakers and anyone who appreciates a world class Washington vintage. The following are just seventeen from hundreds of little known facts about Washington wines and the 2015 grape harvest. 1. Washington is the second largest producer of premium table wine in the United States behind California. Washington's harvest comparatively represents only 6% of the overall California production levels. 2. Washington's red grape varietals harvested 112.8 thousand tons in 2015. The closest California equivalent was the San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura County. 3. The State of Washington harvested 222 thousand tons of wine grapes during the 2015 harvest, down 2.2% overall from the previous year. The deficit was attributed to the excessive heat conditions and a reduced Cascade Mountain snowpack. 4. Red varietal grapes account for 51% of the total production and actually increased yields by 5% during the 2015 harvest. 5. Cabernet Sauvignon was the top-producing grape during 2015 with 47,400 tons, representing 21% of the overall harvest. Cabernet Sauvignon had the largest growth rate. 6. White Riesling was the top white wine and second most overall produced grape with 44,100 tons, accounting for 20% of the total. Washington produces more White Riesling than any other state. 7. Chardonnay was the third most produced grape with 42,000 tons, Merlot fourth with 35,200 tons and Syrah fifth with 16,000 tons. 8. Grenache Noir is the most lucratively priced wine grape in Washington and sold for $1,722 per ton. Cabernet Sauvignon averaged $1,527 per ton, an increase of 5.5% from 2014. Cabernet Sauvignon sells in the Napa Valley in excess of $6,000 per ton. 9. The growing regions of San Luis Obispo County, Yakima Valley and Walla Walla Valley share numerous similarities. Their topographies feature expansive arid flatlands surrounded by hilly terrain. Each region has a long historical agricultural tradition. 10. Top-tiered Washington vineyards have commanded pricing between $75,000-$80,000 per acre. Large established vineyards have been documented to sell for $25,000-$30,000 and bare unplanted terrain often averages $10,000-$15,000 per acre. 11. Washington has 14 American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) recognized and defined by the United States Treasury Department. Seven have only been established within the last ten years and three stretch across the Oregon border. 12. The primary growth advantage Washington offers over neighboring Oregon is the capacity to expand wine grape cultivation. Washington has twice as much plantable acreage available. 13. Today, 98% of the wine grapes grown are east of the Cascade Mountains. In 1970, there were only ten official wineries in all of Washington. By 2000, that figure had expanded to 163 and by 2010, more than 700 wineries. Currently it is estimated that there are over 900 wineries. 14. The two largest Washington growing regions, the Yakima and Walla Walla Valleys share the topography of a desert landscape and the tributary waters of the Columbia River branching out via the Yakima and Walla Walla Rivers. 15. The Walla Walla Valley averages approximately the same annual rainfall levels as the Napa Valley (21 inches). The Yakima Valley received even less rainfall (8 inches), but is supplemented by a snowfall level of 23 inches. 16. The Yakima Valley profits from the accumulating rains and snows of Mount Ranier and Mount Adams, part of the Cascade Mountain Range. The melting Spring snowpack results in substantial volumes of water that are channeled into the region and directed by canals and aqueducts into the agricultural basins and hillsides.

"Amour, Wine and Real Estate in Southern France" is California artist Marques Vickers' memoir and mediation on five years of his passionate pursuit of la belle vie in France's Languedoc rustic refuge. Vickers' 45 evocative and original vignettes illuminate the enchantment behind southern French culture and village life.His insider's profiles into the region's history, eccentricities and charm become an indispensable guide for the visitor wishing to lift the veil behind French mystique. For expatriates wishing to integrate seamlessly, his insights bridge the divide of nationality. His diverse and humorous essays become as delicately layered as the alchemic blending of fine Rhone Valley style wines. The edition offers practical advice on the realities of investing and renovating stone village properties with purchasing and resale strategies. Commentary is abundantly seasoned regarding the often confounding and intruding French bureaucracy on matters of immigration, health care and regional wine classifications. "Amour, Wine and Real Estate" is a gourmet indulgence as flavorful and aromatic as the diverse natural herbs fronting limestone caged mountain ranges crowned by mediaeval castle ruins. France's Languedoc region boasts the world's largest wine acreage, pristine and vacant white sand Mediterranean beaches and internationally renowned cuisine including foie gras, cassoulet, duck specialties, pastis and varied fresh seafood delicacies from the spawning waters. The savage regional winds, climate and landscape extremes stimulate a beauty that has both haunted and inspired artists such as Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse.The writings escort you into the cloistered halls of a seasonal truffle auction, adjacent regional caverns boasting scrawled 10,000-year-old drawings and 400 year-old graffiti and the remnant legacy of the Cathar religion that barely escaped total annihilation.Savor this gourmet delicacy at your favorite patisserie accompanied by a dark roasted espresso and chocolate pastry. "Amour, Wine and Real Estate in Southern France" is your travel companion to experience a captivating adventure from the inside.

