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Blogging for a Good Book
The Food of a Younger Land, by Mark Kurlansky
Subtitled "A portrait of American food — before the national highway system, before chain restaurants, and before frozen food, when the nation's food was seasonal, regional, and traditional–from the lost WPA files," you must at least read the extremely interesting Introduction to this treasure mine sampled from what remains in the archives of America Eats, five dusty boxes of manuscript copy on onionskin. Here Kurlansky showcases the best of what he uncovered, just as writer Merle Colby had hoped when writing the final report before the unedited, unpublished manuscripts were tucked away in the 1940s: "Here and there in America some talented boy or girl will stumble on some of this material, take fire from it, and turn it to creative use."
The entries are informative and amusing excerpts from food writing and recipes gathered regionally for a federally funded writing project that employed out-of-work writers. When spending priorities changed after Pearl Harbor, the unfinished project materials were abruptly preserved in the Library of Congress, and we can thank Kurlansky for digging out its most fascinating gems for our enlightenment.
Among the southern and eastern sections where I focused my perusal, I really got a kick out of the anecdotes and details on preparing such delicacies as squirrel, [o]possum, chittelins, and corn pone, how the hush puppy got its name & why some forms of cornbread were once much lower in status. Of course, Virginians will find some definitive yet highly opinionated historical notes on the famed Brunswick Stew.
The WPA (Works Progress Administration) was a government agency that sprung up as one of many efforts to alleviate poverty in 1930s America. Some WPA projects designed programs according to individual skill, field of study or expertise. Remarkably, these included plans for the fields of art, music, drama, and literature. The Federal Writers' Project commissioned writers to research, write, edit, and publish works and series on particular topics, usually with American themes or interests in mind; writers employed included Zora Neale Hurston and Eudora Welty. Following the successful production of numerous travel guidebooks, the concept for America Eats provided a means for capturing the distinct regional and cultural uniqueness of food and how it was prepared, served, and eaten in an America on the cusp of immense change. America's culinary differences were destined to be homogenized through the diverse means that food production would soon become so heavily industrialized and globalized.
If you're one of the many readers eagerly devouring information on real food, whole foods, traditional foods, or even paleolithic foods, in what seems like a mass revolution against modern food (in which I'm still trying to figure out what works best for my lifestyle), you'll find much to inform and inspire you in Kurlansky's book. Some will reminisce; others will find a lot of eye-opening and useful knowledge about the way we once were; all we be entertained.
Check the WRL catalog for The Food of a Younger Land
I read the title in the e-book version.
Celebrating Pride and Prejudice: 200 Years of Jane Austen's Masterpiece, by Susannah Fullerton
Approximately five years ago, I read Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice as well as her other five novels after receiving an all-in-one collection as a gift. Having only truly read Pride and Prejudice once (I can't count the Cliff Notes I used in high school), it's a wonder that I am reviewing this festive micro-history which delightfully illustrates why Jane Austen's perfect Regency romance has remained so untouchable since its publication in 1813, even as her style and subject matter are profusely imitated, now more than ever!
Reading Susannah Fullerton's pleasant homage to the timeless novel upon its 200-year anniversary provided me with all sorts of intriguing details, historical background, and gossipy tidbits about its creation and legacy that enhance my appreciation of the novel. Fullerton, president of the Jane Austen Society of Australia, effectively demonstrates the reasons for the novel's perfection and its ever-increasing appeal for readers of either sex, of all ages, in nearly every community worldwide. She cheerfully describes her analysis of individual characters, Austen's style, and the famous opening sentence on which an entire chapter is devoted.
It was especially amusing to learn of all the various editions, versions, translations, sequels, retellings, mash-ups, adaptations, film interpretations, and other assorted Austen-inspired endeavors that have fueled a sort of Pride-and-Prejudice mania. Darcy-mania culture took off on the tails of the sexy 1995 BBC film version, starring Colin Firth (of the infamous lake scene), and kindled much new interest in the reading of the novel.
Fullerton pretty much concludes that no sequel author or film producer has ever really matched Jane Austen's masterful style and that what lovers of the novel should really ever do is just keep reading and re-reading Pride and Prejudice. I agree that the masterpiece stands alone, but Austen did very effectively infect most of her readers with a desire to continue knowing Elizabeth and Darcy and to learn ever more about each well-drawn character's future. Imagine if she'd lived long enough to write her own sequels, or to taste the fame her novels eventually gave her!
Check the WRL catalog for Celebrating Pride and Prejudice : 200 years of Jane Austen's Masterpiece
Where'd You Go, Bernadette, by Maria Semple
A 2013 Alex Award winner (meaning its a book in the adult section found to be highly appealing to teen readers), Where'd You Go, Bernadette is a laughable and adventurous satire packed with hilarious characterization and witty dialogue mostly in the epistolary fashion using email correspondence, letters, police reports, report cards, and other documents. Modest readers might find some strong language offensive yet very in-character when utilized.
