All about book-reviews

fully booked

2010-03-22T14:58:00.000+02:00

I mentioned in a previous post that I got a lot of book vouchers for my birthday. A LOT.

This allowed me to buy a lot of books. A LOT. Why am I blogging about this now, two months after the fact, you may be wondering? Well, it’s kind of in honour of the fact that I’m leaving books blog Five Minutes Peace at the end of the month in order to have more time to write about other things. (NON-BOOK things, if you can believe that.) And it’s kind of because I just didn’t get around to it sooner and am gormless. Mostly the latter.

Anyway. For my birthday, way back when, two friends bought me identical Amazon.co.uk vouchers, with which I got:

- Important Artifacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris: Including Books, Street Fashion and Jewelry by Leanne Shapton

This is a graphic novel made to look (brilliantly) like an auction catalogue. Bittersweet and clever, it chronicles the breakdown of a relationship between two hipster-types, one a photographer, the other a New York Times cake columnist. One of those books that make writers sad and jealous that they didn’t think of it first. Not me though. [SHE LIED.]

- Queen of the Road: The True Tale of 47 States, 22,000 Miles, 200 Shoes, 2 Cats, 1 Poodle, a Husband, and a Bus with a Will of Its Own by Doreen Orion

I have loved the idea of travelling round the US in an RV for a really long time. (Remember that episode of Frasier when they travelled in one, albeit not entirely successfully? That kind of cemented things, but when I was little we knew a family who had a small camper van that I was fascinated with, too. And the Geek Brief (now thwarted) Big Trip idea really (vicariously) excited me. The trip in this book isn’t in an RV but a custom-made bus with its own dishwasher, internet and satellite TV (who knew?) but the concept is the same. I expected to absolutely love it but it’s taking me a while to wade through. I don’t find the narrator very endearing but I am enjoying the travel stories. (And by enjoying I mean feeling full of rage and envy that it’s not me, obviously.)

- Telling True Stories: A Nonfiction Writers’ Guide from the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University ed. by Mark Kramer and Wendy Call

I chose this mainly because in contains a previously unpublished piece by Nora Ephron (about why more journalists should become screenwriters and vice versa) but there’s loads of good advice that’s relevant for any writer interested in narrative non-fiction/long-form journalism/American publications.

Then my Dad very kindly, or very Kindle-y (haaaa) gave me some money to buy some e-books. So I got:

- I’m Perfect, You’re Doomed by Kyria Abrahams

The story of a Jehovah’s Witness childhood. Very educational; lots I didn’t know despite having a JW childminder. But it doesn’t really wrap up the author’s story very well (we leave her in a bad place in her life and I wanted to know more – I felt some self-indulgent rambling towards the end could have been cut in order to achieve this). Of course she may be saving it for a sequel, which I’d definitely read.

- Rockabye by Rebecca Woolf

I’m a big fan of Rebecca’s blog, Girl’s Gone Child and had been meaning to read her memoir for some time. Sweet, funny and raw, it’s the story of her unplanned pregnancy (at a time in her life when she was not at all prepared to have a baby). I loved her wriitng and as someone whose life hasn’t gone to plan (althought for different reasons) I really related.

- The Best Technology Writing 2009 ed. by Steven Johnson

I know, kinda geeky. But there’s some great writing in here. I’m dipping into this one and have already learned about the recent breach in internet security which almost threatened all of our data and the popularity of the cell phone novel in Japan.

- Don’t You Forget About Me by Jancee Dunn

I loved her memoir, But Enough About Me (highly recommended) and this is her first novel, about a woman caught up in ’80s nostalgia after the end of her marriage. This is so well-drawn that some bits were painful to read but I really enjoyed it, especially the main character’s ageing talk show host boss, Vi, who is from another era and so full of life. I really hope she’s based on a real person.

- The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life by Martha Beck

I’ve been a Beck fan for a few years now, but this is the book of hers that really makes the most sense to me. I’m still on practice one but I’m going to keep trying.

- The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

I chose this for February’s book club pick. Then I ended up regretting it. It’s REALLY hard work.

- If You Have to Cry, Go Outside by Kelly Cutrone

Anyone who has seen Kelly on The Hills, The City or her new show Kell on Earth (ha) will know how scary she can be. But she’s also pretty amazing. This is her story of moving from a small town to make it in New York and I was surprised to find how compassionate she feels towards other women trying to fight their way up the ladder: she doesn’t want to be friends with her employees, but she does want to help them out.

Then, as my Dad said he didn’t mind if I got a mix of e- and paper books, I decided to get secondhand print versions of books I’d been wanting for a while but which were too expensive to buy new. So I bought:

- Letterati by Paul McCarthy

Which is about the world of competitive Scrabble. I read a couple of chapters then moved on to some other stuff but I’ll go back. It’s interesting stuff.

- I’m Down by Mishna Wolff

I kept seeing reviews of this and it sounded really great and funny… and it WAS. It’s about Woolf’s father and how he wanted to raise her and her sister to be down, to be cool, to fit in, even as white people in an all-black neighbourhood and poor people in an all-white upper-class school. Mishna didn’t seem to belong in either place and her rendering of events is hilarious. But there is a tinge of sadness to the funny, too – she grew up hungry and cold, albeit stoical.

- Get Known Before The Book Deal by Christina Katz

I keep reading articles by Katz (mainly in Writer’s Digest) and was curious to see what I could learn about writers and self-promotion. So far: quite a bit.

I also got a new copy of:

- The Grammar Devotional: Daily Tips for Successful Writing from Grammar Girl by Mignon Fogarty

If you haven’t heard of Grammar Girl (where have you been?) it’s a massively successful podcast about yes, grammar, and this is the second spin-off book. I haven’t read much of it yet. But I WILL.

In non-birthday book related news, I’ve just finished Julie Klam’s very good Please Excuse My Daughter (she’s Jancee Dunn’s best friend, incidentally – I heard about her from Dunn’s first book) and now I need to race through Vampire Diaries for the March book club. Phew.

Let’s not even talk about all my overdue library books, most of which I haven’t read… Oh, and my mum got me some money to spend at Amazon for my birthday too (people know what I like), but I got DVDs with that. (More on which, later. Probably much later, let’s be realistic here.)

[Via http://blog.dianeshipley.com]

Stupak Postpones News Conference - Prescriptions Blog - NYTimes.com

Spitfire Parade

2010-03-22T02:41:00.000+02:00

I’ve been reading the book Portrait of a Legend: Spitfire by Leo McKinstry in the last few days. I found it by accident while I was browsing through McNally Robinson, the best book shop in Saskatoon. It is a good read, and has some interesting observations to make about the aircraft, the design and manufacturing process and the pilots who flew the plane. One of the interesting observations is that the RAF could have had many more Spitfires available for the Battle of Britain if the production lines had been better run. That would have been an interesting “what if scenario” – posit an RAF with a dramatically improved capability. How would the Luftwaffe have responded? One suspects that they would have suffered terrible casualties and that would have accelerated aviation research in Germany in an attempt to regain air superiority. It might also have delayed Operation Barbarossa, the attack on the Soviet Union. Another comment is that the command and control organisation of the RAF was perhaps a little too decentralised. If Air Marshal Dowding had retained overall control of operations, instead of devolving it down to the Group level, the RAF effort might well have been better coordinated and able to respond even more effectively. It is quite an interesting counterpoint to the usual view that the RAF was very hard pressed and only won because of German strategic errors in changing targets, from the airfields to London.

Spitfire Mk 2a

The book is very well written, in a journalistic style rather than an academic one, which is hardly surprising, as the author is a journalist, albeit with a history degree. As usual with this type of popular history, there are many short comments from eye witnesses included to give the perspective of the “ordinary person”. I did find the content to be a little unbalanced. There is a lot of detail oof the pre-war design phase , and on production and operation before and during the Battle of Britain, but much less on the rest of the war and postwar service. A highly recommended read, particularly if you are interested in World War Two, or the Spitfire or both.

Spitfire: the elliptical wings are the distinguishing feature in these early aircraft

I shamelessly borrowed the title of this post from Capt. W. E. Johns 1941 title in the “Biggles” series!

[Via http://strivetoattain.wordpress.com]

The Virtual Whirl: News of the Whirl - Massively

Highland Lady Lowland Marriage...

2010-03-22T02:21:00.000+02:00

Read some excerpts and comments on “Here Burns My Candle” by Liz Curtis Higgs.

Lady Elisabeth Kerr is a keeper of secrets. A Highlander by birth and a Lowlander by marriage, she honors the auld ways, even as doubts and fears stir deep within her.

    Her husband, Lord Donald, has secrets of his own, well hidden from the household, yet whispered among the town gossips.

    His mother, the dowager Lady Marjory, hides gold beneath her floor and guilt inside her heart. Though her two abiding passions are maintaining her place in society and coddling her grown sons, Marjory’s many regrets, buried in Greyfriars Churchyard, continue to plague her.

    One by one the Kerr family secrets begin to surface, even as bonny Prince Charlie and his rebel army ride into Edinburgh in September 1745, intent on capturing the crown.

    A timeless story of love and betrayal, loss and redemption, flickering against the vivid backdrop of eighteenth-century Scotland, Here Burns My Candle illumines the dark side of human nature, even as hope, the brightest of tapers, lights the way home.

Praise for

Here Burns My Candle

“Liz Curtis Higgs has an unmatched ability to illuminate the depth of human emotions while taking her readers on a breathtaking journey through the darkness and light of another time and another place. With the deft hand only a master storyteller can apply, Higgs reaches back to the past and weaves a multi-threaded tapestry into a brilliant tale of betrayal and challenge, love and redemption. Her gift continues to shine.”

—BJ Hoff, author of The Emerald Ballad series

“A wonderful retelling of the story of Ruth by one of my favorite authors. Here Burns My Candle is rich with historic detail and living, breathing characters that engaged me from page one right through to the perfect ending.”

—Francine Rivers, author of Redeeming Love

“Prepare to burn your own candle well into the night as Higgs treats us to a verra wonderful Scottish tale of faith, forgiveness, love, loss, and secrets. I couldna put it doon!”

—Deeanne Gist, author of A Bride in the Bargain

“Settle in with Here Burns My Candle, Liz Curtis Higgs’s imaginative reworking of the tale of Naomi and Ruth, and venture back to a dangerous and fascinating time with characters who are as endearing as they are flawed. You can almost hear the drums of war and the swish of kilts and satin.”

—Angela Hunt, author of Let Darkness Come

“Higgs’s pen flows with gold when it turns to Scotland. Enticing from gripping first page to satisfying last, Here Burns My Candle will sweep you away!”

—Tamera Alexander, author of Beyond This Moment

“Once again Liz Curtis Higgs pens an exceptional story of intrigue, romance, and

spiritual faith. Her attention to historical detail gives this story a life all its own, and the characters were so real I found myself thinking about them throughout the day. I simply could not put this book down.”

—Tracie Peterson, author of Dawn’s Prelude

“Liz Curtis Higgs writes with a cinematic eye—color, texture, emotional depth. Her words give breath to this fresh twist on a beloved Old Testament story. Here Burns My Candle radiates the author’s love of Scotland and its mesmeric history in this story of women bound by obligation yet tethered to devotion. It will keep you up all night until you’ve turned the last dramatic page!”

—Patricia Hickman, author of The Pirate Queen

“I love a story that engages the heart first, the mind second. While reading Higgs’s novel, I became her noble heroine and was convicted by similarities to her antagonist, learning through it all. Come away to an enchanting glimpse of ancient Scotland and beyond. Truly amazing.”

Lisa Tawn Bergren, author of The Begotten

This book was provided by Multnomah Press for review and can be purchased at: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/results.php and many other Christian Retailers.

[Via http://word4women.wordpress.com]

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Review of "The Pilgrim's Progress" by John Bunyan

2010-03-19T14:51:00.000+02:00

If Wikipedia is good for anything, surely it is this.

I listened to this book. I haven’t much to say on the book other than to note that commuting to work on the DC metro while listening to The Pilgrim’s Progress really hammers home how different modern society is from the society of Bunyan’s day. We are always taught of society’s progress. Listen to Bunyan while riding the subway and see if "progress" is the first word that comes to mind – it certainly wasn’t the first word that came into my mind.

[Via http://foseti.wordpress.com]

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More on the "Age of Bronze"

2010-03-19T02:53:00.000+02:00

I tried to make that more clever but nothing was really working for me today. Back at the library I returned the graphic novel adaptation of the Trojan War part 1 and picked up part 2. Which is nice because it means that I might actually be able to get the whole thing…or it did until today’s visit spawned a third trip to the comic section and I realized that part three was not on the shelf. Something tells me that it won’t be in the system either, I guess I’ll figure it out when I go back to return 2.

The second part of the series is called: Sacrifice. Sacrifice was obviously a huge part of the ancient Greek society, being that their polytheism demanded a sacrifice if a person wanted to do anything. The only pantheism that tops the Greeks were the Romans. The Romans had assimilated so many cultures during their expansion that the numbers of gods just kept growing and growing. It didn’t end until Christianity took over, and even then it continued only instead of using the gods they just assimilated holidays, concepts, symbolism, and canonized instead of deified.

The story of the Trojan war is fraught with sacrifice. High king Agamemnon sacrifices his daughter in order make the trip to Troy. The gods were quite demanding in those days, not like the softer gods that seem to populate the earth now. My main issue with the series remains: there are no gods.

The gods play such an important role in the story, given that it was them who got the whole ball of wax rolling in the first place, that taking them out of it completely neuters some of the characters. For instance, Achilles is un-killable in the story until a certain point. His mother is a goddess and he’s been granted immunity from physical harm by being dunked in the river Styx. In the first book his mother, Thetis, is clearly not just a normal person in her demeanor but given the world in which the story is being told she is either delusional or dishonest. The centaur Karon, Achilles’ tutor, is now just some hairy guy who lives in the forest that Thetis sent her only son to live with and be taught by. Sounds like some real bang up parenting there. Why not just drop him entirely?

The book is trying to toe the line between being faithful to the source materials but sticking on the modern interpretation that makes the Greek religions false. However it can’t have it both ways, and in order to be a consistent story it really needs to pick a side and run with it.

For as much as I have objections to the series I do find that it is very difficult for me to not read it. Perhaps it is because this is one of my favorite stories but I don’t think this series would be a gateway into getting people to read the original source material.

[Via http://rdxdave.wordpress.com]

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Book Review: Steering through Chaos by Scott Wilson

2010-03-19T02:39:00.000+02:00

Steering through Chaos Mapping a clear direction for your church in the midst of transition and change.

Steering Through Chaos is not so much a practical manual, but a general book filled with basic leadership principles that can help not only pastors, but anyone heading an organization during transition. Scott hits key points like identifying turning points and transitions, leading with a clear vision, timing your change, being authentic, the importance of prayer, and celebrating as you go.

Scott outlines each principle and then gives examples from his own experience as well as from the experience of other seasoned pastors. The book is easy to read and very engaging. The only difficulty in reading it lies in the fact that even though the reader reads from Scott’s perspective, its easy to disagree with Scott’s decisions. At times the reader may wonder if, as a leader, Scott would sacrifice individuals for the whole of the organization. But maybe that is what Scott means in his introduction when he quotes “Your Church will only grow to the level of your pain threshold.” As a leader of an organization in transition, hard decisions have to be made and not everyone will agree.

Whether or not the reader ends up agreeing with Scott on ever example, the overall principles laid out can be beneficial to any leader. The book is not a step by step manual in leading through transition, but it does force the reader to think and it arms him with principles to use as a foundation of transitional leadership.

I can’t promise that the reader will love every word in this book, but I would recommend it to any leader going through transition if for no other reason than to challenge their thinking.

[Via http://elizabethuhles.wordpress.com]

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They say that for every problem there is a solution which is simple, elegant, and wrong - these titles in science prove the point.

2010-03-17T14:03:00.000+02:00

IgNobel prizes : the annals of improbable research London : Orion, 2002 Marc Abrahams Science , Awards , Miscellanea Hardcover. 319 p. : ill., ports. ; 23 cm. Clean, tight and strong binding with clean dust jacket. No highlighting, underlining or marginalia in text. VG/VG

For 10 years the august scientists of Harvard University have scoured the world’s research establishments for the most bizarre and weird real-life scientific research.

The Ig Nobel Prize honours individuals whose achievements in science cannot or should not be reproduced. 10 prizes are given to people who have done remarkably bizarre things in science over the previous year. The Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony is held in October. Prizes are awarded by genuine Nobel laureates.

The ‘Igs’ are intended to celebrate the unusual, honour the imaginative and shine a grubby spotlight onto the weird corners of laboratories around the world.

PAST WINNERS: Peter Fong’s experiment in which he fed Prozac to clams (Ig Nobel Biology Prize, 1998) on the basis that if they chilled out more they’d taste better.

Harold Hillman’s report on ‘The Possible Pain Experienced during Execution by Different Methods’ (Ig Nobel Peace Prize, 1997)

Jerald Bain and Kerry Siminoski’s examination of The Relationship among Height, Penile Length, and Foot Size (Ig Nobel Statistics Prize, 1998).

Masumi Wakita (Ig Nobel Psychology Prize, 1995) and their achievement in training pigeons to discriminate between the paintings of Picasso and those of Monet

Richard Seed (Ig Nobel Economics Prize, 1997) and his plan to clone himself and other human beings.

Ida Sabelis (Ig Nobel Biology 2000) for Magnetic resonance Imaging of Male and Female Genitals During Coitus and Female Sexual Arousal

The book will look behind the scenes of these landmark researchers and feature the weirdest research from a hundred years of science.

Reading the rocks : the autobiography of the earth Cambridge, MA : Westview Press, a member of the Perseus Books Group, c 2005 Marcia Bjornerud Geology Hardcover. x, 237 p. ; 22 cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. 213-226) and index. Clean, tight and strong binding with clean dust jacket. No highlighting, underlining or marginalia in text. VG/VG

To many of us, the Earth’s crust is a relic of ancient, unknowable history. But to a geologist, stones are richly illustrated narratives, telling gothic tales of cataclysm and reincarnation. For more than four billion years, in beach sand, granite, and garnet schists, the planet has kept a rich and idiosyncratic journal of its past.

Fulbright Scholar Marcia Bjornerud takes the reader along on an eye-opening tour of Deep Time, explaining in elegant prose what we see and feel beneath our feet. Both scientist and storyteller, Bjornerud uses anecdotes and metaphors to remind us that our home is a living thing with lessons to teach.

She opines how our planet has long maintained a delicate balance, and how the global give-and-take has sustained life on Earth through numerous upheavals. But with the rapidly escalating effects of human beings on their home planet, that cosmic balance is being threatened—and the consequences may be catastrophic.

Containing a glossary and detailed timescale, as well as vivid descriptions and historic accounts, Reading the Rocks is literally a history of the world, for all friends of the Earth.

Symmetry : a journey into the patterns of nature New York, NY : Harper, c 2008 Marcus du Sautoy Symmetry (Mathematics) Hardcover. “First published in Great Britain as Finding Moonshine in 2008 by Fourth Estate”, T.p. verso. 1st U.S. ed. and printing. 376 p. : ill. ; 24 cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. [355]-359) and index. Clean, tight and strong binding with clean dust jacket. No highlighting, underlining or marginalia in text. VG/VG

Symmetry is all around us. Our eyes and minds are drawn to symmetrical objects, from the pyramid to the pentagon. Of fundamental significance to the way we interpret the world, this unique, pervasive phenomenon indicates a dynamic relationship between objects. In chemistry and physics, the concept of symmetry explains the structure of crystals or the theory of fundamental particles; in evolutionary biology, the natural world exploits symmetry in the fight for survival; and symmetry—and the breaking of it—is central to ideas in art, architecture, and music.

Combining a rich historical narrative with his own personal journey as a mathematician, Marcus du Sautoy takes a unique look into the mathematical mind as he explores deep conjectures about symmetry and brings us face-to-face with the oddball mathematicians, both past and present, who have battled to understand symmetry’s elusive qualities. He explores what is perhaps the most exciting discovery to date—the summit of mathematicians’ mastery in the field—the Monster, a huge snowflake that exists in 196,883-dimensional space with more symmetries than there are atoms in the sun.

What is it like to solve an ancient mathematical problem in a flash of inspiration? What is it like to be shown, ten minutes later, that you’ve made a mistake? What is it like to see the world in mathematical terms, and what can that tell us about life itself? In Symmetry, Marcus du Sautoy investigates these questions and shows mathematical novices what it feels like to grapple with some of the most complex ideas the human mind can comprehend.

Ice : the nature, the history, and the uses of an astonishing substance New York : Knopf, 2005 Mariana Gosnell Ice Hardcover. 1st ed. x, 560 p. : ill. ; 25 cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. 523-535) and index. Clean, tight and strong binding with clean dust jacket. No highlighting, underlining or marginalia in text. VG/VG

Like the adventurer who circled an iceberg to see it on all sides, Mariana Gosnell, former Newsweek reporter and author of Zero Three Bravo, a book about flying a small plane around the United States, explores ice in all its complexity, grandeur, and significance.

More brittle than glass, at times stronger than steel, at other times flowing like molasses, ice covers 10 percent of the earth’s land and 7 percent of its oceans. In nature it is found in myriad forms, from the delicate needle ice that crunches underfoot in a winter meadow to the massive, centuries-old ice that forms the world’s glaciers. Scientists theorize that icy comets delivered to Earth the molecules needed to get life started, and ice ages have shaped much of the land as we know it.

Here is the whole world of ice, from the freezing of Pleasant Lake in New Hampshire to the breakup of a Vermont river at the onset of spring, from the frozen Antarctic landscape that emperor penguins inhabit to the cold, watery route bowhead whales take between Arctic ice floes. Mariana Gosnell writes about frostbite and about the recently discovered 5,000-year-old body of a man preserved in an Alpine glacier. She discusses the work of scientists who extract cylinders of Greenland ice to study the history of the earth’s climate and try to predict its future. She examines ice in plants, icebergs, icicles, and hail; sea ice and permafrost; ice on Mars and in the rings of Saturn; and several new forms of ice developed in labs. She writes of the many uses humans make of ice, including ice-skating, ice fishing, iceboating, and ice climbing; building ice roads and seeding clouds; making ice castles, ice cubes, and iced desserts.

Ice is a sparkling illumination of the natural phenomenon whose ebbs and flows over time have helped form the world we live in. It is a pleasure to read, and important to read—for its natural science and revelations about ice’s influence on our everyday lives, and for what it has to tell us about our environment today and in the future.

Measuring eternity : the search for the beginning of time New York : Broadway Books, 2001 Martin Gorst Earth Age, Geological time Hardcover. 1st Broadway Books ed. and printing. 338 p. : ill. ; 20 cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. [311]-313) and index. Clean, tight and strong binding with clean dust jacket. No highlighting, underlining or marginalia in text. VG/VG

The untold story of the religious figures, philosophers, astronomers, geologists, physicists, and mathematicians who, for more than four hundred years, have pursued the answer to a fundamental question at the intersection of science and religion: When did the universe begin?

The moment of the universe’s conception is one of science’s Holy Grails, investigated by some of the most brilliant and inquisitive minds across the ages. Few were more committed than Bishop James Ussher, who lost his sight during the fifty years it took him to compose his Annals of all known history, now famous only for one date: 4004 b.c. Ussher’s date for the creation of the world was spectacularly inaccurate, but that didn’t stop it from being so widely accepted that it was printed in early twentieth-century Bibles. As writer and documentary filmmaker Martin Gorst vividly illustrates in this captivating, character-driven narrative, theology let Ussher down just as it had thwarted Theophilus of Antioch and many before him. Geology was next to fail the test of time. In the eighteenth century, naturalist Comte de Buffon, working out the rate at which the earth was supposed to have cooled, came up with an age of 74,832 years, even though he suspected this was far too low. Biology then had a go in the hands of fossil hunter Johann Scheuchzer, who alleged to have found a specimen of a man drowned at the time of Noah’s flood. Regrettably it was only the imprint of a large salamander.

And so science inched forward via Darwinism, thermodynamics, radioactivity, and, most recently, the astronomers at the controls of the Hubble space telescope, who put the beginning of time at 13.4 billion years ago (give or take a billion). Taking the reader into the laboratories and salons of scholars and scientists, visionaries and eccentrics, Measuring Eternity is an engagingly written account of an epic, often quixotic quest, of how individuals who dedicated their lives to solving an enduring mystery advanced our knowledge of the universe.

Civilization and the Limpet Reading, Mass. : Perseus Books, c 1998 Martin Wells Marine animals Hardcover. First edition and printing. x, 209 p. ; 22 cm. Includes Index. Clean, tight and strong binding with clean dust jacket. No highlighting, underlining or marginalia in text. VG/VG

Written during a long sea voyage from England through the Mediterranean, Civilization and the Limpet unveils many fascinating phenomena of undersea life. Wells captures with exquisite detail how limpets, like bees, navigate by the stars; how the brainless sea urchin makes a myriad of critical survival decisions every day; how “deserted islands” teem with an incredible abundance of animal life; and why deep-diving whales never get the bends. Elegant and finely crafted, Civilization and the Limpet will enlighten, amuse, and awe anyone interested in the natural world.

[Via http://oldsaltbooks.wordpress.com]

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True confessions of a cookbook addict

2010-03-17T02:47:00.000+02:00

It’s true. I am an addict. While I love all books and read just about any type of book that catches my interest, cookbooks are at the top of the list. I can’t walk by a table of new cookbooks in a bookstore or library, or that dusty cookbook in an antique store without stopping. There seems to be no end in sight of new ways to use common ingredients or the techniques to make unusual ingredients worth trying. Cookbooks are a reflection of how people lived and ate in the past. It’s a history lesson that I never tire of! The new cookbooks are recording our history for the future. Here is a short list of some of my favorites, old and new.　

Martha Stewart’s Wedding Cakes

You can’t go wrong with Martha for beautiful photography and excellent recipes.

The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum

All of this baker’s books are full of lovely pictures and complete scientific information about baking. She has many books about baking of all sorts

The Barefoot Contessa by Ina Garten

Ina is like a wonderful friend. Her recipes are easy and very, very tasty!

The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger

The author is a dietician. Her books have simple, clear and healthy recipes that are worth craving!

Ad Hoc At Home by Thomas Keller

I love his books but have never tackled his recipes.

Cooking Light Cookbooks

These have gorgeous photographs and recipes that are quick and delicious.

Rachel Ray’s Cook Books

These books have fast recipes. I love her Vodka Cream Spaghetti sauce and many of her sandwich recipes are family favorites.

Cookwise and Bakewise by Shirley Corriher

You will learn much from these books. Shirley is a chemist and gives detailed explanations with each recipe. Great resource books!

The Margaret Rudkin Pepperidge Farm Cookbook

The fist part of this book is a compelling narrative of how people cooked and ate in the early part of the last century.

The Betty Crocker Cookbook

I learned to cook from the 1975 edition and still use it today, it is held together with duct tape and rubber bands!

Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg

My Bread by Jim Leahy

You must try both of these books and their methods! There are so many people who have never baked bread that are having great success with these methods. I am turning out breads that are just wonderful: deep flavors, superb crusts and no failures. The hard core “I can’t bake bread” people will never say that sentence again after making ONE batch.

[Via http://sharingourviews.wordpress.com]

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The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Ninth Grade Slays by Heather Brewer

2010-03-17T02:40:00.000+02:00

The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Ninth Grade Slays

by Heather Brewer

ISBN-13: 9-780142-413425

Rating: 4 ♥ / 5 ♥

If middle school stunk for Vladimir Tod, high school is a real drain. Besides being a punching bag for bullies, he’s still stalled with dream girl Meredith, and he’s being tailed by a photographer from the school newspaper. Needless to say, practicing his vampire skills hasn’t exactly been a priority for Vlad – until now. A monumental trip to Siberia with Uncle Otis is Vlad’s crash course in Vampire 101. Training alongside the most gifted vampires is exactly what Vlad needs to sharpen those mind-control skills he’s been avoiding. And he’d better get it right, because the battle brewing back home with the slayer who’s been stalking him could be Vlad’s last.

I definitely enjoyed Ninth Grade Slays more than Eighth Grade Bites. I felt the plot really picked up and the characters were more developed (as they should be in a sequel).

Heather Brewer’s writing is still just as intriguing in this second book as it is in the first, although I still don’t like the massive time jumps (maybe I’m just used to my books taking place in short periods of time). Heather manages to portray Vlad as a normal teenager – with some extra abilities and blood sucking thrown in. She lets us see a bit more into the secondary characters of the book, such as Henry and Otis, and the plot for this second novel was more suspenseful and introduces the overall plot of the series. Loose ends were wrapped up nicely, yet a sufficient amount of questions were left to address in the forthcoming books.

Some of the surprises in the book I saw coming a mile away, but that may just be because of my age. A younger reader might be completely shocked with some of the revelations in the end (regarding the slayer hunting Vlad). Even though I had guessed, I still got that smug satisfaction when I was proved right; I love guessing plot points before they happen!

Vlad is a great character, and these books are definitely entertaining – I’m hooked. I really like Heather’s vampire society and hope we get to see more of the Councils and how the vampire world works. There’s a great base set up for an epic plot and I hope she pulls out all the stops.

[Via http://thekams.wordpress.com]

[Video] Sanyo completes installation of Setagaya Solar Parking ...

McLaren 8: The Future Question, can we find a better way of viewing the future?

2010-03-15T14:54:00.000+02:00

*** This is part of an ongoing series on Brian McLaren’s A New Kind of Christianity

—————————————————————-

The Future Question: Can we find a better way of viewing the future?

Brian’s 7th question is eschatological, a question of how we view the future and end times. I’ll just put it out here at the beginning that I’m not a dispensationalist, nor do I expect to be suddenly raptured into the heavens to escape a tribulation any time soon. That all seems a bit ridiculous to me, to tell you the truth. I assume Daniel and Ezekiel were writing about the antichrists of their time and the temple rebuilt then (rather than the temple-after-the-temple that Dispensationalists today expect), and John was writing about Rome. The whole Rapture/Trib thing just isn’t in the text. I’ve written about it some before. I grew up on a steady diet of the Left Behind series, and have in fact read every one. I obsessed over Revelation. Like any good Evangelical boy, I even praying when I was 10 years old to Jesus asking if he could hold off on coming back until after I had had sex one day. I bought every word!

Lately, authors such a N.T. Wright have (who describes the rapture eschatology as “cartoonish” in Surprised by Hope) done incredible work bringing back into focus the ancient Christian doctrine of the end times. Popular as it is, Wright highlights how this Rapture doctrine is largely a novelty of 20th century American theology. In fact, you won’t find hardly any Biblical scholars who buy the whole rapture/tribulation gig. There’s just nothing ancient about it. Thank god.

So now that I’ve gotten my biases out there…

So with that, I was eager to check out McLaren’s view on this, as I know he gets asked about this a lot. He begins outlining Dispensationalism’s beginnings in the 1830s and its popularization via the Scofield Reference Bible since 1909 on. Since then, it has taken over to the point that so many Christians consider it orthodox, ancient theology. And with it came speculation that every world leader we don’t like could be the antichrist (recall the 2008 election and how many church leaders were unapologetically speculating one of the candidates was it).

When I was first realizing that this wasn’t even in the Bible, I immediately realized how this whole tribulation/end-of-the-world narrative, especially when combined with a belief in a literal hell, caused us to abandon so much of God’s work in the world. As McLaren also notes (and I’ve actually heard Christians make these arguments):

If the world is about to end, why care for the environment? Why worry about global climate change or peak oil? Who gives a rip for endangered species or sustainable economies or global poverty if God is planning to incinerate the whole planet soon anyway?… If God has predetermined that the world will get worse and worse until it ends in a cosmic megaconflict between the forces of Light (epitomized most often in the United States) and the forces of Darkness (previously centered in communism, but now, that devil having been vanquished, in Islam), why waste energy on peacemaking, diplomacy or interreligious dialogue? Aren’t those simply endeavors in rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic?