"I spend my life ripping the skin off of words, exploring and hoping..." Succinct expression capsules Northern California artist Marques Vickers' poetic anthology "Unicorns and Dark Chocolate" Vickers sheds the mythological orientations behind his own formation into a cohesive exploration of inspiration and eroticism. As he the painter must lift his brush to express visually, he the poet must elevate language beyond the evident and obvious. Over three hundred diverse poems, compiled over thirty-five years, preserve the nuance of romance amidst the littered topography of iconic stone cathedrals. By examining his own-mirrored reflections, Vickers navigates an elemental path amidst the chaos of existence. Art is romance, romance is art. His transparency of thought becomes his instrument for transfiguration. His tinted bur certain palette remains concise and distinct.

"So You Think You Know California Wines?" is designed to simplify your understanding by identifying growing trends, grape descriptions and the history of California wine production. The edition profiles the 27 top wine grapes and principal growing regions. The 81-page edition is idea for wine collectors, winemakers and anyone who appreciates a world class California vintage. The following are just fourteen from hundreds of little known facts about California wines and the 2015 grape harvest. 1. Of California's 3.7 million tons of wine grapes harvested in 2015, the Central Valley growing region raised 73% and 70% of the white wine grapes. California grows 17% more red wine grapes than white. In 1976, the red grape ratio was two to one over whites. 2. The Napa Valley accounted for only 4.5% of the red wine grapes and 2% of the white. The Sonoma/Marin region accounted for 5% of the red and 4.7% of the white wine grapes. 3. The average value of Napa red wine grapes is over 10 1/2 times and for white grapes, 6 1/2 times more than the Central Valley. Sonoma/Marin's regional red grapes are valued over 6 1/2 times and for white grapes, 5 1/2 times more. 4. The California drought had a negligible effect on the Central Valley's 2015 grape yields, as production nearly equaled their 2014 figures. 5.Wine grape production yields declined dramatically in the Napa Valley (-29.4%), Sonoma/Marin (-28.8%). Central Coast (-28.8%) and Monterey Valley regions (-37.8%). 6. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most lucratively priced wine grape in California and the second most cultivated. Napa Valley grape growers concentrated 59% of their red grape production into Cabernet Sauvignon. Its value is 14 times the Central Valley equivalent. Yields declined 23-37% in the premium wine regions. 7. During the 1976 harvest, Chardonnay represented less than 2% of California's white wine grape production. In the 2015 harvest, Chardonnay was the state's largest grown grape accounting for 38% of the white wine grapes and over 16% of the overall harvest production. 2105 yields were down 25-32% throughout premium wine regions. 8. Juice Valuation is the elemental cost of grape juice contained in a bottle of wine excluding any related post-harvest production expenses, financing costs, marketing expenses and/or retail mark-up. The 2015 juice price on a bottle of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was $8.42, Zinfandel ($4.71), Merlot ($4.35), Pinot Noir ($3.76) and Chardonnay ($3.60). Within the Central Valley region, the comparable juice prices average between 40 and 75 cents per bottle. 9. During the 2015 harvest, the wine grapes that experienced the greatest production increase from 2014 included Symphony, Barbera, Rubired, Pinot Gris, Muscat of Alexandria, Burger and Petite Sirah. 10. During the 2015 harvest, the wine grapes that experienced the greatest production decrease from 2014 included Muscat Blanc, Triplett Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Viognier, Grenache, Chenin Blanc and Syrah. 11. Real Estate property values are the number one price determinant in the valuation of a grape's price. Elevated land values in Napa and Sonoma County directly reflect the significantly appreciated grape values. 12. Two of over thirty hybrid grapes introduced by University of California, Davis viticulturist Dr. Harold Olmo account for 17% of the overall red wine grape production. 13. During the 1976 harvest, six of the most popular California grapes were Carignan, Grenache, Barbera, Ruby Cabernet, French Colombard and Chenin Blanc. Today only Rubired and French Colombard ranks in the top ten and both are used for blending or bulk wines. 14. Production statistics become significant because planting decisions cannot be immediately adjusted. Grapevines require three years after planting before yielding fruit and have an average lifespan of 27 years. Many vines are replaced afterwards due to declining production yields and financial depreciation considerations.

