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Lori B.New YorkHairFine or Thin HairNot ImpressedI tried the folica because I was looking for a dryer to help tame the frizzies. I have fine hair and the reviews I read were good. I wouldn't mind spending the money if I was pleased. I returned the unit because I felt it was no different then the dryer I purchased at the local drugstore (no name dropping) .posted Mar 3, 2014Link to this post
JLos AngelesHairBlondeNormal HairIs It Legal To Love A Blowdryer?The best blowdryer I have had to date. It is powerful and has a variety of settings. My hair is regular and halfway down my back and this drier cut my dying time in half. My hair feels incredible, not frizzy and 0 static. So happy with the investment I made on this product.posted Feb 16, 2014Link to this post
BrieanaHairBlondeColor Treated HairFine or Thin HairNot Worth The MoneyIf you like to walk through wind tunnels to blow dry your hair, then this product is for you. I purchased the product because of how it markets using less heat. Less heat it does use, but with less heat comes more of a blowing effect.posted Jan 30, 2014Link to this post
Erica P.New York CityHairDark BrownNormal HairI've Had BetterIt takes a while before it blows out hot air. I do not have thick nor very curly hair. But this hair dryer leaves my hair frizzy...posted Jan 27, 2014Link to this post
VickyNJHairNormal HairPowerfulI love this hair dryer. It makes getting my hair looking good so much faster and easier than with a drug store dryer. Really worth a little extra $ to save time and look my best. I'll never want to be without it. I have been using this dryer for the last few weeks, and I have salt and pepper hair that is shoulder length. It's straight, but not smooth the way it was when I was young, except when I use this dryer.posted Jan 25, 2014Link to this post
MelanieHairBlondeColor Treated HairFine or Thin HairThick or Coarse HairA Lot Of Trial And Error To Achieve The Right ResultsI'm not sure I'm sold on the ionic feature of hairdryers, or if it's just this model. I have VERY fine but thick natural golden blonde hair which I do lighten slightly. It is what is call frizzy/bendy/wavy. I have the added *bonus* of having very hard well water in my home. The result has been disastrous. My hair breaks around the hairline once it reaches more than 2-3 inches long. I do have a filter on my shower heads, but they can only do so much, so I have tried every combination of products to try to ease the problems. Most protective Serums and heavy conditioners (even light ones) make my hair too greasy when using the ionic Hairdryer, but when I don't, my hair isn't protected and continues to break. My hair ends up being very flat and greasy looking at the top, and limp and greasy towards the ends (my hair just touches my shoulders). I end up having to try to "fluff" my hair up after drying and smoothing it straight. This model Hairdryer gets way too hot (I had to turn one of these back to Folica recently b/c it was getting too hot and also losing airflow power - luckily it was under warranty, but I would have rather returned it for a completely different Hairdryer. A Hairdryer of this *quality* should last longer than 6 months!) The Hairdryer also causes my home's power to go out, even if there is nothing else plugged into the same outlet except for a flat iron. In summary, the Hairdryer makes your hair too flat and greasy when combined with protective products, it causes damage due to the excessive heat output, and it is annoying that it causes a power outage whenever I use it. I do not recommend this dryer - it adds more grief and more time to an already annoying and time-consuming part of my day - styling my hair. I would love a recommendation about a great Hairdryer that will start my day out RIGHT instead of WRONG!!!posted Jan 24, 2014Link to this post
SofyaUnited StatesHairMedium BrownNormal HairColor Treated HairLove Love This Solia DryerOMG, this Solia dries my hair in 5-10 minutes, it used to take me 20-30.
Best investment I ever made. Can't believe I used the cheap Conair/Revlon blow dryers all these years.posted Jan 23, 2014Link to this post -
SofyaUnited StatesHairMedium BrownNormal HairColor Treated HairLove Love This Solia DryerOMG, this Solia dries my hair in 5-10 minutes, it used to take me 20-30.
Best investment I ever made. Can't believe I used the cheap Conair/Revlon blow dryers all these years.posted Jan 23, 2014Link to this post -
JenniferNew YorkHairBlondeColor Treated HairFine or Thin HairLives Up To The Hype!I have heard for years about certain hairdryers and how they can actually be good for your hair. I have fine wavy color treated hair which damages quite easily. If ever a high temperature dryer is used on my hair, I can always tell that it looks damaged afterward. I had pretty good luck with my Conair dryer, but after reading a glowing recommendation on a dryer on the Goop site, I thought I would give it a try. It was my first expensive dryer and it was a such a disappointment. Not only was it expensive, but it was difficult to handle and the controls on the handle kept turning off as I held the dryer. Back it went. Finally, the connection on the cord of my Conair dryer stopped working so it was time for a new dryer. I read all the reviews, which brought me to the Folica site. I am so happy I did, because so far so good. This dryer is perfect for me because I have fine wavy hair. One of the reviews mentioned that the dryer does not get super hot, but, it is definitely hot enough for my hair. It is also easy to handle, not too loud, has a cool setting and button and a very powerful setting for quick drying hair. It also comes with concentrators that prevent hair from being blown around too much. Best of all, it does seem to prevent my hair from that frizzy look that happens after drying. I use hair products to control my hair when I dry it and everything worked great. I have very difficult hair to manage because of the wave, so I am quite pleased with my purchase. In fact, I was thrilled because it seems so many products rarely live up to their hype - but for me, this one does. I hardly ever write reviews, but for such a good product that addressed my concerns I wanted to pass it along.posted Jan 17, 2014Link to this post
Audra S.United StatesHairFine or Thin HairI Will Never Buy Another Blow Dryeri love this blow dryer. Great heat and speed; and on top of it all it's pretty quiet! handle is very comfortable, buttons dont get in the way. The cool shot button cools the air quickly as well. Very happy with this hairdryer.posted Jan 14, 2014Link to this post
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text: GALLERIES Jerry Seinfeld Josh Hartnett Josh Hartnett Robert Redford Robert Redford Derek Jeter Derek Jeter P. Diddy P. Diddy Coming Next OR 0 63 Back to Top ▲ Jerry Seinfeld Jerry Seinfeld Jerry Seinfeld Images AskMen Editors Share on Facebook Share on Twitter 0 Shares After he made his mark as a stand-up comedian, Jerry Seinfeld went on to create, write and star in one of the most successful television programs of all-time. Seinfeld was one of a handful of shows throughout history to leave an indelible mark on popular culture. Continue reading Jerry Seinfeld's profile. Next Page gallery Comments Show Comments More Like This Promoted Around the Web Special Features

subset: commoncrawl


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quote:I like Firefly but the hyperbole over this show almost borders the same levels of fanaticism as Arrested Development
quote:I like Firefly but the hyperbole over this show almost borders the same levels of fanaticism as Arrested Development or The Wire
quote:The movie was really good too though.
quote:I did really like Serenity. Another movie would actually be nice.
quote:I just finished the series. It was good, can't say I loved it. The wild west dialogue felt a little forced.
quote:"I'll be in my bunk..." One of the best lines in the show!
quote:the GIBBERISH words were annoying.
quote:I think I'm the only sci-fi/fantasy guy that thinks Firefly is overrated. Firefly is heaven for nerds. I'm a functioning nerd. I'd much rather watch BSG.
quote:a lot of times and the GIBBERISH words were annoying.
quote:GIBBERISH words were annoying.
quote:That and Shepherd Book's back story.
quote:Proving my point. I said nothing bad about the show yet you went bonkers.
quote:They didn't reinvent the wheel. I don't think this is any better than a SG1 episode.
quote: Thinking about getting into BSG, which I also have never seen an episode of.
quote:It is kind of annoying that every single planet looks like southern California. I swear it is the exact same location as MASH. You'd think just one or two episodes could be done in Iowa or Kentucky or something.
quote:Most all of the planets they visited were terra-formed the same way.


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1) Hundreds of years before Jesus, according to the Mithraic religion, three Wise Men of Persia came to visit the baby savior-god Mithra, bring him gifts of gold, myrrh and frankincense.
2) Mithra was born on December 25 as told in the "Great Religions of the World", page 330; "…it was the winter solstice celebrated by ancients as the birthday of Mithraism's sun god".c
3) According to Mithraism, before Mithra died on a cross, he celebrated a "Last Supper with his twelve disciples, who represented the twelve signs of the zodiac.
4) After the death of Mithra, his body was laid to rest in a rock tomb.
5) Mithra had a celibate priesthood.
6) Mithra ascended into heaven during the spring (Passover) equinox (the time when the sun crosses the equator making night and day of equal length). "
When the Christ myth was new Mithras and Mithraism were already ancient. Worshiped for centuries as God's Messenger of Truth, Mithras was long revered by the Persians and the Indians (Zoroastrianism) before his faith found it's way to Rome where His mysteries flourished in the second century AD. Every year in Rome, in the middle of winter, the Son of God was born one more, putting an end to darkness. Every year at first minute of December 25th the temple of Mithras was lit with candles, priests in in white garments celebrated the birth of the Son of God and boys burned incense. Mithras was born in a cave, on December 25th, of a virgin mother. He came from heaven to be born as a man, to redeem men from their sin. He was know as "Savior," "Son of God," "Redeemer," and "Lamb of God." With twelve disciples he traveled far and wide as a teacher and illuminator of men. He was buried in a tomb from which he rose again from the dead -- an event celebrated yearly with much rejoicing. His followers kept the Sabbath holy, holding sacramental feasts in remembrance of Him. The sacred meal of bread and water, or bread and wine, was symbolic of the body and blood of the sacred bull.