One thing McLaren talked about when a group of us met with him last year was that we should perhaps test our theologies (when trying to choose between different interpretations of a vague text) by considering how it would play out if we replicated the type of God we believe in (sort of like a theological spin on Kant’s Categorical Imperative). In this case, if God is intent on destroying the world with fire and showing no mercy to most of its inhabitants, then what would it look like if we were to emulate our god? Not too pretty. Definitely not too peaceful, merciful, ethical, or loving.

What McLaren’s main point seems to be in this chapter is asking us to consider whether reality is static, set, a closed system that is predetermined, or instead a fluid, dynamic system of free-will and call and response. A god who is soul-sorting into the damnation or salvation bins is good news for me if I am on the list, but a dynamic God working to heal and reconcile everything is pretty good news for everyone (except, perhaps, for the vilest of holdouts who stubbornly wish for losers to lose in the end).

When Jesus predicted the Antichrist would come to Jerusalem, destroy the temple, and wreak havoc on that generation, I assume this did in fact happen (in 70 A.D.). But that was not the fixed end of days. It was a chance for the people of God to again pick up and choose again. McLaren points out that the phrase “the second coming of Christ” never appears in the Bible, but parousia does, a term meaning “presence” or “coming alongside of.” It’s the idea that god is here in us, in the world, calling us to participate. And we can make the world better or more divided. I like where McLaren is going with this, but I would have liked for him to flush out a bit more on whether he expects a literal return of Christ or sees the parousia as the ultimate coming of the Spirit into the world.

McLaren finishes the chapter with a quote from renowned theologian Jurgen Moltmann:

The Message of the new righteousness which eschatological faith brings into the world says that in fact the executioners will not finally triumph over their victims. It also says that in the end the victims will not triumph over their executioners. The one [Jesus] will triumph who first did for the victims and then also for the executioners, and in sod oing revealed a new righteousness which breaks through the vicious circles of hate and vengeance and which, from the victims and executioners, creates… a new humanity.

[Via http://taddelay.com]

The Big Picture » Blog Archive » Lehman News Round Up

"The Sage of Synchronicity" weirdness

2010-03-15T02:34:00.000+02:00

A lot of weirdness, contradictions, and plain lack of clarity and focus…

“Sometimes these projections can come in the form of intense psychic

attacks. In my case, I was repeatedly sexually attacked as an

infant by an elderly female relative. She had experienced much sexual

abuse herself, and the idea of a male baby growing up to be an empowered man was abhorrent to her psyche. She also had unmet

sexual needs, which she projected onto me. But the universe wasn’t

content to see me psychically abused by just one puny human. Seven

generations ago on my father’s side of the family, an ancestor of mine

contracted a sexual disease.

The intense shame of this got transferred onto his children, right

down the line to my generation of the family. Though the gonorrhea

has long gone, the shaming energy persists. To this day I have to

maintain vigilant work on this energy, as my father’s spirit still projects

the shame of it at me and other family members.

This is an unconscious way to control the energy of the family consciousness field. I have repeatedly passed on the message to

the old bastard that he is dead, and that he should start acting that

way. Unfortunately, listening was never his strong point. It is not only

consciousness that transcends the death of the body. Unconsciousness goes with you as well.”

……………

[Via http://sunnystephana.wordpress.com]

Visually browsing newspapers in Google News Archive | Googling ...

"The Sage of Synchronicity" top points

2010-03-15T02:21:00.000+02:00

“The fact is that it’s very difficult to rise above the dominant beliefs

and attitudes of your culture. You really need to see things from a distance. You need to see the big picture. You are part of the evolution of the consciousness of the human race, and of the universe. You must

appreciate that this is a unique moment in history, and the present is

just one of many possible futures that could have unfolded from the

past.”

“The growing child’s mind, including its sense of self, is plastic: it will tend to take on whatever messages are given to it by the outside world. It doesn’t know any better. For the child, acceptance and approval are ultimately a life and death issue, because it is helpless and completely dependent upon its parents for support. Rejection by the parents may mean abandonment, and death.

This is how we become conditioned into seeking approval from others.

Ironically, it is those who fail to get approval as children who tend

to have the greatest need in adulthood to give their power away to

others by seeking their approval. It is the fear of rejection and abandonment which lies at the heart of this disempowering process.”

[Via http://sunnystephana.wordpress.com]

It's always bad news for the IPCC : Deltoid

What Is On Your Reading List???

2010-03-12T14:46:00.000+02:00

What are you reading? What did you know about the book before reading? Many years ago I asked a friend if he had read a recent best seller. His answer was that with all the classics out there he had no time for “fiction.” He was an attorney and I was tempted to ask about the “fiction” in his legal briefs. Though I disagree with his comment it got me to thinking about what books we read and why.

Below is an article by Carolyn Mahaney originally posted on her blog “Girl Talk” entitled My Eight-Year Reading List http://www.girltalkhome.com/.

After dinner on a recent date night, my husband and I wandered into a Barnes and Noble—not an uncommon leisure activity for the two of us. I flipped through a book on the new release table and came across a ten-year reading plan at the back of the book. Hmmm…that’s a good idea, I thought. I’m always reading–commentaries, books on women’s issues, doctrine and the Christian life, and even the occasional history or classic novel–but I want to have a long-term plan to make sure I’m reading the most valuable spiritual classics.

So on our way out, I asked CJ (whose appetite for devouring books ever inspires me!) to give me a reading plan for what he considered the most important spiritual books to read in my lifetime.

Several days ago he handed me this list:

Knowing God by JI Packer

The Holiness of God by RC Sproul

The Cross of Christ by John Stott

When I Don’t Desire God by John Piper

The Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges

The Gospel for Real Life by Jerry Bridges

Holiness by JC Ryle

Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands by Paul Tripp

Though I’ve read parts of almost all of these books, I’ve not benefited as I know I will if I read them from cover to cover. So, I’m going to line these books up on my shelf and start reading. Let’s see…..eight books, at one per year; I should be finished by 2016. God willing, I’ll finish these books and ask CJ for another reading list.

The beginning of this article could have been written by me as my husband and I often find ourselves in book stores. The first month we were married Greg was late coming home one night. As time went on I became concerned and called the library at Austin Peay State University as he had gone there to check out a book for a Masters class he was taking. The librarian answered and let me know he had left at closing time…… for almost 20 years now we have learned when we are late it usually has something to do with books.

I trust you will become more volitional in your choice of books old and new!

The picture above is of The C.J. Mahaney Family. Picturing Carolyn her husband and children and gradchildren.

[Via http://word4women.wordpress.com]

Economic data: News flash | The Economist

Cathy Maxwell - The Marriage Ring is a touching story...

2010-03-12T02:09:00.000+02:00

‘The Marriage Ring’ is a touching story about love and trust between two people very much alone in the world. This books takes an overworked, stoic man and pits him against and independent, experienced woman – let me tell you… the sparks are going to fly!

The woman who will one day wear Richard Lynsted’s ring will be genteel, dainty, and well-bred.

This eliminates Grace MacEachin on all three counts. A hellion of the first order, the alluring, infuriating woman would be nothing more than a passing temptation to an upstanding gentleman like Richard – if it weren’t for the fact that she’s trying to blackmail his father!

Or, as Grace sees it, trying to get justice – and maybe just the slightest hint of revenge on the family that tore her life asunder when she was just a girl. And as for Lynsted, well, the stuffy, humorless man wouldn’t suffer for time spent in company more exciting than that of his company ledgers. Only when Richard gets Grace alone, she discovers he may know a thing or two about excitement after all . . .

(from Fantasticfiction.co.uk)

This book is an interesting tale of discovery, matching two very unlikely characters in a battle of stubborn wills. But this battle turns to a love that neither one expects and a story that leaves the reader with a pleasant smile on their face. It is an odd romantic story, no less sweet, but a strange progression to love and perhaps a little rushed. You do feel the characters getting to know each other better – something I liked about this book. I often read books where you don’t get a sense of growth between the leading characters and their love then seems too forced. Cathy does not let us down with her loving tale.

Richard, our hero, is a rare breed; a celibate man with a hidden sensual side, a mix of naivety and daring. He is intelligent and hardworking but also carries an air of innocence that I have never seen before in a romance novel. I had a hard time warming up to him… just my personal taste as I like the strong, dominant male types in my stories.

He is a good match for our bold, independent heroine Grace. She is full of fire and spunk and takes it from no one. But a troubled past and a lot of heartache has left her unable to trust, just the ticket when she is traveling in a carriage with a straight-laced man who keeps telling himself he wants nothing to do with her… but we all know what he is really thinking…

The love scenes in this book are tame but loving, great for those who don’t like the graphic descriptions found in some other books. I would give this book a 5 out of 10 on my Sexy Scale. (10 being very graphic in sexy content – 1 being so tame there isn’t even a real kiss… ok, well maybe a chaste one)

Overall, this story was a mild tale that missed the mark on my excitement scale. If a book is “light on the love” it needs to be strong in plot to hold a readers interest. That being said, I would still recommend Cathy Maxwell as an author. I give this book a 7 out of 10 overall. I have read at least half of her books and thoroughly enjoyed them all. Check out Cathy’s website for a list of all her books.

[Via http://danielledubois.wordpress.com]

News Ticker: DMX, Lady Gaga, Stars, The Doors : Rolling Stone ...

Description, description, description

2010-03-12T02:07:00.000+02:00

So a short post, just because I’ve already written 6 pages today on my novel. This may not seem like a lot, but when you are a stay-at-home mom of a 2 1/2 year old, time and energy are significantly reduced. I was thinking about my last post and the balance between dialogue and description. Specifically, what makes for good description.

Description helps the reader to understand and imagine the writer’s world. It creates a sense of character and place. For me, as a reader, I sometimes find descriptive passages too tedious–both in classics and in current literature/writing. Sometimes I just want to “get to the good part” and it seems as though description impedes this. This can be the downfall of being overly descriptive–it serves no purpose for the plot or characters and actually detracts from them.

When I think about writers who utilize description well, Sandra Cisneros and William Carlos Williams come to mind. Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street is striking for its vivid, indeed poetic, descriptions. Through a series of linked vignettes, Cisneros paints characters with precise, vivid language. The bittersweetness of their stories leaves a tangible ache in your bones. Williams does the some in his poems. Again, it is the precision of language, sparse yet sharp and vivid, that leaves the reader with indelible images.

Here’s to concise, vivid descriptions.

If you haven’t already read either of these writers, go to your nearest library. You’re in for a treat.

[Via http://amyjstrychasz.wordpress.com]

The Hockey News: Mark Seidel's Blog: Mark Seidel's Blog: The ...

SUFFERING AND THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD - John Piper & Justin Taylor, Ed (2006)

2010-03-10T14:50:00.000+02:00

The only one who has taught me more about the sovereignty of God than John Piper is Jonathan Edwards. Dr. Piper does not disappoint in this edited work. The chapters are compiled in a series of transcripts from the 2005 Desiring God Conference, Suffering and the Sovereignty of God. This review serves as a summary of some noteworthy chapters.

Piper’s opening chapter unfolds ten aspects of God’s sovereignty over suffering and Satan’s role in it. He points the reader to the eternal and infinite God; a God who stands in sharp contrast to the finite and contingent creature. The insight that Piper offers in this chapter are simply breathtaking.

Dr. Mark Talbot pens one of the most helpful and beneficial chapters on compatibalism to date. The doctrine affirms that God ordains everything that comes to pass and also affirms that agents make free, responsible choices. God never does evil, but he does in fact ordain or decree evil. Talbot’s explanations are philosophically and theologically satisfying and are expressed with warm pastoral concern. Pretty good work for a philosophy professor! Dr. Talbot’s chapter is worth the price of the book.

Steve Saint poignantly describes the murder of his father, Nate Saint and shares his personal pain as a child and the events that God used to soften his heart and make him usable vessel in God’s kingdom.

There are so many rich nuggets in this volume. Read it and be prepared for the difficult days ahead. Suffering and the Sovereignty of God is a welcome addition to students taking the Veritas course, Mending the Achilles Heel: A Biblical Response to the Problem of Evil.

4.5 stars

[Via http://baldreformer.wordpress.com]

Matthew Yglesias » The Cable News Problem

"John Ploughman's Talk" by C.H. Spurgeon

2010-03-10T02:50:00.000+02:00

“John Ploughman’s Talk” by C.H. Spurgeon is a down to earth, witty, and swarthy collection of lessons for common people. With selections entitled Idleness, Gossip, Try, and Ignorant People, C.H. Spurgeon’s “Talk” is a fountain of good advice offered in an agreeable and understandable language. “Dont’ count your chickens before they’re hatched,” and “Try, try again,” are just some of the oldstyle anthems used throughout the book. Appropriate for old and young alike, it can be especially poignant for children just entering the working age.

Gist: very highly recommended.

[Via http://takecaptiveeverythought.wordpress.com]

Breaking News: Pakistan Claims Adam Gadahn Arrested

Book Review: The Case For God by Karen Armstrong

2010-03-10T02:21:00.000+02:00

Author: Karen Armstrong

Title: The Case for God

Publication Info: Random House Audio (2009), Edition: Unabridged, Audio CD

ISBN: 0307702375

Summary/Review:

From the title this book appears to be an apologetic approach to theism. Close but not quite. Karen Armstrong in fact writes an history of religious belief and practice (and the parallel growth of atheism) from prehistoric cave paintings to postmodern philosophers. While mostly focused on Western thought – and Christianity within that – Armstrong manages to incorporate a lot of world religion which makes a massive topic for a short book. And yet it’s chock full of fascinating tidbits and connections I’ve never made.

Armstrong’s main points in this book are that literalism – both that which is insisted upon by religious conservatives and railed against by their anti-theist opponents – is a relatively modern phenomenon. Historically practice trumped belief and our fore-bearers would not comprehend the all-or-nothing approach of today’s religious adherents.

I’m not going to admit that I understood it all, but I did enjoy Armstrong’s writing and ideas and would like to read more of her work.

Favorite Passages:

A good creation myth did not describe an event in the distant past but told people something essential about the present. It reminded them that things often had to get worse before they got better, that creativity demanded self-sacrifice and heroic struggle, and that everybody had to work hard to preserve the energies of the cosmos and establish society on a sound foundation. A creation story was primarily therapeutic. – p. 16

Fundamentalism — be it Jewish, Christian, or Muslim — nearly always begins as a defensive movement; it is usually a response to a campaign of coreligionists or fellow countrymen that is experienced as inimical and invasive. – p. 271

Thus the cosmologist Paul Davies speaks of his delight in science with its unanswered, and, perhaps, unanswerable questions …. Davies has confessed “It may seem bizarre, but in my opinion, science offers a surer path to God than religion.” He is still asking the primordial question: Why is there something rather than nothing? – p. 310

The ideal society should be based on charity rather than truth. In the past, [Gianni] Vattimo recalls, religious truth generally emerged from people interacting with others rather than by papal edict. Vattimo recalls Christ’s saying, “When two or three are gathered in my name, I will be in the midst of them,” and the classic hymn, “Where there is love, there is also God.” – p. 314

Recommended books:

Rating: ***

[Via http://othemts.wordpress.com]

Report: ABC News faked at least one part of runaway Toyota report ...

Atlantis Found

2010-03-08T14:56:00.000+02:00

Cussler, Clive. Atlantis Found. New York: Berkley, 2001. Print.

When a small town mine owner finds evidence of an ancient civilization buried in an old mine shaft, regional experts are called in. Soon though, they find their lives in jeopardy; someone wants the secrets of the ancients to stay hidden.

Clive Cussler is always a good standby for adventure, and Atlantis Found is no exception. Fast-paced and catchy, Dirk Pitt and his sidekick Al have come to the rescue again!

[Via http://jennclimenhaga.wordpress.com]

Weekly International Travel News Roundup | Peter Greenberg Worldwide

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

2010-03-08T14:25:00.000+02:00

“Once upon a time, I did not live in Shady Pines. Once upon a time, my name was not Alice. Once upon a time, I didn’t know how lucky I was.”

When Alice was 10, Ray stole her away from her parents. She’s now 15, and thinks he is growing tired of her. Constantly living in a state of fear, she doesn’t doubt her death lays ahead of her. She welcomes it. However, what Ray actually has in mind for her is much worse; he wants her to find him a new Alice, a much younger girl for his exploits. A new girl will likely mean death for Alice, which will end her pain, but can she force her life on someone else?

Living Dead Girl is an emotionally difficult read, made more so by the intentionally stylized writing. Elizabeth Scott writes in short, quick sentences, spoken only from Alice’s point of view. It is highly effective at expressing Alice’s thoughts and connecting the reader to the story. Alice is such a compelling character and Scott does an amazing job at connecting readers to a story that is not only difficult to tell, but goes beyond the capacity of our imaginations. It is a quick read, but very haunting. This book does have a significant amount of violence and sex, and the topics (pedophilia, rape, abuse, abduction) might be very uncomfortable for some readers. Nonetheless, it is an incredibly significant story.

You might like Living Dead Girl if you enjoy books with: stylized writing, quick to read, fast paced plots, emotionally provocative storylines

Other books by Elizabeth Scott: Bloom, Perfect You, The Unwritten Rule, Stealing Heaven, Something, Maybe, Love You Hate You Miss You

If you enjoyed Living Dead Girl you might also like: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Touching Snow by Sindy M. Felin, Boy Toy by Barry Lyga, Leftovers by Laura Wiess, Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson and Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Wiess

Additional Info: Awards include YALSA Best Book for YA (2009), BCCB Blue Ribbon Award (2008), ABC Best Books for Children (2008) – for more see author website

Author Website found here.

Rating: W4/4 C4/4 P4/4 O4/4 PP2.5/4 CR2/4

Grade: S

Covers

[Via http://creatingdiscussion.wordpress.com]

Lehtonen to start in goal Saturday | Dallas Stars Blog | Sports ...

Why am I hiding behind my camera?

2010-03-08T02:29:00.000+02:00

When I signed up for Facebook, I was immediately “faced” with a huge problem: I had no photos of my face. None. That was because I was always behind the camera instead of in front of it. I took pictures of my friends, my kids, my kids with my husband, my kids with my parents or parents-in-law or other relatives or classmates.

(Occasionally, my feet or arms wound up in the picture, too, but there wasn’t a single photo of my face. That’s a big problem on Facebook because people want to see, well, your face. After all, it’s not called “Armbook” or “Footbook.”)

I thought about this recently when I read the novel The Girl with Glass Feet by Ali Shaw. One of the main characters, Midas Crook, hides behind his camera. He is a socially inept man who prefers to view the world through his camera lens.

It’s safer there.

His one romantic relationship ended when he realized that he was only attracted to the version of the woman he had caught on film, not the living and breathing woman that she was when his camera was put away. Instead of social interaction, he has film and black-and-white photos and people reduced to what slow light and silver nitrate make them.

People are easier to deal with when they are flat and two-dimensional.

3-D people can be disturbing: knowing all three dimensions of them forces me to share all three dimensions of myself. Scary.

Recently, a friend remarked that she enjoyed my blog posts because I’m so “transparent.” I’d love to think that I really am transparent, that my blog readers know the real me, that my life is an open book.

Sure, my life is an open book . . . in a foreign language.

All too often, I’ve hidden myself from other people. I hide . . .

behind a camera because being in front of it means I might be captured in an unflattering pose;
behind a book (either someone else’s or my own) because characters in a book are easier to deal with than real life people;
behind a computer screen, “connected” on the Internet, because it’s easier to connect with other people when I can disconnect with them just as easily by shutting down the computer.

An actual person won’t go away if I click a mouse or turn a page or delete a photo on my digital camera. Like Midas Crook, I often prefer two-dimensional people to three-dimensional, and for the same reason: intimately knowing others can be terrifying.

About halfway through the book, Midas has an epiphany:

He imagined dying and being cut open and there were all his bones and muscles and his bared arteries and capillaries leading to a cavity in his chest where, instead of a heart, he had his camera.

For too long, he has defined himself and others by photography; now he must decide if he is willing to take the risk of setting aside his camera and learning to love other people.

What would an autopsy show within me: a camera … a book … a computer… or a heart?

What would it show within you?

More to the point, what are you going to do about it?

Even more to the point, why are you still on the Internet? Shut down that computer and go talk to a real person.

[Via http://lauradroege.wordpress.com]

'News From the Car Industry' - Laugh Lines Blog - NYTimes.com

Book Review - Voices: Memoirs from Herstory, Vol. 2

2010-03-05T14:56:00.000+02:00

Vol. 2, Fall 2009. Voices: Memoirs from Herstory Inside Suffolk County Correctional Facilities. Various Authors, Herstory Writers Workshop, Inc., paperback, 107 pages, $14.95.

The Herstory Writers Workshop’s goal is to provide incarcerated women “opportunities through guided memoir writing that empower women from all walks of life . . . to turn their intimate stories into works of art crafted so that others can hear.” In this, their second published collection, there are approximately thirty short true stories (many in letter format, addressed to their former abusers, family members, etc.) addressing such topics as addiction, violence against women, and the bond between incarcerated parents and their children.

The founder of Herstory, Erika Duncan, writes a four page introduction in which she implores the reader not to immediately ask “What did that person (the author) do” that lead to her imprisonment. Instead, we are implored to ask what has happened to these women in their pasts, and what can they teach us. Perhaps the authors were also told not to write about or focus on such things as their guilt, the crimes they committed, or what lead to their imprisonment, because none of the stories make any mention of victims of the criminal acts of the authors (however, the authors are quick to point out how they are victims) or what crimes the authors committed, with the exception of a few who vaguely talk about being in jail for drug related offenses. Instead, the reader is treated to some truly horrific stories of past abuse, addiction, and familial betrayals, many of which contain revolting imagery.

The stories in this publication average between two to three pages. They are prefaced by a short introduction from the editor, and provide a little background on the author of each piece. Sticking to Herstory’s number one rule of non-judgment, these intros typically list the positive attributes of each writer, and never discuss the crimes committed by the writer. The stories can be incredibly graphic in the recounting of physical/sexual abuse (particularly unsettling was a story from a former prostitute who graphically described the aftermath of waking up after a night of performing sexual favors in the quest for crack money). They are not for the squeamish.

There is one particular portion of this publication that stuck out to me when I read it. In the editor’s short introduction of the author of each piece, she sometimes mentions boyfriends or family members that have physically or sexually abused the author in the past. None of these introductions give any background of the accused abuser, until the introduction of author Angelita Peete on page eighty-seven. Ms. Peete, we are told, was “horribly and repeatedly sexually and physically abused by her mother’s career military husband” starting at the time she was eight years old. I can see no reason why the editor chose to mention the occupation of this one alleged abuser. Perhaps she feels the military trains soldiers to be better at abuse than other members of the general public. Whatever her reasoning, I found the inclusion of this man’s occupation to be unnecessary and insulting to the armed forces, and I suspect if a survey of all the alleged abusers in this publication was taken, “social programs recipient” would rank much higher on the list of occupations than “military.”

I can see value in this publication for law libraries and law schools that have strong women’s studies programs, or for the criminal justice field. At only $14.95, it’s not a huge investment. Just be prepared for graphic imagery and understand the purpose of the book.

Lance Burke, Reference/Access Services Librarian, Elon School of Law

[Via http://aallspectrum.wordpress.com]

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**The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry (2006 paperback)

2010-03-05T02:55:00.000+02:00

Oooh. This is one of those books that requires a second read. You get to the end and viola! you realize you missed a lot of clues along the way. I had to read some discussions online to get all my questions answered, and now I’m in the process of rereading. This is a mystery and a family story that takes place in Salem, Mass. Towner Whitney, the main character and the narrator for much of the book, comes back to Salem when her great-aunt disappears. In seeking the truth about Eva (the great-aunt), Towner also discovers much about her own past and her immediate family. Since this is a mystery, I can’t include any spoilers, thus I can’t say too much about the story. Trust me, it’s good. Maybe a bit slow taking off, but once into it, I had a hard time putting it down. Now that I know what happens, I’m sure the beginning would be more compelling the second time through. (fiction)

[Via http://beansbookblog.wordpress.com]

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Pride/Prejudice: a novel of Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth Bennet, and Their Forbidden Lovers by Ann Herendeen

2010-03-05T02:19:00.000+02:00

In the acknowledgments, Herendeen calls her work the “spawn of its author’s imagination,” and though I enjoyed reading it, I’m inclined to agree with her word choice. The book’s premise is that Darcy, Bingley, Elizabeth, and Charlotte are bi-sexual, and while that idea alone takes it out of Austen’s world, many of the circumstances and descriptions take it out of any world of refinement and civility.

“Fitz,” for instance, plans to marry Caroline, and Bingley to marry Georgiana, which is not so different from their initial stances in Austen’s original, except that Darcy and Bingley are already in a loving, sexual relationship with each other, which makes any marriage to sisters seem incestuous. The incest continues with Darcy’s idea that, when he marries Caroline, Mrs. Hurst will be available to him as well, as part of a package deal of sorts. The history of Darcy and Wickham’s relationship is altered by the bi element here, which means that Darcy, his little sister, his future wife, and her little sister were all drawn, at one time or another, to the same man. Without ruining too much, I’ll just say that multiple members of that list are “involved” with Wickham within hours of each other.

Phrasing, too, seems to put this text at odds with Austen’s. In the opening scene, Fitz quotes the first line of Pride and Prejudice as his own words and proceeds to perform fellatio on Bingley. Probably not how Austen envisioned the line, but who knows for sure? On the third night of Jane’s visit to Netherfield, Bingley is back to business, and the narrator describes him as “lying in Fitz’s arms, sweaty and dirty and so adorable Fitz could have licked him clean for the sheer joy of soiling him all over again.” I’m no prude, but does anyone else feel dirty even reading this line? Worse, however, are the lines that characters say in this book that we know they would never have said in Austen’s. Darcy, for instance, tells his little sister that she will “do very well, so long as [she] repress[es her] childish desire to show off” (since when is she a show-off?) because, after all, “young gentlemen don’t like a clever female.” By comparison, even vulgar puns (“Charles rejecting balls, of all absurd things—what had been, only a couple of weeks ago, his favorite pastime”) are of little import.

Yet vulgar expressions disturb nonetheless when they feel completely gratuitous. When Elizabeth visits Hunsford, for instance, and reaches out to her former lover, Charlotte is described as pushing Elizabeth’s “hand violently away . . . like a girl of twelve pawed by her drunken uncle.” Ew. That image was hardly necessary. You judge if the description of Darcy’s masturbation—“he let loose again, another long white string”—helps you understand the characters any better than you would without it. Henry Tilney gets dragged into the den of iniquity to which Darcy belongs (to leave it, he has to submit to the administrations of all the “Brothers” “during the course of a long afternoon”), and Elizabeth just happens to walk by a bedchamber with a door that conveniently “had swung free from the jamb a few inches” just as Darcy prepares to enter Bingley.

Elizabeth’s witnessing of this event does not disturb her, and, as you know must happen, when Darcy and she fall in love, their passion is equally fervent. I will leave you to discover how Darcy interacts with Wickham when Darcy goes to save Lydia, how Darcy interacts with Bingley after their marriages to the Bennet sisters, and how much—and when—innocent Jane really knows about the man she loves.

[Via http://fansofjane.wordpress.com]

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Stealing Henry: A Chick Lit Wednesday Review

2010-03-03T14:27:00.000+02:00

The night Savannah brains her stepfather Jack with the frying pan is the night she decides to leave home for good. It doesn’t matter that she has no money and her eight-year-old brother Henry to take care of. It doesn’t even matter that her stepfather will probably follow them. Savannah can stand a few obstacles as well as she can a slap or two. What she can’t stand is the idea of becoming like her mother Alice.

Alice used to be someone Savannah admired, someone she could look up to. But that was another life when Alice was still looking for her own future and finding nothing she expected.

Savannah’s life wasn’t always about listening before entering a room and not making eye contact or talking back. Her childhood homes could fill a road atlas. Savannah and Alice traveled all across the country before the fateful day their car broke down and the party stopped for good.

Savannah and Henry are journeying to a house they’ve never seen. Eighteen years ago certain events conspired to drive Alice to leave that same house for good; events that would eventually determine the course of both Alice and Savannah’s lives in Stealing Henry (2005) by Carolyn MacCullough.

Stealing Henry draws readers in right from the beginning with a shocking opening line and a truly evocative cover (designed by Rodrigo Corral–the mastermind behind the US covers for the Uglies series). Nothing about Savannah’s life is easy and it’s simple to assume reading about her won’t be either. But the opposite is true. MacCullough’s lyrical prose pulls readers in, quickly making Savannah and her unreal life completely believable.

Even passing scenes of the local emergency room, Alice’s current place of employ, are skillfully written with a high degree of authenticity. Everything about this story is evocative and compelling.

I read Stealing Henry shortly after the van incident and a generally not peaceful time in my own life. Reading about Savannah and her own journey was somehow entirely appropriate for that situation and often comforting. Much like MacCullough’s later novels, this story is always optimistic. Even at her lowest, Savannah remains hopeful; the writing itself becoming both peaceful and reassuring.

Possible Pairings: How to (un)Cage a Girl by Francesca Lia Block, The Secret Life of Prince Charming by Deb Caletti, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley, The Bride’s Farewell by Meg Rosoff, Little Voice by Sara Bareilles (music album)

[Via http://missprint.wordpress.com]

AMERICAblog News: Evan Bayh is worried that going the ...

review: hear no evil

2010-03-03T14:21:00.000+02:00

DISCLAIMER: I received this book in the mail for free to review. I wrote in the margins and dog-eared the pages. I will not be sending it back.

I’ve got a special shrine/shelf set aside as my homage to the Collected Works of Matthew Paul Turner. I now need new slot for his latest, HEAR NO EVIL (copyright 2010, Waterbrook Press), where Thew is able to capture a part of his eye-opening faith-stretching encounter with contemporary Christian music and culture.

All kidding aside (well, most kidding aside), I’ve enjoyed Matt’s writing over the years and this book continues the appreciation for me. This time we’ve been invited to join him on the journey from fundamentalist no-rock-and-roll-or-syncopated-beats-in-this-house-young-man to wow-there’s-more-out-there-than-hymnals-and-polyester. I’m a few years ahead in my own CCM learning curve, but the artists and music Matt draws from are near and dear to my heart as well. More than that, though, it was interesting to see that this book wasn’t so much about the music as it was about the cultural changes Matt lived out in discovering himself and discovering music along the way. Someone tweeted that he needed to have a HNO Mix on iTunes – a good idea I agree, but for the most part, there weren’t lots of songs pulled or named after the first few chapters. It was more of a vibe, more of an awakening going on in Young Matt, with music being both a seed and the soil for the growth he’s trying to transcribe.

I’ve always liked Matt’s turn of phrase, and have found that he’s one of the best contemporary authors for pulling completely random contextless quotes that are chock-full of meaning and snark:

“You don’t get to have crabs very often” – p30 [tweet]
“For a lot of Christians, their imaginations are liabilities, like the five senses and genitals” – p51 [tweet]
“But there was one consistent thread of grace in our lives, a trail we could follow all the way back to when our memories began: music. Music reminded us that we could trust God even when ‘his people’ failed us.” – p201

The sentiment of that last quote runs deep throughout the book, but I’m most grateful that it appears in a chapter on Amy Grant that so closely parallels my own walk through those waters (wow, this post is four years old)… it gave me yet another touchpoint to Matthew and his life growing up and discovering grace. The book as a whole works, but that chapter for me took it to another plane, and really makes it stick out in the Matthew Paul Turner catalog for me.

Most joking aside (again), if you’ve spent time reading CCM magazine or rushing to your local Christian Book & Music store each week for the latest releases or you’ve worked as a DJ at a low-powered AM radio station in mid-market Columbia, SC – then this book will feel like someone’s telling your story. Different characters, different scene locations, but the same soundtrack.