You'll find hilarious characters, some to love, some to hate, and some to drive everyone crazy! Semple pokes fun at Seattle's subcultures of anti-fashionable, pro-geek, tech-talking, community-oriented, hyper-diverse, ultra-green, alternative-lifestyle embracing citizens. Semple herself is a transplant to the Seattle region from Los Angeles, as is the character Bernadette, where she wrote screenplays for "Beverly Hills, 90210," "Ellen," "Mad About You" and "Arrested Development."
Caution, spoilers (because the events are revealed asynchronously and non-chronologically): Bernadette Fox has escaped her failed career as a genius architect by isolating herself in a crumbling fortress of a home where she can't sleep and torments herself with self-pity. She's become so anti-social that she's hired a virtual assistant to handle even the most mundane logistics of her life. For years, her precious 15-year old daughter Bee has been Bernadette's only reason for living. Bee's been promised this trip to Antarctica as an award for her perfect report card (Her Microsoft-guru dad can afford it). Now, she's having a panic attack brought on by the prospect of accompanying Bee through the sea-sickening Drake passage, "the roughest and most feared water in the world," and this leads to a series of outrageous circumstances that culminate in a final resolution that just might restore Bernadette's artistic passion.
The narration, and actual singing, by actress Kathleen Wilhoite, is extraordinarily energetic and adds much to the listening experience of the audiobook version, which I was whizzed through completely enraptured with joyous laughter. When hearing her voicing the hysterics of the 'gnats' (aka the condescending moms of Bee's classmates at Galer Street School), I was reminded of Tea Leoni's over-the-top character in the movie Spanglish.
Check the WRL catalog for the print or large print versions, too.
The Art Detective, by Philip Mould
The Art Detective Philip Mould became a television celebrity from his role appraising works of art unearthed from dusty attics or flea markets on the popular "Antiques Roadshow," but according to his memoir he began as an ambitious art dealer who just happened to fall in love with the game of chasing down a good find using the forensic and research expertise of his reliable staff, his vast knowledge of artists and fine art portraiture and often pure instinct along with a willingness to risk his reputation in the highly competitive art world. Sheer luck seems to have been in his favor with a number of great finds that, had he been wrong — such as in his decision to scrape away some over-painting — might have had disastrous consequences both financial and for art's sake. He seems very fortunate to have found early success that he has been rolling with ever since, which makes for a very fascinating read about his life's work.
"In this book I explain how the history of a picture can color its appearance. I show how provenance can completely blind eminent authorities into believing a picture is authentic when it is a fake, and also how provenance can unlock a picture's importance and stature."
This book was very appealing for the sense of mystery involved with researching and following clues to determine a work of art's provenance and condition, often literally peeling layers of paint to reveal the true masterpiece in disguise. I liked the storytelling skill and use of suspense. Descriptions of bizarre art collectors' habits created vivid portraits of the persons associated with the art under investigation. These and some incredible frauds provided a number of laugh-out-loud moments for me as well.
The stories relating the complex process of unraveling the truth about individual works of arts were rich with detail, wit, and sensationalism. I will say that they could have benefited from more complete documentation of his findings; particularly, some additional dates would have oriented me into the moment better. Some of the works discussed are in museums or locations that I have either had access to or had contemplated in books previously, which increased my interest in learning more. The book also sparked my interest in seeking episodes of Antiques Roadshow on both BBC and PBS, which before I read this book were the type of put-me-to-sleep programs I would have clicked right past. I felt as though I were being welcomed behind the scenes of the elite art environment in which Philip Mould makes his living.
Check the WRL catalog for The Art Detective
I found it to be a very quick and engaging read as an e-book.
Refresh Refresh, by Danica Novgorodoff
For the last review this week I am looking at a graphic novel. Refresh Refresh is by far the darkest and saddest of these stories. Like Operation Oleander, Refresh Refresh is set in recent history. Josh's father and Cody's father are Marine Reservists who are deployed to Iraq. They live in a small, unnamed Oregon town where a lot of the men have gone to war. For many of the families the men's absence is a financial as well as practical burden. Cody's power is cut off even though his mother has a job and his father is being paid by the military. His mother says that they are in financial trouble from losing his father's overtime pay, although she works extra hours at the factory, so she is hardly ever home for him and his small brother.