Baptism in the blood of the bull (taurobolum) – early Baptism "washed in the blood of the Lamb" – late Baptism by water [recorded by the Christian author Tertullian Mithraic rituals brought about the transformation and Salvation of His adherents --an ascent of the soul of the adherent into the realm of the divine.
Paul was quit aware of all of this and it was that much easier to bring the pagan Gentile people into this new religion called Christianity.


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The panel at the Embroiderers' Guild has often been referred to in some texts as a coif. The confusion may have occurred because the dimensions (width and height) are similar to many coifs. But it is a panel. We took a look at the edges and it was obvious that the piece was in its entirety and not cut from something larger. The small amount of linen around it had either nail marks or holes from being stretched on a frame. There was an embroidered stem stitch outline around the four sides and the embroidery appropriately started or ended at the boundaries if the motif was cut by the boundary.
Other details that are different from the jacket: there are less flowers, only nine types instead of the 11 borage being repeated twice) of the jacket. (I had to read this twice, my brain doesn't move as fast as Tricia's. The jacket master repeat is 3 x 4, therefore 12 motifs, but there are two borage so only 11 different motifs.) The borage and strawberries are missing. The blue and red flowers (carnation, gillyflower, or cornflower?) on the pieces are different between the two pieces, but not much different in terms of tracing. Just embroidered differently.
The calyx of the foxglove is stitched in silk and not gold. There is a different technique used for the detached pea pod parts, detached buttonhole in silver strip wrapped silk on the jacket and silk buttonhole over a gold thread (return) for the panel. The roses have an extra set of detached petals. Some of the thistles have an extra layer of detached buttonhole. The coiling stem is also a different stitch. On the jacket it is plaited braid whereas on the panel the stitch is ladder with wheat sheath. This stitch is much slower to work than plaited braid and done in two passes. Overall, the panel has a higher level of detail work which is absent from the jacket.


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Stay warm and comfy in Nittany Lions style with these Animal Print Rugby fleece pants. They feature a team logo and stripe-printed team name printed down the left leg with a drawstring waist and you can cut them to any length. These cozy pants are the perfect fit for casual days spent on the couch, early morning classes or watching Penn State beat down on the competition!
- 50% Cotton/50% Polyester
- Back right pocket
- Drawstring waist
- Imported
- Lightweight sweatpants with soft fleece lining
- No front pockets
- Officially licensed collegiate product
- Raw edge bottom which you can cut to your own length; no fraying or rolling hems
- Rough hewn hems
- Screen print graphics
- Size S inseam measures approximately 31" (before cutting)
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Customized items can be personalized with options such as your name, your favorite
number, and/or designs. Some options may be limited by league rules.


text: GALLERIES Alena Seredova Getty Images" data-filename="galleries/alena-seredova/picture-8.html" > Keeley Hazell Keeley Hazell Sienna Guillory Sienna Guillory Top 99 Most Desirable Women: 2007 Top 99 Most Desirable Women: 2007 Sports Illustrated Party Sports Illustrated Party Coming Next OR 0 8 Back to Top ▲ Alena Seredova Alena Seredova Alena Seredova Gallery AskMen Editors Share on Facebook Share on Twitter 0 Shares Alena Seredova first made waves back in 1998 for winning the title of Miss Czech Republic. Since then, she's launched her international modeling career by gracing the covers of a plethora of magazines in Europe, including Spy, Extreme, Quo, Playboy Europe, and Penthouse Europe. In 2002, she was chosen by Italian comedian Giorgio Panariello for his own prime-time show. Alena's beauty charmed… Continue reading Alena Seredova's profile. Next Page gallery Comments Show Comments More Like This Promoted Around the Web Special Features


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Rancho Gordo Pinquitos Beans - 16oz
Country of Origin: United States
Region: California
Steve Sando began the Rancho Gordo company, based in Napa, with the goal of promoting native new world specialty foods, with a focus on beans. Steve reminds us native foods from the Americas are worthy of celebration. The freshness of Rancho Gordo beans offers insight into the pure and individual flavors hidden within each type of bean.
This tiny bean is a popular bean during BBQ season. Whether as a side to grilled meats or used in a pot of chili, Pinquitos cook up quickly and hold their shape well.
For more information on Rancho Gordo, including on of our favorite recipes, please visit http://blog.formaggiokitchen.com/2010/05/14/a-simple-treat-rancho-gordos-new-world-heirloom-beans/
Produced By: Rancho Gordo
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Rancho Gordo Pinquitos Beans - 16oz Product ID: 02406 |
Price | Qty |
$8.95 x | |


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Blooma Barmouth Timber Swing Seat (H)2.5m (W)1.9m (D)1.04m
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Enjoy some much-needed relaxation time in your garden and create a focal point with this gorgeous swing seat by Blooma. Leave unadorned or decorate with climbing flowers to create an attractive feature that would brighten up any outdoor space.
- Guarantee - 10 year
- Fixings supplied
Read moreabout Blooma Barmouth Timber Swing Seat (H)2.5m (W)1.9m (D)1.04m
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Product Details
Technical specifications
Brand | Blooma |
Construction material | Timber |
Height | 2.5m |
Width | 1.9m |
Depth | 1.04m |
Timber approval | FSC® approved |
Timber certificate | TT-COC-003110 |
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Please note that this item comes with possible health and safety hazards. Refer to the container for full information and always follow the instructions.
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A pergola is basically an open roof, set on posts or columns. They are great for encouraging trailing plants such as wisteria or honeysuckle to spread up and over them and providing welcome shade in a sunny patch.
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Whether you enjoy the peace and quiet of your own company, or spending quality time with family and friends, our innovative collection of well-built, beautifully designed garden furniture, offers a superb selection to suit all pockets and tastes. Timeless hardwood designs sit alongside chic modern styles, to make this most elegant of Blooma ranges fresh and fun.
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2 Annoying piece of kit.BaKeR1990 | 25/05/2012 | See all BaKeR1990's reviews (1)Ok 1 TB of memory is great and you will be able to store all you need. But if you just happen to move the hard drive when you are backing up your computer it disconnects. Any time you touch or move the item it disconnects.he usb 3.0 connection into my laptop is fine but the connection into the hard drive is hideous.Use you money on another item with a better connection into the hard drive.
5 Excellent value and performancerob1000 | 31/08/2012 | See all rob1000's reviews (1)If you are fed up with plugging in external hard drives to the mains and/or want more space, a portable hard drive with just one USB lead is the way to go. Make sure you get a USB3 for future speed as the price differential between USB3 and USB2 is very small. I have lots of different makes so that I can easily locate my files and the latest, this Toshiba, is as good as any, working fine on ALL my computers.
3 Looks cheap but does the job.iameol | 16/09/2013 | See all iameol's reviews (7)Item looks cheap but it does the job. I tested it by transaferring around 200 GB files to-fro my laptop and desktop and was able to get them in one piece. The speed was about the same as my other hard drive but this one doesn't need to be plug into an electrical outlet so it's an advantage. If there's one criticism about this product it's the micro usb slot. The slot looks like it's been tampered or squashed, it was difficult to attach the cable.


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Search Results for: best opthamologists in america 2012
The Best Opthamologists in America
OPTHAMOLOGISTS | EYE DOCTORS in AMERICA: Below you will find a list of some of the best opthamologists in America. The list is of course incomplete, as the field of ophthalmology is constantly changing and to list ALL competent opthalmologists in America would be a very long list indeed. This list, however, describes a number … Continue reading


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Mad-Mutt wrote:I think a character death should be a last resort in creating drama. That, and if you must have a character die only do it if you can't tell anymore stories with them. Character death just seems to easy to me.
Mad-Mutt wrote:All I can gather is that she's meant as a rival for Buttercup. But she seems more like a punching bag. Buttercup has already shown that she can wipe the floor with Sam and she can do it without even trying. If Buttercup was going all out, Sam would be nothing but an oddly colored puddle with metal chunks floating in it. Even in the one instance when it looked like Sam had the upper hand it wouldn't have mattered I think because I still say Jack's sword wouldn't have harmed Buttercup.
I'm with you on that. However I have the up most confidants in BR. Either joy or sorrow, I think we'll one of those by the time this is all over.Mad-Mutt wrote: Frankly I want to feel something when a character dies be it sadness, joy or rage. Anything but nothing.
Mad-Mutt wrote:There are so many characters running around now that its kind of hard to keep track. I blame the part from before BeeAre took over for that. Hell, most of the problems I have with PPGD are from before BeeAre took over.
Mad-Mutt wrote: I suppose there is some sympathy to be felt for Sammy. She's kind of a falure in this comic and she doesn't stand a chance against her "rival".
Mad-Mutt wrote:Bubbles and Buttercup in the context of this comic feel like more interesting characters in this comic and they've been taking mostly a back seat to Blossom's and Dexter's trainwreck of a relationship.
Mad-Mutt wrote:Holy shit that turned into a ramble. Sorry about that.
I'm just a weirdo who does that sometimes.
Blood Lord wrote:Ohh, its not just Sam that will be dying.