[Via http://rickstilwell.wordpress.com]

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Book Review - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K Dick

2010-03-01T14:44:00.000+02:00

For some reason, I never thought a great deal of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? until now, more than ten years after I first read it. There was always something perplexing, even troubling, about the book as a whole. I didn’t like or understand the stuff about Mercerism, and I felt the action scenes in the book to be inferior to those in the film Blade Runner, which was famously based on this strange little book. But now, on perhaps my fourth overall reading in ten years, I’ve changed my mind.

The first thing that struck me about Androids this time was its simplicity of structure. At a little over two hundred pages, and with all the events taking place on the same day, PKD employs two main viewpoint characters and two only: Rick Deckard and J.R. Isidore. This austerity seems especially stark when compared to the book of PKD’s I mostly recently read before this: the unruly Doctor Bloodmoney. The second notable thing about Androids is the high-brow, even scholarly tone adopted herein, which sets it apart from most of this authors other books. SF critic and writer Stanislaw Lem once labelled this novel ‘a counterfeit coin,’ feeling that it paled in comparison with Ubik. I used to think I knew what Lem meant by this, but now I’m not so sure. What I see here is an enjoyable, fast-moving police thriller that economically (even effortlessly) meditates on the nature of the real in a more immediate way than in, say, the slower paced The Man in the High Castle.

In the aftermath of World War Terminus, Earth is a shambles. Most of the survivors have emigrated to the Martian colonies, and most of those who survive are ’specials’ or ‘chickenheads’ whose genetic code has been scrambled by the radiation. J.R. Isidore is one of these. I should point out here that PKD has basically exported Isidore from the earlier (but then unpublished) Confessions of a Crap Artist. There and here, he is an idiot savant with a good heart. Here he works for a Vet Clinic that specialises in repairing false animals. Strangely, and only barely logically, almost all of the Earth’s animals are extinct. Those that remain are highly sought after, status symbols in themselves. Sidney’s catalogue lists the prices and availability of all creatures great and small, many of whom are thought to be no more.

It is for this reason that Rick Deckard and his wife Iran have an electric sheep on their balcony. The electric sheep is far cheaper than a real one, but Rick Deckard longs for the real thing. In the first chapter, we learn that that won’t be possible unless two things happen. One, he will need to retire a vast number of ‘andys’ (Blade Runner’s replicants), and Two, another bounty hunter, Dave Holden, will need to be out of the way. Both of these things come to pass in chapter two, which helps to cast a little light onto the economical (but very effective) plotting at work in this novel.

What follows for the bulk of the narrative is Rick Deckard’s work day, a day in which he must try to do the unthinkable and ‘retire’ all six remaining Nexus 6 andys. A few of the scenes, such as the one where Deckard interviews Rachel Rosen and identifies her as an andy, are familiar from Blade Runner, but others, including perhaps the best in the whole novel, were omitted from the film. The scene I refer to is one where Deckard is arrested and taken to a fake police station, complete with a fake police chief but, crucially, a human officer who isn’t in on the plot. That officer, Phil Resch, comes to question his own humanity when pressured. Nowhere in PKD’s novels does he express the ‘What is Human?’ question as succintly as he does here.

It’s not all quite as good as this, however. It’s difficult not to read Androids alongside Blade Runner, as much as I try. The showdown between Deckard and Roy Baty is extremely anticlimatic and short-lived here. More interesting is the scene prior to this when the androids trap the spider J.R. has found and begin to snip its legs off. J.R. gets upset and flushes the spider down the sink, before Mercer appears and gives him a new spider (or is it the same one?) I say ‘appears’ because that’s exactly what Mercer, an old man climbing up a hill in some hazily-defined simulation, does. Is Mercer God? If so, why is he trying to help Deckard (as he does when Pris is about to set upon him) and why is he being denounced as a fraud by Buster Friendly and his Friendly Friends? PKD has no answer here. Ultimately, he’s less concerned with the thriller aspect than the philosophical implications, and that becomes all too apparent here at the plot’s crescendo.

And then it ends. By the final pages, Deckard seems to have sunk into some existensial gloom from which he might never recover. His brand new goat has been thrown off of the balcony (by Rachel Rosen, for reasons unknown), he’s indebted to the goat dealer and he’s not far off being a murderer, in his own mind at least. Forlorn, he flies in his hovercar up to the Oregon border where he finds a toad. Thinking it’s his lucky day, he takes it home to Iran only to discover that the toad is a fake. And that’s the real end of the novel. But what does it all mean? Maybe I do know what Lem was on about after all in terms of Androids being a counterfeit coin. There’s a sense of PKD, for want of a better term, ‘faking it’ here (although what ‘it’ is isn’t clear). Where Ubik seems genuinely mystical, Androids, in the end, is just a tired dead-end. There would be more along these lines from PKD in the years between this novel and his next book of real worth, A Scanner Darkly.

[Via http://guysalvidge.wordpress.com]

Mafia Wars Autoplay

A World Full of Gods by John Greer

2010-03-01T14:36:00.000+02:00

I took my time reading this book because I really didn’t want to miss out on anything written in it. First of all, a monotheist or an atheist does not write this book, it is written by a polytheist so we share a worldview. And someone who always presents an interesting point of view no matter what subject he is writing about as is evident from his blog “The Archdruid Report” writes it. Also I’m reading it at a time when I am trying to pinpoint what exactly are my beliefs about deity. Needless to say it was a big help.

This book is not something that you should read only once. I think that the more you learn about your belief on deity the more you will go back to it. This is a book that is challenging the pagan community to start thinking of themselves as a RELIGIOUS movement rather than just a movement. It is a really intelligent argument for polytheism.

From the very beginning Greer tells us that his is using Traditional Polytheist as the comparison point to classical monotheism, which I believe is a good thing considering all the diverse types of polytheism that we do have. He reviews all the different arguments for and against theism and then he uses the principles of theology to explain the polytheistic worldview. He talks about pagan worship (yes he uses this word which a lot of pagans think of as dirty), pagan spirituality, pagan ethics, and much, much more.

John Greer’s knowledge of ceremonial magic, Wicca, and Druidry really helps him in writing this book. It is a must have in every pagan library in my opinion.

[Via http://celticscholar.wordpress.com]

Sean Hannity and Fox News « scribblings

Horse Soldiers is a big-hearted and thrilling read, with an epic story that reaches not just across the cold mounta ins of Afghanistan but into the homes of small-town America, and confirms Doug Stanton as one of our country's preeminent storytellers

2010-02-26T14:55:00.000+02:00

Horse soldiers : the extraordinary story of a band of U.S. soldiers who rode to victory in Afghanistan New York : Scribner, 2009 Doug Stanton Afghan War, 2001- , Cavalry operations, American Hardcover. 1st ed. and printing. xvi, 393 p., [8] p. of plates : ill., map ; 24 cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. 383-393). Clean, tight and strong binding with clean dust jacket. No highlighting, underlining or marginalia in text. VG/VG

From the New York Times-bestselling author of In Harm’s Way comes a true-life story of American soldiers overcoming great odds to achieve a stunning military victory.

Horse Soldiers is the dramatic account of a small band of Special Forces soldiers who secretly entered Afghanistan following 9/11 and rode to war on horses against the Taliban. Outnumbered forty to one, they pursued the enemy across mountainous terrain and, after a series of intense battles, captured the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, which was strategically essential if they were to defeat the Taliban.

The bone-weary American soldiers were welcomed as liberators, and overjoyed Afghans thronged the streets. Then the action took a wholly unexpected turn. During a surrender of six hundred Taliban troops, the Horse Soldiers were ambushed. Dangerously outnumbered, they fought for their lives in the city’s immense fortress, Qala-i-Janghi, or the House of War. At risk were the military gains of the entire campaign: if the soldiers perished or were captured, the effort to defeat the Taliban might be doomed.

As the Americans struggled to hold the fortress, they faced some of the most intense urban warfare of our time. But until now the full story of the Horse Soldiers has never been told. Doug Stanton received unprecedented cooperation from the U.S. Army’s Special Forces soldiers and Special Operations helicopter pilots, as well as access to voluminous after-battle reports. In addition, he interviewed more than one hundred participants and walked every inch of the climactic battleground.

This exciting story is filled with unforgettable characters: brave Special Forces soldiers, tough CIA operatives, cunning Afghan warlords, anxious stateside soldiers’ wives who do not know where their husbands have gone, and humble Afghan boys spying on the Taliban.

Deeply researched and beautifully written, Stanton’s account of America’s quest to liberate an oppressed people touches the mythic. The Horse Soldiers combined ancient strategies of cavalry warfare with twenty-first-century aerial bombardment technology to perform a seemingly impossible feat. Moreover, their careful effort to win the hearts of local townspeople and avoid civilian casualties proved a valuable lesson for America’s ongoing efforts in Afghanistan.

Horse Soldiers is a big-hearted and thrilling read, with an epic story that reaches not just across the cold mountains of Afghanistan but into the homes of small-town America, and confirms Doug Stanton as one of our country’s preeminent storytellers.

[Via http://oldsaltbooks.wordpress.com]

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Tibetan Tales from the Top of the World by Naomi C. Rose

2010-02-26T14:49:00.000+02:00

Come experience the world of Tibet through the simple, yet charming tales told in Tibetan Tales from the Top of the World by Naomi C. Rose.

This delightful collection includes three ancient tales that offer simple wisdom and show us how to live in peace and kindness. In “Prince Jampa’s Surprise”, children read of Prince Jampa, a brave young man who has been misled about the Varasi by years and years of stories telling of their bloodthirsty ways. Thinking the Varasi are out to destroy his people, Prince Jampa leads a war party into battle, only to discover that things might not be as they seem.

“Sonam and the Stolen Cow” shares the the story of Sonam, a young nun who is falsely accused of stealing a cow. Treated poorly by her accusers, when Sonam sees a chance to escape, she runs off. Very hungry, she meets up with a monkey in the woods, who reminds her of a time her cousin was falsely accused for something she did, which leads her on a path to finally make things right.

The last story in this collection is “Tashi’s Gold”. Tashi is a lazy worker, who spends much of his time napping. When he overhears two men talking about the magical lake loaded with gold, Tashi decides to go to the lake. If he were rich, he wouldn’t need to work on the farm anymore. He meets with the guardian of the lake, who tells him that riches never come from gold, but the greedy Tashi takes some anyway. But Tashi and his family soon discover the meaning behind the guardian’s words.

Each of these tales is told in a lyrical, flowing prose that draws the reader in. The author has studied Tibetan culture and wisdom since 1994, and her knowledge and passion to share this wisdom is evident right from the very beginning. Rose also provided the stunning illustrations for this book, making Tibetan Tales from the Top of the World a beautiful piece of work. The stories are told in English and Tibetan. There is a Preface from actor Richard Gere and the Dalai Lama provides the Foreword. Rose’s previous book, Tibetan Tales for Little Buddhas, won a Nautilus Book Award. It will not surprise me if Tibetan Tales from the Top of the World garners her more accolades.

A truly inspirational reading experience awaits you and your child in Tibetan Tales from the Top of the World!

You can find a trailer for this book at the author’s website.

Rating:

Publisher: Clear Light Publishing

Language: English, Tibetan

ISBN-10: 1574160893

ISBN-13: 978-1574160895

SRP: $19.95

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[Via http://childrensandteensbookconnection.wordpress.com]

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The Pint Man (book review)

2010-02-26T02:09:00.000+02:00

The Pint Man: A Novel

by Steve Rushin

Doubleday, February 2009 $24.95 259 pages

Reading The Pint Man is an invitation into Rodney Poole’s thoughts. 34, unemployed and aimless, Rodney spends most evenings at Boyle’s, his local, as he drinks one pint after another “of Guinness, with its clerical collar of foam,” filling out crossword puzzles, and having meandering, trivia laden conversations with the bar’s other patrons, in the dim cave of Boyle’s, an Irish pub in Manhattan. I have a feeling I’ve been in this bar. Or somewhere enough like it to wonder whether The Pint Man is too New York to be read anywhere else. It’s a meandering, poetic sprawl of a novel, littered with odd facts and side notes.

Rodney’s a wordsmith, a pun and trivia collector, a crossword puzzle fiend. Shy, and deeply averse to change or conflict, he likes the ritual of an after-work pint, even though he’s at the loose ends of being downsized from a job he never liked. His best friend, Keith, is getting married, which nudges Rodney to wonder what he should be doing about moving forward. That thought, like the entire novel, has more of a tentative, wandering dreaminess than any real heft.

Reading this is like sitting in Boyle’s with Rodney, drinking pints poured by Armen the Barman, and having a far-flung ramble of a conversation: the kind of conversation that only happens in bars, preferably late at night and well lubricated by Guinness. I feel like I’ve met Rodney, at a pub quiz somewhere. There were some passages where I wondered if I’d dated Rodney… or at least the author’s inspiration for him. What keeps Rodney’s aimlessness from being annoying is his bibliophile’s appetite for punctuating the narrative with goofy facts and musings. Quoting Benjamin Franklin “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy” one minute, and odd advertising slogans the next- Rodney’s cluttered mind is endearing, at least to a fellow Guinness drinking trivia hound.

Even the emergence of a love interest, in the person of career girl Mairead, feels tentative and muted. Rodney is a man of comforts and rituals, who is more accustomed to the risks of having a pun fall flat or his odd sense of humor misunderstood, than a man of any grand passions. That said, I love the unfolding of his and Mairead’s relationship- from a first date, to a few nights talking in bars, to a good wander through The Strand bookstore. The sweet, chaste shyness and banter is a very welcome relief from the usual rom-com trope where Boy Meets Girl, Sparks Fly and they wind up in bed at top speed. Diverting from the expected romantic cliches forces you to slow down and pay attention.

I wound up getting this from the Star-Ledger, not to review officially in print, but because Debbie the office manager at the editorial department sent it over with a note “This made me think of you.” Maybe what I liked was the recognition of such a strong sense of New York, and a trivia-obsessed mind certain of literary quotes but uncertain of the big details of being a grownup. Or maybe what I liked was the language and metaphor itself- sensory and thick about everything from a pint of Guinness to a walk in New York in August to a fetid bar men’s room, calling for the reader to pause, and really pay attention.

[Via http://elizabethwillse.com]

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God Against the Gods:The History of War Between Monotheism and Polytheism by Jonathan Kirsch

2010-02-24T14:04:00.000+02:00

God Against the Gods begins at the very beginning of monotheism, not with Judaism but with the Sun God Aton. Not a lot of people know that monotheism began with an Egyptian Pharaoh, called Akhenaton, who decided that everyone should just worship one god which was Aton, the Sun god. Kirsch then moves on to Judaism and Christianity and along the way we learn many new and perhaps to some surprising things like the fact that martyrdom began with the Jews, and that the monotheistic condemnation of polytheism doesn’t come from the practices and rituals of these groups but from the fact that they worship more than one god and not the ONE TRUE GOD. Stripped to the basics what rituals pagans did/do is not so different from what the monotheists do.

The book is divided into two sections.

Book one is all about the God that failed and it has four chapters. Chapter one discusses Akhenaton and his monotheistic experiment and why it failed, chapter two discusses what pagans do and how that is similar to what monotheists do. It also takes about why the monotheists condemn the polytheists. Chapter three talks about the Jews and how they invented and reinvented themselves and how they dealt with other Jews whom they felt were not pious enough, as well as how the Roman empire dealt with them. Chapter four discusses how Christianity came to be and the things it went through with Rome before the time of Constantine.

Book two is all about the war of the God against the Gods and it has seven chapters. Chapter five discusses how Constantine was born and how his rise to power came about and how his name became linked to Christianity, causing it to rise to power with him. Chapter six talks about how after Constantine’s victory over his father – in – law, he and the emperor of the east repealed the Great Persecution law against the Christians. This however, didn’t make the Christians go out and spread the word, instead they now were persecuting each other. The chapter ended with the Christians bringing their case to Constantine. Chapter seven recounts the life of Constantine after he became emperor and what he did and didn’t do for Christianity and ends with his death. At the end of the chapter the author tells us that Constantine died with paganism still the religion of Rome but that he set in motion a Christian revolution that his sons late took up. Chapters eight and nine go on to describe what happened after Constantine’s death with his sons taking over and how Julian (the last pagan emperor) come to the throne. Chapter ten talks about the eighteen months of Julian’s reign and how he tried to turn back the clock in favor of paganism. In the Epilogue the author brings us to the present day.

The book also has at the end a time line of the events discussed in the book and a list of the historical figures discussed in it.

The book was a short order look at the interaction between polytheism and monotheism and mostly that of Judaism and Christianity. It showed just how each began and how much they took from polytheism, and why they fought it once you take away the propaganda. At times it was a little boring but it was overall a good read.

[Via http://celticscholar.wordpress.com]

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Mommies Who Get It

2010-02-24T02:27:00.000+02:00

I have been DELIGHTED to get so many amazing responses to the Parenting, Inc. book review from mommies who are sick and tired of light-up toys and Barbie merchandise (and how about light-up Barbie merchandise?!). You guys give me hope that when I have kids, I’ll be able to find mom-friends who have the same values I do, and who respect their kids and know what’s best for their development. Hats off to all of you, and A BIG THANK YOU for sending me links! I’m working on a follow-up post as soon as I recover from this majorly insane week (more on that later, but it involves temper tantrums, peeing on carpets, head-banging and shoe-flinging).

[Via http://montessorimatters.wordpress.com]

Aliens Vs Predator becomes fast-selling game of 2010 | News

The ACEP Pocket First Aid Book

2010-02-24T02:09:00.000+02:00

This book is the second choice I made for a go pack library. Small in stature, but packed with a wealth of information. Well worth the $7.00 I paid for it at a local bookstore.

The book is primarily a pocket sized version of the American College of Emergency Physicians larger version, the complete first aid book, if you will. At 128 pages long and small enough to slip into your pants pocket it will fit very nicely into most first aid kits or a easy access pocket on your own go packs. The illustrations are actual photographs of various procedures and steps, which I found refreshing after pouring through pages and pages of crudely done line drawings that didn’t show things as clearly as this little gem of a book does.

Divided into nine sections, you can easily find a chapter for whatever types of medical emergency you may encounter.

Section 1, Techniques and Equipment talks about some of the basic medical supplies you should have and how to use them. It also goes into the way you should apply bandages and slings, which will be some of the more common things you may have to address in the moments after an accident. Especially if blood is present.

Section 2,Life Saving Procedures, addresses various ways to deal with resuscitation of a victim, life saving priorities and choking incidents. There are some interesting flow charts that take you step by step through some of the situations. It even includes a chart on the usage of a portable defibrillator. Not that we all carry one in our first aid kit, but it’s good information to have available. Many businesses now keep and emergency defibrillator on hand for just such emergencies. The prices keep coming down as the technology and demand for the units increase, so I would expect there to be a growing availability of these units as time goes by.

Section 3, Circulatory and Respiratory Problems deals with things like shock, heart attacks and problems, fainting, asthma, drowning and penetrating wounds to the chest. In a disaster, any one of these situation can come upon a member of your party with absolutely no prior warning, so it is important to familiarize yourself with this information. One of the points you should keep in mind that when it comes to heart problems, giving the victim a 325mg aspirin helps to thin the blood and may be the key a rapid recovery, or at the very least provide the victim some time until professional help and an ambulance arrives. Make sure you keep a small bottle in your medical kits, and keep the date current on the bottle.

Section 4 deals with Wounds and Bleeding, and covers everything from a simple nosebleed up to severe bleeding. A couple of points to remember here is that wounds should be cleaned with clean running water or a non-alcohol cleaning wipe. Objects that may have become embedded in the wound may need to be removed as well, to prevent infection and further irritation.

Bone, Joint, and Muscle injuries are covered in section 5. This is a head to toe look at possible bone injuries, as well as muscular sprains and other problems related to the two. The first couple of pages describe some of the different types of fractures as well as muscle, tendon, and ligament injuries. The section also goes into some splinting procedures.

Section 6 goes into Disorders of Consciousness. These disorders deal with concussion, cerebral compression, skull fractures for starters. The section also covers hypo- and hyperglycemia, various seizures, strokes and diabetes.

Environmental Injuries are covered in section 7. These include incidents such as burns and scalding, electrical and chemical burns, heatstroke and exhaustion and cold related emergencies such as frostbite and hypothermia.

Section 8 considers Foreign Objects, such as splinters and fishhooks, inhaled and swallowed objects, and things that get stuck in your eye, ear and nose. Probably should be a must read section if you have little ones along, from what I have heard about the kiddies.

Lastly, section 9 deals with Poisoning, Bites and Stings. It’s amazing at how many things exist in this world that can harm you, especially from unseen sources, such as little bugs and the neighbor’s dog. Like the rest of the book, this section also covers a great deal in a small space, and is also important info you need. As a bonus, I would suggest you photocopy the last page of the book, make several copies and have them on hand in your medical kit for emergencies. It will help you through the incident and provide some much needed information to any first responders that may be called.

The ISBN for this book is 978-0-7894-9265-4 and can be purchased at leading booksellers. Many will have them in stock in their medical section, and can also be ordered from many sources as well. I find it to be a great companion book to the Collins Gem version of the SAS Pocket Survival Guide, and I keep both of them in my go-pack or bug out bag. Pick up a copy and read it thoroughly. Just remember that this book, or any other book for that matter is no substitute for proper first aid training. I would also recommend that you get a full featured first aid manual as well, just to have an even greater collection of knowledge on hand.

[Via http://dlsoucy.wordpress.com]

News Corp. Buys $70 Million Stake In Saudi Media Group

Book Review: Money Matters in the Church

2010-02-22T14:51:00.000+02:00

Book Review. Money Matters in Church: A Practical Guide for Leaders, by Aubrey Malphurs and Steve Stroope. (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2007). 215 Pages.

High praises for this book. This practical guide covers dozens of considerations that I wish were specifically addressed in Seminary. One of the rarely stated facts that many pastors face is the lack of exposure to some of the practical aspects of “overseeing” a ministry. Truthfully, most of us pastors are self-trained in areas of finance, campaigns, and budgeting as we work through the challenges of ministry on our own. Unfortunately, though I learned many great things in Seminary from an incredible faculty, some things like these were rarely discussed.

The authors walk a reader through a well-rounded approach to financial management (stewardship) in the church. From requiring the pastor to develop and articulate his own theology of stewardship, to structure of committees, boards, budgets, and planning for capital expenditures. Particularly helpful were the subjects that are on many leaders’ minds but are difficult to bring up in conversation without sounding “ungrateful” or “self-serving,” like compensation, budgeting, management of day-to-day ministry expenditures and so forth.

I intend to provide a copy of this book to my key leaders and take my own finance team through a study of these principles. In many ways, I think it will prove to be affirming to our current practices while also providing opportunity to consider areas for improvement and implementation.

I would strongly recommend it to every pastor and key staff leader who are involved with finances. Some might criticize the focus on such subjects while proclaiming that if we all just “love Jesus” everything else will work out. While dependence on God’s guidance through the Holy Spirit and His Word are of primary importance, I believe that God can use this book to aid pastors in developing a culture of stewardship among God’s people.

You can purchase a copy of this book from Amazon HERE.

[Via http://chrisaiken.wordpress.com]

Shop in the new iLounge Store | iLounge News

Book review: The House on First Street

2010-02-22T02:42:00.000+02:00

I bought a variety of books on the first leg of the trip, partly to flesh out my research because I want to develop this blog into a full-fledged travel memoir, and partly because I’m me and that’s what I do, and books are among my favorite souvenirs of places I’ve gone.

With some trepidation, I bought a couple of books about Hurricane Katrina when I was in New Orleans. I say “with some trepidation,” because I remember how awful it was during and after the levee failures; I remember being glued to nola.com and talking to a coworker from Metairie and reading blogs from people in the area. It was grim and unremitting and after things were a little better, I stopped paying attention to news of any sort for several months because I was wiped out. And since then, I’ve become somewhat self-protective; I try to stay informed, but I also avoid news stories that are unmitigatedly bleak, that will tangle up in the threads of my brain and replay themselves obsessively and catapult me into despair. So I wasn’t sure whether revisiting Katrina and its aftermath would be wise.

All that to say that I just finished one of the books, The House on First Street by Julia Reed. And I found it depressing, but not for the reasons I’d expected.

Basically, Reed and her new husband bought a house in the Garden District, spent a year renovating it, and moved in six weeks before Katrina hit, although the copy on the back says four. Speaking of the copy on the back, I bought the book knowing only that Reed is a reporter. I didn’t know that she’s also a rich girl from the Mississippi Delta and that she would name-drop relentlessly through the entire book–both of which made me far less sympathetic to her. (Drinking game: Take a shot every time she introduces a new person with the description “my good friend and brilliant painter/ writer/ artist/ restaurateur/ fill in the blank.” Be sure to stop before you get alcohol poisoning.)

I’m betraying my own prejudices and judgments, of course, but I found her difficult to relate to. Before Katrina even hit, her excesses with the house renovation had me angry and depressed. Imported marble from Tuscany? Blocks of blue slate from Pennsylvania? A liveoak tree so large they had to shut down the street to transplant it? It must be nice to have that kind of money to throw around; wish I had a little. She really lost me when she mentioned spending “literally hundreds of hours” choosing the perfect doorknobs. Doorknobs!

This isn’t to say she’s a bad or insensitive person. She buys huge amounts of food for the National Guard troops occupying the city in Katrina’s wake (as a journalist, she was able to get back in before most people). She provides financial and moral support to her housekeeper, the woman’s family, and her crack-addicted general factotum. She offers incisive critiques of local politicians, as well as lively anecdotes from her time covering the campaign of former governor (and current federal prisoner) Edwin Edwards. But when she glibly mentions writing a $400 check each year so she can ride with “the oldest and most prestigious” all-female Mardi Gras krewe, it’s a stunning reminder that this person operates in an entirely different milieu than any in which I’ve ever moved–or, frankly, would ever want to.

[Via http://savannahtoseattle.wordpress.com]

Sony patents universal games controller | News

revolve 2010 book review

2010-02-22T02:30:00.000+02:00

My daughter has always enjoyed the Revolve magazine New Testament. When I received it in the mail to review she was excited to check it out. But as she is now a junior in high school she wasn’t as impressed as before. But she is really mature for her age.

The magazine has a good layout with a lot of color. I think that middle schoolers would absolutely love it. It has the entire New Testament and some articles that the girls are going to love. It is the NCV version so it’s an easy read.

If I was to purchase a bible for a middle school girl this would be it.

[Via http://hikeoflife.wordpress.com]

News of military publicized - NashuaTelegraph.com

Lady Georgiana Spencer was the great-great-great-great-aunt of Diana, Princess of Wales, and was nearly as infamous in her day.

2010-02-19T14:32:00.000+02:00

Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire New York : Random House, 2000 Amanda Foreman Great Britain , Social life and customs , 18th century, Devonshire, Georgiana Spencer Cavendish, Duchess of, 1757-1806 Hardcover. 1st U.S. ed., later printing. xx, 454 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 25 cm. Dust Jacket. Genealogical chart on endpapers. Includes bibliographical references (p. [423]-432) and index. Clean, tight and strong binding with clean dust jacket. No highlighting, underlining or marginalia in text. VG/VG

This wonderfully readable biography offers a rich, rollicking picture of late-eighteenth-century British aristocracy and the intimate story of a woman who for a time was its undisputed leader. Lady Georgiana Spencer was the great-great-great-great-aunt of Diana, Princess of Wales, and was nearly as famous in her day. In 1774, at the age of seventeen, Georgiana achieved immediate celebrity by marrying one of England’s richest and most influential aristocrats, the Duke of Devonshire. Launched into a world of wealth and power, she quickly became the queen of fashionable society, adored by the Prince of Wales, a dear friend of Marie-Antoinette, and leader of the most important salon of her time. Not content with the role of society hostess, she used her connections to enter politics, eventually becoming more influential than most of the men who held office.

Her good works and social exploits made her loved by the multitudes, but Georgiana’s public success, like Diana’s, concealed a personal life that was fraught with suffering. The Duke of Devonshire was unimpressed by his wife’s legendary charms, preferring instead those of her closest friend, a woman with whom Georgiana herself was rumored to be on intimate terms. For over twenty years, the three lived together in a jealous and uneasy ménage à trois, during which time both women bore the Duke’s children–as well as those of other men.

Foreman’s descriptions of Georgiana’s uncontrollable gambling, all- night drinking, drug taking, and love affairs with the leading politicians of the day give us fascinating insight into the lives of the British aristocracy in the era of the madness of King George III, the American and French revolutions, and the defeat of Napoleon.

A gifted young historian whom critics are already likening to Antonia Fraser, Amanda Foreman draws on a wealth of fresh research and writes colorfully and penetratingly about the fascinating Georgiana, whose struggle against her own weaknesses, whose great beauty and flamboyance, and whose determination to play a part in the affairs of the world make her a vibrant, astonishingly contemporary figure.

[Via http://oldsaltbooks.wordpress.com]

Huge News!!! Tiger Breaking His Silence!!!! | PerezHilton.com

Book review: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

2010-02-19T01:57:00.000+02:00

Barbara Kingsolver has created a paean to fresh, local food with Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. I harbor some serious misgivings about the locavore movement (see February 5’s post) but Kingsolver’s loving descriptions of the vegetables and birds she and her family coax through life and death inspired a yearning for fresh, homegrown food in even this grouchy urbanite. If food delights you – not just in the eating, but in the seeing and smelling and preparing – you will revel in this book, not for its arguments in favor of locavorism, but for its mouthwatering portrayal of what a year of local, seasonal food in southern Appalachia is like.

That’s really what the bulk of AVM is devoted to, in all its fascinating detail: untangling the mysteries of turkey hatching, celebrating the first vegetable of spring (the reedy asparagus), struggling to prevent boisterous zucchini from overtaking your summer kitchen. It’s lovely, all of it. And if Kingsolver stopped at the pure celebration of all this wonderful food, I would have no bone to pick with her book. Unfortunately, she doesn’t. She insists that we should all participate in the creation of what we eat as she does: by growing it (or at least purchasing it from local growers) and by making it from scratch in the kitchen. Although she doesn’t identify what type of imperative this is, whether moral, spiritual, or cultural, it’s clear that she thinks that a life spent in intimate communion with food is, in some deep sense, superior to one that’s not.

Kingsolver isn’t the first or the only food writer to make this point; Michael Pollan enjoins us to tend gardens and Mark Bittman wants us to spend more time in the kitchen. But this review is about Kingsolver’s book, so I’ll pick on her. The injunction that we should all devote more time to communing with food seems to have something to do with how central it is to our survival, but no one suggests that we all need to be experts on construction because shelter is central to our survival. It’s ridiculous to think that we would somehow be better people if we all took part in building our own homes, so why do we become better people if we all take part in building our own meals? Why not leave it to the experts, if we don’t happen to enjoy it?

That’s another thing: Kingsolver seems to be incredulous that someone could garden or cook and actually discover that they don’t like it. She agrees that women’s liberation means that “…we’ve earned the right to forget about stupefying household busywork. But kitchens where food was cooked and eaten, these were really a good idea. We threw that baby out with the bathwater.” I have to say that for yours truly, no chore, not even dusting, is more stupefying than chopping veggies. Does that make me hopelessly out of touch with the meaning of life?

Not only is it possible to dislike preparing food, it’s also possible to be bad at it. That otherwise unassailable people can turn to be bad cooks or bad gardeners brings up a third failing of Kingsolver and her peers: in their haste to erect a democracy of food preparation, they don’t give themselves enough credit for having something not everyone has: talent. There is such a thing as a green thumb, and why must you force yourself on unsuspecting lettuces if you don’t have it?

