Rumours Stay As Rumours Until Validated

A marvelous mash-up of Adele's two hits on TV hit series, GLEE.

Malicious gossip and unbridled rumours remain as such, until proof is found or the truth is out. In every corporation there are instances where the grapevine or rumour-mill propagates stories that tickle one’s fancy. Sometimes, it is true; yet other times, they remain dubious and diabolical. Left unattended by the naive and ignorant, these secondary sources of information can be destructive to careers and private lives.

Celebrities have their biographies or memoirs authored and published, to put the lies to bed. This documentation may provide first right of doubts vanquished, since it comes from the actual source. However, truth be told such airings of public laundry may still be viewed with suspicion and further doubt. Sometimes, the best way to quell rumours is to ignore it, until such time when the perpetrators become bored, or seek new material to amuse themselves. Yet, silence may not be golden, when fans or critics demand proof of legal dismissal, or until the guilty admits their mistake.

To this end, the alleged drug-cheats in sports remain victims of journalistic sport, who may have the financial means and meanness, to be rescued by their self-designed PR machinery (namely, tweets, blog-posts, e-mail blasts, and FB updates). Stories of politicking and back-stabbing continue to feed the frenzy of the voyeuristic masses through online forums, blogs, and the ubiquitous and terrifying social media platform. So, did he or did he not? Stay tuned to your tweets, and read what's trending now.

Read Novels & Biographies

‘I make things up and write them down. Which takes us from comics (like SANDMAN) to novels (like ANANSI BOYS and AMERICAN GODS) to short stories (some are collected in SMOKE AND MIRRORS) and to occasionally movies (like Dave McKean's MIRRORMASK or the NEVERWHERE TV series, or my own short film A SHORT FILM ABOUT JOHN BOLTON). In my spare time I read and sleep and eat and try to keep the blog at www.neilgaiman.com more or less up to date.’

I just completed reading Neil Gaiman’s ‘American Gods’. I took almost two months of intermittent, page turning, to complete this 600-page novel by British cult-author Gaiman. He is best known for the graphic novels of the Sandman series, as well as the film ‘Stardust’.

This version I read was his facsimile of his original submission, complete with spacing errors and favourite type/font. The protagonist, Shadow does coin magic. Interestingly, one of Gaiman’s book consultant for the magic segments was Jamy Ian Swiss, a well-known magician-TV consultant-author. I attended Swiss’s card clinic in 2003 in Las Vegas – all legal moves and skills I assure you. He is also one of the fiercest and foremost critics on magic, and the performance of magic.

As I read the story, I began to develop a curiosity for small towns in America. With each small town lies a small population, and a social order peculiar with the rural folk. Each micro-system (each diorama with its own microcosm) expresses itself in subtle or grandiose ways, like the roadside attractions it purports to have, and promotes with wanton, hand-painted, bold fonts, on signboards. Unusual food offerings, unique features, peculiar characters and social values grace this small community of usually close-knitted kinfolk. Of course, these small towns have also been the backdrops of Hollywood slasher-films – domiciles for serial killers, homicidal maniacs and students film-makers gone missing (however with strangely, easy to locate equipment with huge amount of raw footage and shaky camera-work).

Read novels for pleasure, and biographies for mind, method and madness of celebrities from actors to musicians to authors to entrepreneurs to world leaders. Get the first-person account for more dramatics and depth. Unabridged and unauthorised versions tend to be over-done with research and assumptions that do not seem to connect.

Leadership Lessons: Be discerning in what you read. GIGO. Reflect on your reading. What did you again from each literary adventure? Read for fun and for pleasure. You need not glean them for knowledge. Enjoy the writing and perspectives of the writer.

Books to Inspire You To A Personal Best

‘When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it – always.’ MAHATMA GANDHI

Inspiration comes in many forms. It can be an insight, realisation, being touched by your muse, or a sudden impulse to do something not attempted before. Said Eleanor Roosevelt, ‘Do one thing everyday that scares you.’ Wayne Gretsky said: ‘I miss 100 percent of the shots I don’t take.’

I am, currently, reading a few books and it includes a few biographies of inspiring people. I enjoy biographies, since I reviewed books and films by sportspeople including Chris McCormack, Bart Yasso and Fred Lebow.

Matt Long was a New York City firefighter with East Harlem's Ladder Company 43. He was crushed by an off-course, charter bus while riding his Trek 2200 road-bike, to an early-morning workout on a cold winter's day. He was, literally, horribly dragged under a bus, impaled, and nearly died. A 3:13 NYC Marathon finisher (and Boston Qualifier), NYC firefighter, and Ironman triathlon finisher – he was painfully close to death. After the gruesome accident, and a prognosis that he would likely be paralysed, Long endured 40 operations and months in the hospital. He focused on the finish-line of the NYC Marathon 2008, which he completed after his recovery when he was 42. It was a major accomplishment for Long, and it motivated him to begin speaking publicly, and to create the ‘I Will’ foundation to help people recover from traumatic, life-altering, illnesses or injuries. His memoir, The Long Run (co-written with an editor at Runner’s World magazine) is full of the heartfelt ‘can-do’ attitude that should appeal to the Iron Man in everyone. It chronicles his long and determined road to recovery, both physically and psychologically.

I wrote a few weeks ago that I met Sister Madonna Buder, one of my inspirations to do Ironman triathlons. At 80-years-old, she is the oldest female Ironman triathlete, and still racing. I intend to read 'The Grace to Race' and post a review, thereafter.

Few would be touched when they watch the athletic exploits of The Hoyts. Team Hoyt is a poignant relationship between father and son, and a dream that needed to be realized. This is another book I will get in my shopping cart for Amazon.com.