Hell, in my story Death isn't even that much of a roadbump. For better or worse, they'll be back. You can bet your ass on it. I use death- not as a finale... but more as a framing device for story telling.Havoc751 wrote:The matter of when a character dies, depends on how important you wish for them to be, plot-wise.
If this were to happen, I hope it won't be what I think... which is transformation into something grotesque and off-putting. Possibly going even more insane and becoming less 'character' and more 'monster that has to die because it's ugly.'Havoc751 wrote:I agree with everything you said there. But I have to wonder if Samantha has some sort of "final form". Something to give Buttercup a run for her money. Maybe Sam will put up a good fight before she dies, and make this not feel so one sided.
Well, Sugar Bits was the clusterfuckiest thing I've ever seen Bleed make, Grim Tales got pretty close at one point, now we are going kind of linear in its story... and the first saga of PPGD was kind of all over the place for the first couple of chapters, while Bleed was still establishing the characters and giving them all their backstories at the same time.Havoc751 wrote:This clusterfuck approach is kinda the norm for a fanfic. Granted I haven't really read that many fanfics in the past. Also this is (from what I can gather from GT as of late) the norm for Bleed. But as long as it all ties in together in the end, I'm okay with it.
I think he means- and I do feel that it's more the fact that a character with not that many motives, a personality that hasn't been fleshed out and a rivalry she completely failed to keep from being one sided is about to be simply killed off without accomplishing even a single thing in her entire career in this comic is kind of sympathetic.Havoc751 wrote:At this point, getting her ass kicked doesn't really make her that 'sympathetic' in my book.
It could mean many things. The world could be destroyed... or... uh... well that's about the highest echelon of shit dying I can think of. There's no guarantee that the world, the people in it and the heroes that protect them are all going to live through this event.Havoc751 wrote:Wait, what do you mean by that?
Havoc751 wrote:Wait, what do you mean by that?
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text: SlateArtThe big picture.Sept. 15 2006 7:28 AM Ambroise Vollard What secrets did the great gossip and collector hide? By Christopher Benfey Click here to read a slide-show essay about Ambroise Vollard, a patron and art dealer who helped shape the European avant-garde. . Advertisement . Load Comments Powered by Livefyre News & Politics History March 4 2015 11:45 PM Red Summer In 1919, white Americans visited awful violence on black Americans. So black Americans decided to fight back. Rebecca Onion Will the Logic That Gutted Obamacare in 2012 Save It This Time? Ferguson's Police and City Officials Are the True Criminals Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's Defense Attorney: "It Was Him" Obamacare Arguments at the Supreme Court Were Silly, Bombastic, and Condescending Will Kennedy Save Obamacare? Why He Might Spare the Law to Defend a Conservative Principle. The Gun Deaths of Two Children in Houston Weren't "Accidents." They Never Are. Supporting Prison Reform Is Easy. Deciding Which Prisoners to Set Free Is a Lot, Lot Harder Business Moneybox March 4 2015 6:33 PM All Hail Austin, Texas, the Boomingest Big City of All Jordan Weissmann Just Over Half of Americans Want Congress to Fix Obamacare if the Supreme Court Wrecks It Samsung Can Mock Apple All It Wants, but the iPhone Is Officially Outselling It There Are No Rich People in America Virginia's Sweet Briar College Has a $94 Million Endowment. Why Is It Closing? JPMorgan Adds Another $50 Million to Its Gigantic Settlements Tally Some Law Schools Will Now Accept Students Who Didn't Take the LSAT. That's an Awful Idea. Ignore the Gurus, Baby Boomers. Your Retirement Is Inevitable. Life Quora March 5 2015 7:14 AM Do Recruiters Read Cover Letters? Quora Contributor Help! I'm Dating a Much Shorter Man. Should I Warn People? Brilliant Use of X-Rays Shows the Superficiality of Prejudice (Video). High-Stakes Testing Has Trickled All the Way Down to Kindergarten What Will Kate Brown's Governorship Mean for Oregon and the LGBTQ Community? Is This the Best Opening Credits Sequence on Television? The Vibrant, Minimalist Side of an Ancient City, Showcased on Instagram Alabama Supreme Court Throws Tantrum, Defies Federal Judge, Halts Gay Marriages Double X The XX Factor March 4 2015 1:37 PM Two-Thirds of Unintended Births Are Paid For by the Government Amanda Marcotte There Are More Men Named John Than Women Running Large Companies CPS Finds "Free Range" Parents Responsible for Unsubstantiated Child Neglect. Now What? How Barbara Mikulski Transformed the Senate Why Do Poor Women Have More Abortions? What's Wrong With the New Documentary About Rape on College Campuses Todd Akin Is Thinking About Running for Senate. Legitimately. This Drug for Binge-Eating Disorder May Be Shady. That Doesn't Mean the Disease Isn't Real. Slate Plus Frame Game March 4 2015 10:53 AM Slate Voice: "Shag the Dog" Listen to Will Saletan read his 2001 essay about the merits of zoophilia. William Saletan Gabfest Bonus Segment: Why Parks and Rec Was a National Treasure I Was a Slate Commenter; Now I'm a Slate Writer. Ask Me Anything. Walking Dead Podcast Early Release: Episode 12, "Remember" A Spoiler-Filled Podcast on Downton Abbey Episode 9 Arts Brow Beat March 4 2015 9:59 PM Ian McKellen Makes a Very, Very Good Old Sherlock Holmes Sharan Shetty The Best Teen Movie Ever Made About Cyberbullying? The Duff. The Action-Packed New Avengers: Age of Ultron Trailer Unveils a New Character The Legend Is True: Prince Was a Basketball Star (and He Had an Epic Afro) Wordnesia: When You Forget How to Spell the Very Simplest of Werds Robert Christgau's Beautiful, Profound, Naive, Romantic, Kinetic, Cocky, Impudent Life Kim Gordon Loathes So Much in Her Memoir. What Does She Love? Technology Future Tense March 4 2015 2:41 PM Netizen Report: China Continues to Crack Down on Virtual Private Networks A New Approach to Education Technology Takes Emotions Into Account How Technology Is Changing Our Choices and the Values That Help Us Make Them You're Paying Too Much for Wireless. Google Is About to Change That. Did Hillary Clinton Compromise Her Email Security or Make It Stronger? Can a 3-D Printing Company Stop People From Printing Their Own Guns? Designing for Happiness: The Ultimate Sustainability Solution? Health & Science Bad Astronomy March 5 2015 7:30 AM Taking a Dusty View Phil Plait If You Shake With Someone, Do You Sniff Your Hand Afterward? Thinking About God Makes People More Willing to Take Risks Google Updates Health Page Results to Promote Vaccination Rosetta Dips Close to a Comet and Spots Its Shadow That Photo of a Weasel on a Flying Woodpecker Is Real. Here's How The Photographer Got the Shot. Dawn Sees Sunset on an Alien World Sports Sports Nut Feb. 26 2015 7:41 PM Game, Set, and (Fixed) Match Pro tennis has a match-fixing problem in its lower ranks. Ben Rothenberg What's the Hardest Shot in Bowling? It's Not the 7-10 Split. Has ASU Discovered the Holy Grail of Free-Throw Distraction? How John Wall Became the Most Entertaining Player in the NBA Dean Smith's Political Approach to Being a Coach Is Missed Now More Than Ever Why Handball's World Championship in Qatar Should Worry World Cup Fans Seattle Didn't Throw Away the Super Bowl. The Patriots Won It.


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3/4/15 at 9:05 pm
VIDEO: Is ObamaCare on the Ropes – or About to Survive?
3/4/15 at 9:00 pm
Pick a topic and BLOG!
3/4/15 at 8:50 pm
VIDEO: Introducing the Rubio-Lee Tax Reform Plan
3/4/15 at 8:20 pm
VIDEO: Benghazi Select Committee Subpoenas Hillary Clinton's Emails
3/4/15 at 7:58 pm
Should a deal with Iran go before the U.S. Senate for approval?
3/4/15 at 6:57 pm
Questions, Comments on Tonight's ON THE RECORD?
3/4/15 at 8:58 am
3/3/15 at 9:00 pm
Pick a topic and BLOG!
3/3/15 at 6:57 pm
Questions, Comments on Tonight's ON THE RECORD?
3/3/15 at 3:11 pm
3/3/15 at 1:33 pm
GRETA TALK: Do you know I found Laura Ingle in the back of a van?
3/3/15 at 9:02 am
Why does this have to be a big secret?
3/3/15 at 7:06 am
VIDEO: Quit Dumping on William Shatner
3/3/15 at 7:01 am
your turn
3/2/15 at 9:00 pm
Pick a topic and BLOG!
3/2/15 at 8:58 pm
VIDEO: IRS Defends Giving Refunds to Illegals Who Never Paid Taxes
3/2/15 at 8:00 pm
OTR for Monday March 2 is now over…what did you think of tonight's show?
3/2/15 at 7:58 pm
What do you think about William Shatner missing Leonard Nimoy's funeral?
3/2/15 at 6:57 pm
Questions, Comments on Tonight's ON THE RECORD?
3/2/15 at 2:21 pm
VIDEO: Miss Iris, Bathing Beauty
3/2/15 at 12:07 pm
Are you going to watch or not?
3/2/15 at 11:55 am
Would you want to be a US Senator?