There are some other inconsistencies in AVM which are common to the local/seasonal food movement. Kingsolver attacks us for our lack of restraint in eating foods regardless of seasonality; we tell our teens, she says, to wait before having sex, but these are “…words issuing from a mouth that can’t even wait for the right time to eat tomatoes, but instead consumes tasteless ones all winter to satisfy a craving for everything now.” Yet her own approach to winter is to can 60-plus jars of tomato sauce so that her family can, well, enjoy tomatoes out of season. She touts the idea of a native food culture, yet offers recipes from cuisines that originated in places as diverse as Asia, South America, and Europe. She champions using local ingredients, and this is probably the ideal she most consistently upholds. But if her reason for doing so is to save on all the energy used in transport, which she alludes to a couple of times, she must respond to the critique of the locavore movement that points out that transport is one of the food chain’s smallest gas guzzlers. The energy used for fertilizers and for kitchen food preparation each dwarf it. Kingsolver devotes exactly one paragraph of this 350-page book to acknowledge these issues, and in it chooses to pooh-pooh them rather than discuss them.

Read AVM to relish the miracles that daily spring out of the ground to feed us. Just don’t be lulled into believing that you’ve found more than that.

[Via http://fromanimaltomeat.com]

Capcom fighters half price on PSN News | PS3 | Eurogamer

Life Lessons From A Horse Whisperer

2010-02-18T23:52:00.000+02:00

Life Lessons From A Horse Whisperer

by Dr. Lew Sterrett with Bob Smietana

*Paperback

*Religion

*Monarch Books

*218 Pages

*January 2010

*Price: $13.99

*ISBN: 978-1-85424-918-0

*Purchase a Copy!

Summary:

A champion trainer, Dr. Lew Sterrett has used patience and a firm but gentle hand to earn the trust of more than 3,500 horses, from wild mustangs to the most sophisticated European breeds. Through his horses, Lew illustrates Christian relationship principles for parents, young people, business leaders and athletes. Lew’s engaging style and striking anecdotes make this a winning read and not just for horse lovers.

Lew Street (Ph. D) had little idea that his boyhood interest in horses would open doors internationally for speaking and training. During his years in 4-H, he savored many opportunities to train and show horses and earn national recognition. As a student leader at Penn State University he benefited from many mentoring relationships from which he received valuable training, experience and honors. This foundation provided a basis for an extensive horse career with a unique emphasis on training youth and community leaders.

Lew has served as the Executive Director of Miracle Mountain Ranch Missions, Inc. (MMRM) since 1977. He has also promoted safety in public riding programs, serving as President of the Certified Horse Association for 7 years. A licensed pastor, certified Youth, Marriage and Family Counselor, he earned his PhD from North Tennessee Seminary in 2007.

In addition to a host of published resources and regular T.V. programs, Lew travels extensively presenting his horse training messages under the banners of Principle Based Training, Leaders by Heart, and Sermon on the Mount. Find out more on his website.

My Opinion:

This was a pleasant book to read and I enjoyed the pictures that were included. A lot of non-fiction can be dull and long winded, but this was very easy to read and the stories were interesting. Who would have thought that horse training would be interesting and the things learned could be applied to your everyday life?

I Rated This Book:

4/5 Stars

CONTEST:

Tweet the following to be entered to win a $50 Amazon gift card & signed copies of Lew’s book!

TWEET THIS: (must use hashtag #lewsterrett to be entered – no limit on entries!)

Life Lessons from a Horse Whisperer: not just for horse lovers! http://ow.ly/169ym RT to win $50 to @amazon #LewSterrett

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‘I received a copy of this book from Litfuse to facilitate my review and I was not compensated in any other way. This is my honest opinion only.’

[Via http://jeannesramblings.com]

FOX News: Hate Sponsors CAIR Smear, Want CPAC to Cancel our FDI ...

The Empty Pot

2010-02-17T14:32:00.000+02:00

Name of the Book: The Empty Pot

Author: Demi

Illustrator: Demi

Publisher: Henry Holt & Company

Audience: 4th – 6th graders

Summary: The book is a story, set in China, at a time when an Emperor still ruled. Everyone in his kingdom loved plants and because there were so many the air smelled like perfume. As the Emperor realized he was aging and needed to find a successor, he decided to have a contest to see who could grow the best plant. The emperor gave every child a special seed to see who could grow the best plant, except the seeds were cooked and could not grow. Only one boy had the courage to bring an empty pot before the Emperor while everyone else brought a beautiful flower. The Emperor recognized the fact that the little boy was the only one who had not cheated so the boy was made the next Emperor.

Literary elements at work in the story: The setting brings images of a beautiful garden and a very tranquil environment, yet dishonesty still exists. The plot demonstrates the rewards of honest effort even though the results are less than anticipated. The writing provides children of all ages an opportunity to identify right from wrong in a non-judgmental way

Perspective on gender, race, culture, economic, ability: The story is set in China yet has no racial or ethnic overtones. There is no hint of any stereotyping of any sort and the story would be applicable for any socioeconomic, cultural or racial setting and the applicability of the lesson clear to all

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:15-16:

Theology: The image that first came to me was the Garden of Eden and how beautiful it must have been and how the air might have smelled like perfume. The story of the talents as told in Matthew could also be used to illustrate how the Bible might look at doing our best and being rewarded for it.

Faith talk questions:

Why do you think the other children selected seeds of their own rather than the seed the Emperor gave them?
How did Ping feel as he walked to show his plant to the Emperor?
How did the Emperor feel when he saw all the plants the children brought him when he knew they had not used the seeds he gave them?

Review prepared by Jim Collins, MACE, Entering cohort Fall 2007

[Via http://storypath.wordpress.com]

'Mad Men' Star Christina Hendricks On Body Scrutiny: 'It Kind of ...

Becoming alive to beauty

2010-02-17T02:49:00.000+02:00

The issue of beauty is central to Christian spirituality. To take it one step further, it is central to being alive. What exactly is beauty? It seems easy to recognize what is beautiful, but hard to define it. Sunsets, a Mozart concerto, a beautiful bed of flowers on an open field, and many other things would be seen as beautiful. Some words that can be connected with beauty are awe-filled, fascinating, lovely, thrilling, and wonderful. Ultimately, they are the things that we can see, hear and feel that inspire us and touch our hearts.

Yet, with the rise of sensual over-stimulation through media, entertainment, advertising, and the internet has caused us to become numb to what is truly beautiful. Thus we have become apathetic and unmoved by the beauty that surrounds us. Thomas Dubay in his groundbreaking book on the theology of beauty writes, “To respond to reality and to appreciate it are normal; not to respond is abnormal. It seems fair to say that a person blind and deaf to beauty, uninterested in anything noble in literature, science, philosophy, religion, and the arts, focused on sense pleasures alone (licit or illicit), is not only unattractive to others, but most likely incapable of genuine love and delight” (Evidential power of beauty, pg. 73).

If lifelessness and boredom characterizes our lives, what are we to do to begin to feel again? How are we to truly appreciate beauty and thus be alive? There are two specific ways that can help develop our sensitivity to beauty again.

1. Minimize sense pleasures in our lives – The constant noise and stimulus that fills our lives through the dramatic rise of technology has inculcated us to experiencing the beauty that surrounds us on a daily basis. Thus, to begin to appreciate beauty we have to minimize the exposure to the sense pleasures around us. This will help us to slow down long enough to be able to hear the whispers of beauty that are in our daily lives.

2. Be a learner – If you are one who is not immediately drawn to classical music, art, or literature and classify them as boring, before you throw this piece of advice out the window stop yourself and contemplate whether you are the one who is actually boring. Be willing to take the posture of being a learner and actually sit under some of these works of art or nature and allow yourself to hear and see what they are saying. Do not be so quick to pride and aloofness that you miss out on the opportunity to experience beauty, which ultimately comes from God.

The Evidential Power of Beauty - Where Science and Theology Meet

These are just two small ways to cultivate the journey of being truly alive in appreciation for beauty. As Dubay says, “God made us for , “a joy so glorious that it cannot be described” (1 Pet. 1:8)”" (Evidential, pg. 18). Therefore, let us all decrease sense pleasures and increase humility to sit before the beauty that surrounds us. For just as God was able to appreciate his creation and call it “good” (Gen. 1), let us also, who are created in his image, deem what is beautiful around us, “good.”

[Via http://hanmankim.wordpress.com]

Australian games industry makes its case for 18+ rating | News

Taking Risks

2010-02-17T02:04:00.000+02:00

First, a disclaimer: I haven’t kept up with this blog the way I meant to. I’ve skipped posts on Falconer and Money, even though I have strong opinions about certain aspects of both. Well, skipped may be the wrong word. Postponed. That’s more accurate. I really will post about them. Soon. Skeptic.

For right now, though, I’m too focused on Stephen King’s Under the Dome to write about much else. I mowed my way through all 1,100 pages of this book in just under 36 hours, and I’ve been trying to work through my “official” reaction to it since I closed it yesterday evening. Now, I’ve read a lot of Stephen King books in my time; I’ve certainly read enough to know how much he clearly enjoyed writing this one, and how it fits so snugly into the world he’s created up there in almost-fiction Maine. For that, I adored reading this book.

For a lot of other reasons, however, I didn’t. My biggest problem with Stephen King, and with the majority of the authors that have written more books than the number of years I’ve been alive, is that they don’t take risks. I don’t just mean big risks, either – I’m talking no risks. None. Zero. It’s safe city. Reading novels like these is like watching a person who’s poor but think he’s rich. He follows the same routine, gets by, but doesn’t stretch out of the comfort zone. It’s a problem with The Bestseller, which I’ll address in a later post. Let’s get back to The Dome.

I’ve read reviews in different outlets that I normally respect that raved about this novel. King writes great characters. I can’t deny that, and I wouldn’t try. They stay with you long after the novel is done. You can predict their actions and their thoughts. They’re almost always uncomplicated, but that’s part of what makes them so lovable. They’re black and white. Two-dimensional. Simple, with only a hint of complexity. The plot itself was an amazing idea. I was able to read this novel so quickly because I felt like King was sitting there next to me on the sofa, just telling me the story as he thought of it. It was filled with phrases like “and this guy said XXX and that guy said YYY and then they started fighting!” The simplicity was endearing, and the length made the simplicity seem deeper.

All those pluses are, oddly, also the downsides of this novel. King didn’t take the time to polish the prose. He didn’t develop the characters to the point of empathy, he stopped at likability. He gave the reader exactly what we always want, on the basest level: entertainment. This novel was palatable, and likely enjoyable, to anyone literate. That’s a talent, don’t get me wrong. But what bothers me is that King clearly has the potential for greatness. If he pushed, even just a little bit, his writing could be amazing. If he bucked the routine and said “Man up, reader. Deal with the unexpected,” his novels would elevate to another level, to a place where they could reach people beyond sheer entertainment. They could be…dare I say…literature.

This post is first in a series entitled The Bestseller Epidemic.

[Via http://dreadingthelastchapter.wordpress.com]

Another week of GW News, February 14, 2010 : A Few Things Ill ...

Book Review: Why Video Games Are Good For Your Soul

2010-02-15T14:48:00.000+02:00

A reader who has engaged with, and likely enjoyed, Gee’s previous books (What Video Games Have To Teach Us About Learning and Literacy (2003) and Situated Language and Learning (2004) on video games and learning might be eager to find out what new ideas Gee, one of the lead video game scholar, proposes. They are likely to be disappointed. In his first video game related work, Gee (2003) theorizes about why video games provide a better learning environment than schools, and provides 36 learning principles grounded in modern educational theory which modern video games put into practice and several classrooms do not. In his second video game related work, Gee (2004) makes a critique of traditional schooling and compares it with video games. He argues that video games provide ‘situated’ meaning, in other words, tutorials and practical experiences, while schools usually give students a type of banking education where the teacher gives students the theory without the practice, which leads to information that cannot be related to practice, and in turn leads to poor learning. In his work Why Video Games Are Good For Your Soul, Gee is nowhere near as enlightening as in his previous works, as he only provides a brief explanation of the three different storylines within each video game. The first-level storyline within a game is the developer’s story. This story is the one that talks about Alex and his quest to become a Dragonmaster (Lunar: The Silver Star), Alucard and his quest to vanquish his father Dracula (Castlevania: Symphony of the Night), or Kratos in his quest to stop Ares from destroying Athens (God of War). The second-level story is the unique trajectory taken by the players. Although this might not be a story in the traditional context of the word, Gee argues that this is, in fact, a story, and one that, according to Gee, is more important than the first-level story. The variations in this story include which guild the player chose to join, what path did the player take to get to a certain destination, and in general what decisions did the player make to reach the end of the game. This ‘story’ can be perceived more clearly in open-world games like Morrowind and Grand Theft Auto than in close-world games like God of War and Valkyrie Profile, although variations on tackling the problems within each game are always present and also, according to Gee, a part of this second-level story. The third level story is composed of the story of ‘the gamer as a professional’. In an FPS WWII game, the gamer as a professional would be the player taking the role of a WWII soldier, while in Morrowind the story would consist of taking the role of a knight / thief / archer. This story is more evident in some games than in others, while a fair amount of games do not have this story at all. Whether what Gee calls second-level story and third-level story are actual stories or not is up to debate. Nonetheless, the ‘three storylines’ concept is one that gamers have been aware of throughout all of their gaming lives, and that game researchers quickly become aware of; Gee has merely stated the obvious, and given examples as to how these ‘stories’ of different levels work. This book could have been a good addition to the essentials game theory if it were not because of the way in which Gee chose to develop his three-storylines theory. Gee begins his book with an introduction and a short reflection of what the terms ‘video games’, ‘good’, and ‘soul’ mean. The first two terms are accurately described, but when describing ‘soul’ he seems to be at a loss of words. The fact that the soul itself is intangible makes Gee look for definitions in poetry as well as mystic and religious notions, and at times it almost seems like he is preaching. During the rest of the book, Gee treats the reader to an insider’s view of how his brain works as he plays specific games, and how the ‘three stories’ concept fits in each. His first chapter gives the reader a rather disturbing look at Tetris and a distorted view of what Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is. He begins his discussion on Tetris stating that people like Tetris because it is simple and complex at the same time, and people like to solve problems and recognize patterns. He talks a bit of evolution and how humans have evolved to like solving problems and finding patterns, but this argument seems more like speculation based on general knowledge than a scientifically proven fact. His appraisal of Tetris is somewhat accurate until he tries to give the symbols meaning. He says that the symbols could be seen as men and women, or more accurately, kings and queens, and that when they link it can be seen as ‘bonding’ or ‘marriage proposals’. This, Gee believes, results in a formation of a narrative. Most gamers, however, would disagree. Rene Estevez, game player of 18 years and casual reviewer in IGN.com, commented that this “only makes sense if you’re smoking. If you apply the same logic, then the Rubik’s Cube is a metaphor for racial relations in the modern world”, while Carlos Encarnación, gamer of 17 years, argues that there is no objective in Tetris, as it is and endurance test of the mind that never ends. Gee then moves on to Castlevania, and states that it operates like his “new fantasy version of Tetris” (18). He says that both games have rules, virtual objectives, and some measure of control, and are, therefore, similar. He compares and declares similarity between Castlevania’s zombie-slaying and Tetris’ line-removing mechanics. He then proceeds to analyze Castlevania as an actual symphony which the player creates. In Gee’s mind, objects have musical values, and the more actions the players perform, the more musical notes they unlock. This train of thought demonstrates that Gee, great scholar and linguist that he is, is still an extremely naïve and easily impressed newcomer when it comes to the actual gaming world. After presenting what his mind interprets of Castlevania and Tetris, he proceeds to talk about the different levels of the stories. He says that Castlevania’s first level story is Alucard fighting against Dracula, but that the important ‘story’, the second level story, is the path each player takes in order to finish the game. In order to present evidence about the ‘third story’, Gee talks about Full Spectrum Warrior, Thief, and Riddick. He talks about how in Full Spectrum Warrior players ‘learn’ to be pro-soldiers, as gamers get to control squads and make moral judgments. Similarly, in Thief the player has to decide whether they want their Garret to be an assassin-thief or just a thief. In these and other first person or strategy games, the third story is the enactment of the professional knowledge. He then hastens to add that in-game professional experience does not translate into real world professional experience. This much, at least, is a sound statement – playing Cooking Mamma or Cake Mania for weeks will not make someone into a chef, and playing Virtua Fighter 5 will not translate into martial arts expertise, just like playing a first-person shooter will not translate into real-life gun proficiency. Gee then proceeds to talk about a fourth ‘story’, which he labels not so much as a story but as history. This is the background history of the game world and of your character. Although Gee makes this a separate entity from the developer’s story, it is the developer who, in the great majority of games, originally decides the history of the world, as well as the important aspects of the history of the character. One game that holds all of these stories, Gee argues, is Morrowind. In Morrowind there is a main story where the player sets out to defeat Dagoth Ur, a second-level story which consists of the paths the player takes, the guilds he joins, and the characters he interacts with, a third story in which the player acquires and puts into practice in-game professional knowledge of being a knight, thief, or warrior (amongst other classes), and the fourth level story which consists of the main character’s past, which the player is free to make up. His reflections on learning are disappointing for game theorists and educators alike, as they never go beyond a superficial ‘learning should be fun and games make learning fun’ level. He essentially recycles, summarizes, and tones down the ideas found in his two previous game-related works and mashes them into a few pages. The book is written in a non-academic manner, and the style constantly assumes that the reader agrees with his statement, often using lines like ‘we agreed on the previous section that…’ In the eyes of some, this may take away from the credibility he enjoyed in his previous works. It is very likely that the biggest problem with the book is Gee’s lack of experience as a gamer. Having discovered games at a late age, he seems to be easily impressed and very enthusiastic about things found in the gaming world, which results, like in his analysis of Tetris and Castlevania, in an over rationalization of the content and context of the games. Even though Gee states that the target audience for the book is ‘anyone interested in games’, video game scholars and researchers will likely not find a lot of useful material, with the exception, perhaps, of the ‘three-stories and a history’ concept, gamers are likely to scoff at his ideas, specially at his views on Tetris, and non-gamers will get a wrong impression of what video games are, as some of Gee’s statements might be misinterpreted. In the end, the main concern of the reader, specially those who enjoyed Gee’s previous works, it is not about whether this book is a good read or not, or if it’s useful to some or not, as this book should never have seen publishing at all. The main concern to many readers after having suffered through it is that this work is Gee’s lowest point is whether Gee’s next work can live up to the standards set by him in the past, or if it will be another gaming theory flop.

[Via http://johansenquijano.wordpress.com]

Viacom files for Harmonix refund following poor Rock Band sales | News

Book Review – Situated Language and Learning

2010-02-15T14:45:00.000+02:00

Games Paul Gee’s second incursion into game scholarship follows the footsteps of his previous work, What Video Games have to Teach us about Learning and Literacy (2003), in the sense that instead of looking at games exclusively it uses games to explain and improve on educational practices and theories. While in his previous work Gee talks about video games, learning, and literacy, in this work he talks about education in a more general context. This work’s subtitle is truly fit for what it does – critique traditional schooling by showing what games do better than schools in regards to teaching

Gee opens his work with reflections on how school children do not learn to read, not in the sense of decoding, but in the sense of comprehension, specially with specialist varieties of language. He argues that the phenomenon called the fourth grade slump, a problem where children who seem to be able to read during their early ages cannot comprehend texts beyond the 4th grade level, is due to the lack of exposure to specialist language during their early development. Gee argues that using games like Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh train children on how to learn specialist varieties of language, as these games themselves contain a lot of technical words. The majority of the book, then, continues to do the same – point out the educational system’s shortcomings and show how games put into practice some of the best contemporary theories of learning.

There are, however, two points which stand out among the rest. Gee’s arguments on situated learning and on affinity spaces seem to be the most outstanding section of this book.

Traditional schooling, gee argues, consists more about dry lectures and memorization of facts than it does about actual practice and experience, and according to Gee, and many contemporary learning theories, it is in practice and experience where learning actually takes place. Gee argues that, for example, in physics lessons, students should not be listening to extended lectures on the topic, but practicing and experiencing physics by engaging on experiments. This learning through experience is what Gee calls situated learning. Gee then proceeds to explain how Rise of the Nations provides for situated learning of the game. He calls tutorials ‘supervised sandboxes’ which allow the player to try out the game and how to play it. This is something that classrooms do not do. In the sections that talk about situated learning, Gee is truly at his best.

Gee’s other outstanding section deals with affinity spaces. In order to get his point across to the reader, Gee compares the notion of affinity spaces to a similar concept often applied in educational settings: the community of practice. Both in an affinity space and a community of practice a group of people get together to engage with a certain activity. The difference between the two ideas, according to Gee, is that the connotation of a community of practice implies a sense of belonging – if someone des not belong to a specific community (for example 8th grade science students from St. George’s Middle School) they will not be allowed to engage with the activity. In affinity spaces, on the other hand, The other problem Gee has with communities of practice is the notion of practice – an activity engaged with in order to improve, but never put into actual, situated use. Affinity spaces, however, allow for both practice and situated use.

Overall, the book is well written, and the language used is mostly appropriate. Reading Gee try to avoid academic language by using terms like “Lots of times” instead of “a lot of times” tends to become annoying after the first few pages, but the coherence of argument and the eloquence with which he puts forth his ideas more than make up for Gee’s assumptions of colloquial language use. Still, the greatest flaw of this book is possibly found not in the book itself but in the expectations of the reader. After reading Gee’s previous work dealing with games (2003) which focused first on games and second on literacy (and even then literacy was linked strongly to games), a reader expecting a book on game-based education (as I was) might be disappointed, as the book focuses on education and how educators and policy makers could learn from educational principles implemented in games.

Although Gee’s book does talk about games, they are treated as models of educational learning and not as games. The focus on the book is not games, but education, which makes the book an excellent addition to any educator’s library. The book’s ideas might influence teachers to change the way they handle their classes for the better. However, someone who is interested purely in games – rules of play, narrative, history, or effects on society – will be disappointed.

[Via http://johansenquijano.wordpress.com]

Breaking News: Shooting at UAH « Watts Up With That?

Review: Becoming by Mark Lichterman

2010-02-12T14:16:00.000+02:00

Becoming: A Chronicle of Metamorphosis

By Mark Lichterman

Metropolis Ink (June 15, 2008)

Amazon Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Mark-Lichterman/dp/0646492160

“Do you remember your radio and “Captain Midnight,” “The Lone Ranger,” “Junior Miss” and “Let’s Pretend”? The first time you inhaled a cigarette? Your first swallow of hard liquor? The thrill of the first exploration of the body of your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife… your own body? Your first orgasm? Remember when as a people we loved America, and showed it? Then you might be ready for a nostalgic, funny, romantic, sexually frustrating novel. A novel that may remind many of us of ourselves, “way back then,” when God’s most mysterious creation was the opposite sex. A novel about life and the often funny, sometimes sad, day-to-day things that stir the memories of our lives…”

The above is a quote from the blurb for Mark Lichterman’s Becoming and I put it there because it so aptly describes the novel. When I decided to review this book, I was worried because number one, I rarely have time to sit down and read a book as long as this one and two, because I stupidly felt I’d never be able to connect with anything in it. I’m female, Christian, grew up in the country, and the time period was before my time. I was wrong, wrong, wrong! The subject matter is timeless, the characters so genuine they jump from the pages and into your heart, and being the mother of boys—I could even relate to the male point of view.

The story begins in 1939 on Chicago’s eastside and follows five-year-old Mitchie for the next seventeen years of his life. A true coming of age story told in graphic detail. And the humor—did I mention the humor? I found myself laughing out loud many times. I especially loved when the humor came at a time when it was totally unexpected, the way it is in ‘real life’. I can’t say all I’d like to say about the book because it needs to be experienced first hand and I don’t want to spoil that experience for the reader by saying too much.

Mr. Lichterman is a talented storyteller with a beautifully unique writing style and strong voice. His characters are delightfully flawed, giving them an unsurpassed charm and authentic quality. Becoming transcends all gender, ethnic, and geological backgrounds, so no matter where you’re coming from, if you love truly great coming of age stories, give this one a try.

My one complaint is I felt the book ended too soon. Yes, even at 736 pages, I was sad when reading that last page and know these characters will be with me for a long time.

–Willow

[Via http://workinggirlreviews.wordpress.com]

Mild earthquake rattles Chicago area - Chicago Breaking News

Brian McLaren's "A New Kind of Christianity"

2010-02-12T14:10:00.000+02:00

Today I received my copy of Brian McLaren’s new book, A New Kind of Christianity: Ten Questions That Are Transforming The Faith. I haven’t so eagerly anticipated a book in months. Needless to say, this one will warrant a thorough blogging-through-the-book, so I’m looking forward to doing a series of posts over the next few weeks. This book spins of the title of his first hit written a decade ago, A New Kind of Christian, a book that was deeply transformational to me. This new book explores the 10 most often ask questions McLaren encounters all over the world from pastors and lay-leaders of the emerging, postmodern church.

The 10 Questions:

1. The Narrative Question: what is the overarching story line of the Bible?

2. The Authority Question: how should the Bible be understood?

3. The God Question: is God violent?

4. The Jesus Question: Who is Jesus and why is he improtant?

5. The Gospel Question: what is the Gospel?

6. The Church Question: what do we do about the church?

7. The Sex Question: can we find a way to address human sexuality without fighting about it?

8. The Future Question: can we find a better way of viewing the future?

9. The Pluralism Question: how should followers of Jesus relate to people of other religions?

10. The What-Do-We-Do-Now Question: how can we translate our quest into action?

McLaren will soon be uploading a weekly video channel at theooze.tv. McLaren also uploaded two chapters to his site that did not make it into the final cut, which I’m uploading here for anyone to download:

1. Making eschatology personal

2. A New Kind of Bible Reading

I know it’s a bit early, but I’m going to go ahead an declare this will be the most important book of 2010 for the church to grapple with.

awwh... look at us, so cute

[Via http://taddelay.wordpress.com]

Activision Blizzard financials "better-than-expected" | News

Book Review: Back in Black

2010-02-10T14:51:00.000+02:00

I read paranormal and historical romances. My groaning bookshelf can attest to my interest in both genres. However, once in a while, I’ll come across a contemporary romance series that I can’t put down.

I remember when I first picked up Lori Foster’s Simon Says. I wasn’t sure how I’d like it. It was about some MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fighting group called the SBC (Supreme Battle Challenge). I devoured this book. It was fast paced, sexy, and a fun read. And because I’m anal, I had to pick up each of the books in the series (even though I read them out of order).

So it should come as no surprise that when I saw her latest offering in the series, Back in Black, I had to pick it up. If you haven’t read any of these books, let me just start out by saying these heroes are sexy, smart, and h-o-t! I’m not into MMA fighting, or at least I wasn’t until I read these books. There’s just something so raw and elemental about the sport that it made me uneasy. Men beating each other, twisting each other like pretzels…it didn’t seem interesting at all. Until I read about heroes who “live” that life. It opened a whole new world for me.

Not that I’m a big fan now, but I at least have a better understanding for their discipline and willpower. It’s obvious to the reader, when reading any book in this series, that Lori is a big MMA fan, and that she’s done her research. She manages to give the action just enough grittiness without getting graphic. It’s a fine line to walk and she does it flawlessly.

So, on to the book!

Here’s the blurb:

SBC president Drew Black is as controversial as they come. But the hot-headed entrepreneur is a perfect match for his popular sports club venture: uncompromising and extreme. Maybe too extreme. With a reputation for saying what he thinks, Drew’s been causing a lot of friction. That’s why someone’s been called in to clean up his image—before he does any permanent damage.

The lucky lady is Gillian Noode, a PR expert who’s smoothed out the rough edges on many a man. But Drew is rougher than anyone she’s ever met, and he refuses to change for any woman, for any reason. To make matters more complicated, Gillian’s starting to like him raw. Now, opposites aren’t only attracting, they’re igniting. But in the rising heat, which one of them will end up on top?

I’m not going to give spoilers. I prefer not knowing what’s going to happen in a book before I read it. However, I will give you my impressions of the book.

Drew is HAWT. He’s rough, smart, and sexy as hell. He isn’t pleased with the idea of someone trying to clean up his image, but he’s also attracted to Gillian in spite of what she’s there to do. Gillian has plans and if she can give Drew some polish, it’ll make her career. Sparks fly between Drew and Gillian from the start. Drew, although he isn’t a fighter and has a dirty mouth, turns out to be honorable and sweet in his own way. How could Gillian possibly resist?

But things aren’t all sunshine and roses in the SBC world. A group called WAVS (Women Against Violent Sports) is out to discredit the SBC organization and Drew Black. Foster does a marvelous job of giving reasons behind WAVS’ dislike of the sport, as well as a backstory for the group’s leader, Audrey. The plot twisted and turned, leaving me to wonder how the two organizations could ever see eye-to-eye.

All in all, it was a great read. I almost wish there had been a little more tension between them before they got together, but I can’t complain. It seemed natural for them to get together, and how can you be upset about that? They’re a good couple and each of them realize it. They mesh together so well.

There’s also a side story which Lori manages to weave into the plot. Unlike some side story romances, it doesn’t detract away from the main purpose of the story. If anything, it blends in seamlessly, giving the book a lot more depth. I’ve read several books where there is another romance going along with the main plot, but they don’t intermingle. This can be distracting for the reader even if it pertains to one of the characters you want to know more about.

Her effortless blending of plot and subplot kept me reading this book into the wee hours of the morning. I’d have to give this book two big thumbs up (and a #1 foam finger too). It was a delight. I hope you have a chance to read it and enjoy it as much as I did. Besides, how can you not love the title? It makes me want to break out some AC/DC and start rocking out!

If you’re interested in the series** order, it’s as follows:

Causing Havoc

Simon Says This was named the MMAWorldwide book of the year.

Hard to Handle

My Man Michael

Back in Black

**Please note, I haven’t included the novellas for this series.**

Have you read any books lately that you feel the need to recommend to everyone you meet?

[Via http://danicaavet.wordpress.com]

Transcript of News Conference by President Obama -- Politics Daily

Author Focus: James Van Praagh

2010-02-10T02:38:00.000+02:00

Some say he is one of the best psychics of our time, I certainly believe he is exceptional at what he does and I applaud the way James has shifted the psychic realm to mainstream interest. Through his ,any books James Van Praagh has explained simply the processes he experiences to communicate with Spirit and show how easy it can be for everyone to achieve the same closeness with our dearly departed.

Books by James Van Praagh:

HEALING GRIEF: Reclaiming Life After Any Loss

HEAVEN AND EARTH: Making The Psychic Connection

LOOKING BEYOND: A Teens Guide to the Spiritual World

MEDITATIONS With James Van Praagh

REACHING TO HEAVEN: A Spiritual Journey Through Life and Death

TALKING TO HEAVEN: A Medium’s Message of Life After Death

UNFINISHED BUSINESS: What the Dead can Teach Us About Life

You can see him at Penrith Panther this moth here is the link:

http://www.vanpraagh.com/index.php?p=Event&id=149

[Via http://psychicbooks.wordpress.com]

Here's What's New In TweetDeck (Video) » Podcasting News

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake - Book Review

2010-02-10T02:37:00.000+02:00

I am convinced that The Postmistress by Sarah Blake will be made into a movie sometime this century. Not only do I think this novel is interesting enough to be a film, but I think it could win Best Adapted Screenplay or maybe even Best Picture at the Oscars if placed into the right hands. I read the book in one sitting, closed it, and sort of gasped Wow! Even days later, I am having trouble finding the words to describe exactly how good The Postmistress is to convince you to go out into this horrible snowstorm and buy this book immediately. I read this book during a highly stressful and busy week in my life, but despite all my distractions, this book instantly took me out of my life 2010 and put me in 1940. I can’t quite put my experience and enjoyment into the right words, but I can give you an idea of what I felt while reading this book by telling the follow story.