Michael McCaffrey continues to wrestle with his own alienation and detachment from the teaching profession, direction of his life and personal relationships. He is compelled to deal with unexpected loss and abandonment on multiple levels. Throughout his ordeals, he maintains his sense of humor and perspective. His setbacks, distractions and inertia make forward progress challenging. He observes the similar difficulty and indecisiveness experienced by two of his former university classmates. His intentioned departure from teaching following his ninth year does not materialize. His ambition towards cultivating a stable relationship evaporates for reasons initially uncertain to him. He has difficulty coming to terms with his fragmented life that only periodically offers glimpses of hope and clarity. An encounter with a former high school girlfriend prompts him to consider what might have happened had he never left his hometown. Another classmate, a self-professed business success, lectures one of classes and illustrates the contrast between McCaffrey's present stagnation and a vocational path he abandoned early in his career. As his narrative enters into his thirteenth year of teaching, his observations and caustic opinions become more pronounced and unwelcome. He's aware of the estrangement with his current faculty peers. As his closet confidants leave, he realizes St. Elizabeth-St. Ignacious High School has changed irrevocably. He is not an integral part of the shift and has become professionally expendable. During his tenth teaching year, a new Principal, Brother Morton Brickell replaces the departed Brother (Mumbles) Moody. McCaffrey compares Moody to a flute and Brickell to a brass trumpet, often loudly overstating the obvious. Brickell's own tenure and influence becomes abbreviated due to a change in school management. During the summer following his eleventh year, the financial allure of shifting back to corporate employment coupled by a seemingly healthy relationship nearly changes his fate. Despite the promising prospects, McCaffrey is destined to continue teaching and remaining alone. Brickell's replacement, Sister (Stoneface) Stanley clashes with McCaffrey her initial year following scrutiny of his teaching and religious commitment. The frigidity of their interactions prompts him to question how long she will tolerate his continued employment. McCaffrey continues his satirical exchanges and pranks with faculty foils and adds additional victims. He charts the meteoric influential rise of the maintenance duo of Sid and Barney that culminates in a faculty Christmas party implosion. He assists a faculty peer in formatting teaching credential assignments that concludes with him doubting the substantive value of academic professional training. McCaffrey documents his lively and playful interactions with his students. Tense moments intervene. He is confronted by a failing student that nearly erupts into a physical altercation. He must also calm the religious proselytizing from one of his zealous students seeking to convert him. He attempts to keep his lectures varied and relevant despite his flagging enthusiasm. One of his classroom discussions addresses the increasingly escalating violence in his hometown when one of his students nearly becomes a casualty from a drive-by shooting. A former favorite student returns on campus basking in an acclaim that eluded him while attending SESI. Another returns as a polished and attractive woman completing a teaching internship and introduces complications into McCaffrey's relationship void and loneliness. McCaffrey's forebodings about Sister Stanley's motives reach fruition during contract negotiations following his thirteenth teaching year. Will McCaffrey survive a decisive effort to get rid of him? If he is destined to leave, who will ultimately determine the terms of his departure?