The title, Refresh Refresh, comes from the action of refreshing the computer browser to see if any email has arrived and at the beginning both boys do this continuously, almost obsessively. As I said in my post on Operation Oleander, electronic communication is both a blessing and and a curse. In wrenching panels we see the boys repeatedly looking at their computer screens and seeing the cheerful but heartbreaking message, "Welcome! You have 0 unread messages."
Refresh Refresh does a good job of portraying the complex feelings military service creates in the families left behind. Josh and Cody are about to graduate from high school, but in their small town there are not many opportunities open to them. Most of their friends feel they have to work in a local factory–"the plant"–or join the military. The boys resent that their fathers are gone and see the negatives of military service, but at the same time are proud of them, leading to ambivalence, "This is what we all wanted: to please our fathers, to make them proud–even thought they had left us." Josh wants to go to university–a fact that he hides from his friends. His distant mother and stepfather are willing to pay for college, but if he gets bad news from Iraq what decision will he make?
The artwork reflects the dark subject matter, with severe lines and somber, drab colors, mostly in army green and grey. Try Refresh Refresh for a stark and uncompromising look at military family life, especially for reservists. Refresh Refresh is a violent and often disturbing graphic novel suitable for adults and older teens.
Check the WRL catalog for Refresh, Refresh.
Second Fiddle, by Rosanne Parry
Second Fiddle is a story of adventures in exotic locales. From the outside it may seem that this is always true of military family life. It is accurate that I have lived in six countries and four states. And I have the annoying habit of being able to trump just about anyone's extreme temperature stories, having lived in both one of the hottest cities in the world, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and one of the coldest, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. But the appeal of exotic travel chronicles only part of the experience. The constant moving of military families is an important theme in Second Fiddle and the book does a great job of capturing the sense of loss, while at the same time, even the thirteen-year-old characters appreciate that they are also receiving a gift.
As the main character, Jody says near the beginning, "The upside of being a military kid was that you got to see a lot of cool places. The downside was that every time you made a friend, you had to move away." And her friend Vivian adds, "My mother thinks I'm having this great international experience, but changing schools all the time is just the same horrible experience over and over."
Jody and her two friends Giselle and Vivian live on an American Army base in Berlin in 1990, shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall. They are brought together by their love of music and they travel by train each week to music lessons in East Germany with Herr Muller. They are scheduled to attend a music competition in Paris and they all know it will be their last time to perform together as they are all moving away. On their way home from a music lesson they witness an attempted murder and the adventure begins, sending them across international borders as they desperately try to save the life of a young man.
Without their musical connection the three would not have been friends at all, as Giselle's father is a general and the base commander, while Jody's father is enlisted. Jody feels she can't invite the general's daughter over as even the adults in the enlisted housing area wouldn't like it. Of course, parents' ranks shouldn't make a difference to the children, but this book accurately reflects that they do.
Author, Roseanne Parry based Second Fiddle on her own life experiences as she says that she moved to Germany in 1990 with her soldier husband. While the details of girls' adventures can at times seem melodramatic, the book does a wonderful job of capturing the feel of military life. She mentions details that I recognize or have heard from my children and other people. For example, impending doom in the smell of moving boxes; the constant absence of Jody's Dad; Jody not minding moving so much when she was younger; finding the question of where are you from impossible to answer; living in one place for three years for the first time and feeling unnatural in knowing her way around; and also remembering the time of an event in your personal history from where you lived ("I was seven so it must have been Missouri").
Second Fiddle is an exciting older children's adventure that sneaks in some history about the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Cold War. Try it if you are interested in the military lifestyle and the people who lead it. I also recommend it for military families, both older children of around ten and up and their parents. It will be a great start for conversations about the lifestyle.
Check the WRL catalog for Second Fiddle.
Joseph, by Shelia P. Moses
"Daddy does not know what it is like to have to be a father to your mother. "
It is always an adjustment when a parent is deployed, but what happens when a family is held together by one parent and that parent leaves? In Joseph by Shelia P. Moses, Joseph's father is deployed to Iraq and his mother, a drug addict, cannot cope. In fact Joseph, a boy mature beyond his years, ends up looking after her. When they are evicted he gets a chance to go to a better school although he is terrified that his new friends will learn that he and his mother are living in a homeless shelter. Joseph is torn; he is a good student who wants to do well in school and wants to take up tennis again, but he also wants to protect his mother and is suspended for three days for fighting with boys at school who insult her. Joseph's parents were estranged before his father went away but the deployment makes it impossible for his father to offer any support to Joseph, except financial support. And that goes wrong when his mother uses Joseph's father's money to buy drugs rather than food or utilities. Joseph's father knew about his wife's problems and was trying to get custody of Joseph, but had missed two court dates because he was deployed, so may never get custody.