In 2005 my husband and I traveled to Europe to travel to 15 cities in 8 countries in 14 days. It sounded good on paper, but never having traveled to Europe, we had no idea what to expect, no matter how much research I did or how many travel guides I studied. After traveling sixteen hours straight (due to my compulsive need to arrive at all airports way too early, as being a former flight attendant has taught me it is imperative you must) and having to switch flights due to an airline strike, we arrived in London a day late completely frazzled. I had been awake for nearly two days, especially since I was forced to sit behind eight of the most annoying and shockingly drunk people on a red eye international flight. After arriving at the wrong airport and being forced to take the same tube trip just one month after the London bombings occurred, I stepped into the bright sunlight nearly in tears and utterly exhausted. I was starving and stressed out, but I suddenly stopped, dropped my suitcase, and gasped Wow! when I had my first look into the streets of London. Unfortunately for me, I was crossing a busy street at the time while looking the wrong way, and I had dropped my suitcase on my foot, which sent my shoe flying into traffic, causing it to get run over. I was literally stuck in the middle of two-way traffic while standing on one foot, and yet lost in experiencing the first moment I ever saw London, my favorite city in the world. It was such a Wow! moment in time, and it had nothing to do with my shoe or near-death experience.

I tell you the above story for two reasons. One, it is very hard for me to put into words the way I feel when I read fabulous books, especially during hard times in my life. The Postmistress is one of those fabulous books, so I’m just trying to come up with a way to get you to understand how darn good the book really is. My other reason is that I think it is hopefully more entertaining for you to read a different type of book review than you can find by other wordpress bloggers, or even EW Magazine which gave it a great review this week. Instead of me saying that this book takes place in Cape Cod and London during WWII and it is historical fiction novel written by Sarah Blake, I can tell you my own way to make it more appealing to those who get scared off by historical fiction or WWII stories. Plus I am not the type of blogger who writes things like “this book is in the vein of The Help by Kathryn Stockett or Atonement by Ian McEwan.” If I can get just one of you to look past your dislike of historical fiction or WWII stories by explaining what I felt while reading a book of this magnitude, then I’ve done my job.

I want all of you to read The Postmistress because it is such an interesting story about three women and how their lives become intertwined during war-time. The war, while important and quite interesting to those of us who already enjoy reading WWII stories, isn’t all that those of you who don’t like reading about wars will be thinking about. The story of The Postmistress really is about what happens to these women during the war and the consequences these ladies have to live with are the true heart and soul of this novel. There are so many other things I learned from this book that I never knew about, which was a major bonus. Anytime I find a book that can take me out of a hard week, and it overwhelms me so much that I forget what I was dealing with back in reality, well… I think that is the type of book worthy enough of your attention. I’m simply telling you that The Postmistress is a must read of 2010. Go get it, love it, and come back and talk about it!

To learn a little more about The Postmistress, watch the following YouTube video and see Sarah Blake talk about her novel and how she was inspired to write it.

To buy The Postmistress, click here.

To visit Sarah Blake’s website, click here.

[Via http://thegirlfromtheghetto.wordpress.com]

AMERICAblog News: HHS investigating Blue Cross of CA for raising ...

Review of Roy Hallums' "Buried Alive"

2010-02-05T14:53:00.000+02:00

Lesley Stahl, 60 Minutes Correspondent, called this book “…vivid, absorbing and chilling.” She was correct. The descriptions are vivid, the story is absorbing and the fact it is true is chilling. Roy Hallums was a contractor working in Iraq who was taken hostage and held captive for 311 days by a Sunni terrorist cell.

My caveat before I continue is that I did enjoy reading the book and found it difficult to put down. It was interesting to me that Hallums could find humor in some of the events that took place during his captivity. Without the humor in this book, it would have been a very difficult read. I almost felt bad for laughing at some of the events he described.

Having said that, I was disappointed he did not explain his faith with the exception of mentioning praying that God would get him out and asking God to let it rain if he was going to make it out alive. There was also a mention of a prayer vigil held by his family and friends. I am certain that Hallums attributes his rescue to answered prayer just as much as the military men and women who participated in his rescue.

I found this book to be worth reading. There are still contractors and others being held hostage who have never been found. The Hallums family has a good ending, but that is not always the case. We need to pray for those still missing and their families.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their Book Review Blogger program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Via http://iambelievinggod.wordpress.com]

Fox News Shuns Obama Q&A, MSNBC Gets Snitty When He Encourages ...

Book Notes, Feb 5, 2010

2010-02-05T14:44:00.000+02:00

I’m reading so many books right now I feel I could run four or five blogs. I’ll only mention a few of them here. I’m interested to know if other Messianic Jewish Musings readers have read any of these or if there are ant great books burning on your soul right now.

The Last of the Just, by Andre Schwarz-Bart

Okay, I should be done with this one by now, but I tend to read fiction slowly, a little each day, unless I am reading a page-burner.

This is difficult though brief fiction. I am considering it as a selection in the upcoming Jewish Book of the Month Club here on MJM. I want to get a whole lot of you reading books together and discussing them (it may fail as an experiment, though I’ve already been told by one person they intend to get a group at their synagogue all participating). We’ll launch sometime around Passover.

The problem with Schwarz-Bart’s book is that sometimes the prose is unclear. Did that really happen or was the character imagining it? What exactly happened in that part? Sometimes I’ll read a paragraph five times and not understand it. Other times I’ll read a dozen pages with no problem. He needed a better editor, IMO. But the powerful parts are unforgettable.

Maybe it will be a selection a little further down the road in the book club, after people have had time to get into reading the great Jewish books and will not be put off easily by a little difficult prose.

The Last of the Just is a different kind of Holocaust story, tracing a family back a thousand years in a line of Lamed-Vovniks (the thirty-six righteous sufferers in Israel whose righteous suffering keeps God from judging the world — an idea that is not too distant from the vicarious suffering of Yeshua).

Holy Subversion, by Trevin Wax

A Baptist pastor from Tennessee writes a simple but effective book explaining the gospel in holistic terms. I am delighted with the idea of an Ephesians Road, a variation and subversion of the Romans Road which for a previous generation made the gospel a weak message of life after death, all but irrelevant to living now. This is a great book to give to those who need to see a bigger idea than “God has a wonderful plan for your life.” God has a wonderful plan for the cosmos, and if you’re smart and humble, you’ll lay down everything to join in the Tikkun Olam.

I will review it next week here on MJM.

Divine Reversal: The Transforming Ethics of Jesus, by Russ Resnik

This is a major book for the MJ movement. I hope entire synagogues will read it.

Russ Resnik, longtime Messianic pioneer and Executive Director of the UMJC, shares with Jewish wisdom the ethics of Yeshua. Ethics is an area we need a great deal more of in our movement. Russ blogs about this and gives you a taste of what the book is about at rebrez.wordpress.com.

The New Moses: A Matthean Typology, by Dale Allison Jr.

My podcast yesterday and the one next week are about this book.

Dale Allison is a top-shelf New Testament scholar. He develops the theory that Matthew emphasizes the Moses theme in order to protest a movement in his time to remove the Way of Yeshua from Judaism. Matthew, he says, sees Yeshua in completely Jewish terms.

How about you? What are you reading? Have you read any of these? What books do you recommend for the book of the month club?

[Via http://derek4messiah.wordpress.com]

News Ticker: Glastonbury, Santana, Joanna Newsom, NBA All-Star ...

Book Review: The Windup Girl

2010-02-05T02:09:00.000+02:00

Are you ready for this? Prepare thyself for the unthinkable: A positive book review from me! Spoiler Alert: I like this book. A lot.

Paolo Bacigalupi (a name I only mis-typed twice just now) has delivered a brilliant science fiction novel about the collapse of the global economy, genetically engineered plants run amok, cyborgs, food wars, politics, race relations, religion, and, well, lots of other things.

The Windup Girl is set in Bangkok several centuries from now. Genetically modified animals and crops have (accidentally) swarmed across the world, destroying countless species of plants and animals and bringing most countries to their knees. The dwindling Japanese have created a race of New People to replace their shrinking work force. American companies feed the world with sterile foods that cannot be planted and grown, only bought. Oil-starved machines have been replaced with animal labor. Hideous diseases are constantly mutating to kill plants, animals, and people.

Through hard work, sacrifice, and dedication, the Kingdom of Thailand has survived this global collapse (the Contraction) by balancing power between a brutal Environmental Ministry that burns factories and farms to contain the endless contagions and a schemeing Trade Ministry that wants to engage with the outside world and usher in a second age of global Expansion (we’re in the first one right now).

To explore this world, the author gives us several characters from very different worlds, including:

Anderson, the American industrialist trying to get access to Thai genetic material and open Thai markets to his company.
Hock Seng, the Chinese refugee who lost an corporate empire and his family and is now trying to rebuild his life as a hated migrant worker.
Jaidee, one-time muay thai champion turned government agent dedicated to protecting his homeland from biological invaders.
Emiko, a Japanese “windup” abandoned by her owner and left to survive as a sex worker and hunted by the authorities for being unnatural.

It’s rich, it’s complex, it’s exciting and horrifying and thought-provoking.

But it’s not perfect. For starters, it takes a very long time for the various characters’ story lines to coalesce into a real plot. Much of the book feels like four separate stories jammed together to paint a richer portrait of this dystopian future. This issue no doubt comes from the author’s background in writing short stories instead of novels.

There is also a certain stagnant quality to the character arcs. Each person clings to their central identity throughout the whole book without evolving or learning or changing at all. Which made the chapters feel a bit repetitive.

When the plot finally does come together, it still feels a bit thin. There’s plenty of action and drama, but I didn’t find myself very invested in the outcome.

Bottom line: The Windup Girl is a well-conceived novel that explores countless science fiction concepts in technology, biology, economics, and politics. But it suffers from a disjointed and less-than-epic plot. Still, it’s 350 pages worth reading.

[Via http://josephrobertlewis.wordpress.com]

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Spurgeon on Prayer

2010-02-03T14:25:00.000+02:00

“Priceless as the gift of utterance may be, the practice of silence in some aspects far excels it. . .I am persuaded that we most of us think too much of speech, which after is but the shell of thought. Quiet contemplation, still worship, unuttered rapture, these are mine when my best jewels are before me. Brethren, rob not your heart of the deep sea joys; miss not the far-down life, by for ever babbling among the broken shells and foaming surges of the shore.

“I woud seriously recommend to you, when settled in the ministry, the celebration of extraordinary seasons of devotion. If your ordinary prayers do not keep up the freshness and vigour of your souls, and you feel that you are flagging, get alone for a week or even a month if possible. We have occasional holidays, why not frequent holy days? We hear of our richer brethren finding time for a journey to Jerusalem; could we not spare time for the less difficult and far more profitable journey to the heavenly city?

“. . .It would be a great thing every now and then for for a band of truly spiritual brethren to spend a day or two with each other in real burning agony of prayer. Pastors alone could use much more freedom than in a mixed company. Times of humiliation and supplication for the whole church will allso benefit us if we enter into them heartily. Our seasons of fasting and prayer at the Tabernacle have been high days indeed; never has heaven-gate stood wider; never have our hearts been nearer the central glory. I look forward to our month of special devotion, as mariners reckon upon reaching land. Even if our public work were laid aside to give us space for special prayer, it might be a great gain to our churches. A voyage to the golden rivers of fellowship and meditation would be well repaid by a by a freight of sanctified feeling and elevated thought. Our silence might be better than our voices if our solitude were spent with God. [Emphasis mine.]

“That was a grand action of old Jerome, when he laid all his pressing engagements aside to achieve a purpose to which he felt a call from heaven. He had a large congregation, as large a one as any of us need want; but he said to his people, ‘Now it is of necessity that the New Testament should be translated, you must find another preacher: the translation must be made; I am bound for the wilderness, and shall not return till my task is finished.’

“Away he went with his manuscripts, and prayed and laboured, and produced a work–the Latin Vulgate–which will last as long as the world stands; on the whole a most wonderful translation of Holy Scripture. As learning and prayerful retirement together could thus produce an immortal work, if we were sometimes to say to our people when we felt moved to do so, ‘Dear Friends, we really must be gone for a little while to refresh our souls in solitude,’ our profiting would soon be apparent, and if we did not write Latin Vulgates, yet we should do immortal work, such as would abide the fire.”

LECTURES TO MY STUDENTS

C. H. Spurgeon

[Via http://goodwinsherry.wordpress.com]

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The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy by Sara Angelini

2010-02-03T02:46:00.000+02:00

If you’re trying to relax before going to bed, this is not the book to read. If however, you’re looking to stay awake for a while, consider reading it aloud with a partner. There are several X-rated scenes here, but they are handled tastefully, and with proper anticipation—on yours, and the characters’, parts.

The story begins with Darcy (a descendant of our beloved hero) advising Bingley about the purchase of a new Lamborghini (Netherfield). Darcy tempers Bingley’s enthusiasm with a warning to slow down his actions with thought, just as our Darcy did, but this Darcy uses the F word as he does it.

In this modern version of our tale, Darcy is a judge (fitting, I thought, since that is, after all, what he does throughout the text), and Elizabeth is a confident lawyer in his court. When he first meets her, he assumes she’s on trial for speeding, only to have his first impression put quickly to rest as she defends a Mr. Collins, on trial for solicitation of prostitutes. (Darcy mentally gives him herpes to punish him).

This is a “thoroughly modern” version of our story, according to the back cover, and while, at first, the use of profanity and sometimes obscene situations may be off-putting to readers of this publication, I’d venture to recommend reading it anyway. This story is fun and light, and many of Angelini’s changes work well, if you can stomach an occasional Harry Potter reference (too lowbrow for some of you, but perfectly acceptable for others), many sexual puns and intimate scenes, and Mr. Hurst’s metamorphosis into a gay hottie who resembles Rupert Everett.

Bingley is a doctor (you might wonder, is he smart enough for that, until you recall some of the doctors you have met), and Jane a resident in his circles; Darcy has meaningless sex with Caroline until he decides not to anymore; the Netherfield Ball is a Halloween party; the first proposal Darcy makes to Elizabeth is of writing a joint law review article; and karaoke is as you’ve never seen it.

This is a sexed-up version of our beloved tale, and if you’re one who has always read much of the tension between Darcy and Elizabeth as being sexual in nature, you will probably be more comfortable with the openness of that tension than those of you who prefer chemistry to be understated. The latter group does not likely imagine Georgiana warning her big brother not to “dip [his] stick in” a woman she dislikes, but regardless of your reaction to such lines, the sex is intense here because the connection on all levels is intense here. Darcy and Elizabeth belong together, and one barometer of that fit is their sexual chemistry.

There are others. Each is a professional who works to develop a plan for any situation that requires attention. Each is smart and successful and wants, long-term, to find love that transcends the “relationships” of the past. Both exercise to absorb desire (Elizabeth runs; Darcy rides). Both agree to keep the affair short—and then almost simultaneously realize that they have fallen in love with the other.

The relationship—or rather—the break-up of it—feels very real. It is mutual, but it makes them both miserable. She was so tough, and becomes so broken, even as she tries desperately to resurrect her world. She wears his shirt just to smell him, even when it starts smelling like her.

Before you know it, you’ve been reading for an hour, when your plan was a few minutes before drifting to sleep. And I haven’t even started on all the links to the original novel. I thought I spotted Wickham right away, only to discover that the guy flirting with Elizabeth had to be the Colonel Fitzwilliam character. I thought the proposal of the brief was the real thing; it isn’t. Then I thought the suggestion to get back together was the real thing; it isn’t either. Two decoys! Darcy reaches out to Elizabeth’s boss—Mr. Gardiner—when he needs help with Elizabeth. Then it turns out there is a Wickham, but he appears much less often (and in an even worse context) than I had imagined. Georgiana is not the subject of Darcy’s letter to Elizabeth—she’s the one who suggests he write it. These are smart twists that kept me constantly revising my assumptions, as, one might argue, Elizabeth and Darcy must do, both in the original novel and in this one.

Lines from P&P are sprinkled throughout the text, in contexts that make sense. One of my favorite changes occurs when Elizabeth (who thinks Caroline and Darcy are dating when they aren’t) comes home to Jane snuggling with Charley, and groans inwardly that the house is “overrun by Bingleys.” Even Lady Catherine’s infamous shelves in the closet are included in this veritable treasure hunt for details from Austen’s novel.

This is indeed a story of the trials of a man, and the pun works well. It is also a deeply emotional, romantic, sensual, and literary exploration of a companionate relationship in our complicated world. And I’ll never look at pears in the same way again.

[Via http://fansofjane.wordpress.com]

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Mortimer Smith and the Diminished Mind (book review)

2010-02-03T02:19:00.000+02:00

One common retort to those who criticize the historical ascendancy and stranglehold of “progressivism” in education is to simply deny the charge. Diane Ravitch, for instance, met just this type of denial when she published “Left Behind: A Century of Failed School Reform.” Critics, generally with an affinity for “progressive” pedagogy, told us that Ravitch’s history was hopelessly biased and a bunch of spin. Progressive ideals, they say, did not fail: they were never really tried.

It is too bad for these critics that books like The Diminished Mind by Mortimer Smith, were published. TDM was written in 1954 as a way to chronicle the educational landscape as it looked at the time. Smith’s verdict?

I do not think anyone will challenge the statement that pragmatism has become the official philosophy of the public education; there may be an occasional maverick scattered her and there but the great majority of the professors of education are committed to this philosophy and they transmit it to the future teachers and administrators whom they train to run the American public school system (Smith 1954, PG78-79).

By “pragmatism,” Smith is referring to “the pedagogical principles which formed the basis of what came to be known as progressive education and is now more commonly referred to as modern education.” (PG78) The educational pragmatism Smith judged to be the dominant philosophic force in education (ushered in by Dewey; perverted by followers) included the idea that education is to center around the child’s immediate needs and should serve not to convey knowledge but to “reconstruct experience” (which, of course, Dewey was never really clear on what was meant). These ideas manifested themselves in various curricular theories, two of which Smith examines in some detail: education for life adjustment and education for social reconstruction.

Chapters II and III (Adjustment Replaces Education and Adjustment Replaces Education Continued) discuss and thoroughly document the rise of the “life adjustment” theory of curriculum through the public schools. As Smith explains, since the idea was that education should prepare students for life and that students learn best what is interesting to them at the time, students should learn less academics (language, mathematics, science) and more “applied” life skills (hygiene, socialization, gardening). Smith details several school districts and theorists of education’s attempts to do such thing as get rid of the requirement to learn grammar in school, in favor of learning reading and writing through only “real world” reading and writing tasks. (Sounds eerily like a precursor to the failed “whole language” approach to reading acquisition.)

Chapter IV (Educational Brainwashing, Democratic Style) demonstrates how pragmatism was also taken in another direction: the idea that curricula should focus on “social reconstruction.” Quite bluntly, this was the idea that schools should guide students and advocate for social virtues that educators felt promoted “social justice.” Rather than educate by relaying various points of view (and facts allowing individuals to arrive at their own points of view), schools needed to become mechanisms of social change. Smith even documents how many of the educators advocating this position drew their inspiration from the educational goals and methods of the Soviets.

What Smith istroubled by in both of these philosophies that were alive and well in the 40’s and 50’s – besides the obvious – is that they get away from what Smith sees as the fundamental goal of education: to introduce young minds to the facts and ideas that have come before so that they might take them into the world. The new theories were as anti-academic as they were indoctrinational:

[T]he controversy today is between those who continue to believe that the cultivation of intelligence, moral as well as intellectual, is inextricably bound up with the cultural heritage and accumulated knowledge of humankind, and those who feel that education’s primary task is to adjust the individual to the group to see that he learns to respond “satisfactorily” to the stresses and strains of the social order.” Ideally the tow tasks are not mutually exclusive but the advocates of the latter consistently deride the former, engaging in a vigorous anti-intellectualism and a belittling of, and contempt for, content in education.” (Smith 1954, PG20)

Another difficulty that Smith notes with both “life adjustment” and “social reconstruction” theory of education is that both are quite unegalitarian while professing to be egalitarian (or, if you like, undemocratic while purporting to be democratic). While education theorists at the time were crying for more egalitarian and democratic education, both of the theories that they were espousing attempted to steer individuals towards pre-determined ends, seeing students almost as tools to be manipulated. While both professed to be child-centered, both saw the child as something to be molded in a specific way, and while both philosophies professed to be liberating the child, they both stultified the child by treating her mind as a means to an end rather than an end in itself.

The rest of the book is devoted to decrying the ascendancy of an academic elite in education schools which bought and taught these anti-academic theories, a lament that is reminiscent of ED Hirsch’s current labeling of ed schools as a quite unanimous “thoughtworld.” Chapter V (“The Stranglehold of the Educationists”) examines how this ascendancy occurred and how it has been able to self-perpetuate even in the face of varied criticism. Chapter VI (“Putting Parents in Their Place, or, The Customer Is Always Wrong”) recounts the troubling way in which these educationists silence dissent. It is ironically noted that while the educationists mentioned in this chapter often push for “democratic schools,” they never fail to accuse the numerous parent groups who criticized their methods as having no rightful voice in education policy. The final chapter (“The Prospects Before Us”) take an optimistic view of the potential for bringing back schools’ primary purpose: the conveying of academic knowledge.

When one reads books on educational history, one tends to notice that things occur in cycles: educationists seize on each new idea (often a rehashing of old ideas), press it to the extreme, and, when it fails to produce the hoped for result, begin looking in the other direction, ad infinitum. It is difficult to say whether the re-academicizing of the public schools has occurred the way Smith so hoped in his final chapter. On the one hand, there has been a renewed emphasis on standards-based learning; on the other, those standards are often decried as watered-down.

Whatever has happened since, Smith has given us a very good document of the educational landscape in 1954. Progressive education was tried and it did fail. Anyone who cares to see that it is not tried again will want to read this book.

Bibliography

Smith, Mortimer. The Diminished Mind. Chicago, IL: The Henry Regnery Company, 1954.

[Via http://edphilosopher.wordpress.com]

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Book Review: I am Charlotte Simmons

2010-02-01T14:55:00.000+02:00

Just finished Tom Wolfe’s I am Charlotte Simmons, a disturbingly accurate depiction of modern American college life. The book is set in the fictional Ivy League University of Dupont, in Pennsylvania, and follows the first year of high school prodigy Charlotte Simmons. Charlotte, having won every award conceivable in high school, arrives at college with high expectations but finds herself overwhelmed by a world that cares more about social standing than academic achievement.

It is apparent that Wolfe did a lot of research for this book. His voice is clearly that of an adult looking in, but he captures the college-lingo perfectly. His depictions of how girls interact with one another in their unending quest for social status and boys is remarkably realistic. Frat boys and student-athletes come to life, and each of the four main characters has at least one thing we can all identify with. Their interactions all revolve around their relationship with Charlotte, who herself is undergoing a painful and eye-opening change in her values.

When Charlotte arrives at Dupont, she expects to fully immerse herself in the Life of the Mind, but quickly finds her academic success provides her with zero recognition and in fact compromises her social prospects, just as they did in high school. She is soon primed, through utter lack of real, fulfilling friendships, to undertake some pretty stupid risks to gain the attentions of some boys and thus status among her female friends. All the while, three boys, whose stories are intertwined in various ways, compete for her attention. There’s the geek, nerd, and dork, Adam, whose excessive concern and admiration for Charlotte prevent her from ever developing any real attraction towards him; Hoyt, the inconsiderate, vulgar, but irresistible frat boy; and Jojo, the rising star student-athlete whom Charlotte inspires to indulge his academic side to his own detriment.

One thing I was a little surprised by was that I am Charlotte Simmons turned out to be as much a commentary on male-female attraction and social dynamics as it did about college life. Probably college is the peak of this kind of competitive jockeying for position, when guys are constantly trying to establish themselves as dominant and girls are trying to establish their self-worth by attracting guys. Even Charlotte, whose mantra “I am Charlotte Simmons” was meant to hold her outside such petty concerns, eventually succumbs happily to a life in which worth and self-worth is determined by social approval and appearances.

The only problem I had with the book was that a lot of the ‘random encounters’ seems a little too convenient. The argument would be that the book just happened to be about the story that arose from these chance encounters; if the characters’ stories had not become intertwined as they did, no story worth writing would have arisen. To be fair, it made for an intricate, engaging plot, but I felt it was forced. Having gone to a relatively small school, and been at least as anti-social as Charlotte was, it was pushing my suspension of disbelief to accept so many conveniently placed accidental encounters among the characters. The college setting is so realistic while the plot is so dramatic, making these run-ins all the more noticeably convenient.

Wolfe’s mastery of language makes this book a pleasure to read just for the sake of following his prose and dialogue. He manages to poke fun at college slang in its excessiveness, while still bringing it across as realistic. His ability to get inside a character’s head is genius, and he does a great job of maintaining clarity as far as point-of-view is concerned. His descriptions are eloquent, capturing the feel and atmosphere of a place without weighing down the page with adjectives, and his characters seem very, disturbingly real in their aspirations, self-judgement, and human failings; when Charlotte neglects her academics, that thing that defined her as unique, in order to pursue a boy, we shake our heads, but we understand why she did it and how she got to that point.

Anyone who has gone to college will see a lot of their own experience in this book, whether good or bad. It will make you smile at yourself, nod knowingly, cringe in horrific anticipation, laugh at the freshmen antics knowing you yourself made the same naive mistakes. I am Charlotte Simmons is obviously not a real college story, but it takes everything about freshman college life, magnifies it about ten times, compresses it into one semester, and paints it in almost (but not quite) garishly bright colors. This exaggeration makes for a really enjoyable, really intense, trip back to whatever college campus you might happen to have come from and hopefully, like I did, you will gain some insight into your own college experience. I will definitely be reading more of Tom Wolfe’s works.

[Via http://khaledallen.wordpress.com]

Books, Inq. — The Epilogue: Very sad news ...

Big Reread Update

2010-02-01T02:26:00.000+02:00

I was a bad girl this week and I did not read any of my Reread Challenge books. This week I will definitely, definitely, definitely start on the Harry Potter books.

However, I did get through a Georgia Nicolson book (And Then He Ate my Boy Entrancers) and the newest Pretty Little Liars book, Heartless.

As far as teen mystery/suspense/thrillers go, I think the Pretty Little Liars series definitely surpasses the Private series. For one, PLL is a tad more realistic than Private. The Privateverse involves ridiculously exclusive, out-of-control parties and characters receiving death threats/getting murdered on a daily basis. The PLL-verse is a place you can envision yourself more easily in. The girls are being stalked and recovering from the death of their best friend…while trying to keep their grades up in AP Econ.

So I really did enjoy Heartless and it warmed ze cockles of my heart that some of the sadder loose ends were tied up (before becoming unraveled again in the end…The Hastings ignoring Spencer just gets to me). I loved the twists and turns it took and I never felt like the characters’ perspectives were whiny or boring (unlike Reed Brennan). It ended on a cliffy of course–every single chapter ends on a cliffy–and I’m a tad confused, but that’s typical. And now I’m dying for the next one to come out.

[Via http://findingmaddieland.wordpress.com]

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Book Reviews

2010-01-29T14:22:00.000+02:00

Now that I’ve got two kids reading, I’m always on the lookout for age-appropriate books that are also morally & spiritually appropriate.

I’ll tell you, it’s been a bit of a challenge.

I was happy to see that Focus on the Family has started to do some book reviews. There aren’t a ton of books reviewed on the website, but at least it’s a start.

Here is a link in case you’re interested!

http://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/protecting_your_family/book_reviews_for_parents.aspx

Happy reading!

[Via http://ledbytheshepherd.wordpress.com]

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The River and the Rain - The Lord's Prayer

2010-01-29T14:12:00.000+02:00

Name of Book: The River and the Rain – The Lord’s Prayer

Author: Bijou Le Tord

Illustrator: Bijou Le Tord

Publisher: Doubleday

Audience: Although this book is published for “all ages” and is one of Doubleday’s Books for Young Readers, I actually would not use this book with young children. I would give it a “PG-13” rating due to: 1) the difficulty that I believe young children would have in connecting the words to some of the pictures, 2) the fact that it is a paraphrase of the Lord’s Prayer, and 3) one illustration depicting a dead animal would possibly be disturbing to younger children (and I’m not sure how appropriate it is for this text in general). I would use this book with teens and adults.

Summary: This book is a paraphrase of the Lord’s Prayer that emphasizes stewardship of creation and awareness of environmental abuses inflicted by people.

Literary elements at work in the story: The genre is poetic prayer and the overriding theme is the environment and our relationship with God and creation. The setting is the Amazon rain forest (as depicted in the illustrations). The perspective is interesting as it incorporates both the familiar and the foreign. Since it is a prayer it is, at once, first person (we are also praying) and communal as the body of worshippers, and, in this book there is an additional dimension because it appears to also be more specifically the perspective of someone indigenous to the rain forest.

Perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/abilities:

By employing the perspective of the indigenous forest people, it is the native Indians, who are portrayed as stewards of the land and wildlife. The culture is tribal with the logger representing the “outside world” who brings destruction.

Scripture: Genesis 1: 26-30, Genesis 9: 9-10, 13, 16-17, Matthew 6: 9-15 (various translations would be helpful), Deut. 20: 19 (These passages were selected to follow the emphasis on the environment that this books espouses.)

Theology: We reflect God’s love and concern for all creation when we love and care for one another and for the plants and animals that are in our world. God provides all that we need for eternal life – the things we enjoy daily (like food, water, and shelter) are not the ultimate gifts but are a means for us to participate in the stewardship of the earth – through them we can, for example, show hospitality to one another and compassion for living things. This book would be particularly good to use in a study of environmental theology.

God’s love cannot be limited or stopped. Although we continue to do things that are wicked in the eyes of God, we can pray for God’s assistance and strength to help us in our disobedience. We are also accountable to one another in the things we do and say. As Christians we are to help one another learn and follow the ways of God.

While we await the coming of the Kingdom of God, we can embody the Kingdom in the here and now by living into the commandments of God and the teachings of Christ as we know them from scripture and by the illumination of the Holy Spirit. The Kingdom is not confined to the future, but can be experienced in Christ even now. The Kingdom is both as far as heaven and as close as our back yard.

Faith Talk Questions:

A. Questions on illustrations:

Where is God in these illustrations?
Why do you think the illustrator depicted “tempted/temptation” the way she did?
How would you “paint” temptation? Does it look the same to everyone?
Do the illustrations represent the words that go with them?
Do these illustrations make you think differently about the Lord’s Prayer?

B. Questions on Text:

Does the wording of this version of the Lord’s Prayer help you understand it differently than they way you learned it growing up? In what way?
Which word(s) stands out most to you?
How do you understand the words trespasses/debts/wicked ways? Which one do you think most fits this prayer?
Why do we pray for God to “let us not be tempted?”
Have you ever thought about what this prayer means to other cultures?
If you were paraphrasing the Lord’s Prayer for your school, how would it sound? What words would you use in your version of the prayer?

Review prepared by Nadine Ellsworth-Moran, MDiv/MACE, Entering cohort Fall 2004

[Via http://storypath.wordpress.com]

Sherlock Holmes 2 News - FilmoFilia

J.D.

2010-01-28T22:42:00.000+02:00

“One other thing. And that’s all. I promise you. But the thing is, you raved and you bitched when you came home about the stupidity of audiences. The goddam ‘unskilled laughter’ coming from the fifth row. And that’s right, that’s right–God knows it’s depressing. I’m not saying it isn’t. But that’s none of your business, really. That’s none of your business, Franny. An artist’s only concern is to shoot for some kind of perfection, and on his own terms, not anyone else’s. You have no right to think about those things, I swear to you. Not in any real sense, anyway. You know what I mean?”

…

For a fullish half minute or so, there were no other words, no further speech. Then: “I can’t talk any more, buddy.” The sound of a phone being replaced in its catch followed.