Michael McCaffrey has lost his teaching idealism, but not pragmatism towards his profession. "Teaching with One Eye Shut" escorts you into the classroom, faculty room sanctuary and campus grounds of St. Elizabeth-St. Ignacious (SESI), a northern California Catholic high School. Your host, McCaffrey is an eight-year business instructor beyond the burnout stage and uncertain as to his future in the profession. His turmoil carries over into his personal life and relationships. McCaffrey shares his clear-eyed observations about classroom instruction, discipline, peers and the bureaucracy accompanying teaching. He dismisses imposed school administration artificial team-building tactics. For him, teachers are individuals expressing their point of view on subject matters as they visualize it. Peer's advice and Principals are of marginal value. His evaluations are often cutting and dismissive. They are balanced by periodic inspiring and surprising heroics emerging from unlikely sources. McCaffrey seemingly has an unflinching opinion about everyone and especially himself. His students can be a distracted and devouring audience, but he is genuinely appreciated. He introduces the reader into the authentic and sometimes erratic nature of classroom lecture and discussion. His teaching subjects include technology, marketing and law. His students' responses address more poignant issues including racism, home life and their futures beyond schooling. The deeper exchanges are often conducted between classes or emerge amidst casual conversations and daily interactions. McCaffrey addresses timely issues over the success and shortcomings of contemporary education. He concludes that society comfortably maintains misplaced priorities and ignorance towards education and its practitioners. He takes issue with uninvolved parents who drop their children off like dirty laundry and expect a private institution to cleanse them of their bad habits while educating them. He maintains that Catholic education is distinct and different from public schools. His conclusion is based on expected behavioral accountability and reinforced discipline, rather than superior personal, facilities and educational techniques. A school's objective remains to stimulate a graduating class of lifelong learners. This lofty goal is tested daily by certain under-achieving, troubled and unmotivated students, neurotic faculty members and hamstrung by trifling misdirected rules. McCaffrey notes that victories surface when his contemporaries enable students to navigate the tenuous labyrinth of adolescence and learning His varied observations encompass teacher liability, absence policies, and career burnout, objective grading, classroom discipline, school fundraising, compensation, athletic programs, peer gossip and pranks, equipment deficiencies, and dress codes. McCaffrey is SESI's acknowledged faculty satirist who zealously guards his private time absent of extra-curricular supervisions. He is never a perennial candidate for Teacher of the Year honors. His cast of instructional intimates and foils include basketball coach and confident Rich Ringer, siren Suzzi Issacs, milquetoast Dennis Greeley, incompetent Alex Orrigo, misdirected Tim Lovelace, mumbling Principal Brother Moody and a colorful parade of diverse and eclectic personalities. A variety of candid and favorite students are introduced with the irrepressible Ralphie Houwser heading the list. McCaffrey feels trapped by his inability to move forward with his life. A year ending interaction with one of his peers offers him hope. Will a Parisian rendezvous on Bastille Day become his ultimate liberation from professional and personal stagnation? "Teaching with One Eye Shut" addresses the fragile and volatile role of mentors and educators. McCaffrey's memoir offers a realistic and humorous view of the realities behind high school instructing, spiced by his periodic exaggerations.

"The Architecture of Seattle's Historic Prostitution Trade" is a photographic examination of 48 documented and probable buildings employed in Seattle's historical sex commerce. The edition illuminates the historical background, building detailing and known anecdotes behind each structure. The principal Seattle red-light neighborhoods include the Pioneer Square and the Ballard districts. The infamous LaSalle Hotel in Pike Place Market and the former Lester Apartment complex located on Beacon Hill round out the compilation. The 500-unit Lester building was once considered the largest operating brothel in the world. Seattle's wide-open frontier environment in the late 19th century stimulated a proliferation of vice related services including gambling houses, saloons and houses of prostitution. Statutes were loosely enforced, law enforcement corruption rampant and the tax revenues levied against brothels and sex workers essential to maintaining a financially destitute municipality. Many historians have noted that the prostitution industry saved the expanding settlement and literally paved the sidewalks of the commercial district. The timber industry, Klondike Gold Rush (1896-1899) and the city's seaport location swelled the region's influx of males seeking entertainment, social diversions and female companionship. The book profiles some of the most colorful and influential personalities including theatre impresario John Considine and notable Madams Mary Ann Boyer (nicknamed Madame Damnable), Lou Graham and Nellie Curtis. The author elaborates on the documented history, owners, architects, tenants and historical uses of each building. His text cites distinctive architectural details on the composition, façade components and alterations over the decades following the initial construction. Each building is photographed from multiple angles offering a multi-faceted glimpse of a historic era.