Joseph is a gritty book, not holding back from Joseph's mother's degradation and the negative effects on Joseph. Joseph's mother is not at all likable, while his father is physically distant and therefore unable to help. Joseph is all alone. When some of his old school mates pick another fight with him: "When they read me my rights they say I can make one phone call, but I have no one to call. Daddy is halfway around the world; Momma's cell phone is off." p75
Ultimately it is Joseph's Aunt Shirley who saves him until his father returns, showing the importance of extended family in this sort of situation. When a military family are in crisis like this there are programs and people who are meant to help. I know that sometimes they are not as helpful as they are meant to be, especially in a case like this where Joseph and his mother live away from a military base. Isolated families face the same pressures in having a parent deployed but it is more likely that they will fall through the cracks and be missed by the military assistance.
The author Shelia P. Moses was a National Book Award Finalist and a Coretta Scott King Author Honor Recipient for her 2004 novel The Legend of Buddy Bush. In 2009, Joseph was nominated for the NAACP Image Award.
I recommend this book for adults and older teens who want a glimpse into the sordid life of addiction and the effects on children. It doesn't talk a lot about what many people think of as a military lifestyle but does highlight that thousands of American children, far from military bases, have been affected by the recent wars as they have seen a parent leave.
Check the WRL catalog for Joseph
Operation Oleander, by Valerie O. Patterson
This is the newest of the books I am reviewing this week, published in 2013. I found it difficult to read, not because of the length of the book or the complexity of the language – because it is a short and quick read, but because it too realistically portrayed details of my husband's recent deployment to Afghanistan, although he is now safely home.
Jess's Dad is in Afghanistan and she lives with her mother and toddler sister at invented army base, Fort Spencer, in Florida. She and her friends Meriwether and Sam have set up an unofficial charity to raise money in Florida to donate supplies to a girls' orphanage in Kabul, Afghanistan. Meriwether wants to stop working on the project and spend the rest of her summer sailing and swimming like usual. But Jess constantly looks at the photos and videos of the children they are helping and feels compelled to get more money for them.
A detail this book captures, that books set earlier miss, is the immediacy of electronic communication. Soldiers have always written letters home from war and letters from Civil War and World War I soldiers are now important and poignant historical documents. Will a transcript of a Skype session ever be seen as history? Can a Skype transcript even exist and can streaming video be saved? When you expect instant electronic communication from someone in a war zone at a certain time every day or at an expected frequency, if it doesn't arrive, its absence carries a burden of worry. In the first few pages Jess says, "His email is there. I check the date and time of his note. As of this morning, Dad was still alive in Afghanistan."
That turns out to be an ironic statement as they soon discover that a surge is underway and there have been several explosions in Kabul, including at the orphanage. The explosions over 7000 miles away in Kabul turn Jess's life upside down. There are injuries and deaths and some people in her community blame her for the military being anywhere near the orphanage, endangering themselves and the orphans.
Operation Oleander is an up-to-date book that captures a slice of military child experience. A child with a deployed parent may be interested in the book's perspective, although they may find it too raw and difficult to read, although it describes no graphic violence. And thankfully, most military children don't have to deal with so much tragedy. It includes details about the expectations for extra responsibilities when a parent is away, such as Jess's father teaching her specifically how to add gas to the lawn mower and turn off the water main before he goes away. For every reader Operation Oleander also asks profound questions about blame, accountability, unintended consequences and our obligation to each other as human beings.
Check the WRL catalog for Operation Oleander.
Durable Goods, by Elizabeth Berg
All this week I am writing about a theme close to my heart – books featuring children of American military personnel. Some of the books I'm reviewing are up to date, talking about children with parents in Iraq or Afghanistan, but I am starting with an older book, with an even older setting.
Durable Goods is primarily a moving and beautiful coming of age story, written with a present tense immediacy. Katie is twelve and her friend Cherylanne is fourteen. They live next door to each other in a row of six connected houses on an army base in Texas around the 1960s. Katie's mother recently died of cancer and most of Katie's time and attention is taken up with navigating the changes of adolescence without her mother. Katie's life is teasing Cherylanne's older brother, worrying about shaving her legs, wanting her breasts to grow, and waiting for her first kiss.
Katie's father's military position holds a dominant position in their lives, and her Colonel father is inflexible, demanding and violent. He is similar to, although not as colorful as, "Bull" Meecham in The Great Santini. When I told a colleague at the library who grew up in a military family about my plans for my blog posts this week, she said she doesn't like this sort of book because she is sick of military men being portrayed as thugs, as her father was stern but never violent. Author Elizabeth Berg said that Katie's father is based on her own father, but she adds that things have changed and violence is not acceptable in military families now.