3/2/15 at 11:53 am
What are your thoughts about Israel, Iran, nuclear talks?
3/2/15 at 6:22 am
tell me your plans for the week (you all know mine!)
3/1/15 at 7:22 pm
3/1/15 at 5:05 pm
3/1/15 at 10:15 am
Do you think Iran currently has a nuclear weapons program? Click to read
3/1/15 at 9:40 am
How do you tell?
3/1/15 at 8:51 am


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St. Johns, FL, United States | Member Since 2014
"Best plotless book ever."
Gene Wolfe???s The Sword of the Lictor essentially contains no plot, but it???s the best plotless book I???ve ever read. It???s one of the best books I???ve ever read, period. I loved every moment of it! This third installment of The Book of the New Sun continues Severian???s journey from apprentice in the torturers??? guild to Autarch. He doesn???t seem to be getting any closer to his exalted position (if anything, I???d say farther) and we???re no closer to understanding how he???s going to get there. But that???s totally fine. Unburdened by a need to be anywhere or to achieve any goals or deadlines, Severian wanders the earth almost aimlessly, and it???s this wandering that???s so fascinating. For a reader who???s only anxious for action and story progression, The Sword of the Lictor is not likely to work and, indeed, I usually get annoyed with authors who take too long to tell their stories. However, when I???m reading Gene Wolfe, it not only works ??? it is pure delight. For Wolfe???s old earth, set in a far future when the sun is dying (similar to Jack Vance???s Dying Earth), is full of wonder and amazement and he tells us all about it in his simple but elegant style... I wish I could be there with Severian as he climbs down the steep cliff overhung with a waterfall and embedded with the fossils of earth???s lost architecture, and explores the round metal building that we recognize (but he doesn???t) as a spaceship??? I???d love to tell you more and to discuss what it all means (there???s so much symbolism here), but then you???d miss the jaw-dropping, eye-widening, brain-expanding experience for yourself. I???ll just say that what Severian experiences on his journey perfectly captures the essence of excellent speculative fiction ??? it???s the reason I love SFF.
Nobody creates such a sense of wonder and amazement, such truly unique and bizarre ideas, and relates them in such a beautiful way as Gene Wolfe does. I want to spend a lot more time exploring his world.
Originally posted at Fantasy Literature. We review SFF, horror, and comics for adults and kids, in print and audio daily.
There is no way that any review I write about Monster Hunter Nemesis is going to have any sort of effect on anybody's decision to read it. If you're a fan of the extremely popular MONSTER HUNTER series, then you're going to read Monster Hunter Nemesis, the fifth book. If you're not, you won't. And if you're not in one of those two camps, you have no reason to be reading this review. But still I have to write it, because that's my job.
So, for those of you who ARE fans, what you can expect here is exactly what Correia has given us so far: great characters, a fascinating story, witty dialogue, and brutal violence. This particular installment features my favorite character: AGENT FRANKS! He's a huge indestructible man(?) who works for the U.S. Monster Control Bureau, a government agency that fights monsters and sometimes works with or against Monster Hunter International. In Monster Hunter Nemesis we get his backstory. How old is he? Where did he come from? Why does he work for MCB? Why is he so loyal to the United States? How is he indestructible? You'll find out in Monster Hunter Nemesis as Agent Franks takes on a bureaucrat who's also a mad scientist. I have to say that I was completely surprised by the revelations and what they may mean for the ongoing MONSTER HUNTER story.
Fans will be happy to see a little bit of our old friends at MHI, the gangsta gnomes, and Heather the werewolf. Several new intriguing characters are introduced, too, and I look forward to seeing them in future installments. One main character is tragically killed and there is a delightfully promising plot twist at the end.
For those of you who haven't yet started the MONSTER HUNTER series, I can highly recommend it if you love monsters, guns, engaging heroes, tons of action, clever plotting, and just the right amount of humor. I must warn you that it's gory and violent (a little too much for me, honestly) and that Larry Correia's libertarian views are occasionally on display, especially when he disrespects the government and the president of the United States (who is obviously President Obama).
If you're going to try MONSTER HUNTER, start with the first book (Monster Hunter International) and continue in publication order. I also highly recommend Audible Studios' versions which are brilliantly narrated by Oliver Wyman who totally "gets" this series and gives us a perfect performance for each character, and especially for Agent Franks. If you're not an audio reader, this one could definitely change your mind.
"Satisfying resolution (but not the end of the stor"
Originally posted at Fantasy Literature. We review SFF, horror, and comics for adults and kids, in print and audio daily.
Warlord is the last book in Jennifer Fallon's WOLFBLADE trilogy which is a prequel to her DEMON CHILD trilogy and part of her HYTHRUN CHRONICLES. Like its predecessors, Wolfblade and Warrior, it's a huge sprawling epic (26 hours on audio). The story starts immediately after the tragic events of Warrior (which you really must read first). Marla is still the wealthiest and most powerful woman in the country, but she has taken a major hit and, in some ways, feels alone, despite her large family.
Hablet, the Fardohnian king, is planning to take advantage of Hythria's weakness while the country is recovering from a plague and while their high prince, Lernen, a useless wastrel, is still ruling. Hablet is massing his army for an invasion and hoping that his independently-minded daughter Adrina won't ruin things for him. (Hint: She is an important character in the DEMON CHILD trilogy.) Both Marla and her nemesis, Alija Eaglespike, want their own sons to lead Hythria's army against Hablet. Because of what happened in the previous book, the publically cordial relationship between Marla and Alija has broken down and both women are openly plotting against each other.
Meanwhile, back in Krakandar, Mahkas has become paranoid because Damin is nearing his age of majority. Mahkas is frantically trying to hold on to his rule of the province, and he's desperate to keep certain secrets that he's been hiding since book one. He has turned into a mad despot while Damin is away with the Hythrun army. It will take all of our protagonists — Marla, Damin, Marla's other children's families, and several friends and allies — to set things to right in Hythria. Most importantly, Damin, who has been trying to fly under the radar by pretending to be just as much of a wastrel as his uncle is, can now show the world that he's ready to be a warlord.
Several other subplots are going on, too, of course. A couple of these involve women's issues — one woman is being beaten by her husband and wants a divorce. Another wants to be able to rule her own province instead of being forced to marry a man who can rule it for her. Even Marla, the most powerful woman in the country, has no authority of her own. Her power only comes from her ability to influence the men in her life. How will the various power struggles going on in Hythria and Fardonyha affect how women will be treated now and in the future?
Fans of the WOLFBLADE trilogy are sure to be satisfied with this final installment. It's got everything we expect from Jennifer Fallon: murder, treachery, love, hate, jealousy, adultery, schemes, revenge, tragedies, triumphs, twists. Fallon keeps us guessing about how things will turn out. While we expect the Wolfblade family to eventually triumph, what we don't know is how much they'll have to lose to do so.
My complaints are minor and the same as before — mainly an inability to get completely absorbed because some of the culture and plot seems contrived for dramatic effect. Also, I just didn't think Marla and Damin were as clever as the other characters thought they were. Some of their brilliant tactics seemed either obvious or unnecessarily elaborate or risky to me. A few of the characters (especially Lernen and Mahkas) go over the top in this installment and some of the dialogue is inappropriately modern. But readers who've overlooked these minor details before shouldn't have any trouble doing so this time either, and most will be eager to move on to the DEMON CHILD trilogy, if they haven't already read it (or maybe even if they have). It features Damin and Adrina in later years.
Maggie Mash narrates Audible's version of Warlord. As I mentioned in my review of Warrior, she has a lovely voice but her pace is slow (but it's easy to increase the speed with Audible's app) and her reading of the dialogue tends to be choppy at times. Still, I'd recommend WOLFBLADE on audio for readers who enjoy character-driven political dramas and revenge fantasies.
"Fascinating SF with African setting"
Originally posted at Fantasy Literature. We review SFF, horror, and comics for adults and kids, in print and audio daily.
In several equatorial regions of the earth, an alien plant has been growing. The "Chaga," as it is called, came from outer space and destroys anything manmade that comes near it. Scientists are worried about what it might do to humans. They have not been able to kill it and it is advancing slowly but steadily each day, changing the landscape and covering villages and cities as it progresses. Not only are people's lives being disrupted as they have to flee their homes and become refugees, but they're also worried about what the Chaga is doing here in the first place. Is it benign? Is there an intelligence behind it? Is it a precursor to an alien invasion? Nobody knows.
The mystery of the Chaga and its effect on humanity have inspired Gaby McAslin, a feisty red-headed green-eyed Irish woman, to become a journalist so she can go to Nairobi and try to figure out what the Chaga is doing as it descends from Mount Kilimanjaro. She goes to college, gets a degree in journalism (though it seems like a biology degree would have served her better), gets a job, and manages to get a series of promotions that allow her to go to Nairobi to report on the Chaga. While she's there she's immersed in Kenyan culture (including all its beauty and its corruption), manages to sneak into the Chaga area (which is guarded by soldiers), meets people who have been physically affected by the Chaga, exposes the activities of crooked U.N. troops, and gets sexually involved with a few men.