On the periphery of Scottsdale, Arizona is a troubling reminder of the consequences resulting from suburban expansion and desert encroachment. The silent victims are powerless to protest or alter the unblinking destiny of development. Gashed, wounded, and disfigured cacti litter the remaining vacant terrain, rapidly disappearing into subdivisions of residential housing tracts, strip malls, and commercial constructions.Author and photographer Marques Vickers book "Cactus Cadavers: Vanishing Phantoms of Suburban Sprawl" illustrates this gradual erosion of Arizona's heritage treasure. Their declining presence become emblematic of society's continuing disharmony with our surrounding environment.Earliest human settlement of the Salt River Valley, the terrain of contemporary Phoenix, commenced with nomadic paleo-Indians. These earliest civilizations inhabited the Americas during the final glacial episodes of the late Pleistocene period, approximately 6,000 BC.Tribes hunted mammoths, mastodons, giant bisons, camels, and giant sloths that eventually migrated eastward. The initial nomadic tribes followed vacating the region. Tribes originating from Mexico to the south and California to the west would replace them.Around 1,000 BC, a subsequent core of settlements would inhabit the territory. Corn farmers, builders, and permanent villagers would evolve into the Hohokam civilization. Within 500 years, the Hohokam culture had established an elaborate canal system enabling agriculture to flourish.Around 1450, the Hohokam suddenly and mysteriously disappeared. By the 16th century arrival of Europeans, the O'odham and Sobaipuri tribes primarily inhabited the region.American settlers first settled Central Arizona during the early 19th century. A military outpost to the east of current day Phoenix provided an administrative base for the community's agrarian base. Irrigation projects tamed the inhospitable desert and the local economy was based on cotton, citrus, cattle, and copper.The availability of air conditioning to counter the oppressive summer dry heat stimulated a post-World War II population surge. The Phoenix metro area has increased in population an estimated average of 4% for the past forty years. Phoenix is the fifth largest city in American with projections that it may become the fourth within the next five years.This growth proliferates to accommodate a swelling and aging population migration seeking the warmer climate the Arizona desert can accommodate. One day, the cacti's diminishing and lost presence may be mourned once the transitional madness subsides. In the meanwhile, this edition illustrates the decline of these desert patriarchs.It seems unimaginable that amidst the expansive desert landscape these icons could ever entirely vanish. Yet like the mammoths and Hohokam civilization from centuries past, adaptation for them becomes difficult if not impossible. Domestically cultivated cacti may only emulate the nobility of their freely born brethren that tower majestically amidst the desert landscape.

Since establishing a free-floating scooter rental program in late 2018, the city of Tacoma has been plagued by missing equipment. Author and photographer Marques Vickers has meticulously tracked down and photographed missing inventory in some of the most remote and incredulous locations imaginable. This edition documents the Odyssey of missing scooters with tongue-in-check evidence offering neither explanation nor commentary to explain the seemingly implausible.Dockless scooters have proven ideal for short distance trips and have become even more popular than bicycle sharing programs. The city of Seattle currently operates approximately 20% of the national electrical bicycle inventory, but has yet to permit a scooter-sharing program. This formality will likely be overcome shortly. San Francisco, Los Angeles and Portland have instituted programs in place.The scooters are intended to be operated on sidewalks, roads, alleys, and shoulders, but not in bike lanes, trails, or pedestrian-only paths. The rules regarding safety standards, permit requirements, service levels, and parking of the scooters have been modeled after Seattle's bike sharing program. Within Tacoma, two mainstream scooter companies, Lime and Bird, currently participate in the mobility scooter program. Inventory maintenance is conducted by a unique band of independent contractors called Lime Juicers and Bird Nesters.As evening descends and scooter power meters lower, these individuals roam the streets and scavenger depleted scooters. The equipment is then recharged at their residence and relocated back to prominent sidewalk locations the next morning.Unpleasant realities have darkened the program's long-term outlook in several other metropolitan markets.Exposed collisions at 15 miles-per-hour are extremely hazardous. In a 2019 study published in the medical journal JAMA Network Open examining scooter ridership injuries, the results were predictable. In tracking emergency room visitations, contusions, sprains, and lacerations were the most common injuries. More severe multiple bone fractures, broken ribs, joint injuries, and head trauma were common. Two disturbing factors emerged from these statistics. The majority of injured riders were not wearing protective helmets and a disproportionate percentage were minors.There are numerous financial and ecological challenges accompanying this technology. The lithium batteries require processing centers to be recycled. Some of the fleet operators claim these programs are handled in-house. The layered equipment piling up in scrap years makes some of these claims questionable. In China, where bicycle and scooter sharing programs initiated, published reports indicate abandoned equipment is filling vast fields outside major cities.There has become a significant counter reaction to the proliferation of these lightweight transportation vehicles. Extreme reactions have varied from throwing scooters into bodies of water, trashcans, and even toilets.One of the intentioned objectives of the scooter-sharing program is to encourage worker commuting. Statistics have confirmed this has occurred. However, a commuter usually orders their own equipment (often priced under $500) effectively ending an important stream of recurring revenue to the scooter companies.Missing scooter equipment, snowy sidewalks, vandalism, charger fraud and increasing government regulation scrutiny have dampened investors' interest in scooter-sharing companies. Venture Capitalists crave innovation...but only if it is financially profitable and sustainable. Illegal but readily available conversion kits (retailing for under $35) have enabled unscrupulous users to transform public accessible equipment into personal scooters. This edition photographs some of their illicit and improbable parked locations.