Katie's father clashes the most with Katie's eighteen-year-old sister, Diane. "It's not right, Katie. He's not supposed to hit us like that. I'm going to tell someone, I swear. I'm going to get him into trouble." Diane runs away and is brought back, but at eighteen she can leave, but will she?
Some of the details of military life are odd to civilians, "Our fathers' names and ranks are posted outside our doors, above our mailboxes. We have look-alike bushes in the front and back." Other details are well known, such as moving to a new base frequently, "'We are not allowed to cry when we drive away–or any other time, either–about any place we leave behind. Sometimes it aches so hard, the thought of all you can't have anymore, your desk the third in the third row, the place where you buy licorice, the familiarity of the freckles on your friends' faces, the smell of your own good bedroom. You will be the new girl again, the one one always having to learn things."
If you like the character-driven women's fiction of Ann Hood or Anna Quindlen, try Durable Goods for its poignant coming of age story. I also recommend it for military children, either grown or older teenagers and current or retired military personnel. If you are interested in a longer list of books about military children check out my (now sadly dated looking but with updated content) website that I started for a class assignment in 2003. Things have changed a lot in ten years, not least the two wars that have lead to a resurgence of books about military children. I will review a sampling of four more of these books over the week ahead.
Check the WRL catalog for Durable Goods.
Sea of Glory, by Nathaniel Philbrick
Nathaniel Philbrick is one of our most readable chroniclers of American history. While less well known than his breakout book, In the Heart of the Sea: the Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex and focused on a more obscure event than later works like Mayflower, The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn, and 2013′s Bunker Hill: a City, a Siege, a Revolution, his book Sea of Glory: America's Voyage of Discovery: the U.S. Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842 is one of his best. The fact that the history of this expedition has mostly been forgotten by modern Americans only makes the book more astonishing.
The Exploring Expedition, often known as the U.S. Ex Ex, would journey down the U.S. and South American coasts, continue into Antarctic waters, then cross into the Pacific and chart South Pacific islands and portions of America's Northwest coast, including the mouth of the Columbia River before returning via the reverse route over four years later. It would make contact with many native populations, create sea charts that would be used well into the 20th century, and bring home an astonishing number of scientific specimens that would ultimately form the start of the Smithsonian's collection. It would do all of this in an era when propulsion was still by sail, cold weather gear was substandard, and navigation was hazardous. Pretty good for an expedition unknown to most modern Americans!
But what makes the story even more astonishing is that it succeeded despite the inept, self-aggrandizing leadership of young Charles Wilkes. Wilkes was barely 40 years of age, only a lieutenant, but won command of the expedition through diligent campaigning and the general opposition to the expedition of most of the Navy's officers. When political wrangling back at home refused him the honor of a Captain's rank even after he was away with the expedition's five ships, Wilkes became ever more of a martinet, pretending to have achieved rank that he didn't have so he could play the other young officers of the expedition against each other. He would often arrange the traveling order of the ships so that he could claim personal discovery of major sites or ignore the successes of other officers. He resorted to corporal punishments at the least offense and subverted the work of the expedition's scientists.
I'll let you discover the expedition's many events for yourself, but I will hint at a bit of the ending. Wilkes returned home to find a different president than the one who backed his expedition, many dismissed officers waiting to level charges against him, a Navy determined to have him court-martialed, and powerful enemies in the country's political leadership. The last part of the book considers the events of the case made against him. Wilkes may have been a disaster, but modern readers will be enthralled by the adventures of this little known expedition. This is an enthralling history that reads like a suspense novel.
Check the WRL catalog for Sea of Glory
We also have Sea of Glory in large print or audiobook on compact disc formats
Sutton, by J. R. Moehringer
J. R. Moehringer first came to the attention of readers with his 2005 memoir The Tender Bar. In 2012, he returned with a novel, Sutton, which chronicles the life of the American bank robber Willie "the Actor" Sutton. The two works might be closer in nature than that summary first suggests: told from Willie's perspective, and dependent on his memory (his fictionalized memory: the real life Sutton didn't talk much to reporters about his exploits, and when he did, as in his 1976 ghostwritten memoir, the information was often questionable), this historical novel reads like one of those contemporary memoirs that leaves readers wondering if they're getting the whole truth. In this case, however, that's not a negative, it's kind of the point.
The novel opens with Sutton's surprise parole from New York's Attica prison on Christmas Eve, 1969 at the age of 69. Willie is on death's doorstep with emphysema and weak arteries in his legs, a bit bewildered by the world's changes, but he makes a deal with the New York Herald to tell his story. So on Christmas Day, a cub reporter and a beatnik photographer drive him around the city, visiting the sites of all of his life's major events in chronological order. Arnold Schuster, the young man who spotted the heavily disguised Willie and turned him in to police, was killed by the mob. The question that hung over Sutton's head was whether he had somehow ordered the hit. In the book, this piece of information is all that the reporter really wants from Willie, but Willie refuses to talk about Schuster until he has visited all of his old stomping grounds. The narrative alternates between Willie's remembrances and his reactions to what has become of his former haunts and accomplices.