Franny took in her breath slightly but continued to hold the phone to her ear. A dial tone, of course, followed the formal break in the connection. She appeared to find it extraordinarily beautiful to listen to, rather as if it were the best possible substitute for the primordial silence itself. But she seemed to know, too, when to stop listening to it, as if all of what little or much wisdom there is in the world were suddenly hers. When she had replaced the phone, she seemed to know just what to do next, too. She cleared away the smoking things, then drew back the cotton bedspread from the bed she had been sitting on, took off her slippers, and got into the bed. For some minutes, before she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, she just lay quiet, smiling at the ceiling.

– J.D. Salinger, Franny and Zooey

[Via http://stephendodson.wordpress.com]

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Motion studies : Eadweard Muybridge and the technological wild west

2010-01-27T14:36:00.000+02:00

Motion studies : Eadweard Muybridge and the technological wild west London : Bloomsbury, 2003 Rebecca Solnit Chronophotography , History, Muybridge, Eadweard, 1830-1904 Hardcover. First edition and printing. 305 p. : ill. ; 25 cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. 271-293) and index. Clean, tight and strong binding with clean dust jacket. No highlighting, underlining or marginalia in text. VG/VG

In 1872 an Englishman photographed a running horse in California and succeeded for the first time in capturing an image of high-speed motion – the crucial breakthrough that eventually made movies possible. His patron, the philanthropist tycoon Leland Stanford, wanted to know if his trotter Occident ever lifted all four hooves at once – never suspecting what innovations Muybridge’s experiments would unleash. From Muybridge’s invention came Hollywood and from his patron Stanford’s sponsorship of technological research came Silicon Valley – two industries that have most powerfully shaped the modern world.

The story of Muybridge’s own life while he was making his motion studies is equally riveting. He became an internationally renowned inventor and photographer whose pictures of the war against the Modoc Indians and the monumental landscape of the American West have now become classics – and in a blaze of publicity, stood trial for the murder of his wife’s lover. Gripping and erudite, this is a fascinating biography of a true pioneer and the larger story of how time and space were revolutionised in the nineteenth century.

[Via http://oldsaltbooks.wordpress.com]

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Baseball is America: A Child of Baseball

2010-01-27T02:36:00.000+02:00

Victor Alexander Baltov Jr.

AuthorHouse, 2009

516 pages, Non-fiction/History/Politics

1 1/2 out of 5 stars

I love baseball. Have loved it my whole life. I was there when Kent Hrbek hit a grand slam in the 6th game of the 1987 World Series and I bit my nails all the way through the exciting 2009 post-season, which was preceded by an incredible one-game playoff between the Twins and the Tigers, forever dubbed in my home town by a simplistic and poetic moniker: Game 163. I also have a passion for political dialogue and love nothing more than an intelligent debate about elections, tracking polls and policy. I jumped at the opportunity to review a book by Victor Baltov’s that combined the two worlds and explained how one was the other. Baseball is America sounded like the perfect way to warm up for spring training.

I have not been this disappointed since Joe Nathan surrendered a ninth inning home run to Alex Rodriguez in Game 2 of the 2009 ALDS.

What could have been a provoking expose on the disappointment of baseball’s steroid era and its connection to America’s political landscape is instead nothing but a bitter, rambling journal overflowing with sarcastic and often mean-spirited hostility. It seems the author is trying to be funny and irreverent while showing off his intimate knowledge of baseball but it becomes a self-gratifying exercise. As if he’s writing in a diary, not to educate but to feed his own ego. This book is for people who are both die-hard baseball fans and far-right ideologues. If you meet both requirements then this book is filled with home runs but Baltov’s audience is limited to people who are exactly like him. Why do we need almost 500 pages? He could have done all this with a blog, which is probably a better option for material of this type.

His chief hypothesis, that a liberal, secular culture is responsible for introducing, sustaining and celebrating the use of steroids in baseball is never supported with any facts or data, and the connections he draws between liberalism and baseball’s steroid era are tenuous at best. His argument is more wishful thinking than scientific theory.

Writes Baltov on the steroid era: “The over-medicated, gadget addicted, sensory-deprived American fan base, indoctrinated into political correctness, metaphorically void of pitch recognition and unable to identify the curveball or change-up, is apathetic to the entire fix and continues to celebrate a crime that is immoral.” Hey baseball fans – this is you he’s talking about!

Where does he get off insinuating that baseball fans are not completely outraged at the steroid era? Head over to the fan forums at mlb.com and see if you can find a single person who applauds the use of steroids. You can’t find them. Everyone agrees that steroids nearly ruined baseball. This is not a political issue any more than the use of cocaine in the worldplace, or domestic violence, or drunk driving. We all agree that these things are wrong.

The structure is poorly organized and nothing seems to follow what came before it. The thoughts are not presented in any coherent fashion, it’s just non-stop raving. Here’s an example. After a prolonged exposition on the flaws of Communist Russia, he says this: “Rasputin, the Mad Monk or Black Monk, who was thought to have special healing powers, especially with respect to the tsar’s son, who was suffering from hemophilia, was really just another pervert trying to live the ‘seventy-two virgin’ life he imagined without the encumbrance of a suicide bombing act.”

What does this have to do with baseball or America??!! I found myself asking this question throughout the book.

When he moves away from ranting about Russia and sticks to baseball the book becomes more personal, except that he constantly insults baseball fans, and as a result, his readers. He refers to the current generation of baseball fans as “a generation of secular, unprincipled addicts packaged under a politically correct feel-good label of being a ‘forgiving people.’” For a man who repeatedly flaunts his devotion to God, one wonders what problem he has with a nation of forgiving people?

For some reason, he talks about Orthodox Christianity and says 1917 was the year that it was “out with the old and in with the new for the most Orthodox Christian country in the world after the fall of the Holy Roman Empire at Constantinople in AD 1453.” The Holy Roman Empire was a country? And how holy were they, really? On the very same page he accuses Senator Al Franken of Minnesota of committing voter fraud but gives no evidence. None.

He constantly refers to Barack Obama as the Black Lenin who is degrading the red, white and blue of America. Fair, but back it up with some examples please. Help us connect the dots, otherwise you come off as a nothing more than a narrow-minded ideologue. Taking swipes at the left every chance he gets, he often invents those chances from thin air, causing the book to read like a rant at times, like a diary or memoir at others. With plenty of red meat for conservatives, there is no much on the plate that you won’t know if your rare steak came from a cow or a horse.

He even goes so far as to trash the Boy Scouts and compare them to a pro-Communist youth organization while touting their godlessness, when every Boy Scout states during the Boy Scout Oath that they will “do my duty to God and my country.” I was a Boy Scout. I went to scout camp many times. We prayed before every single meal.

Seeing the world through the lens of baseball the author weaves baseball jargon into everyday life, equating elementary school grades to innings (4th grade = the 4th inning), sins to errors, good deeds to hits, the crucifixion of Christ to a sacrifice bunt, and death to the post season. But he takes off on wild, undisciplined tangents hopping from his uncle to Joseph Stalin to the Iliad to the Dead Sea scrolls, all in the same paragraph, never tying any of it together. The tone settles during the second half but that becomes nothing but a very detailed and very wordy account of his amateur baseball career – nearly every game of it – and contains the consistent theme that Baltov could have been one of America’s greatest athletes, if not for our country’s secular, liberal sports culture.

This book about baseball reminds me not of The Unforgettable Season but of Mein Kampf: a disorganized collection of incoherent ideological rambling with plenty of typos (since you asked, on p. 3 & p.14, just to name two). At time Baltov’s opinionated and staunchly-political ravings are so intense that I wonder if this is what Hitler would have written had he been born a baseball fan with broadband access. Baltov compares Soviets troops surrendering to Nazis in World War II to Americans voting for Barack Obama.

One thing that will really bug a lot of people, no matter your political stripes: the author almost refuses to name pro baseball players by their real names, relying almost completely on nicknames. You can mention that Ty Cobb was the Georgia Peach and then refer to him as the Georgia Peach for the rest of the story but the author does not do this. Instead we have a hodgepodge of nicknames like Hammerin’ Hank, Bucketfoot Al, Goose, and Black Mike that would have sent me online to look them up if only there weren’t so many of them. I stopped caring pretty quickly. When he rattles off four or five nicknames in one sentence without any context he’s either showing off or assuming incorrectly that his audience knows who these people are. It gets old. Fast. Take this: “The hometown Reds were a hitting machine on the Senior Circuit, leading the league in six offense categories led by Susan Derringer’s future Hall of Fame grandfather, 48-Ounce Edd.” Does he expect you to know who these people are? When we don’t know who he’s talking about we don’t know what he’s talking about.

For a guy who openly deplores the secular, liberal powerbase of American pop culture (read: Hollywood) he sure does consume a lot of their product. He constantly trashes the liberal media and the destructive culture of Hollywood yet he frequently drops enduring movie references that show he has appreciated, even cherished, his time spent before the screen. It’s an absurd duality. Baltov shows a clear love for a medium he abhors. It’s like watching a chocolate addict bemoan the evils The Hershey Company while buying a case of Milk Duds with a handful of dollars bills glazed with chocolate fingerprints .

The book contains an almost fatal flaw: there are blank pages with missing text. How could a colossal error like this ever get though?? We’re not talking about one missing page, which would be colossal in itself, but several blank pages. Chapter 12 ends in mid-sentence on p.187 with p. 188 left completely blank. The next two pages have photographs followed by a pair of blank pages. The missing text never appears. This continues into Chapter 13 which starts on p. 193 but ps. 194, 195, 197, 200, 201, 203, 206, 207 and 209 are completely blank. The pages filling the gaps contain text, but only in portions, leaving an incoherent Swiss cheese chapter. This holey practice continues into Chapter 14 but there is no need to break it down. You get the idea.

I hope this book is sent back to the printer before it hits the mass market because this crucial error destroys all credibility.

If you want a great book about baseball and American history you probably can’t do much better than Cait Murphy’s Crazy ’08, an amazing history of the 1908 baseball season. Yogi Berra said “It ain’t over till it’s over” and in the case of Baseball is America, I couldn’t wait until the final out of the ninth inning.

Strengths: a very strong point of view that never backs down, and an informed sense of baseball history

Opportunities: way too long, rambling, contains several major formatting errors

Will alienate: just about every baseball fan, anyone who does not regularly attend Sunday Mass in a Catholic church, and anyone who has ever voted for a Democrat, especially Obama

Baseball is America: A Child of Baseball is available on amazon.

Reviewed by Mark McGinty, January 2010

[Via http://theboogle.wordpress.com]

Google News Blog: Google News Comes Back For More

Book Review: What Zadie Smith’s new essay collection tells us about the art of story-telling

2010-01-27T02:19:00.000+02:00

Changing My Mind by Zadie Smith is sort of like when Columbia Records packages a mix of Bob Dylan demos, previously unreleased songs, covers from concerts, or songs from soundtracks and/or benefit albums. You end up buying it (or illegally downloading it) because you’re a completist, but the demos are so-so and it really just makes you wish he’d go ahead and make another album.

These essays are good, though scattered from topics that range from Liberia to Grizzly Man, from David Foster Wallace to Audrey Hepburn. She is dead serious when contrasting Netherland with Remainder, and lethally comic when dismantling Date Movie (“it’s the laughter of monkeys as they fall out of trees”).

Scattered throughout are her observations about what makes good art, and in particular good story-telling, whether in the novels she reviews in section one or the movies in section three or in the stories she tells about her family. Always she’s able to cross the line, though, and pull out truths from real life stories and made-up stories, to show us which works of art, like bootlegged Dylan shows, are worth checking out.

In her assessment of EM Forster’s radio show transcripts, she explains two camps of fiction. “Realists defend realism and experimentalists defend experimentalism; those who write simple sentences defend concision, and those who are fond of their adjectives claim the lyrical as the highest value in literature.” Later she knocks Netherland for its faux realism in a heady essay that favors Remainder’s reality, but she consistently bashes adjectives in several of her essays. It’s worth noting that she liked Forster’s approach: “he could sit in his own literary corner without claiming its superiority to any other.”

Smith has this quality. She writes simply but swerves into weighty critical analysis and meta-narrative as it suits her.

II.

There is the travel essay “One Week in Liberia”, where she tells a country’s troubled history freshly and concisely, and more importantly, with movement and urgency (her histories of Hebpurn, Garbo, and her father’s war experience are similar). She connects past and present through the essay’s structure and through her story-telling.

Then she gives a more metaphorical travel essay “Ten Notes on Oscar Weekend.” Here she brings Hollywood to life and the dreams it promises and the things a place and certain (intentionally) un-named people come to represent. It’s an essay that winks, while the Liberia essay brings tears.

III.

For my money the film reviews are the real gold here, the “Red River Shore” from Dylan’s Tell-Tale Signs. Here she lays waste to bad film-making, from heavy-handed producing to poor ethnic casting, from dead dialogue to heartless story-telling. Smith is a fair judge, admitting changes in her perceptions of films and acknowledging adolescent-like awe though her mind tells her she shouldn’t. The writing is crisp and funny, much looser than so much of her more academically-inclined efforts. There is more David Foster Wallace here—a toughness in language and a mischievousness that eludes some of the essays (including her own analysis of Wallace, despite her attempts to emulate his footnote wizardry).

The most dour portions of the book are actually when she describes her own writing, specifically in “That Crafty Feeling.” She confesses to having never read White Teeth, her first book many consider a masterpiece. She read ten sentences “before I was overwhelmed with nausea.” After reading two-thirds of On Beauty, she felt “the nausea; as usual, the feeling of fraudulence; and the too-late desire to wield the red pen all over the place.” It’s tough to hear someone like Smith complain about her own writing. It’s like when someone with a two million dollar home says things like, “My house is just a mess.”

It would be easy to go backwards and critique Smith’s own fiction based on some of what she writes in these essays, but that’s sort of like using Dylan’s memoir Chronicles to understand Blood on the Tracks (referenced in “Smith Family Christmas”). She’s doing something different here, something uncollected that gives a good taste of her writing style and of her critical leanings. And like Dylan, she rewards with repeated listening.

Texts of Zadie Smith essays in Changing My Mind

Dead Man Laughing text
EM Forster, Middle Manager text
Speaking in Tongues text
Two Directions for the Novel text

Reviews of Changing My Mind

NPR
Guardian
Village Voice
LA Times
NYT
Slate
Newsweek
Boston Globe
Entertainment Weekly

[Via http://dustyhum.wordpress.com]

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Nothing Right

2010-01-25T13:55:00.000+02:00

Nelson, Antonya. Nothing Right: short stories. New York: Bloomsbury, 2009.

Antonya Nelson’s humor comes at you in a slow and subtle way, almost like a Mona Lisa sly smirk. The entire collection of short stories is what a peepshow is to an adolescent boy; the reader is allowed in the living rooms and lives of the characters for only so long before the curtain is dropped and the scene goes dark. Nothing Right leaves you wanting more and always asking, “what happened next?” The perfect hook for a sequel. The one drawback to leaving so much to the imagination? The characters didn’t stay long enough for me to truly garner an interest in them personally. I wanted to know what happened next in terms of plot but not character. All of the stories circle around family dynamics; the good, the bad and most certainly, the ugly.

“Nothing Right” (title story) starts tongue-in-cheek although the reader is yet to see the irony. Hannah stares at brochures about taking care of babies while her own baby, 15 year old trouble-maker Leo, sees the district attorney about a bomb threat he made at school. Hannah’s troubles only deepen when Leo goes on to father a child…
“Party of One” is a rather bizarre story about a woman trying to convince a married man to end his affair…with her sister.
“Obo” bothered me the most. I didn’t understand Abby at all. A pathological liar, she convinces her professor to take her to his wife’s family home for Christmas; all because she has fallen in love with the professor’s wife.
“Falsetto” – Michelle tries to cope with her parents’s devastating car accident while caring for her much younger brother and simultaneously re-evaluating her perfect relationship with her boyfriend.
“Kansas” is about a family’s drama when 17 year-old niece Kay-Kay disappears with her three year-old cousin.
“Biodegradable” is about a married woman who has an affair with a scientist.
“DWI” is about a married woman who loses her lover in a drunk-driving accident.
“Shauntrelle” is about a married woman who admits to an affair thinking her lover will be happy with taking her in. She is wrong and loses both men.
“Or Else” is about a man who misses the life he had with his childhood friend’s family so much that he pretends he is still part of their lives.
“We and They” is about a family in competition with their neighbors until they adopt a child who sides with the enemy.
People People” is about two sisters who couldn’t be any more different from one another.

[Via http://gr4c5.wordpress.com]

Weekly International Travel News Roundup | Peter Greenberg Worldwide

What is it About Middle Earth?

2010-01-25T02:23:00.000+02:00

Right now, among all my many other projects, I am making my sixth pilgrimage through Middle Earth. Some of you, I’m sure, are wondering why I would read through the nearly 1,500 pages of the Lord of the Rings trilogy when there are three very good movies that cover the same material. And others are asking why the Sam Hill I’d do it six times! My simple answer is that I love this story. But what is it about this tale that brings me back again and again?

I confess I first picked up the books ten years ago out of mere curiosity. I had read that they were numbered high among the 100 greatest works of the 20th century. And I recalled a friend who in junior high told me they were his favorite story; a dumb jock sort that I didn’t know could read at all. Taken together, I had to see what LOR was all about, and I was amazed by what I found.

As a writer, the mere scope of the story astounds me. Tokien created an entire, detailed world that his characters traverse in a year-long quest to defeat Lord Sauron, the Great Evil who has bent all his malice on dominating and destroying it. Breathtaking mountains; wild, rocky wastelands; stinking bogs; grassy plains; dark, murky forests; and majestic rivers, all graced with such unforgettable names as Moria, Brandywine, Caradhras and the Falls of Ruros.

Then Tolkien fills his land with marvelous civilizations, each with a culture – even languages! – of their own. Dwarves, stout-hearted, faithful, and ever-wooed by treasure. Elves, the never-dying, with their long memories, merry songs and their wisdom. Men, easily corrupted, but in whose hands the fate of Middle Earth now lies. And hobbits, the little people content to eat six meals a day and smoke tobacco, caring little what goes on beyond the boundaries of the Shire, until the Ring of Power accidentally (or perhaps not so accidentally) comes to them. And to complete this sense of reality, Tolkien gives his land a history, with tales, legends, ruins, prophecies, and the memories of those who settled the land thousands of year in the past.

And I must consider the characters themselves. Who can ever forget Gandalf, the hot-tempered, long-seeing, affectionate wizard sent to earth for this very purpose? And the four young hobbits who would rather go home, but who play out their roles out to the bitter end? And what about Eowyn, the beautiful, sober, stout-hearted princess of Rohan who has her own important part to play? And who can help but admire Aragorn, exiled heir to Gondor’s throne with his strength, his leadership, his purpose, and his lingering insecurity that he might prove as unworthy as his ancestor?

And can I mention the poetry with which Tolkien writes? To me, the author’s prose is hardly the least of the books attractions. Consider these words of Gandalf: “Faint to my ears came the gathered rumour of all lands: the springing and the dying, the song and the weeping, and the slow everlasting groan of overburdened stone.” I’d like to write like that!

So why do I read the trilogy again and again? Maybe it’s the long shot, the chance in a million that Frodo can actually destroy the ring and save Middle Earth. Perhaps it’s the unfailing courage of the nine companions in the face of utter hopelessness. Maybe it’s the fight between obvious good vs. evil forces, the sacrifice of the companions, the overpowering emotions, the sweet victory, or the knowledge that every step of this epic adventure was meant to be, preordered by a higher, all-powerful Good, and worked according to a plan.

Or perhaps in this colony of the imagination I see much that is true and admirable and rare in our own world, and so it is to Middle Earth that I turn, again and again and again.

[Via http://shellsstory.wordpress.com]

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"The Good Guy" by Dean Koontz

2010-01-25T02:14:00.000+02:00

The Good Guy

by Dean Koontz

Book Description:

Timothy Carrier, having a beer after work at his friend’s tavern, enjoys drawing eccentric customers into amusing conversations. But the jittery man who sits next to him tonight has mistaken Tim for someone very different—and passes to him a manila envelope full of cash.

“Ten thousand now. You get the rest when she’s gone.”

The stranger walks out, leaving a photo of the pretty woman marked for death, and her address. But things are about to get worse. In minutes another stranger sits next to Tim. This one is a cold-blooded killer who believes Tim is the man who has hired him.

Thinking fast, Tim says, “I’ve had a change of heart. You get ten thousand—for doing nothing. Call it a no-kill fee.” He keeps the photo and gives the money to the hired killer. And when Tim secretly follows the man out of the tavern, he gets a further shock: the hired killer is a cop.

Suddenly, Tim Carrier, an ordinary guy, is at the center of a mystery of extraordinary proportions, the one man who can save an innocent life and stop a killer far more powerful than any cop…and as relentless as evil incarnate. But first Tim must discover within himself the capacity for selflessness, endurance, and courage that can turn even an ordinary man into a hero, inner resources that will transform his idea of who he is and what it takes to be The Good Guy.

Chapter One Excerpt

My Review: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

All I can say is Wow. Dean Koontz has done it again. An ordinary guy is in a bar. A man mistakes him for a hitman. Then the real hitman shows up. Does this “good guy” have what it takes to be a hero and save the day? This is classic Dean Koontz. An ordinary guy in extordinary circumstances is tested to the limits. Plot twists and turns will keep you on the edge of your seat to the very end. Nobody does it better than Dean Koontz.

[Via http://wordsharpeners.wordpress.com]

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The Elephanta Suite by Paul Theroux

2010-01-22T14:48:00.000+02:00

The Elephanta Suite was this week’s read. It’s a book of three novellas, each presenting an aspect of Indian culture, exposing the differences in shattering light. Half-way through the first story, Monkey Hill, I noted: “the narrowing cave of consciousness” and that “I was quite board with the story. This 50-ish year old rich couple, on vacation at an Indian ayervedic spa, are just plain dull…or realistic perhaps.” I was about to jump to the next novella, but I read on…and did not stop until I finished, to an end that sent chills through me, to an end one would suspect, but not see coming. In a word: brilliant. (I have to summon more patience; I’ve been reading too much teen fiction.)

The second story, The Gateway to India, the longest of the three, was compelling as well. A 40-ish lawyer escapes a failed marriage and divorce by taking an outsourcing job in India, where he is dazzled by young girls who offer services for money. This other life he hides from his associates. “He was a man who had discovered sex in India and thought it was magic. But it was an illusion, the consequences of his having power and money in a land of desperation. Sex was a good thing, because it had an end, and when his desire died he saw he’d been a fool.” I tried to like this guy, but failed miserably (a bit like my feelings for Humbert Humbert in Lolita, I grew disgusted with the him and these naked girls giving him blow-jobs…and patting himself on his back for “rescuing them” with is money.)

The last story is called The Elephant God. We meet the young woman Alice, who is traveling in the ‘wonderland’ of India, donning a sizable backpack and a smile. After her traveling companion abandons her for a guy, a blatant break in the promise that they made in their own travel contract, Alice finds herself at the Ashram on her itinerary. On a walk outside the gates she befriends a kept elephant in a courtyard and visits the docile memory-filled creature regularly with gifts of carrots or cashews. But when a tragic event befalls Alice, she butts heads with the Indian culture and justice system in which “denial” plays a big part in–a part which Alice cannot win. Instead, she seeks her own justice without remorse…surpising this reader once again.

This is the first book by Paul Theroux that I’ve read. He is an evocative writer of furious, thought-provoking, and disturbing prose. Looking forward to one called Blinding Light in the future. A writer sets out in the Ecuador jungle in search of a hallucinogenic drug in the hopes of curing his writer’s block. Mmmmmm….

[Via http://thewitcontinuum.wordpress.com]

ABC-Australia to launch 24-hour news channel

What I've Been Reading

2010-01-22T02:52:00.000+02:00

White Teeth, by Zadie Smith. It’s hard to come into a book like White Teeth without any expectations. As the rookie-year novel of such a well-known writer as Smith, one tends to hear a lot of good things. She didn’t disappoint. White Teeth is a period-jumping novel dealing with a handful of themes: the weighty ambivalence of the immigrant; the conflicts of identity in their second-generation and mixed-race children; life-long friendship; war; the burden of history; the social costs of religious zealotry.
Slouching Towards Bethlehem, by Joan Didion. Didion’s Year of Magical Thinking was one of the most memorable nonfiction books on life I’ve read, which inspired me to pick up her collection of her essays written almost 40 years earlier. She seems to pop up on a lot of lists of the best essays of all time. My favorite one is the title piece about San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury in the summer of 1967, and she describes the young culture and their grandiose but fuzzy mantras: “They feed back exactly what is given to them. Because they do not believe in words… their only proficient vocabulary is in the society’s platitudes. As it happens I am still committed to the idea that the ability to think for one’s self depends upon one’s mastery of the language.” Sloppy language reflects sloppy thinking.
A Heart So White, by Javier Marías. Marías, a talented story teller with a controlled yet lyrical voice (stoically poetic?), derives his title from a line in Macbeth that Lady Macbeth says to her husband after he’s killed Duncan, a murder she’s persuaded him to do. “
My hands are of your color, but I shame to wear a heart so white.” It’s a great novel and deals with the elusiveness and weight of past deeds and secrets, as well as language and conversation.
Black Swan, by Nassim Taleb. I love Nassim Taleb. I read Fooled By Randomness a few years ago, and both books strongly shaped my thinking about statistics and finance. His main idea is that “experts” try to predict highly complex future events (like the direction of the stock market) using the same tools used to calculate simple events (like the outcomes of 10,000 blackjack games), leading to massive overconfidence and massively wrong predictions. We live in a primitive era of statistics: Basically, the only tool we currently have to predict the distribution of future events is the Gaussian bell curve, which is like trying to build a house with only a hammer. There’s been movement towards using fractals, notably by Benoit Mandelbrot, but to me, this seems like we’ve just added a flathead screwdriver to our tool belt. Taleb’s point is that we shouldn’t fool ourselves into thinking we can predict the future; we don’t have the tools yet.
Superfreaknomics, by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. I love these guys. They get a little pooh-poohed by mainstream economists for being overly simplistic and focusing on trite issues, but I believe they are pushing economics in the right direction. Economics is not just about the exchange of money for goods and services; it’s the patterns of human behavior and coordination that drive those transactions. Taking the rigor of economics to nontraditional fields, i.e. other types of human interactions, is absolutely germane. It’s also really entertaining.
How to Be Alone, by Jonathan Franzen. I hate this title. But I liked the book. While slightly awkward reading in public when (umm) alone, Franzen’s essays are a pleasure to read. He’s at his best when discussing fiction and personal history. I excerpted one of my favorite parts in a previous post.
Mr. Market Miscalculates, by James Grant. Grant has become one of my favorite writers on finance, a topic that doesn’t exactly draw the most thoughtful wordsmiths. Reading him in real-time requires a $1,000 subscription to his newsletter. The books retails for a lot less and compiles his best pieces from the past decade. Enjoyable and educational, but it doesn’t read like a book with a singular theme or like a current newsletter with relevant perspectives. It reads like reading old newsletters.

[Via http://stephendodson.wordpress.com]

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Favorite books - 2009

2010-01-22T02:51:00.000+02:00

For the past few years, I’ve made one New Year’s resolution: Read 52 books this year. I was successful at it for a couple of years but the last two? Not so much. Anyway, I did read 25 books last year, which isn’t so bad. Here’s my top 10:

An Edible History of Humanity by Tom Standage – You get to eat, be very grateful. It doesn’t taste like crap. We have it easy.
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – The first in a post-apocalyptic young adult fiction trilogy. Bloody but amazing. Give a copy to your favorite Libertarian.
Marley and Me by John Grogan – Deciding to love a dog is knowing someday your heart will break.
I Love You, Miss Huddleston: And Other Inappropriate Longings of My Indiana Childhood by Philip Gulley – Silly stories about growing up, written by a Quaker minister. Hilarious, read when you are in the bed with the flu, it will cheer you up.
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins – The second in a post-apocalyptic young adult fiction trilogy. Bloody but amazing. Give a copy to your favorite Libertarian. I’m anxiously awaiting the third book.
New Moon by Stephenie Meyer – The second in the Twilight Saga. I think that Bella and Edward are two of the most annoying characters ever. I want to slap them both but mysteriously I really liked this book, probably because Edward was absent for half of it.
Holy Fools by Joanne Harris – She is one of my favorite authors, she also wrote Chocolat. Excellent as always.
Locked Rooms by Laurie R. King – From the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series. Some period fiction is awful but King spent her time in the library to make it good. Also, Sherlock Holmes! I love that dude! If you start the series read the first, The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, first.
The Language of Bees by Laurie R King – Another from the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series. Like all of them, it is a great combo of action and interesting characters.
It Sucked and Then I Cried: How I Had a Baby, a Breakdown, and a Much Needed Margarita by Heather B. Armstrong – This book definitely has some rough patches but it made me laugh out loud a lot so onto the list it goes! You should read it for her definition of marriage alone, which somehow involves demolishing mailboxes with baseball bats.

And you? What were the best books you read last year?

[Via http://asclepias.wordpress.com]

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Civil War Stories

2010-01-20T14:44:00.000+02:00

Civil War Stories

by Ambrose Bierce

Dover Thrift Editions

128 pages

Ambrose Bierce was a young man during the American Civil War, and enlisted in fighting for the Federal forces, with whom he participated in many bloody battles. These experiences likely went a large way to forming the cynical and jaded views he carried through the rest of his life, and he came to be known by the nickname ‘Bitter Bierce’.

The 16 stories in this collection are mostly of the sort that occupy a middle ground between truth and fiction – they’re based on the author’s first-hand experience, but shaped and fleshed-out to fit the needs and duties of art.

Thoughts on some of the stories: “What I saw at Shiloh” begins the collection off with a very vivid description of troops maneuvering and engaging the enemy on the battlefield. “Four Days in Dixie” follows the story of some northern soldiers who sneak over to the other side to spy, and then have trouble making their way back. “A Horseman in the Sky” not only contains the vivid imagery of the title, but introduces a theme that gets repeated in many of the other stories, where a soldier finds himself fighting and killing his closest relatives. The famous “An Occurance at Owl Creek Bridge” is here too, which touches on the slightly fantastic, a world that Bierce would explore in some of his stories collected elsewhere. The last story, “The Mocking-bird”, ends things off with some very poetic imagery of dreams and nature.

Ambrose Bierce, born 1842, disappeared in Mexico in 1914

Bierce is an excellent prose writer, bringing the reader into the story by relating things in a matter-of-fact tone. The main weakness of this collection is that some of the plots and events do repeat themselves from story to story. Also, occasionally I felt hindered by my lack of knowledge of both Civil War history and military terminology. On the whole, I think I prefer Bierce’s supernatural stories.

[Via http://wtiw.wordpress.com]

App news & reviews: Trapster, Observation, Foto Brisko and more

Exploring the Neural Correlates of Wu-Wei.

2010-01-20T01:55:00.000+02:00

Effortless Action: Wu-wei as Conceptual Metaphor and Spiritual Ideal in Early China

By Edward Slingerland

New York: Oxford University Press. 2003.

If the Tao is all around us in the natural world, what does it actually do? In the monotheistic worldview, it’s all rather straightforward. We have a command-and-control God who gets things going in the universe with direct, purposive action. God said, “Let there be light!”… and there was light. But early Chinese thought had no conception of a creator God. There was the Tao, a “whirling emptiness” which was nevertheless “the ancestor of the ten thousand things.” In stark contrast to God’s purposeful command, the Tao offers us the paradox of wu-wei: “Act by no-action, Then nothing is not in order.”[1]

Classical Chinese scholar, Edward Slingerland, translates wu-wei as “effortless action” and describes how this metaphor served “as a central spiritual ideal” of the great early Chinese philosophers. Along with such great Chinese scholars as Joseph Needham and Benjamin Schwartz, Slingerland believes that the simple translation of wu-wei as “non-action” is inadequate to describe the concept. Schwartz had previously suggested “non-purposive action or behavior”[2] and Needham offered: “‘refraining from activity contrary to Nature’, i.e. from insisting on going against the grain of things, from trying to make materials perform functions for which they are unsuitable.”[3] Slingerland’s “effortless action” seems consistent with these interpretations, but shifts the attention a little more to the dynamics within an individual consciousness rather than, for example, Needham’s focus on mankind’s relationship with the natural world.