The best part of Evolution's Shore, which is the first book in a trilogy, is the Chaga itself, and what it represents. At the beginning of the book, it's a complete mystery as the story focuses more on developing Gaby's character. The Chaga area has a dark sinister feel like Area X in Jeff Vandermeer's SOUTHERN REACH series. (It also reminded me of Downward to the Earth by Robert Silverberg and, believe it or not, George R.R. Martin's WILD CARDS anthologies). As we learn additional information about the Chaga, it becomes even more intriguing. I'd love to talk about McDonald's science fiction ideas here, because I think they're really cool, but I don't want to ruin the story for you, so I won't. The slow reveal was my favorite part of the book. By the end, we don't have all the answers, so I look forward to reading more in book 2, Kirinya.
The most important theme is, as the title suggests, human evolution. Have we come to an evolutionary dead-end because we are able to use technology to control our environment? And, if so, can we use our advances in technology and science, especially in the areas of genetics, neuroscience, organic chemistry, space exploration and communication, to change ourselves? Is it possible that our society could evolve into one that has no poverty or market pressures? Could we evolve to live in space? What will a post-humanity look like? McDonald adds poignancy to these questions by setting his story in Africa, humanity's birthplace.
Besides the cool science fiction, Evolution's Shore focuses on important earthly problems such as poverty, HIV, organized crime, government corruption, discrimination, and Eurocentrism. The book also has something to say about the importance of home (many of the characters, including Gaby herself, are displaced temporarily or permanently).
Unfortunately, I wasn't too fond of McDonald's protagonist, Gaby McAslin. She's self-absorbed and immature, her personality is abrasive, she takes some stupid risks, and she's a bit slutty. (I do like her sense of social justice, though.) Much of the plot focuses on Gaby's career and her relationships. I loved the sections where she was making discoveries about the Chaga, and I also enjoyed the Kenya setting (this was well done). I would have appreciated Evolution's Shore even more if I had liked Gaby.
I listened to Audible Studio's version of Evolution's Shore which is 17.5 hours long. Narrator Melanie McHugh (who, I'm assuming, is Irish) was perfect for this role. Her pacing was nice and her voices were believable except that she has the guy from the American Midwest pronounce the letter H as "haitch" instead of "aitch." But that's hardly worth mentioning. I liked the audio version so much that I'll be reading Kirinya on audio, too. Today, in fact.
"Great audio performance, boring story"
Originally posted at Fantasy Literature. We review SFF, horror, and comics for adults and kids, in print and audio daily.
The Lady of Han-Gilen is the second novel in Judith Tarr's AVARYAN saga. In the first book, The Hall of the Mountain King, we met Mirain, supposedly the son of the sun god Avaryan and a human princess. Mirain appeared in Ianon, where his grandfather rules, became his heir, and fought for control of the kingdom. The story wasn't particularly original, but I enjoyed Tarr's style and Jonathan Davis's audio performance.
This second installment, which can stand alone fairly well, takes place several years later and focuses on a new character: Princess Elian of Han-Gilen, foster sister of Mirain. Red-haired and independently-minded, Elian has left a trail of spurned suitors in her wake, but now she's getting older and feeling the pressure to marry. When she finally meets a man who is good enough to match her in wits and martial skills, it's time to finally make the choice she knew she'd someday have to make. Instead of marrying the perfect suitor, and probably being a happy wife, she decides to go find Mirain, the boy she promised herself to when she was a little girl. But he's traveling around the continent, trying to peacefully unite neighboring kingdoms under the sun god's rule. So, Elian disguises herself as a boy and sets out to find him. If she succeeds, will he be the same person he was when she knew him? Will he want to marry her?
In The Lady of Han-Gilen we learn some of Mirain's backstory, we find out what happened to his mother (the king of Ianon's daughter), and we learn about the sun god's enemy and why Mirain wants to unite the kingdoms. (This, of course, is viewed by the other kings as Mirain's lust for power.) We also become reacquainted with Mirain's squire and we learn that Elian has some powers of her own which might be useful to Mirain's kingdom.
The story started off well. Elian is easy to like, at first, when she's knocking off the suitors who aren't smart or strong enough for her. But once she finds Mirain and he doesn't act like the rest of her suitors (apparently he has no idea how to woo a woman, which is surprising, because he knows how to charm everyone else), her confidence dwindles and this fiercely independent red-head devolves into a spineless ninny who can't decide who she loves and what she should do. "I love Mirain! No, I hate Mirain! I love the other guy! Damn Mirain for not helping me make up my mind! Does he love me? Does the other guy love me? I love Mirain! I hate him!" This got boring fairly quickly, yet it went on for hours. Unfortunately, not even the immensely talented Jonathan Davis could make it interesting, though he tried valiantly, contributing lots of emotion and angst to Elian's indecision. But, really, how much pleasure can you get out of one fickle girl's waffling? There's plenty of fist clenching, smoldering, and glaring that goes along with all this, but not enough to make me care. There's more to the story than the romance, of course, but by the time important events started happening, I was annoyed and ready to be done. It was too little too late.
I mentioned in my review of the The Hall of the Mountain King that Judith Tarr's style elevated that novel above most standard epic fantasies. That style is present here, too, and it's often lovely, filled with old-fashioned sentence structures, interesting imagery and vivid metaphors. But with all of the repetitive emotional outbursts, it mostly feels heavy and overblown.
I'm so thankful to Audible Studios for bringing out so much middle-aged SFF in the last few years (this one's from 1987) and recruiting excellent narrators like Jonathan Davis (one of my top five favorite narrators) to bring these stories to life. Unfortunately, there wasn't much he could do with The Lady of Han-Gilen, despite his best effort. It's just boring.
"So much drama!"
Originally posted at Fantasy Literature. We review SFF, horror, and comics for adults and kids, in print and audio daily.
In this third novel of Judith Tarr's AVARYAN RISING trilogy (which probably could stand alone), it's been 15 years since the events of the previous book, The Lady of Han-Gilen. Mirain and Elian now have a teenage son named Saraven who is heir to the throne of his country. One day Saraven saves the life of Hirel, the son of the king of a neighboring kingdom. At first they have nothing in common and even despise each other, but after enduring a series of accidental adventures which include being captured and escaping a few times, the boys eventually overcome their prejudices and become friends. When they make several unsuccessful attempts to stop their fathers from destroying each others' kingdoms, they end up resorting to a bizarre solution that shocks everybody (including me). As young leaders, they make a sacrifice to save their people, but the path they choose turns out to be even more dangerous than they expected.
A Fall of Princes has a couple of likeable protagonists, a unique plot, and a totally unexpected plot twist. Like The Hall of the Mountain King (the first book in the trilogy) and unlike The Lady of Han-Gilen (the second book), it also has several touching moments and produces some thought-provoking scenarios. I don't want to give too many specifics, for fear of spoiling the plot twist, but one thing A Fall of Princes does well is to explore the nature of prejudice. According to psychologists, the fastest and most effective way to reduce prejudice is to spend time (preferably working together) with the people you have prejudiced attitudes about. In A Fall of Princes, Tarr forces her protagonists to work together and shows us how they come to understand and appreciate their differences.
Unfortunately (and like the previous novel), the plot moves at a glacial pace. Characters are given intense focus as they think, talk, or otherwise interact with each other. There are many moments where, for example, one character touches another, that take minutes to describe. We see a lot of riding, bathing, eating, and braiding of hair. Also lots of slapping, glaring, scowling, shivering, and fist clenching. The characters spend hours waffling over their feelings for each other. Do they hate each other? Do they love each other? Are they enemies, brothers, or lovers? There's so much talking and SO MUCH DRAMA! Repetitive drama. The same kind of repetitive drama as in the last book. Oh, I already said that.
Again, Jonathan Davis gives a wonderful performance in Audible Studio's version of A Fall of Princes, but he can't save it from being another mostly boring angst-fest. A Fall of Princes is over 18 hours long on audio, but only about 5 of those hours are actually entertaining.
"I didn't get what I wanted out of it."
Originally posted at Fantasy Literature. We review SFF, horror, and comics for adults and kids, in print and audio daily.
After recently enjoying Ian McDonald's Evolution's Shore, the first book in his CHAGA series, I was eager to proceed with book two, Kirinya. I wanted to know where McDonald was going with the fascinating ideas he presented in that first novel. What is the goal of the Chaga, the alien evolution machine that has landed on Earth in the form of a ground-covering jungle that changes the landscape and its human inhabitants as it slowly progresses across equatorial regions? What is in the BDO (Big Dumb Object) that came from Saturn and hovers in Earth's orbit? How will our world's societies and cultures be affected by these otherworldly intrusions?
As Kirinya begins we learn that Gaby, the famous feisty Irish journalist, has had Shepherd's baby. Because their daughter Serena was affected by the Chaga, Gaby and Serena are sent to live in the Chaga and not allowed out. People who live in the Northern Hemisphere don't want to be infected by those who've been changed by the Chaga because of the weird genetic mutations it causes. Deprived of her career and her connection to Shepherd (who's in the BDO), Gaby sinks into obscurity and lives, for many years, as a whore and a drug addict who neglects her daughter.
Eventually Oksana, the Siberian pilot, shows up and Serena leaves home and joins a terrorist group. After a tragedy strikes, Gaby is finally shaken up enough to decide to make some life changes. With some help from Faraway, a former lover, she gets back on her feet and becomes a spokesperson for a group that wants to put together a world peace summit to address the way the Northern countries are treating the Chaga-infested South. Meanwhile Serena is involved in a terrorist plot to wrest control of the BDO from the American military. Some of Serena's action scenes are quite exciting and would make great movie scenes.