Sutton was born into an Irish Brooklyn neighborhood at the start of the 20th century. As he tells his story, the cycle of economic depressions, a lack of opportunities, and a desperate attempt to win the wealthy girl who was the love of his life away from her parents' control were the key elements in his descent into a life of crime. He ultimately became famous for nearly one hundred nonviolent bank and jewelry store robberies, made successful mostly through disguises. While highly successful, Willie was always tripped up by undependable accomplices (at least that's his story, perhaps the largest conflict of the book is deciding whether Willie is a dependable narrator). He went to prison often, but also became famous for his daring prison breaks. Sutton was on the FBI's first Most Wanted list when it was released in 1950.
This novel should have broad appeal to crime fiction fans, historical fiction lovers, and literary fiction buffs. Willie makes a likable and fascinating narrator, even as one questions his veracity. Moehringer admits up front that he had to create most of his narrative with imagination, but the historical settings feel accurate and just when you think the plot is getting predictable, a surprising twist is always at hand.
I can highly recommend the audiobook, which actor Dylan Baker reads in fine style, switching deftly between many character voices. Baker is one of those great character actors whom everyone recognizes but few recognize by name. He attended college at William and Mary and acted in many local theater productions before making it big on the stage, on television and in films.
Check the WRL catalog for Sutton
Or try Sutton as an audiobook on compact disc
Libriomancer, by Jim C. Hines
I'm an unabashed fan of fantasy fiction, but the genre has changed massively in the last five years. A few years ago, most fantasy novels were fat books with lots of story lines and a setting that was usually medieval. These books take a certain patience until all of the plot lines and characters are clearly established, but can pack a real wallop of excitement and emotion when the story comes together.
Now, urban fantasy has at least half of the market. The books are shorter, have a clear central character, and are lighter reads. It's a format that doesn't usually work for me. The books don't have enough depth for my tastes, and when they do, that depth often comes after several books. In particular, the contemporary setting makes it hard for me to suspend disbelief, and I can't buy into the fantastic elements enough to become engrossed.
Jim C. Hines' Libriomancer, the first in a new series, was a happy exception for me, perhaps because it's centered on the book world and the magic that can come from reading good fiction. In this case, that magic isn't just symbolic, it's a literal manifestation. The book follows Isaac Vainio, a librarian on Michigan's Upper Peninsula. As an encounter with vampires in the book's first chapter makes clear, Isaac is more than just a book lover: He can reach inside books and pull magic from the pages.
As the story develops, the reader learns more about Isaac's back story and the limits and costs of his magic. Isaac was once a practicing field agent for the Porters, a group founded and led by the still-living Johannes Gutenberg. They work, unknown to regular folk, to keep other magical figures like vampires under control and to prevent rogue libriomancers from doing wrong. Isaac got in trouble and has been reduced to the role of cataloger. He looks at new books and makes sure that the magic potential in them won't accidentally destroy the world. As the book opens, the Porters are losing control as mysterious forces attack them on several fronts.
Isaac returns to active duty, but he's in a precarious position, without the full support of the Porters, who may be succumbing to internal forces, and targeted by a host of powerful enemies. His allies are his pet fire spider Smudge and Lena, a dryad who's a fierce warrior and whose magic makes her a powerful love draw to those with whom she bonds. These two provide plenty of comic relief and add some physical power to Isaac's magical gifts.
What really makes this book click for me, however, are all of the loving references to fantasy and science fiction titles that Hines works into the plot. He clearly loves this literature, and cleverly finds a way to make its imaginative power into something more real in his book. Libriomancer is the start of a series which I'll follow closely. I predict it's the series that will make the well-reviewed Hines into a more household name.
Check the WRL catalog for Libriomancer
Just Kids, by Patti Smith
Patti Smith is the proto-punk goddess whose music is fierce, but hardly every listener's cup of tea. Robert Mapplethorpe was a photographer whose most famous works were pictures of nude men, often depicted in sexually explicit poses and masochistic acts. I like some edgy things, but neither of these artists really do much for me, and a more conservative person might run the other way. I'm not even a huge fan of their scene, where style and innovation seem to matter more than substance, but I've always been curious about those magical moments in history where a group of creative people find each other and use the energy of their meeting to create something new.
