On this day, Aug. 21 I always observe the anniversary of the Soviet occupation of former Czechoslovakia which prompted an exodus of entire generations of Czechs and Slovaks. We were among them searching for our place in the free world. And we found it in the USA in the early 1970s.
While living in the free world, I’ve made several observations based on my experience from the old socialist and new capitalist worlds. I’ve been privileged enough to compare the two. Here are my insights.
Nothing is more valuable than personal and societal freedom; the freedom to do business and religious freedom. No one has ever considered us as “Auslanders” or outsiders in the USA as new doors opened ahead of us.
We took on new challenges and opportunities as we built on our experience in different countries including Canada and Africa. I can’t speak for the rest of the family, but I have no regrets about leaving the old country. I honor the traditions, and the past while moving ahead.
Whenever I talk about my Greenwich Meridian Memoir, memories come back to me in a good way. I use them constructively to avoid the mistakes made by many, which is not always easy.
“I feel lucky to be standing here and telling this story,” I usually conclude my talk.
Unfortunately, history repeats itself, if we don’t guard it carefully.
Stand up for freedom.
My next author’s event will be on Sept. 14- Saugatuck Art in the Park from 10 am to 4 pm in Wicks Park at 449 Water St.
Check out this fabulous visitor’s guide. I will be in Lake Odessa with my books on Saturday Aug.3 from 9 to 4 pm. during Art in the Park. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to meet the author.
Happy 90th birthday to my father Professor Vaclav Konecny. You have always been an inspiration to me. You’re a man for all seasons, all the time. If Ferris State University had the title Person of the Year, you would have received it every year because you are the dad of a century. Thank you for your kindness and leadership from the heart.
A true Leo, living up to his Zodiac sign, Dad is creative, courteous, funny, and passionate about everything he does, even if he has to fix the toilet. He does it to perfection. He has a heart of gold, as he seeks constantly to solve challenging problems surrounding him. And then he creates his own mathematical solutions.
Dad even figured out when he was going to die before he turned 90 because all of his siblings died in years ending with a nine, but God tricked him and let him live to celebrate 90 trips around the sun on this beautiful summer day in Michigan.
“Dad it’s so good to hear your voice,” I said this morning when I called him.
“I’d be happier if you couldn’t,” he said getting ready to drive to Cadillac to celebrate with Mom and Vas.
Driving has always been one of his hobbies, as he drove 1,500 miles to Florida in 2023 for one last time, always testing his skills.
Regularly, he published solved and unsolved math problems in Crux Mathematicorum and Math Horizons, past his retirement from Ferris State University in 2001.
Problem X-23 (Con(fluent) Ways of Hexpansion). Figure 45 shows two different ways of expanding an acute triangle ABC to a hexagon: either by extending each leg at each vertex by the length of the other leg at that vertex, or extending each leg at each vertex by the length of the opposite side. Show that the areas of the two hexagons so produced are equal.
The American Mathematical Society is publishing the book, tentatively entitled Celebrating Play(ground): 31 Years of Math Horizons Problems and the People Behind Them, edited by Alissa S. Crans and Glen T. Whitney.
At 90, Professor Konecny will be featured in this book in August. Stay tuned for more information.
Copyright (c) 2024. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
I am excited about my summer schedule at the following venues:
Saugatuck Village Square Art Fair, July 27 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Booth 402
I will be at the village art fair with my books and 80 other vendors in this beautiful resort on Lake Michigan. It was precisely this town that inspired my best-selling book Shifting Sands: The Lost Town more than 20 years ago. As I stood in front of the historical marker in downtown Saugatuck, I knew the nearby town of Singapore buried somewhere in the dunes would make for a great story.
The Holland Sentinel headlined the article about my book Town’s Tale ‘Just Stayed With Me.’ Sometimes it even haunted me, but it wasn’t until 2021 that I sat down and penned the manuscript during National Novel Writing Month.
The Lost Town
The historical fiction novel is set in Singapore on the shores of Lake Michigan at the foot of the sand dunes adorned with white pines. Beautiful Ida is torn between her hometown of Chicago and her new home on the other side of the lake and between two men. Developed by New York investors, the once-thriving settlement of Singapore nurtured the dreams of adventurers and pioneers like Oshea Wilder. Singapore would rival Chicago and Milwaukee. It almost did with its sawmills, hotels, boarding houses, stores, and a “wildcat bank.” Entrepreneurial Ida struggles to adjust to the rough environment but finds more than support from her boss who invited her to Singapore to be the “Mistress” of the Big House. A “wildcat bank” was established in Singapore in 1837.
Who will win Ida’s heart?
I will be in booth 402 on Butler Street, so come on down to the heart of the book’s action. This is my first time selling books in Saugatuck, so I am looking forward to meeting new fans.
Lake Odessa Art in the Park, Aug. 3 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Booth 122
This will be my first time selling books in Lak-O at Art in the Park. I’ve covered many stories here as a journalist for The Ionia Sentinel-Standard, and I absolutely love the lake, and looking forward to meeting new fans.
Wild Blueberry Festival, Paradise, Aug. 16-18. Booth 34
It’s never too late to give your father a gift, and the perfect one is a book no matter what he likes. The June podcast schedule on the For the Love of Books Podcast show with host author Emma Palova has something for everyone from seasoned authors to newbies.
June 7 Victor Volkman U.P. Reader Volume 8
June 17 at 5 p.m. Jessica Hartsfield The Kingdon of Orion
June 21 at 5 p.m. Mick Gayan Bite of the Wolf or Operation Frankenstein
June 28 at 5 p.m. Stefanie Gilmour Alex Steward Urban Fantasy Series
Giving thanks to all who served on land, at sea and air in downtown Lowell, Michigan with a parade and a ceremony at Oakwood Cemetery.
It was a solemn ceremony interrupted only by a few drops of rain here and there. Rev. Michael Goodwin from St. Mary’s and St. Anthony’s churches delivered the speech at the statue of the unknown soldier.
The parade that led to the ceremony was short with color guard leading the way to the main salute in downtown Lowell.
The bands from Lowell Area Schools played at the anthem both prior to the salute and at the cemetery. Bob Rice played Taps on the bugle.
Boy Scout Logan Mayes rang the bell as each name of a deceased veteran since last Memorial Day was read. The oaks whispered the stories of those who served this country.
Copyright (c) 2024 Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
authoremmapalova 