We learn very little about the things I wanted to learn about in Kirinya. We get only a few chapters from Shepherd's point of view in the BDO. These consist of his diary entries and they only hint at the big picture. Fortunately, Shepherd talks a lot more like a poet than a scientist. (I know dozens of scientists and not one of them talks like Shepherd does.) Shepherd tells us about some of the intriguing findings in the BDO, but these updates stop just when they get interesting and we never learn more.
We also don't see nearly as much of the Chaga-induced changes as I was hoping to see and most of what we do see is quite a bit different than I was expecting after reading Evolution's Shore. It seemed like the Chaga was a benign influence that would provide people with their daily necessities and allow humans to live in peace and prosperity rather than conflict and competition. Or it might have been a vehicle for Africans to empower themselves, overthrow their oppressors, and transform their role in the global economy. But that is not what Gaby's new world is like which, I suppose, may be Ian McDonald's commentary on human nature and the way developed nations suppress undeveloped nations rather than an abandonment of his original ideas. The AIDS theme, which I found fascinating, seems to be completely dropped, though.
There are a few glimpses of how the Chaga has changed life in the South, such as the bus driver who has no legs and whose nerves connect directly from his spine to his bus's electrical system. Or the immensely huge woman who remembers everything she experiences by storing the memories as fat. Or the way everyone who lives in the Chaga can tune their brain to receive radio signals. There was an interesting speculation about the development of human consciousness and a cool idea about whale song and computer language, but most of the story focused on Gaby's depravity and Serena's rebellion rather than the effects of a world being overrun by an unknown alien presence that's trying to remake the human race.
I mentioned in my review for Evolution's Shore that I didn't like Gaby because she's abrasive, immature, selfish and slutty. Well, she's even worse in Kirinya. She's more abrasive, immature, selfish and slutty than ever, and to top it all off with a cherry on top, she's a really bad mom. There are far too many scenes which narrate the particular details of what Gaby calls her "filthy" sex life. We learn much more about what she does in bed (or wherever) than how she does her job (which is more important to the plot). Most of the characters seem obsessed with their (and everyone else's) sex organs and bodily orifices and a lot of the dialogue is unnecessarily vulgar. I'm not a prude, but I was disappointed that this was more prominent in the plot than Gaby's job or new information about the Chaga.
I didn't get what I wanted out of Kirinya, but I still admire Ian McDonald's style and I look forward to reading more of his work. The audio version of Kirinya was produced by Audible Studios and is 17.5 hours long. Narrator Melanie McHugh is superb. Her voices for each of the characters are distinct and fitting.
"An enthralling novel of big ideas"
Reviewed by Marion, Terry, and me at Fantasy Literature.
Marion: In Lock In, Haden's syndrome has created millions of people who are conscious and alert, but have no voluntary control of their bodies; they are, effectively, "locked in" to themselves. Government funded technology has developed ways to assist these, who are called "Hadens," to function; both in a non-physical information-world called the Agora, and by using sophisticated Personal Transports or android bodies called "threeps." (You might be able to figure out where that name comes from if you remember a certain gold-colored android from a popular trilogy of movies a few decades ago.) Chris Shane is a Haden, one of the two most famous Hadens in America, and a freshly-minted FBI agent. On the second day on the job, Chris and acerbic partner Leslie Vann take jurisdiction of a baffling case that involves a dead mystery man and an Integrator, a human who can let Hadens "ride" in his brain. This controversial murder comes on the eve of a week-long Haden protest against newly passed legislation that ends funding for services to Hadens. The Integrator, who is covered with the dead man's blood, is the brother of a powerful and vocal Haden separatist, the coordinator of the protest demonstrations.
Terry read Lock In at the same time I did, so we decided to discuss it together. Kat just finished the audio version, so she'll make some comments about that.
Terry: The police procedural style murder mystery plays out against a backdrop of dramatic political, social and technological changes. As in other books by John Scalzi, these rapid changes have brought humanity to a crossroads. The changes are sufficiently complex, however, that Scalzi is frequently pushed into dumping information by the bucketload on his readers. Most of the time, this works. The initial dump, which purports to be an article on a high school cheating website, reads well, just as do the conversations between experts we would expect FBI agents to utilize, or with witnesses. Sometimes the information is shoehorned in, as in an initial discussion between Chris and a Navajo police officer. I mostly appreciated the information, even when it was a bit awkward. As a mystery reader, though, I was alert to some of the stranger turns in the conversation, thinking that the odder information would serve as clues.
Kat: Infodumps usually bother me, and there were plenty of them in Lock In, but I actually welcomed them here. That's probably because neuroscience and psychology are my areas of interest, so the parts of the book that I was most fascinated by were the parts explained in the infodumps. What happened in the brain to make these people lock in? How did scientists and engineers solve the problem? And, most importantly to me, is that even possible? (No, and probably never will be.) How did society react to locked in people walking around in robotic, or other people's, bodies? The mystery was of less interest to me, except that it served to highlight the problems that would occur in a society where some of its participants are not physically in the bodies they're using.
Marion: The info-dumps that bothered me came more, I think, from the roommate character, just because I thought the whole arrival of the roommates was a bit too convenient. That was my main plot-quibble with the whole book. On the other hand, watching Chris go house hunting gave me an idea of what many Hadens would be facing under the new laws. I'm a mystery reader too, and to me, this was a "how-dun-it" rather than a "who-dun-it." I liked how Scalzi played fair with the clues, something even veteran mystery writers don't always do. And the "how was it done?" question in this book was fascinating.
Terry: I liked that too, and it's difficult to do with a science fiction mystery. There's always the temptation to pull out a new gizmo and claim it fixes everything. Scalzi consistently avoids that temptation. The twists and turns of this particular law enforcement investigation are well-detailed, with no instances of Chris missing an issue because Leslie failed to point it out.
Marion: I liked the characters, too. Terry, you're a more thorough reader than I am, and you noticed something important about one crucial character that leaves room for a lot of speculation. My favorite character was Leslie Vann, Agent Shane's partner. I must just like humorously bitter cop characters! Chris Shane's first-person narrative voice reads as youthful and sincere, funny without being overly snarky. Chris is a fully-realized character.
Kat: I thought that a few of the characters, including Chris and Leslie, sounded a little too much like the Scalzi persona, as many of his characters tend to do. They have that bantering, fast-paced, smart-and-snarky style that I associate with Scalzi online. If I didn't know who wrote this book, I'd have guessed Scalzi right off. I listened to Wil Wheaton's narration which was spot-on perfect but which, I'm sure, contributed to this feeling and to the fact that I didn't notice what Terry did, either. By the way, there is another version of Lock In which is read by Amber Benson.
Terry: I thought Chris's father, a wealthy former basketball player who is considering a run for the Senate from his home state of Virginia, is also nicely drawn. Other characters are little more than ciphers — we learn next to nothing about Chris's mother, for instance, and not too much about the villains except that they're people with no ethics or morals and a lot of greed.
Marion: And Dad's a real estate mogul, don't forget that.
Kat: Chris's father was one of my favorite characters, too. I like that Scalzi didn't portray him as I expected him to. (Though I think Scalzi's playing with our expectations is getting a little gimmicky.)
Marion: I thought there was a bit of a gimmick with Chris's father, too, but then I also think that we have a first-person narrator who's a Haden, and this could be another example of how differently the Hadens view the world (certain things just don't matter to them). And if you want an even more extreme example of that, there's Cassandra.
Terry: Cassandra Bell! Even though we see very little of her, she intrigued me the most. She contracted Haden's Syndrome in the womb, and has never known life as most humans do; in fact she spends most of her time in the non-physical world called the Agora. One gets the impression that Bell believes Hadens should not be cured, but should be treated as their own subculture, similar to the controversy in the Deaf community in our own world.
Kat: It made me think of the Deaf community, too, Terry. And, in fact, Scalzi makes that analogy in the prequel, Unlocked. I loved the Agora. I wish I could visit it.
Marion: Overall, Scalzi did an awesome job of "scaling" his Hadens, so we see a range on a continuum; some who got the syndrome as adults and are more closely identified to their physical bodies, and those like Cassandra. I want to say that it feels like Scalzi is creating a "post-appearance" culture among the Haden, where status and role will depend upon your Agora avatar and the quality of your "threep."
Terry: Of rather more interest than plot or character to all of us, though, was Scalzi's implicit — and sometimes explicit — commentary on various social and political issues, the sorts of "what if?" questions that really drive science fiction. Is a faction of humanity going to choose a life where all of the familiar markers, clothing, age, skin and hair color, height or weight don't matter? How big will the divide be between the Hadens and the old-style humans?
People who make snap assumptions in this book will face some surprises, making this book a nice comment on political correctness.
But tolerance for the "other" has its most biting effect when considering the rights of the disabled, which seems to be Scalzi's principal point. I found it rather unbelievable that threeps are so readily accepted in society as fully human, despite Scalzi's backstory in the novella Unlocked. Chris never seems to run into anyone who wants to treat a threep as a machine instead of accepting that it's a person. Have we really come that far, in a world that contains large numbers who still don't even think of women or blacks as people worthy of being treated with respect? It would be nice to think so. Perhaps Scalzi had a few doubts on this score himself, given his inclusion of an episode with a wheelchair.