This shift in focus leads Slingerland to identify what he sees as a crucial paradox in East Asian thought centered on the wu-wei concept, one that extended over more than a thousand years, through the development of Ch’an (Zen) Buddhism and into Neo-Confucian debates of the Song Dynasty. The paradox goes like this. The great Taoist works, such as the Laozi (Tao Te Ching) or the Zhuangzi (Chuang-tzu), advocate a wu-wei approach to the world, with the Laozi’s view of ideal human nature as a natural uncarved piece of wood, and the Zhuangzi’s memorable descriptions of butchers, cicada-catchers and swimmers so involved in what they’re doing that they lose their self-consciousness, becoming one with their activity. But if wu-wei is so “natural,” then how did we humans ever lose it, and how can we get back to that state without going against the very nature of wu-wei? Here’s how Slingerland summarizes it:

If, in fact, we are naturally good in a ‘so-of-itself,’ no-effort fashion, why are we not good already? If the Laozian soteriological[4] path is so effortless and spontaneous, why do we have to be told to pursue it? … Laozi urges us to behaviorally ‘do wu-wei’ and to cognitively ‘grasp oneness,’ while at the same time he systematically condemns doing and grasping… The fact that we are not already … open to the Way means that we need to somehow render ourselves receptive, and Zhuangzi is thus forced to supplement his effortlessness and unself-consciousness metaphors with references to hard work and training…

Slingerland examines each of the great early Chinese philosophers from this perspective, pulling open the text to expose the underlying paradox. In what was for me a particularly enlightening section, he demonstrates the conceptual relationship between the Confucian philosophy of Mencius and the Taoism of Laozi, showing how Mencius’ favorite agricultural metaphor transforms the Laozian sense of wu-wei as “pristine nature” into an agricultural vision of wu-wei as “appropriate cultivation.”

Slingerland concludes that “the paradox of wu-wei is a genuine paradox and that any ‘solution’ to the problem it presents will therefore necessarily be plagued by superficial and structural difficulties.” While I agree with his view of the centrality of the wu-wei paradox in traditional Chinese thought, I believe it may be possible to make some headway in this paradox by applying recent findings in neuroscience to a cognitive view of human development, and considering the notion of wu-wei in terms of what I call “democracy of consciousness.”

In another blog, The Tyranny of the Prefrontal Cortex, I’ve argued that the symbolizing and conceptual functions mediated by the prefrontal cortex (pfc) have led to a “tyranny” of those capabilities over other aspects of human consciousness. This view can be seen as a modern formulation of the Taoist narrative of the loss of our original state of nature, that primordial time when “in the Age of Perfect Te, men lived in common with birds and beasts, and were on terms of equality with all creatures, as forming one family.”[5] Under this approach, the Laozian view that:

From knowing to not knowing, This is superior. From not knowing to knowing, This is sickness.[6]

may be seen as a repudiation of pfc-mediated forms of symbolic and conceptual cognition (which I’ve termed “conceptual consciousness”) and an idealization of what I call “animate consciousness”, the pre-symbolic form of consciousness that we share with other animals. Similarly, the rise of the “tyranny of the pfc” that I’ve traced through agriculture, monotheist dualism and the scientific revolution, could be paraphrased in these lines from the Laozi:

Therefore when Tao is lost, then there is te. When te is lost, then there is jen (humanity). When jen is lost, then there is i (righteousness). When i is lost, then there is li (propriety).[7]

The trappings of culture, the forces of technology, cumulatively come to dominate mankind’s original animate consciousness, imposing a different kind of conceptualized order on society and in each of our minds.

However, my approach differs from Laozi in that it’s clear that there’s “no going home.” Even if, according to some romantics, the hunter-gatherer way of life was superior to ours in many ways, that’s now irrelevant. We live in an age when both the positive and negative effects of our pfc-dominated culture pervade every aspect of our existence. The way forward, then, is for us to achieve a “democracy of consciousness” by regaining a harmony between our animate and conceptual consciousness.

This is where my approach meets Slingerland’s “paradox of wu-wei.” When Zhuangzi describes the perfect harmony of the cicada-catcher or Butcher Ding, I believe he’s capturing moments of “democracy of consciousness”, when the functions of the pfc are perfectly aligned with those of our animate consciousness. Slingerland points out the paradox here that Butcher Ding “apparently had to train for years and pass through several levels of attainment before he was finally able to follow his spiritual desires.” I agree. But modern neuroscience shows us that this paradox is encapsulated in the biology of our brains. When you are learning a new routine, whether it’s driving, playing music, or walking into a restaurant, your pfc is fully engaged. You are attentive to every move you make, thinking about it, making an effort, measuring it against pre-conceived rules of conduct. Your self-awareness is at its height. Wu-wei is nowhere to be found.

However, when you have mastered your activity, your pfc takes a back seat, only intervening if something unexpected occurs. A recent neuroimaging study observes that, as familiarity with a particular activity increases, the pre-motor cortex begins to take over from the pfc:

Evidence suggests that the PFC is more critical for new learning than for familiar routines… Human imaging studies report a decrease in blood flow to the PFC as a task become more familiar and greater blood flow to the dorsal premotor cortex (PMC) than the PFC when subjects are performing familiar versus novel tasks. Also, with increasing task familiarity, there is a relative shift in blood flow from areas associated with focal attention, such as the PFC, to motor regions. Therefore, it may be that the PFC is primarily involved in new learning, but with familiarity, rules become more strongly established in motor system structures.[8]

I suggest that this study, and others like it, may be describing the neural correlates of Zhuangzi’s wu-wei. Another recent study examines the neural activity predominant in meditation conducted by novices and those at more advanced stages of practice. Again, in early stages, a practitioner requires greater mental effort to direct his/her wandering thoughts, which “requires strong executive function and capacity that heavily involves the PFC.” At intermediate stages, the anterior cingulate cortex (a brain area involved in self-regulation) “maintain[s] the balance of cognitive control and autonomic activity.” For an advanced practitioner, however, an effortless state of wu-wei is achieved. Here’s how it’s described:

In later meditation stages, the practitioner does not need strong effort and uses only effortless experience to maintain the meditative state. When deeply in this state, practitioners totally forget the body, the self and the environment. In this stage, the ANS [autonomic nervous system] is in control…[9]

I would propose that the “effortless experience” described here is the same wu-wei state as Slingerland’s “effortless action”. Finally, in what is perhaps the most enlightening recent study on the subject, an analysis of the neural correlates of jazz improvisation shows a shift towards wu-wei in the cognitive experience of jazz musicians – what I view as a harmonization of animate and conceptual consciousness. The study notes a deactivation of the lateral pfc regions that “are thought to provide a cognitive framework within which goal-directed behaviors are consciously monitored, evaluated and corrected” and which are active “during effortful problem-solving, conscious self-monitoring and focused attention.” The authors of the study describe their findings in terms which, again, echo Slingerland’s “effortless action”:

Whereas activation of the lateral regions appears to support self-monitoring and focused attention, deactivation may be associated with defocused, free-floating attention that permits spontaneous unplanned associations, and sudden insights or realizations. The idea that spontaneous composition relies to some degree on intuition, the ‘‘ability to arrive at a solution without reasoning’’, may be consistent with the dissociated pattern of prefrontal activity we observed. That is, creative intuition may operate when an attenuated DLPFC [dorsolateral prefrontal cortex] no longer regulates the contents of consciousness.[10]

The subjects of this study were “highly skilled professional jazz musicians”. We can imagine, based on the earlier studies mentioned, that novice jazz musicians would have shown much greater pfc-activation along with their greater effort.

Based on these analyses, I suggest that we can usefully correlate different levels of pfc-activation to different aspects of wu-wei that Slingerland identifies in Laozi, Mencius and Zhuangzi.

The Laozian wu-wei correlates with what I call animate consciousness, equivalent to the pre-symbolic kind perception experienced by an infant. In a grown person, our experiences are mediated by the pfc so automatically that it’s difficult to discern this pre-symbolic moment of awareness, but experienced practitioners of meditation can describe it. Here is a description of that pre-symbolic, pre-pfc moment by a renowned Buddhist meditation teacher:

When you first become aware of something, there is a fleeting instant of pure awareness just before you conceptualize the thing, before you identify it. That is a state of awareness. Ordinarily, this state is short-lived… It takes place just before you start thinking about it – before your mind says, ‘Oh, it’s a dog.’ That flowing, soft-focused moment of pure awareness is mindfulness. In that brief flashing mind-moment you experience a thing as an un-thing. You experience a softly flowing moment of pure experience that is interlocked with the rest of reality, not separate from it…[11]

By contrast, as Slingerland points out, the Mencian view of wu-wei involves “appropriate” human cultivation of experience. In this view, the pfc’s functions of identifying, establishing rules, and promoting appropriate action are considered part of the natural, wu-wei human experience. Just as it’s “natural” for an infant to spend their first two and a half years formulating the symbolic pfc-mediated network required to understand native language, so the Mencian view would place the societal manifestations of this function – language, community, agriculture – as wu-wei, the effortless activity of a mature human consciousness.

The Mencian view, though, describes another ideal context – that of a stable agricultural society where man and nature co-exist in harmony – which is almost as far removed from our world as the Laozian “state of nature.” To use the Mencius agricultural harvest metaphor, mankind has been tugging on the naturally growing shoots for so long that we’re in danger of pulling up the entire plant from the ground, having to replace it with our own genetically engineered variety.

I suggest that the Zhuangzian approach to wu-wei, in contrast to both Laozi and Mencius, describes a path that’s directly relevant to our individual and societal conditions in the 21st century. Rather than reject the pfc’s involvement in human experience, the Zhuangzian approach, supported by the neuroimaging findings above, advocates the full utilization of pfc functions – willpower, application, attention – to arrive at a stage where the pfc can take a back seat, and a harmonization of consciousness becomes available. This dynamic can be extended beyond the specific aspects of life analyzed in the neuroimaging studies to all aspects of our lives, indeed to the general way we choose to lead our lives.

From this viewpoint, Slingerland’s original “wu-wei paradox” doesn’t go away, but it’s transformed into a descriptor of the pfc’s dynamics within our consciousness: We can use the very power of our pfc functions – self-awareness, goal identification, willpower – to reduce the pfc’s “tyranny” over the other aspects of our consciousness. I think this may be what Zhuangzi means when he says “Words are for holding ideas, but when one has got the idea, one need no longer think about the words.”[12]

It might take a great effort to get there, but by utilizing rather than rejecting our unique pfc-mediated functions, we each have the capability within us to arrive at a place of wu-wei, to shift the balance of power within our own minds and achieve our own democracy of consciousness.

[1] Chen, E. M. (1989). The Tao Te Ching: A New Translation with Commentary, St. Paul, Minnesota: Paragon House. TTC 3 & 4, pp. 58, 60.

[2] Schwartz, B. I. (1985). The World of Thought in Ancient China, Cambridge, MA: Belknap Harvard University Press, 188.

[3] Needham, J. (1956/1972). Science and Civilisation in China, Volume II. London: Cambridge University Press.

[4] “Soteriology” generally refers to the religious study of salvation.

[5] Cited by Chen, E. M. (1973). “The Meaning of Te in the Tao Te Ching: An Examination of the Concept of Nature in Chinese Taoism.” Philosophy East and West, 23(4), 457-470.

[6] Chen, E. M. (1989). The Tao Te Ching: A New Translation with Commentary, op. cit. 215: TTC 71

[7] Chen, op. cit. 146: TTC 38.

[8] Muhammad, R., Wallis, J. D., and Miller, E. K. (2006). “A Comparison of Abstract Rules in the Prefrontal Cortex, Premotor Cortex, Inferior Temporal Cortex, and Striatum.” Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 974-989.

[9] Tang, Y.-Y., and Posner, M. I. (2009). “Attention training and attention state training.” Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 13(5: May 2009).

[10] Limb, C. J., and Braun, A. R. (2008). “Neural Substrates of Spontaneous Musical Performance: An fMRI Study of Jazz Improvisation.” PLoS ONE, 3(2: February 2008), e1679.

[11] Gunaratana, V. H. (1991). Mindfulness in Plain English, Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications.

[12] Quoted by Fung, Y.-L. (1948/1976). A Short History of Chinese Philosophy: A Systematic Account of Chinese Thought From Its Origins to the Present Day, New York: The Free Press.

[Via http://liology.wordpress.com]

Fox News: “Confirmed. Apple Tablet, iPhone 4.0 Software and New ...

How to Grow a Backbone: 10 Strategies for Gaining Power and Influence at Work

2010-01-20T01:09:00.000+02:00

“If you can’t decide what you think, you’ll be at the mercy of others who can. That’s why people with backbone run things and people without complain” (167).

10 Strategies discussed in the book:

1. Get the Big Picture

2. Turn Meetings into Discovery Sessions

3. Become a Jotter

4. Get Eyes Wise

5. Expand and Contract: Your Thinking Must Change

6. Associate on Purpose

7. Play Columbo

8. Determine the Power Sources

9. Lose the Excuses

10. Decide What You Think and Say So

The Pros. The really nice thing about this book is the Introduction, because Marshall did a great job defining backbone, as she calls it “Backbone Basics.” The three major parts of the type of backbone to be discussed throughout the book was covered in the “Backbone Anatomy” section—competence, confidence, and risk taking. I would say the introduction was the most informative part of the book. The book was easy to read and well-organized; each strategy is divided into chapters and each chapters had sub-topics. What she had to said came through and the message was direct. The language was also simple and conversational.

There are also illustrations at the beginning of each chapter, where the man in the suit is doing something relevant to the strategy to be discussed. At the end of each chapter was a section called “Backbone-Building Exercises” where exercises for competence, confidence, and risk taking are based on the chapter. I also liked the quotes she used throughout the book. There weren’t a lot to cause a distraction but enough to keep the mind thinking and inspired; it created a nice break in between the reading.

The Cons. Although the stories she used were true and can be helpful, I found that the book could have been better if some of the stories were shorter. There were times I found some stories as unnecessary because it made her point harder to understand and made the reading a bit draggy. I ended up just skipping some and skimming through most. I also didn’t really understand Chapter 7: Play Columbo. Maybe because I don’t know who Columbo is *shrugs* but I spent a lot of time trying to understand her reasoning behind this chapter.

This wasn’t a book I would say, “It kept my nose in the book the whole time.” I would have liked to see more of managements’ point of view on what they see as desirable and what catches their attention about an employee.

Overall Comments. I wouldn’t discourage anyone from reading this book because there are still a lot of useful tips and information about each strategy. Marshall did a great job on stating who has a backbone and who doesn’t and how to identify them; you’ll notice this throughout the book. I appreciated the constant comparison because it made me reflect on my own habits and behaviors. I also do agree that we all need a firm backbone to gain power and be an influence where ever we are. Having a backbone will lead you to great opportunities instead of missing out and always complaining. The overall message: It starts with you.

Rating. 3.5/5 – This wouldn’t be a book I would rush to get but I will eventually add it to my collection.

**************************************************

For information of who Susan Marshall is check out this link: Susan Marshall: Google Profile (It turns out she lives in Wisconsin too and has been a guest lecturer at Alverno College! What are the odds eh…)

Works Cited.

Marshall, Susan. How to Grow a Backbone: 10 Strategies for Gaining Power and Influence at Work. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2000. Print.

[Via http://meexio.wordpress.com]

News Corp.'s HarperCollins And Apple? | paidContent

A Weekend of Differences

2010-01-18T13:49:00.000+02:00

Dear God. Has Dmitri come to this? When one of his prized possessions is a smoothie maker, and he’s even cooking from recipe books on a Sunday, has the mean-sprited, moaning, lazy good-for-nothing changed from that person they knew years ago? Probably. Hell, he even went to a West End Musical called Legally Blonde – and enjoyed it!!!

This is the sort of man who goes out to Asda on a Saturday night to bulk buy his dog’s food for the next six months. This is a man who buys frozen fruit and is alwys on the look out for new offers to make up his smoothies. This is a man who wonders if his dish is going to suffer because he replaced a dash of ginger with a dash of paprika. This is a man who now marinades his food for 24 hours, and loves home-baked bread. This is a man eschewing crisps, refusing alcohol and turning down requests to go to McDonalds. This is a man who wants to walk home from work, again!

I’ve gone odd.

Anyway, for those wondering what I cooked – I bet you don’t care really – it was this. I can report that the verdict from the beloved was that the sauce was delicious – and it was – but the chicken was a bit dry but not my fault – which it was and it was because I left it in the pan too long. However added to my performance the preceding week with this recipe where the chicken was moist, the sauce excellent, and the beloved delighted, I am now getting into this Sunday cooking lark and I am on the lookout for next week’s instalment. Who’d have thought it? A Dmitri Cookery Column.

Other news of life and stuff. I watched the first ever A-Team the other day (suppress your questions of why, I just did) and wondered who on earth it was playing Face? It appears his name is Tim Dunigan and he now works as a mortgage broker. Dirk Benedict came along later. All good fun… I picked up the DVD for the first series some months back for a couple of quid, so that’s why. I have Series 2 of The Wire, Series 1 of Homicide Life on the Streets, and innumerable sports stuff to watch, so plenty to be getting on with.

I’ve also reconnected with one of my school loves – no not some bird, as Dmitri went to an all boys school which introduced girls to the Sixth Form as some sort of strange social experiment to test out us strange people who thought all girls were evil, or some such thing. No, I mean history. I was good at it. I won the School Prize for best at history and promptly spent the book tokens on Garfield books! Just before Christmas Amazon were offering the Simon Schama History of Britain DVDs at a relatively lower price, so I bought them and have watched up to the death of Henry VIII (We have a mate at work, we should call him Henry IV, because he’s had three wives, so he’s half the man the old Henry was). I’m really interested in the medieval times, and since then have bought books on Edward I and Edward III, and also went to one of those awful cheapo stores and got a couple of Kings and Queens guides just to get myself back into it. Along with the 20 other new books I have, I doubt I’ll need any more to keep me going for a while.

Currently reading Frost / Nixon. I’ll go into that a bit more when I’ve finished it. Then I’ll watch the film (I still have the Anthony Hopkins film to watch too). People may know I’m fascinated by Nixon; much more than I am about JFK, or Barack Obama…. how could a man judged so unfavourably in hindsight (a) be president; and (b) win how he did in 1972? Watergate has always been an interest and I love All The President’s Men, the film that got me started. Frost’s attitude to Nixon now is very interesting, as is the book.

Finally, WindyBricks gave me the moment of the season so far, when DelBoy’s Irish relly equalised 20 seconds after the Sailors from the Solent had scored what looked like the winner deep in injury time. The manager of the Sailors, one Alan Absolutely Raped, is not one of my favourite characters for reasons I won’t go into now, except for the fact he’s a gobby prick. His face when the equaliser went in was a picture. An absolute picture. His notebook, which he ostentatiously made copious notes on during the game, went into orbit. His face was chewed up as if he’d eaten a dog turd. And all the while, I laughed, very loudly, at him. If ever a manager deserved that….

More later…..

[Via http://sevenandseven.wordpress.com]

First Lady's Surprise Birthday Bash - Political Punch

Nonfiction: Reference

2010-01-18T02:22:00.000+02:00

The Book of General Ignorance by John Lloyd and John Mitchinson

Basically, this should have been called QI: The Book. It’s a book filled with questions that you think you know the answers to. And if you’ve seen all the episodes of QI (as I have!), you actually will know most, if not all of the answers. If you haven’t, then there is much knowledge to be imparted!

I think my favorite is the question about what noise the world’s largest frog makes. The answer is that it doesn’t make any noise since it’s mute. But, and this is where the book is at its most fun, do you know why, when asked what noise a frog makes, we all say ribbit, ribbit? It’s because that’s the noise made by the type of frog that lives in Hollywood and is part of their stock noise library (it probably has a more official name than that, but Josephine is sitting on my lap and I would have to make her get up to be able to reach the book and actually look it up) and, therefore, is used whenever they are filming in a jungle or swamp, &c, no matter where the film is actually set. Neat, huh?

The book is written with the same airy tone that the show has which means you’re only vaguely aware that you’re learning – the best way of doing it, if you ask me!

My rating: B+ (And I hope it goes without saying that you should all be watching QI [Stephen Fry is a god!])

[Via http://myblankpage.wordpress.com]

Breaking news: Bears DE Adams dies - Big Blue View

Book Review: In defense of John Irving

2010-01-18T02:01:00.000+02:00

The epigram from John Irving’s new novel, Last Night in Twisted River, is from the Bob Dylan song “Tangled Up in Blue.” It’s a short snippet that references working as a cook in the great north woods until one day “the ax just fell.” That establishes the premise of the novel: Dominic “Cookie” Baciagalupo has to flee his job as a cook when his son inadvertently mistakes his Indian lover for a bear and clubs her with a skillet. Since she is seeing the town sheriff, Cookie believes the only option is to run.

It is typical Irving: far-fetched and fun, complicated and epic.

While the book shares the premise with the Dylan song, it more closely shares the song’s structure as a series of events that get shuffled chronologically as though past, present, and future occur simultaneously. At one point it’s described in the novel this way: “the near simultaneity of connected but dissimilar momentous events—these are what move a story forward.”

This is Irving’s great feat with Twisted River as he explores time through the lens of parenting. The novel truly focuses on Cookie’s son, though at points three generations of Baciagalupo men co-exist. It spans 1954-2005 ranging from New Hampshire and Boston to Toronto, familiar locations for Irving fans.

But not everyone is a fan of Irving’s not-so-subtle references to his life or to his novels (Danny writes a political abortion book that wins an Academy Award for its film adaptation, a la Cider House Rules).

At The Washington Post, author Ron Charles (in an article titled “Timber! went the plot”) laments Irving’s unevenness: “Everything that makes John Irving such a wonderful writer is on display in the opening section of his 12th novel, Last Night in Twisted River. And everything that makes him such a maddening one is evident in the 450 rambling pages that follow. It’s like signing on for a week’s vacation after a great first date only to discover that now you’re trapped in a small hotel room. For. Seven. Long. Days.” Charles charges that all of the autobiographical allusions in this novel “serve as shorthand for real storytelling.” Charles concludes, “Last Night in Twisted River is like some kind of postmodern tragedy: Danny Baciagalupo’s marvelous novel is smothered inside John Irving’s dull one.”

New York Times reviewer Joanna Scott agrees. She writes, “The coy hints of connections between the author and the narrator have been forced onto a plot that can’t accommodate them.” She also tackles Irving’s willingness to write about fiction. “The fact that Danny is a famous novelist too often seems a mere contrivance, giving Irving a convenient opportunity to include rambling background information and to air his own ideas about writing. In his bid to make something ‘serious,’ Irving has risked distracting readers from what otherwise could be a moving, cohesive story.”

But Charles and Scott miss Irving’s intent. It’s not a stab at postmodern meta-narrative (Irving is more traditional and, like Danny, believes in plot). It’s also not true that making Danny a writer precludes him from saying something serious. While it’s true that Danny gives his views, the serious views about the times really come from Ketchum—he is Danny’s moral compass. Irving did this in A Prayer for Owen Meany as well, allowing John Wheelright to wax eloquent from afar about politics while Owen Meany actually lives out the implications of the thoughts. For Scott to charge that Twisted River isn’t moving clearly overlooks Irving’s most thoughtful theme: the dangers of becoming a parent.

III

When the cook tells Danny, “If becoming a parent doesn’t make you responsible, nothing will,” it’s clear that something transcends writing in Danny’s life. Like a writer he has experienced the joy of creation, but as a parent he must protect that creation. No amount of plotting can save his son, and this lesson continuously breaks his heart.

When trying to impart an irrational but not entirely unbelievable fear to Joe, Danny teaches him that “the blue Mustang wants you—that’s why you’ve got to be careful.” It’s the limitation of real life balanced against the power of imagination, and Danny’s imagination was carved by his father, who taught him that it was “a world of accidents.”

As a writer one of Danny Angel’s mantras is that “So-called real people are never as complete as wholly imagined characters.” Irving seems interested in this idea, that fiction is able to deliver truth in ways that reality is only able to hint at, that “real-life stories were never whole, never complete in the ways that novels could be.”

Irving includes some other nuggets about writing and the writing process as well:

“Maybe this moment of speechlessness helped to make Daniel Baciagalupo become a writer. All those moments when you know you should speak, but you can’t think of what to say—as a writer , you can never give enough attention to those moments” (128).
He pays homage to the Romantics of which he is a descendent. “They wrote long, complicated sentences; Hawthorne and Melville had liked semicolons.” And Irving loves italics.
Drake: “I’m into writing, not rewriting. I only like the creative part.”

Danny: “But rewriting is writing. Sometimes, rewriting is the most creative part.”
“Was Danny superstitious? (Most writers who believe in plot are.)”

Though people like to compare Irving and Dickens (and Irving likes to encourage the comparison) and at one point Irving even has Danny sneer at critics’ praise of symbolism, Irving is able to do it the right way. He doesn’t inject objects to carry the story or overburden the narrative with the weight of some abstract gymnastics. Instead, he allows the objects (like the skillet, the blue Mustang, or the wind-swept pine) to function first and take meaning later, only after the characters themselves attach meaning within their lives. In other words, the symbolism comes from within the narrative rather than existing outside of it or hovering over it. He did this in A Prayer for Owen Meany (the foul ball, the armadillo, etc.) and I think perhaps most hauntingly in A Widow for One Year in the descriptions of the absence pictures on the wall.

At a time when the literati demand psychological or lyrical realism, what to make of a big-hearted, epic book about plot? Look at the past few Pulitzer Prize winners. Olive Kitteridge is a collection of stories. The Road is a work of psychological realism. March and Gilead were hardly about plot as much as the interior lives of the characters. While The Known World was plotted, the plot fell into the background of the author’s larger intentions to explore a time and a place. Really Irving is most like Michael Chabon in his willingness to tackle big stories. And Chabon won the Pulitzer before September 11.

LA Times reviewer Daniel Mallory said, “Irving’s first novel to reconfigure those Irving-esque devices — the doomed naif, the artist in bloom, the sweet, bitter tug-of-war between duty and destiny — into a tale as introspective as it is retrospective. It’s simultaneously every story he’s ever published and something altogether new.”

Irving’s comedy—though it’s more subtle and less zany than The Hotel New Hampshire, Ketchum’s dog does still fart and the scene with Lady Sky landing at the artist’s party in the pig sty is as good as Irving gets.

In closing, you read Irving for plot and character, and he offers one of his finest in the character of Ketchum. The old logger haunts the book in a larger-than-life way. He slept with Danny’s mom, he plays guardian angel once Danny and Cookie flee, he calls throughout the novel, he drives with a bear he shot in his passenger seat, and he’s always armed. As he ages, his moral dilemma becomes clear and poignant, and it’s in characters like Ketchum that Irving ultimately rewards his readers.

[Via http://dustyhum.wordpress.com]

Buy the Rumor Sell the News

Jubilee

2010-01-15T14:20:00.000+02:00

Name of Book: Jubilee

Author: Ellen Yeomans

Illustrator: Tim Ladwig

Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

Audience: Can be used with all ages

Summary: Jubilee paints a beautiful picture, through words and illustrations, of what Heaven will be like, but also speaks to the glory of the Kingdom of God and our need to strive for justice, equality, and joy (jubilee) here on earth. In this story, all people are equal and live in joyous celebration of the wonder of God’s creations.

Literary elements at work in the story: If you could imagine a picture-perfect day, not too hot and not too cold, where the grass is green and the sky is blue, and you are surrounded by beautiful trees, that would be the image Ladwig has captured in his illustrations in Jubilee. In this picture book, the words are poetic and take on a rhythm or song-like quality as soon as you start reading, with each section ending in the word “jubilee”. There is not a story or plot per se…the reader simply gets a glimpse of a world through the eyes of an observer, where people of all ages, races, genders, ethnicities, and interests, live together in harmony and rejoice in the splendor of their blessings and their surroundings.

Perspective on gender/race/culture/economic/ability: Jubilee celebrates equality and social justice (like the Year of Jubilee found in the Old Testament). Every person, no matter his age, race, gender, economic status, ability, etc. is valued and loved. All are happy to see one another as together they celebrate the glory of God’s kingdom.

Scripture: Leviticus 25:10b , Numbers 36:4, 1 Peter 4:10

Theology: The Jubilee represents a return to the concept of equality before God. In the Old Testament, the year of Jubilee was a reaction against oppression and poverty based on the idea that the land is from God and must be restored. The Jubilee year was intended to be a joyous celebration of the sovereignty of God in which God’s people were emancipated and lived as partners for social justice. This book represents this joyous celebration through beautiful words and illustrations.

Faith Talk Questions:

Look closely at the pictures. What do you see people doing?
How are the people in this book treating the earth God has created?
When you look at these pictures, how do they make you feel? Do they remind you of how we tend to interact with others and enjoy God’s creations? How is the “real world” similar to these pictures? How is it different?
Do you think human beings have trouble treating each other as equals? Why?
At the end of the story, you are invited to join them…to “come along”. What can you do everyday to create “jubilee”?

Review prepared by Erin Mills, MACE, Entering cohort Fall 2007

[Via http://storypath.wordpress.com]

The Blue Screen - NY Daily News

Author Steve Hamilton Appearing at Troy Barnes and Noble

2010-01-15T02:50:00.000+02:00

Born and raised in Detroit and a graduate of the University of Michigan, author Steve Hamilton is well known for his Alex McKnight series, particularly A Cold Day in Paradise (Michigan,that is) which snagged both an Edgar and Shamus Award.

It appears, however, that Mr. Hamilton is branching out with a new piece of work. His site states that his latest book The Lock Artist, “…steps away from his Edgar Award-winning Alex McKnight series to introduce a unique new character unlike anyone you’ve ever seen in the world of crime fiction.”

Whether you are new to Steve Hamilton’s work or have been with him from the beginning, you can catch him up close and personal at the Barnes and Noble store in Troy on Friday, January 15, 2010 from 5-7 pm. As always, call first to confirm.

*Support your local bookstores. It matters!

-Post by Megan Shaffer

For More on Steve Hamilton:

The Lock Artist Q&A with author Steve Hamilton

[Via http://nightlightrevue.wordpress.com]

Jokes About Sarah Palin's FOX News Gig

me on book reviews

2010-01-15T02:27:00.000+02:00

With the whole book fuzz that I’ve been in since last year, I started experimenting different ways to improve my reading skill and experience. One of the things that helped me was taking books to the office and give it quick lookups between a reboot and a rebuild. Other was setting time aside from my common schedule just to focus on the book. After some try and error I got a few techniques in place that make me feel more productive on the matter. One of them is book review.

I have done very little publicly on it though. A quick look on my goodreads.com account will show a few short reviews that are much more general comments than anything close to a review of the book, the writing and the content. But I definitely want to do more, and that’s the point where I’ll get to soon.

It’s not entirely new for me. I’ve done formal book reviews once for Paula Mastroberti, a Brazilian author that wrote and illustrated fantastic books that were a re-read of great classics of literature like Goethe’s Fausto, Homero’s Odissey and Cervante’s Quixote. In her version of the stories, the plot would roll in our modern times and all the different characters would be adapted to meet all their madness and tragedy within our day-to-day lives. Fausto became a sold-soul rockstar, while Quixote was turned into a suburb hero – succumbed by his madness wearing brighty and shiny 80’s disco clothes. Fun indeed.

It was a long time ago, but as you can see, I liked reading before I started working.