Patti Smith's memoir, Just Kids, captures just such a time perfectly. Smith came to New York in 1967 after giving up a baby to adoption upstate. She was young and looking for a fresh start. One of the first people she met was Robert Mapplethorpe, a minor acquaintance who became her fast friend after saving her from a bad date. The two moved in together and tried to make a go of a relationship, even though it soon became apparent that Mapplethorpe was obviously homosexual. Patti somewhat naively believed that their love would overcome Robert's sexual preference, and so began several years of ups and downs. Robert could be incredibly supportive of Patti and her art, but substance abuse and a need for fame could make him neglectful at other times.
The background here is fascinating, as Smith and Mapplethorpe rub elbows with the artists and scenesters of the Chelsea Hotel, Andy Warhol's Factory, and the pioneering music venue CBGB's. The story follows the early rise of both friends, then jumps forward a decade and ends poignantly with Robert's death from AIDS in 1989.
Smith writes with real heart. The prose gets a bit florid at times, but that's easy to forgive, as is her sometimes naive view of Mapplethorpe, as the author so clearly feels all of the emotions behind her story honestly. This especially shines through on the audiobook. Smith is a clumsy reader, a bit monotone and with funny pronunciations for some words ("drawlings" instead of "drawings"), but she's so absolutely free of pretense that I found the awkwardness charming and authentic, not off-putting.
Check the WRL catalog for Just Kids
Or try it on audiobook on CD
Kane & Abel, by Jeffrey Archer
I have a lifetime reading project. My goal is to read one book from each fiction shelf at the Williamsburg Library. I allow myself the option of skipping a shelf if I've already read two books on it, but that isn't most shelves. I've been at my project for over two years, and I'm still only 18 shelves in, still reading authors whose last names begin with the letter A! Since I only allot my project a small percentage of my reading time, I may never finish, but it's a good project, and I'll keep at it. The intent is to read authors whom I would otherwise never attempt, and this post is about one of these authors.
Jeffrey Archer is an English author who once was a Conservative Member of Parliament. He resigned that position in financial scandal. He was later investigated for insider business dealings and even served time in prison after being convicted of perjury from 2001 to 2003.
Archer's writing style is a little old fashioned, and not something I would normally read, but he's held popularity over the years, with a career that began with 1976′s Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less, and continues right up to 2013′s Best Kept Secret. That makes him the perfect candidate for my reading project. Archer's plots can be melodramatic, but as I read his second book, 1979′s Kane & Abel, I found that despite my skepticism, I was sucked into the story and found it hard to put aside.
Kane & Abel is the story of two men, born on the same day in 1906, destined to cross paths and butt heads throughout their eventful lives. Wladek Koskiewicz is a Pole who rises from impoverished birth, survives both the Germans and the Russians in WWII, and eventually emigrates to America. William Lowell Kane is the scion of a Boston banking family, a prodigy who rises to the top despite family problems and bitter enemies. Both men are admirable but intensely stubborn, and over the course of the novel, they cross paths many times but never become close acquaintances. In later life, they become fierce rivals because of misunderstanding and a failure to communicate.
More happens to each of Archer's protagonists than normally happens in the lives of a hundred men, and both are too perfect to be believed most of the time and too stubborn to be believed the rest of the time, but what happens to them is consistently interesting, and as a reader, you can't help but play along, thinking about how you would react to each new crisis, cheering the protagonists when they overcome another obstacle, cringing when they let pride bring them to a new low. It's enthralling stuff with a strong connection to the world, even if it is at times hokey. It's easy to see why Archer continues to hold a spot on the fiction shelves after all these years. When you're tired of all the artsy literary fiction with flashy style and clever ideas that just doesn't quite connect at the gut level, pick up this old warhorse and cleanse your reading palate with a bit of classic storytelling.
If you like this story, it continues with another generation in The Prodigal Daughter. Archer turned to books that are closer to political thrillers, but his most recent series, The Clifton Chronicles, which begins with Only Time Will Tell, returns more closely to the style of Kane & Abel.
Check the WRL catalog for Kane & Abel
The Aubrey-Maturin Series, by Patrick O'Brian
Not to stretch a naval metaphor, but I've been in a reading doldrums. Nothing satisfies. At these times I fall back on one of two tried-and-true authors: Terry Pratchett or Patrick O'Brian. Pratchett pops up pretty regularly on Blogging for a Good Book, but I am amazed to see that we have never written about O'Brian, whose 20-volume Aubrey-Maturin series fills an entire library shelf.
Set in the world of the royal navy during the Napoleonic wars, O'Brian's novels are first and foremost the portrait of a lifelong friendship between Jack Aubrey, affable and resolute ship's captain, and Stephen Maturin, surgeon, naturalist, and intelligence agent. The series pretty easily finds its audience of men (and women) who are interested in age-of-sail adventures on the high seas; I'm not sure it always finds its audience of women (and men) who enjoy Jane Austen's prose style, well-crafted sentences and characters, or the complications of Regency-era manners.