Marion: I don't agree that there is complete acceptance. Chris seems to run into people who are willing to work with threeps, but he is mostly in large bureaucracies and mostly law enforcement. One of the Metro cops makes an ignorant remark about "clanks" versus "threeps," and a Haden is mugged by a trio of Haden-haters. I agree with you that most of the time it seems remarkably idealistic. Part of the problem, I think, is that Scalzi thoroughly and carefully insulated Chris from any direct negativity growing up, by liberal applications of money and fame. Maybe that's a weakness in the book.
Kat: Yes, there are some Haden-haters in the story, so society hasn't completely accepted them, but remember that it's been 25 years since the disorder started and almost everyone has a friend or family member affected. Most people would be very pleased about technology that lets their loved ones participate in the world, even if it does cause some Uncanny Valley discomfort.
Marion: I loved the wheelchair scene! When Chris shifts consciousness into a threep in Los Angeles, it is broken, because it belonged to a criminal and got damaged in a shoot-out. The threep can't walk, so the L.A. field agent offers Chris a wheelchair for the damaged threep. I thought it said a lot about the gaps in acceptance of Hadens, without being preachy. It was in the Los Angeles FBI Field Office, so that seemed totally realistic to me. Plus, it was funny!
I'm impressed with how many big societal changes he worked into this story; technology, social policy and just social changes, in a framework of a police procedural. It's a solid 4.5 book for me. I think I read the book too quickly on the first go-round to catch all the subtleties, but I'm hoping (and betting) that there will be more books and stories in this world.
Terry: I agree, except that the house-hunting plot quibble didn't bother me. Someone just starting a new job is likely to be house hunting! I found the book enthralling throughout. I'd rate it a 5.
Marion: I have no trouble with a 5.
Kat: Lock In was probably the most thought-provoking AND entertaining book I've read this year. (I've read many thought-provoking books and many entertaining books, but most didn't manage to be both.) As I mentioned, I listened to the audio version which was produced by Audible Studios. I chose Wil Wheaton's narration, but readers may also choose to listen to Amber Benson's narration. Both are excellent (I listened to a sample of Benson) because both Wheaton and Benson "get" Scalzi's characters. As a bonus, the audio version includes the prequel novella Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome which is narrated by a full cast of well-known and excellent narrators.
"A companion to the CHAGA novels"
Originally published at Fantasy Literature.
Tendeleo's Story is a short companion novel to Ian McDonald's CHAGA series which is about an alien tropical plant-like life form that drops from space and lands in several equatorial regions of Earth. The first CHAGA novel, Evolution's Shore, follows Irish reporter Gaby McAslin as she documents the biological, societal, and political changes that occur in Kenya as the Chaga descends from Mount Kilimanjaro and overruns Nairobi. In Kirinya, the second book, Gaby joins the people who have decided to (or been forced to) live in the Chaga rather than fleeing northward to safety. Meanwhile, a subplot follows Dr. Shepherd, one of Gaby's lovers, who is studying and trying to figure out the purpose, mechanisms, and creator of the Chaga.
Tendeleo's Story does not further the plot or give us more insight into the Chaga. It is simply the story of one girl's experience growing up in Nairobi when the Chaga came. Tendeleo is a pastor's daughter. When the Chaga appears near her village, she knows that they'll eventually have to evacuate. Her father plans to stay till the end, to minister to his village, but as more and more of his congregation leaves, the family struggles to make ends meet. Tendeleo does what she can to help her family, even when it means getting involved with gangs, corrupt officials, and the American Embassy. Eventually Tendeleo moves to England and falls in love, but she discovers that she's been touched by the Chaga.
In contrast to Gaby, the "heroine" of Evolution's Shore and Kirinya, Tendeleo is a likeable protagonist with a story that's compelling all the way through. (It helps that it's short.) For this reason, I actually liked Tendeleo's Story better than Kirinya. While I was disappointed that I didn't get to learn more about the Chaga, I realize that it was never Ian McDonald's intention to explain it to us. He leaves us with a wonderful sense of cosmic conjecture which, to my speculative fiction-loving self, is perfectly fine but is, to my scientist self, slightly disappointing. If McDonald does have answers to Dr Shepherd's questions, I hope he'll reveal them in another CHAGA novel someday. But if he doesn't, I'm okay with that.
You could read Tendeleo's Story directly after Evolution's Shore, if you like. Chronologically speaking, that's where it belongs. Once again, I listened to the amazingly wonderful Melanie McHugh narrate Audible Studio's version of Tendeleo's Story. It's 3.5 hours long.
"Really bizarre!"
Originally posted at Fantasy Literature.
Courtney Hall is a cartoonist because that's the job she's been assigned by the tyrannical government agencies that dictate all of the details of everyone's life — where they live, who their friends are, who they marry, what job they do. The goal of the government, which consists of such agencies as the Ministry of Pain, the Compassionate Society, and the Love Police, is to analyze every citizen's genes and personality so that they can be assigned to the lifestyle that will minimize their pain and maximize their happiness, thus creating a populace that is obedient and compliant. The government assures that its dictates are adhered to by monitoring all activity and censoring criticism.
Most people seem content in the Compassionate Society because they like being pain-free, doing a job that they love (even if they're not good at it) and being married to people who they're compatible with (even if they don't love them). But some people, including Courtney Hall, think there must be something more to life than avoiding pain and conflict. If she voices her opinions, or opposes the government's decisions for her, she'll be called in for reprogramming and have her mind wiped. When Courtney creates a satirical comic and finds herself on the run, she discovers a group of dissidents living under the city and joins their fight for freedom.
So far Out on Blue Six sounds like a typical dystopian novel. You're probably expecting something like Nineteen Eighty-Four or Fahrenheit 451 but, to stick with the number-in-the-title theme, Out on Blue Six has more in common with Slaughterhouse-Five than either of those dystopias. It's bizarre. Really bizarre. In fact, it feels much more like something Philip K. Dick would have written, except that Ian McDonald is a far better stylist.
The story is strange all the way through, but the weirdest part is when Courtney spends time with the underground rebels. Their "expedition to the end of the world" is surreal and filled with all sorts of oddities such as a six-breasted goddess, a man with no memories, the King of Nebraska, a group of performance artists who call themselves the Raging Apostles, a race of cyborg raccoons, and a computer program that might be God. Through her travels and interactions, Courtney begins to realize what is wrong with her "compassionate" society and how the experience of pain underlies morality and creativity.
Out on Blue Six is wildly creative, beautifully written, often funny, has a clear message, and ends on a hopeful note. Yet it feels disjointed, frenetic, and over-stimulating, like an acid trip (or, at least, what I think an acid trip must feel like). Thus, while I admired the novel and found it fascinating, I didn't always enjoy it. There were no characters that I cared about and I never felt grounded in McDonald's world because there was something new and bizarre around every corner. I love weird, but this was weird overload. Still, I'm glad I read Out on Blue Six and some of its language and images will stick with me forever.
I listened to the audio version produced by Audible Studios and read by Jeff Harding. I suspect that narrating this book was extremely difficult. The narrative voice is intrusive, frenzied, chaotic, repetitive, and full of neologisms and sound effects. There are plays, sportscasts, committee meetings, official letters from the government, and talking raccoons. Jeff Harding managed it all brilliantly. It is an impressive performance.
"An excellent sampler of McDonald's work"
Originally posted at Fantasy Literature.
Over the past few months I've read seven novels by Ian McDonald and have appreciated his thoughtful and beautifully written stories. I admired all of them, even those that I didn't particularly like. McDonald's stories are unique, many have exotic settings you can get immersed in, and most have fascinating science fiction ideas while also portraying poignant human struggles.
Empire Dreams (1988) is a sampler of ten of McDonald's short stories and novelettes that offer fans and new readers a few glimpses of the author's brilliance and versatility. The first five were originally published in Asimov's Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine and the rest are original to this volume:
"Empire Dreams (Ground Control to Major Tom)" — (Originally printed in Asimov's, December 1985) This novelette is about a new medical technology that uses a virtual reality game to let oncology patients fight their cancer. A boy who just lost his father is the first patient to try the new treatment. The world watches his mother sit by his hospital bed while, internally, the boy and his dead father try to defeat the cancer in Star Wars fashion. This is a touching story about losing parents.
"Scenes from a Shadowplay" — (Asimov's, July 1985) In this clever revenge story, a famous Venetian composer orchestrates the murder of a rival using automatons built by his disinherited clone-brothers. I loved the science fiction elements in this story and wish McDonald would write more in this world.
"Christian" — (Asimov's, October 1984) This strange novelette is about a boy who befriends a man named Christian who flies kites on the beach and tells stories. The kites, and Christian himself, are not what they seem. In one of the stories Christian tells, we see the pain-free society that McDonald will write about later in his novel Out on Blue Six.
"King of Morning, Queen of Day" — (Asimov's, May 1988) I loved this novelette about an upper-class Irish family in the early 20th century. The father, Dr. Desmond, is scorned by his scientific colleagues when he discovers a comet that he insists is actually an alien spaceship. As he measures its progress toward Earth and designs an apparatus for communicating with the aliens, he worries about his daughter Emily who imagines that the woods around their house are inhabited by faeries and she has become their queen. This story is drenched in irony as the characters use their own beliefs and biases to try to explain the other characters' odd behavior. It also shows McDonald's breadth of style, as it's written in a completely different manner than most of his other work. This novelette is related to McDonald's novel King of Morning, Queen of Day.