The exercise of writing book reviews is a good way to keep memory in shape and making sure you squeeze the most out of the book content. It’s even better for non-literature books, like the technical and conceptual books about programming and economics, as we recap the content and reinforce the lessons and concepts learned. Also, it’s very good to develop writing skills as well, and for a non-native English speaker like me, it’s something.

My deal is the following, as I set the goal to provide whatever kind of content here for my own pleasure and fun, and as I want to make sure I enjoyed and payed attention to all my books details, I’ll start posting more about the books and giving them a post-mortem review after reading it.

At some point I’ll start using only the goodreads.com service to do so, and will pull them here through theyre fine API, which I’ve been playing a bit for a few days.

Be in peace amd correct my typos!

[Via http://rafaelbandeira3.wordpress.com]

The Daily Politics - NY Daily News

Give a Goat

2010-01-13T14:16:00.000+02:00

Name of Book: Give a Goat

Author: Jan West Schrock

Illustrator: Aileen Darragh

Publisher: Tilbury House Publishers

Audience: Ages 7 – 10

Summary: A fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Rowell reads her class the story of Beatrice’s Goat on a rainy school day. The true story is about a girl in Africa who could not go to school because her family did not have the money to send her. Her family is given a goat from the Heifer International Program. The presence of the goat in their lives begins a chain of events that allows the family to grow and prosper so that Beatrice can attend school. The fifth grade class takes on the project of raising money to buy a goat for a poverty stricken family in Africa. The story details their efforts.

Literary elements at work in the story: The theme of working together and giving to others to truly make a difference in one small corner of the world is the primary literary element in this story.

Perspective on gender/race/culture/economic ability: Economic perspective is highlighted in this story. The story within this story about Beatrice illustrates the reality of poverty that families living in third world countries face each day and the fact that many children in these places do not have the luxury of attending school as contrasted with all that is available to children in school here in the United States so that they can learn.

Scripture: Acts 20:35, Matthew 6:2, 2 Corinthians 9:7-9

Theology:

We are God’s chosen people and are called to go into the world as missionaries.
Belonging to the church means belonging to a community of people who serve God in their communities and in the world.
God’s action of grace towards God’s people makes possible our action to serve God by giving to others.

Faith Talk Questions:

How does the story of Beatrice’s Goat inspire the 5th grade children?
What happens when people work together?
What steps do the children take in order for their plan to succeed?
What can we learn when we give a gift, such as a goat, to others?
What could our Sunday school class or church do to help someone else?
How does giving to others show the love of Jesus?
What kind of attitude do we need to have when it comes to giving?

Review prepared by Marcia Rauch, MACE, Entering cohort Fall 2006

[Via http://storypath.wordpress.com]

Biggest news at CES: 152-inch Panasonic plasma | DVICE

Leaving a Legacy

2010-01-13T02:11:00.000+02:00

by Keith Dinnel

December was an extremely busy month around the Greer household, as I’m sure it was for most everyone. I was somewhat worried that I wouldn’t get around to reading anything new to write about, what with all the chaos and so little free time.

That’s when it hit me that I had a book that I was working through right under my nose! I had been tasked with reading a book called Letters From Dad written by Greg Vaughn. Greg Vaughn is a two-time Emmy award-winning film producer and his work has been used in more than 40,000 schools and libraries. He also finds the time to work with over 85,000 churches. Wow! Talk about multi-tasking! Letters From Dad is more than just a book that I’ve been reading. A couple of months back my friend J.R. Harris told me about an exciting endeavor he was working on bringing to the Grace Lutheran church here in Lake Benton. This endeavor would require a group of dedicated men to meet once a month for approximately a five month period, and learn to share a whole new side of ourselves with our loved ones, with each other and with society in general. I eagerly signed up! This group would individually be reading the book Letters From Dad, and in a sense this book would be our study guide to the adventure that we had each committed ourselves to. I won’t say anything else about this group of wonderful men that I am privileged to be a part of, because our meetings are still ongoing and I don’t want to give away what it is that we are working on quite yet! Letters From Dad was born when author Greg Vaughn’s father passed away. As he was going through his garage he came upon his father’s rusty old fishing tackle box. This was the only item belonging to his father that Greg had inherited when his father passed. Angry with his father, with himself and even with God because this was all that he had to remember his dad by, Greg was about to toss the rusty old box in the garbage when the voice of God posed to Greg a question: “If you were to die today, what would your children hold in their hands that would let them know that they were the treasures of your life?” From that moment on, Greg became a man on a mission! He called up twelve friends of his who happened to also be fathers, and proposed the idea to them of a journey that they would take together! A journey where these men would come together and learn how to bless their children! One key component of this journey would be resurrecting the near-lost art of letter writing! In today’s world it seems that e-mail has taken over and has become so much more convenient than actually writing a letter to someone. Heck, look at how huge texting someone from your phone rather than actually calling them has gotten! I am a fan of the old school, and the prospect of getting back to the roots of writing appeals to me in a large way. I don’t consider myself a great writer, or even a good one for that matter, so the prospect of learning to write a “better letter”, if you will, holds such fascination for me. I will leave it at that as far as the content of the rest of Greg’s book. It’s not that the subject matter isn’t worthy or engrossing, because it is! I just feel that anyone interested in learning the outcome of Greg’s ideas and the direction that they take would do better by picking up Letters From Dad and finding out for themselves! I hope that possibly some men that happen to be reading this article discover a yearning in their heart to find out how to truly bless their loved ones, and their curiosity is peaked to the extent that they want to find out more about this book and it’s purpose.

My plan is to donate my copy of Letters From Dad to the Lake Benton Library when I am done using it for reference, in the hopes that others may find it useful and benefit from it’s inspiring and positive message.

In the meantime, if anyone has any questions as to how to find out more about the Letters From Dad men’s group, please feel free to contact J.R. Harris or myself. We are still on our own paths and still learning this as we go along, but I know that we would be happy to share with you what we have discovered so far! Thanks everyone!

[Via http://lbfriends.wordpress.com]

The Big Picture » Blog Archive » All news is good news for stocks

"In a way you'll live forever."

2010-01-11T14:50:00.000+02:00

“But I know who the real hero is, and it isn’t me or even the brave Lanaya. It’s an old man with a white beard and a walking stick and a heart so big it won’t let him stop thinking he can change the world by writing things down in a book that no one will ever read.”

-Rodman Philbrick, The Last Book in the Universe

* * *

In this dystopian novel, books no longer exist. No one reads. No one remembers what life was like before the Big Shake that destroyed civilization. One old man named Ryter is writing the last book in the universe, recording memories from his ancestors and a record of life as it exists now.

Spaz, the protagonist, lives in what’s called a “latch,” a sort of chaotic community run by a latchboss. He needs help getting back to the latch where he once lived, where his adopted sister Bean is dying of leukemia because the cure has been lost. Ryter insists that he go with Spaz, to record this last adventure before he dies.

Other characters in this story are “proovs,” genetically improved people. They’ve been programmed to resist diseases and cancer, so they have no need of chemotherapy that can cure Bean’s disease. Spaz meets a proov named Lanaya, and the three of them fight off gangs of evil people to get to Bean. All the while, Ryter spouts poetry and discusses events that took place before the Big Shake, drilling into Spaz the importance of keeping a written record, of writing down one’s story.

A beautiful moment happens toward the end of the story. Bean asks Ryter why he constantly makes references to being old and dying. Ryter worries that he won’t have time to finish his book. Bean’s response reveals that she understands the importance of story: ”"But would it ever really be finished?’ she asks. ‘I thought the book was your life, and it would only end when your life ends. Except it won’t really end, because people will read it and remember, so in a way you’ll live forever.’”

This book is a dystopian novel, set in a chaotic world. It’s not as dark as many other dystopian novels I’ve read, making it suitable for younger readers. Just as with other dystopian stories, Philbrick has established a jargon for his world. Fortunately, this jargon either explained or easy to figure out.

It’s really a great story. Ryter quotes Frost and Yeats, which had me cheering internally as I read. He’s a great character, wise and intelligent and courageous, inspiring Spaz to be more than just a slave to the latchboss and to fight for the things that are right and good. This is a re-read for me, but it’s definitely one I would go back to again and again.

[Via http://hcgambrell.wordpress.com]

AMERICAblog News: Rudy Giuliani is the energizer bunny of liars

Book Review: Think Outside The Box Office

2010-01-11T02:31:00.001+02:00

The successes of low-budget independent films at Sundance like Slacker, Clerks, and El Mariachi in the early 1990s created the myth of the independent film “discovery”, a myth that continues to pervade to this day. For this year’s festival, Sundance recieved 9,816 submissions (113 were eventually picked), even as studios have pulled out of the specialty business.

Last year, three movies got picked up at Sundance. In other words, having your movie at a major festival is no longer a guarantee to secure distribution, nor was it ever, really. Even the movies I mentioned in the first paragraph had much more complicated backstories that one might believe.

Although always a firm believer in the DIY aesthetic, Jon Reiss always preferred to leave the distribution to others. His previous documentary, Better Living Through Circuitry, was handled by the small distributor 7th Art, and at the time of its release, benefitted from the electronic musicians profiled in the film: The Crystal Method, Roni Size, Moby, and BT. (As Reiss explains in the book there were two other movies in release at the time, and all the releases complimented one another.) When it came to debut Bomb It at Tribeca in 2007, Reiss believed that Bomb It would follow the same pattern. Except that it didn’t.

Reiss did everything that every filmmaker is expected to get their movie out there. Reiss saved the world premiere for an acquistion-friendly festival, got a sales agent, a well-connected publicist, and held off on circulating DVDs of any kind. In one aspect, this paid off–2,500 people attended the screenings, and 800 were turned away. However, this failed to materialize in an acquisition. Within a week, Bomb It was available on Canal Street as a bootleg. Reiss decided to take distribution into his own hands, and eventually landed a DVD deal with New Video. He documented his self-distribution experience for Filmmaker magazine, which in turn led to the writing and publication of this book.

Think Outside The Box Office examines a number of ways of distributing the movie–DIY Theatrical, Video On Demand, The Festival Circuit, the college circuit, the educational market–and considers all of these methods equally valid. Reiss realizes that what worked for Bomb It won’t work for every movie. To fill out his book, Reiss interviewed several other indie film figures, including Matt Dentler, Joe Swanberg, Todd Sklar, Mariana Palka, and Chris Hyams among others.

Anyone who is serious about surviving in the contemporary independent film world needs to read this book.

[Via http://erinswoodstockmovie.wordpress.com]

iPhone News Apps Compared | Online Journalism Blog

Needful Things

2010-01-11T02:31:00.000+02:00

My mother was always an avid Stephen King reader. When I was around 9 or 10, I found one of her books lying around in the living room, and skimmed a few pages. I’ve long since forgotten the title or even the premise of that book. What I do remember is how enthralled with it I was.

I remember reading through the whole thing in one day, and Stephen King does not make tiny novels. Upon turning the last page, I ran into the dining room, where Stephen King occupied 90% of our shelf space. And an addict was born.

I’m not sure how I skipped this book, but Needful Things by Stephen King is honestly an amazing book.

Once again, Stephen King’s mind not only thrills me, but gets my mind reeling, and leaves me begging for more. Needful Things boasts a unique plot, one that keeps you guessing and characters that leave you dying to know more about them and what they go through. Definitely one of Stephen King’s classics and best works.

I’m a bad Stephen King fan, because I’ve yet to check out the movie. But I have no doubt in my mind that it will blow my mind, just because of the simple fact, Stephen King wrote it.

I would definitely recommend any macabre fiction fan pick this one up.

Alright, I’ll shut up and stop kissing SK’s ass.

[Via http://mylittlehole.wordpress.com]

New York Giants News & Notes: Playoff Weekend Without the Giants ...

Read the story of avatar here

2010-01-08T14:16:00.000+02:00

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Sky News wants its staff to embrace social media | Blog | Econsultancy

What's with all the smart kids?

2010-01-08T02:51:00.000+02:00

I seem to be noticing a new trend lately. Maybe it’s a bias because of the books I’m drawn to, or perhaps it’s my predisposition these days to notice this characteristic (this past year I’ve helped found a local organization for parents of gifted and advanced learners.) It all began late this summer with The Mysterious Benedict Society, which opens with children being given tests for giftedness. All four children who are selected are indeed gifted, though in very different ways. Kate is incredibly physically adept, strong, fast, with lots of stamina. Her acute spatial awareness lets her know the dimensions of any room she is in. Sticky is so nicknamed because everything sticks in his brain. He is perhaps what many people think of when they think of a gifted child — he remembers every fact he reads, sees or hears. Constance is constantly challenging, quite irritatingly so, with gifts not always appreciated, but they will come in handy. And in the end, the reader gains a new understanding of her abilities, which continue to be revealed in the second book of the series. Reynie Muldoon is the main character and perhaps the most well-rounded of the four — likable, friendly, sensible, and intelligent. Good at following directions. Brave. Loyal. And yes, intelligent.

More recently I picked up The Dunderheads by Paul Fleischman and my one sentence review was, “this is the Mysterious Benedict Society for the younger crowd.” Although this is a picture book, it reminded me of the Benedict Society for the way that each child uses their particular talent and together they are able to accomplish a very difficult feat against a hated/feared enemy.

I’ve been exploring graphic novels for the elementary age lately as my middle son has been quite excited by this format (see earlier post “Too Much of a Good Thing.”) And that’s how I encountered The Secret Science Alliance and The Copycat Crook by Eleanor Davis. Meet middle-schooler Julian Cameron, total geek/nerd and thrilled when his parents announce they are moving and he’ll have to attend a new school. He’ll have the chance to start over. And what does he do there? Tries to disguise his intelligence so he can fit in. It’s painful to watch. And he’s no good at it. Most fortunately for Julian, he manages to find kindred spirits — who would have guessed that sports star Ben is actually an inventor? He just doesn’t do well on tests . . . The pictures are amazingly detailed and extend the text in many ways. I especially loved the diagram of Julian’s brain and a little later the depiction of the secret hideout/laboratory/workshop . . . so detailed and clever and funny too. And when an evil scientist tries to steal their plans . . . well, watch out!

This trend of super-smart protagonists continues. After having lunch with an old college friend who now writes children’s books, I decided I had some gaps to fill in my YA reading, and on her recommendation picked up John Green’s An Abundance of Katherines. Fantastic book, wickedly funny, classic theme of finding oneself. And the main character, Colin Singleton, is a child prodigy/genius who is afraid he is washed up at 17. Valedictorian, fluent in many languages, headed off to Northwestern in the fall . . . and dumped by Katherines 19 times. So he sets off on a journey with his best friend, also quite smart, Hassan, and they end up spending time in Gutshot, Tennessee and learning about life, love, and loyalty. I’ve recently begun Green’s Printz award winner, Looking for Alaska, which features a smart 16 year old, friendless at public school, who chooses to try boarding school, looking for the “Great Perhaps.” Another smart kid!

In thinking back to the characters I was most drawn to as a child reader, I’ve discovered that many could actually be characterized as gifted. Super-sleuth Harriet the Spy. Anne of Green Gables – that incomparable imagination and love of fancy words? Definitely. Elizabeth Bennett — yes, she’s wittier and cleverer than she is pretty, to her mother’s chagrin. Jo March, independent thinker, writer, actor — definitely talented. At times they all have trouble fitting in, but there own sense of self is enough to overcome. There’s definitely more to think about.

[Via http://bookmuse.wordpress.com]

Bookninja » Blog Archive » News tids

Andrew Peterson's "On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness" Audio Book

2010-01-08T02:08:00.000+02:00

When I got the heads up of the release of Andrew Peterson’s “On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness” I was excited; and apprehensive.

I am one of those people that has listened to literally thousands of hours of audio books. As anyone would agree, the reader and the presentation of a book will make it or break it, no matter how good the story is. The other thing that makes me crazy are books that have been abridged. I won’t touch them with a ten foot pole.

This audio rendition of “The Edge” is delightful from the first line of the introduction.

Peterson’s choice to use a reader with a British accent and a rather deep gravely voice just makes the story a rich gem! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love the complete simplicity. Hearing the British rendition of “Dang” makes me smile because that is just something that you hear in your mind with a Southern drawl.

I downloaded the book at http://iTunes.com yesterday. I listened to it today on a road trip, and I say again, that I am a happy camper. I am going to make sure that our public library gets copies of both of the books and the Audio version also.

Well done, AP and Oasis Audio, well done!

[Via http://thepuckerbrush.wordpress.com]

Mariah Carey Looks So Precious | Splash News

Isadore's Secret Still Thrills

2010-01-06T14:23:00.000+02:00

“Every device imaginable for the darkest gothic novel appears in these pages, and yet this drama was not drawn from theimagination, but from tattered bits of fact confined, for more than a century, to local gossip and legend, and scattered historical records. This story is true, and yet somehow had escaped a thorough retelling until now.”

So accurately states Mardi Link at the beginning of her latest work Isadore’s Secret, the true story of the 1907 disappearance and murder of the young Felician nun, Sr. Janina. Incredibly, the “…sin, sex, torture, confession, and secrets…” that abound in this novel push like contemporary fiction, making it all the more sensational that the event in question happened more than 100 years ago.

Living in the tiny town of Isadore, Michigan was an isolated affair. Not only was the Leelanau Peninsula geographically remote, but Isadore of the early 1900’s was further obscured by its tight-knit, Polish settlers and their devotion to God and the Catholic church. At the time of this story, anyone outside of Isadore’s proud community was considered undesirable. It was among this insular, Polish speaking populace that “the tragedy” occurred.

Not unlike the handsomely paid bloodhound of the book, Mardi Link also “hunts a cold line” for the truth behind the murder of Sr. Janina. For on a seemingly ordinary day in August of 1907, Sr. Janina went to her room to rest and was never seen again. The massive search that ensued turned up only speculation and rumor, and the quiet town of Isadore was reluctantly thrust into the media spotlight.

With what must have been painstaking research, Link digs into the past and unearths the facts and events surrounding the mysterious disappearance of the affable young nun. From stark fields to dark confessionals, the reader is taken on an esoteric journey into the mind-set of small town secrets and the larger, though no less complex, machinations of the church.

Isadore’s Secret is absorbing, and its constant supposition keeps you ruminating on the facts long after you close the book. Though the story is a century old, it continues to be cloaked in mystery up to the present day. Artfully drawn on historic Michigan tableau, it is no wonder that Isadore’s Secret was selected as a 2010 Michigan Notable Book. However, with its mass appeal and intrigue, you don’t have to live in Michigan to appreciate its thrill.

-Review by Megan Shaffer

Of Interest

-Mardi Link is a native Detroiter who currently resides outside of Traverse City. Click here for more on the author.

-Milan Stitt’s play adaptation of the story: The Runner Stumbles

-The movie adaptation of The Runner Stumbles

-University of Michigan Press

*Please support your local bookstores and our state universities!

[Via http://nightlightrevue.wordpress.com]

Canon releases EF 70-200mm F2.8 L IS II USM lens: Digital ...

Evan Money - His Real Name

2010-01-06T02:31:00.000+02:00

Evan Money is the self-titled #1 online life coach, global entrepreneur and author. He lives around the corner from the new Trump Golf Course in Rancho Palos Verdes in Southern California. He looks out from his gazebo and sees the whales migrating. His bride of 13 years is a full-time Mom with a full-time nanny/chef at her disposal. He does not own an alarm clock, rather he wakes up when he is done sleeping, plays with his kids and then goes into his home office and creates wealth, writes books or just thinks. Life is tremendous!

“First off my real last name is Money and in my case my bride literally married money,” he writes. “However when we were first married I didn’t have any LOL! Many a time we were the ones putting groceries back at the supermarket because we simply didn’t have enough money. So how did we go from that to being able to spoil my bride with a private chef/nanny and allow her to be a stay-home Mom? How did we go from a one-bedroom rental house to over looking the water around the corner from Trump National Golf Course? How did I grow my business from nothing to a multimillion dollar extreme sports empire?

“The funny thing is the five simple steps I took are very simple and easy. The only challenge is these steps are easy not to do as well. The first thing I did was forgive my Dad. I decided to stop blaming him and I took responsibility for my life. In fact the year I forgave my Dad I tripled my income. That is the power of forgiveness. Weak people can never forgive. Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong.

“The second step I used was the power of the spoken word. You get what you say. I hear people all the time say, “I feel so tired” or “ I never get the good breaks” and guess what, that’s exactly what they get. I started speaking what I wanted. I have never taken a day off work because of sickness in almost 20 years and I get all kinds of good breaks because that’s what I speak.

“The third step I used was the power of visualization which is also known as the law of attraction. This law was used by Jacob in the Old Testament days so there is nothing “New Age” or mystical about it. Jacob had a deal that he could keep any streaked or spotted offspring from the solid coloured cows he had. So he put striped pieces of wood in front of his cattle’s water and feeding troughs so they would visualize stripes whenever they are or drank. Guess what? The cattle’s off-spring where striped! If this law even works for cattle why aren’t you using it?

“Every picture my wife and I have put on our refrigerator has come to pass. From private jet travel, to massages on the beach in Hawaii, to a new dream home we have an offer on that will be accepted this week.

“The fourth step is we believed. This means different things to different people with relationship to their religion or non-religion. Jesus summed it up the best when he said “ Become what you believe.” For those that have no time or desire for religion then you must start by simply believing in yourself. Do you think Donald Trump, Richard Branson, Bill Gates, Michael Dell and other billionaires do not believe in themselves?

“The fifth and final step is where most people drop the ball. You have to TAKE ACTION. Take Action and the world is yours! Jack Canfield was asked about the Law of Attraction after The Secret became such a hit movie. He laughed and told about people saying they have watched the movie 50 times and they visualize things every day. Jack recommended those people get off the couch and go outside and get to work on their dreams. I’m so passionate about taking action I wrote a hit book about it titled: Take Action Now; How to Live Your Dreams in Less Than 3 Weeks available on Amazon and Kindle. The only thing that is keeping you from your dreams is taking action!

Evan Money, the #1 online life coach can be contacted at: 1-877-WOW-EVAN. His website is: www.lifecoach5.com.

Take ACTION and the world is yours!

[Via http://kakonged.wordpress.com]

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Book Review: The Choice by Suzanne Woods Fisher

2010-01-06T01:57:00.000+02:00

The Choice

by: Suzanne Woods Fisher

ISBN: 978-0-8007-3385-8

You can purchase at Revell Publishing for the low price of $11.99!

Carrie Weaver is a young Amish girl torn between tradition and her heart’s desire to run off with Solomon Riehl. Solomon is her Amish boyfriend who secretly plays baseball and plans to run off to join the team. His desire is that Carrie leave her family and faith behind and follow him. Although this sounds like a solid plot for a book, it is only the beginning of many turn of events and plot twists to come. In one turn of events, Carrie’s father dies and this causes Carrie to change direction and possibly leave love behind for duty. There are many other aspects that complicate this love affair like tradition, Carrie’s brother with hemophilia and a stepmother that rivals Cinderella’s. This isn’t even half the story that unfolds before your eyes. You are taken on a long journey with Carrie while she struggles to find love, faith and a place in the world. She is a strong character determined to make a life for herself and her brother.

I throughly enjoyed every page of this book. I was never bored and never tempted to skip ahead unless it was out of sheer excitement to see what would happen next. Each time I thought I knew what would happen another twist or turn occurred. My only mistake was starting this book while making dinner. It’s very dangerous to cook and read a book this engrossing. I finished the book in two days. I was so sad to see it finally end. However, I can now look forward to the next book in the series The Waiting, due out in October of 2010. I can hardly wait! I know I will read this book again before then. I loved this book so much that I won’t loan it out. Nope. Not this one…buy your own!

I have read criticism that villain in the book was a bit unrealistic and that some characters just serve the plot and are not part of a setting or true to the story. There was also criticism of how many people died in the first part of the book to further along the plot. Personally, I found the characters very real and endearing. I found the villain of the story a bit over exaggerated but let’s not forget we are looking at this character through the lens of an Amish world. The deaths that occur are sadly necessary for the plot to move ahead. However, the deaths were not unrealistic it only appears they happened a bit close together. I found the book truly delightful. I think Suzanne Woods Fisher has a wonderful way with words and creates a world you feel you enter into with each turn of the page.

[Via http://meanmamareviews.wordpress.com]

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Mr Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Grange

2010-01-04T14:38:00.000+02:00

I had a great deal of fun with Mr. Darcy, Vampyre , from the very moment I read the title and couldn’t stop thinking, “Mr. Darcy, Slayer of the VamPYRES.” Darcy is not a slayer, just a regular old Victorian vampire who manages to hide his condition from all but his closest friends by appearing prideful, brooding, and generally like the Darcy we see in Pride and Prejudice.

The story picks up on Elizabeth’s wedding day and follows the new Mrs. Darcy through her wedding tour through Bram Stoker’s geography as she meets more and more bizarre people from the greater Darcy clan. Darcy himself acts even more secretive, tortured, and brooding than before they were married, baffling Elizabeth, who has to navigate her way through married life with an absence of mirrors and an abundance of creepy portents. She writes letters to Jane which may or may not ever get delivered.

Darcy is a classic literature character primed for vampire-dom, already dark and mysterious and enticing. How could Elizabeth tell the difference between reluctant romantic hero and vamPYRE? This book is much more enjoyable than Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, which tended more toward the preposterous. And vampires are always cooler than zombies.

[Via http://watertownreads.wordpress.com]

Saturday News: The Tools of Ignorance - Pinstripe Alley

Monday Children’s Book Reviews for January 4, 2010

2010-01-04T14:12:00.000+02:00

Grumpy Grandpa by Heather Henson

“Jack’s grandfather is always grumpy, and a bit scary, too, but during a visit to the country house where “Grumpy Grandpa” lives with the brave Aunt Ellie and Uncle Wilbur, Jack learns that his grandfather was once very different.” [JPB HENSON]

It’s Winter, Dear Dragon by Margaret Hillert

“A boy and his pet dragon go sledding, make a snow fort, and have a snowball fight with friends on a fun winter day.” From the Beginning-to-Read Dear Dragon series [JE HILLERT]

Merlin’s Dragon Book 2: Doomraga’s Revenge by T. A. Barron

“No longer just an unknown little lizard, Basil is now as big as a mountain—and the most powerful dragon of all times. His majestic wings, gigantic tail, and jewel-bright eyes fill the sky as he and the great wizard Merlin, loyal friends and courageous defenders of Avalon, strive boldly to save their world.” The second book of the Merlin’s Dragon trilogy. [J BARRON]

Jewish Holidays Cookbook: Festive Meals for Celebrating the Year by Jill Colella Bloomfield

“The traditions and recipes of Judaism are celebrated in this beautiful modern cookbook geared toward kids and their families. Eleven Jewish holidays are discussed and accompanied by recipes for the ancient and modern foods traditionally served. Kids can lead the charge on braiding their first challah or making their own kugel, while spending time learning about Jewish history and heritage.” [J641.5676 BLOOMFIELD]

[Via http://unioncitylibrary.wordpress.com]

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Sober, Unsmiling and Severe

2010-01-01T14:15:00.000+02:00

Last night wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated – my trainee did a good job so I hardly had to do anything. I’m thrilled my training days are over for the next two to three weeks! Tomorrow and Sunday I’m taking my laptop to work – downloaded several new books to it yesterday so will have a ton to choose from. We did not get a single break – not even a bathroom break, the entire night…that sucked.

I downloaded “Watchers” and “The Strangers” both by Dean Koontz, “Gerald’s Game” by Stephen King, and “The Hunters” by Jason Pinter. I am already reading the “Harry Bosch” series – finished “The Last Coyote” by Michael Connelly on Thursday and stared “Trunk Music” yesterday. I need to get the three books that are 1, 2, and 3 in the series rather than starting at 4, 5, and 6 – but the latter was only $1.69 and the first group is $10. I’ve read Harry Bosch stories before and liked him so am going back to the older stories of him.

Came home and my apartment was freezing cold. I had left the thermostat at 55 and it was quite chilly. I’ve turned it up but this radiator heat takes a long time to heat a room. I have it up to 65 now but will turn it back down to 60 once the place warms up. I’m making some hot tea now which isn’t conducive to falling asleep but will warm me up faster.

I should take the tree down today – doubt that I will but I might. It is so pretty to take down but guess it needs to come down sometime. I want to move the furniture around once I’ve got the tree out-of-the-way. Damn, I’m tired. We are suppose to get snow today…irritates me.

[Via http://seamonster02.wordpress.com]

Touching Base - NY Daily News

12 REASONS WHY I LOVE HER: Jamie S. Rich.

2009-12-30T14:43:00.000+02:00

I <3 graphic novels and I <3 Jonathan (and Josh) for getting me to read way more than I was before. (My average was maybe ten comic books/graphic novels every twelve years.) This book is another reason I love graphic novels.

It’s not too long, it’s easy to read. It’s the same story we’ve heard/read/seen over and over for hundreds of years… but it’s also the reason we keep telling it. The book is made up of twelve vignettes illustrating Gwen and Evan’s relationship. It’s not overly-complex, it’s not new, but that might be why it’s enjoyable, in a way. You can guess what’s going to happen as soon as you meet the characters, but it’s watching the story unfold that is appealing.

Not that I know a ton about art, but the art is as simple as the story, and refreshingly so. The book is black and white, and Joelle Jones denotes the requisite sentimental flashbacks with rougher sketch-like panels which, again, is simple but effective.

The book isn’t pushing any envelopes, tearing down any walls, breaking any barriers, but sometimes that’s okay. Reading as much Preacher and Watchmen and Lone Wolf and Cub as I have been, simple can be nice, too.

[Via http://elitist.wordpress.com]

Where is Tiger Woods? Who is Tiger Woods Dating? PHOTOS!

Not going crazy!

2009-12-30T02:38:00.000+02:00

So I’m not going crazy. I got the results of the ANA test that the Doctor elected to have me do at my last appointment on a whim and it came back positive, which means that I may have and probably do have an autoimmune disease, like lupus or Rheumatoid arthritis. I’m being referred to a rheumatologist for further testing. Interestingly enough, there is an autoimmune disorder that is directly related to hypothyroidism (and I’ve had hypothyroidism for nearly a decade). I was beginning to wonder what the hell was up with my achiness and fatigue – for a while I thought that I had chronic fatigue syndrome, but my husband thought that I was just being a hypochondriac.

I’m feeling a tad bit overwhelmed by everything. So, as of right now, I pretty much go to the following doctors/specialists:

My primary care doctor;
An Ear/Nose/Throat specialist;
OB/GYN
Endocrinologist
Allergist
and now, a rheumatologist

It’s crazy that I have enough “special” chronic health conditions that I have assembled such a formidable group of people to manage my health care, but quite frankly, the sheer number of appointments and medications and tests that each requires is absolutely daunting. And I don’t even have health conditions that are very difficult to manage (hypothyroidism, while a P.I.T.A. is hardly lifethreatening and neither is have seasonal allergies, having chronic sinus infections or being a woman of childbearing age, whatever you might say about a woman that is either pregnant or menstruating). For a while there, I really did think that I was going crazy – I was sick all the time and just thought it was because I was tired but apparently, the run down thing may have a medical explanation and perhaps can be controlled.

On another note, my vacation is otherwise very relaxing and I am enjoying just hanging out with my kid. He has just recently started saying things like “There you go” when handing over items that we’ve requested and “Bless you” when someone sneezes. Totally cute. It has also allowed me the opportunity to read this book:

and to review it here. Enjoy!

[Via http://mominsanity.wordpress.com]

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Book Review: Critical Mass by Kathleen Henry (9780595524129)

2009-12-30T02:24:00.000+02:00

This book has stories told by Catholics in three different eras. It was hard to follow, but at the end Henry has a list of how all the narrators were connected. It was interesting enough and short enough that I read the whole thing, but it didn’t affect me personally like it would others who are closer to this subject.

[Via http://eclecticreview.wordpress.com]

Touching Base - NY Daily News