"The Catharine Wheel (Our Lady of Tharsis)" — (Asimov's, January 1984) This novelette is related to the novel Ares express in which a terraformed Mars is traversed by nuclear-powered trains. The story has two viewpoints. The first is a young boy who is accompanying his engineer grandfather on the last voyage of a train that was named after Saint Catherine, an "angel" of Mars who once saved the train from a disaster. The second viewpoint is the young disillusioned Saint Catherine while she was still on Earth and trying to figure out how to abandon the flesh to achieve true spirituality. As with so many of his stories, this one is clearly inspired by the religious wars and terrorism of McDonald's native Belfast.
"Unfinished Portrait of the King of Pain by Van Gogh" — When the King of Pain asks Vincent Van Gogh to paint his portrait, Van Gogh thinks he must be going mad. As he sits for the portrait, the King of Pain tells Van Gogh stories about a pain-free society and even gifts him with some of his magic. McDonald cleverly uses this premise to explain some of Van Gogh's personality, history, and art. This charming novelette, which is closely related to the aforementioned novel Out on Blue Six, deals with the problems and purpose of pain. It was included in two "Year's Best" anthologies edited by Datlow and Windling.
"The Island of the Dead" — In this bittersweet short story, a man goes to visit the Island of the Dead on Halloween, the one night each year that the dead may rise and return to their mortal bodies. He is looking for his dead wife, but finds something else. This lovely science fiction story is about moving on after death.
"Radio Marrakech" — This is another story about death — specifically about burning out versus fading away. In Marrakech, a draft-dodging beach bum meets an improv artist who seems like she's full of life, but it turns out that there's a catch to her vitality. McDonald does a great job with the neuroscience here and it's an interesting consideration about quantity vs. quality of life.
"Visits to Remarkable Cities" — Three travelers share tales about remarkable cities they've been to. Each tale has something to say about human nature and taken together they say something even more profound.
"Vivaldi" — This novelette is about an astrophysicist involved in a space voyage to investigate a black hole. As he considers the vastness of space and what a collapsed star tells us about the death of the universe, he relates his findings to events going on in his life. This touching story, which juxtaposes the immensity of the universe with our tiny personal experiences, nearly brought me to tears.
Every single one of these stories is weighty and moving. There are several repeating themes here — mortality, loss of loved ones, vibrancy of spirit, the purpose of pain — which make me wonder what McDonald was going through when he wrote these stories in the mid 1980s. Certainly "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland were an inspiration.
But despite their similarity of theme, each of the tales has a different setting, tone, and voice and together they are a good representation of the depth and breadth of Ian McDonald's work. This is a great place to start for readers who'd like to sample what McDonald has to offer and I'd consider it a must-read for established fans.
I listened to Audible Studio's version of Empire of Dreams. It's 8.5 hours long and narrated by English actor William Gaminara. I was impressed by Gaminara's performance. He has a beautiful voice and he brilliantly handled the diversity of tone and cast in this collection. I'm certain that his reading added to my enjoyment of these stories.


text: When the Bruins lost to the Red Wings on April 2, the Winged Wheels appeared like those toy cars that just need to be pulled back to rev up.Darren Helm, Johan Franzen and Gustav Nyquist all had breakaway chances. Nyquist's winner in the final 10 minutes made the difference in the game, a 3-2 Detroit win.Through three games of their first-round series with the Bruins, the Red Wings' engines have been stuck in neutral, their wheels spinning in quicksand.Detroit has scored two goals in three games. Tuukka Rask picked up a breezy 23-save shutout in Tuesday's 3-0 shutout win at Joe Louis Arena. Rask hasn't allowed a score in 86:40, dating to the second period of Sunday's Game 2. The Bruins have cruised to consecutive victories to take a 2-1 series lead. The Bruins are hardly kicking themselves over either goal Detroit has scored so far. Pavel Datsyuk went all world-class on them for the only goal in Game 1, then Luke Glendening's score bounced off his shoulder and glove before going in Sunday.As for all that speed the Wings were supposed to bring? The Bruins will let them be as fast as they want chasing the puck.In Games 2 and 3, the Bruins have dominated the puck in the key moments of the game. After not doing so in Game 1, they've gotten to their high probability-of-success areas — down low, below the dots and most importantly, with the puck in their possession. The Bruins had an 18-4 shots advantage in the first period of Game 2, 11-4 in Game 3.All four Bruins lines were gunning in Game 3. David Krejci's unit had its best game. Reilly Smith and Brad Marchand were creating chances. Shawn Thornton and Jordan Caron took advantage of a bad line change to set up Boston's second goal. Carl Soderberg set up Marchand for a great chance with a beautiful move in the first period.Puck possession is the key element to this series, and the Bruins have punished Mike Babcock's club in that area in their two wins. Even when Detroit had the advantage in Game 1, it took Datsyuk's one-man show to score a goal.Nyquist, Justin Abdelkader, Riley Sheahan, David Legwand, Brendan Smith and Niklas Kronwall are all without points in the series. The Bruins have points from 12 players in this series.With Henrik Zetterberg still sidelined, much of the scoring load falls on Datsyuk. That means Zdeno Chara is planted inside Datsyuk's skates. Chara took 19 of his 23 even-strength shifts Tuesday against Datsyuk, per shiftchart.com. Although Datsyuk had a strong Corsi (59.1 percent for-percentage), he had just one shot on net, his attempts kept to the outside.Mike Babcock has yet to make a strong effort to separate Datsyuk from Chara. He did shift Datsyuk's line over to David Krejci's unit in Game 3, in an effort to free up by Datsyuk and the second line centered by Riley Sheahan.It didn't work. It's impossible to generate offense when the other team always has the puck.Follow @DanCagen


text:
Dr. Baas, director of Concordia's Southeast Asian Teacher Licensure Program, is committed to building a community of lifelong intercultural learners. She joined the Concordia staff in 2002 as an adjunct faculty member in the Southeast Asian Teacher Licensure and Special Education Teacher Education Programs. Baas has devoted her teaching to preparing future educators for diversity in the classroom and developing teaching methods to best serve students of various ethnic backgrounds.
For more than 40 years, Baas has been training students at all levels. She brings her expertise to general students and students with special needs and has served as a behavioral assessor, consultant, dean, principal, and also as a school psychologist. She has worked in the collegiate ranks for more than 15 years, passing on her passion and knowledge to future educators. Baas also serves as the Minnesota Teacher Performance Assessment Coordinator. She has numerous publications related to school psychology, reducing assessment bias and preparing children to learn.
Teaching methods, teacher development, leadership skills, assessment tools, Southeast Asian culture, special education, psychology
"My career highlight has been developing the Hmong Culture and Language Program at Concordia. This program serves as a means of planting the seeds of higher education for K-12 students while helping Hmong students preserve their Hmong culture through storytelling, gardening and the arts, and in doing cutting edge research with the Hmong 18 Council in the Twin Cities."
Rick Benson has served in the Kinesiology and Health Science department at Concordia since 2000. As an instructor, Benson has developed department curriculum and has served as a student-teacher supervisor and advisor. Currently, Benson is serving as Interim Chair of the Department of Teacher Education. Benson also conducts and facilitates online learning as an adjunct instructor with the School of Continuing Studies.
Benson spent six years teaching health and physical education before moving into the college ranks at Concordia. He was an exhibitor at three recent Minnesota School Health Conferences and is an active member of several professional associations. He served as president of the Minnesota Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (MNAHPERD) from 2006-08.
Teaching methods, health and human movement, community safety and first aid/CPR, program administration, human life experience
"I feel called to teach to help students grow personally and professionally in every dimension of their life."
Dr. Cheryl T. Chatman has served as the Executive Vice President and Dean of Diversity at Concordia University, St. Paul since 2000. She works closely with the president and campus to help provide a climate necessary for institutional excellence, and serves as a link between and among the campus and the larger community.
Cheryl is a recent recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Council of Black Minnesotans; Iowa State University's Alumni Achievement Award; and the UMOJA Community Award for maintaining Unity in families, community, nation and race. Models Cities, the Minnesota Performance Institute and Life Skills Development Center honored her for dedication and service to the community, and she has also been recognized by the university Staff Organization Executive Board for Excellence in Action, for a caring heart, love for people, being the heart of the campus, and assisting in reflecting Concordia as a Christian university.
Campus and community diversity, multicultural and leadership presentations, activities, events, training and conferences.
Dr. Lynn Gehrke is a professional educator with more than 20 years of experience teaching learners at all levels, from Pre-K through the collegiate ranks. She has been preparing future educators at Concordia since 1999. Dr. Gehrke specializes in early childhood and elementary education. She has coordinated Concordia's Early Childhood Education online programs since 1999.
Child guidance and classroom management, curriculum and instruction, observation and assessment in Pre-K through elementary years.
"I see teaching as a time to intentionally build relationships with students, motivate and inspire, and create learning together. My students teach me as much as I teach them. The highlight of my teaching is to go beyond the academic classroom into the classrooms of my B.A and M.A. students to model, consult and co-teach. Their invitations to me are humbling and exciting."
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