The New York Times may have called them "the best historical novels ever written," but I avoided this series for years based solely on the infernal diagram of sails that opens every volume. No one wants to have to memorize sailing terminology just to get into a good story. Even as I began to be won over by O'Brian's carefully-chosen words and dry humor, I simply refused to care which sail was a spritsail.
Fortunately, there is so much more than sails to care about as you turn the pages: there are also debauched sloths. Battles, mutinies, French prisons, typhoons, desert islands, music, birds, rich vocabulary, and a whole Dickensian roster of colorful secondary characters. There is indeed a lot of naval jargon, but the reader is not beat about the head with it, or if he is, he has a sympathetic ally in his ignorance in the person of Stephen Maturin. Stephen is also a landlubber, an outsider looking in to the regimented world of the royal navy, and he does not care any more about how many masts a ship has than I did.
Jack is famously lucky at sea, a skilled, courageous ship's captain who will take, burn, and destroy the enemy at every opportunity, while on land, he is easy prey for speculators or a pretty face. Stephen is an Irish-Catalan physician with a passion for natural philosophy, and is forever cluttering Jack's ship with beetles, wombats, and diving bells. If you cross him, he will fleece you at cards. If you double-cross him, he will find you, he will shoot you, and then he will dissect you. Their world of naval battles and subversive intelligence work occasionally collides with the domestic sphere and the polite drawing rooms of Jane Austen, usually with disastrous results, and then they are back to sea to escape debt, lawsuits, wives, sweethearts, and mothers-in-law.
And if you do begin to care about spritsails, there are many fine books to help you explore Aubrey and Maturin's world, whether you're interested in the vocabulary, the geography, the ships, or even, heaven help you, the food (probably the only cookbook in the library with a recipe for rats in onion sauce).
Check the WRL catalog for Master and Commander.
Or try the audiobooks. Patrick Tull and Simon Vance are both fantastic readers.
Mad Science: Einstein's Fridge, Dewar's Flask, Mach's Speed, and 362 Other Inventions and Discoveries That Made Our World, edited by Randy Alfred
This daily guide to memorable inventions and discoveries comes from Wired magazine's popular blog "This Day in Tech." The book covers a wide range of subjects, including medicine, computers, food and war. Each article is short (one page) and concise. The daily entries also mention two other discoveries made on the same day, as well as two discoveries made in the same year.
I found most of the articles to be entertaining and informative, the perfect material to use at your next cocktail party. For instance, I thought it was interesting that on November 11th, 1930, Albert Einstein applied for a US patent for one of the few commonplace inventions of his life, a refrigerator that used a complex process involving ammonia, butane and water. It was exceptional because it didn't use freon or electricity, but it was not nearly as efficient at cooling as standard refrigerators of the time, so it never became a commercial success. Modern researchers have tweaked his formula and have been able to increase the cooling capacity of his refrigerator, so the verdict is still out on Einstein's fridge.
Some of these inventions didn't catch on right away with the public. Sylvan Goldman of the Humpty Dumpty supermarket chain in Oklahoma City came up with one of the first grocery carts on June 4, 1937. He wanted to make it easier for his customers to carry their groceries, and at the same encourage them to buy more, but the public initially resisted using them. Women thought they were unfashionable and men feared that using them would make them look weak. So he hired male and female models to push them around in his supermarkets, and before long the grocery carts became a huge success.
Some of these inventions had unintended uses that became much more popular with the public. My favorite one in this category involved a Dr. John Kellogg, a strict Seventh-Day Adventist who taught the importance of a healthy diet to his mostly wealthy patients at his sanitarium in Michigan. He came up with bland cornflakes as a way for his patients to achieve a balanced diet. But his brother Will saw a different opportunity by adding lots of sugar to those cornflakes and, with lots of marketing savvy, the Kellogg cereal company quickly became a big business. John of course was very unhappy with the way his brother Will was using his cornflakes, and he sued him in court and lost.
Most of these articles can be found on "This Day in Tech" blog on wired.com. The online versions are slightly longer than those in the book, with larger pictures and text size, so they are easier to read. The online stories aren't indexed, though you could try a Google search for "This Day in Tech" and the title of the entry you want to read. I enjoyed reading these both online and in print, so I would encourage others do the same.
Highly recommended!
Search the WRL catalog for Mad Science
The Windup Girl, by Paolo Bacigalupi
Blister rust. Cibiscosis. Genehack weevil. Plant and human diseases mutate quickly in the 23rd century, where genehacking by the powerful calorie companies runs the economy. Staying ahead of the plagues can cause otherwise honorable people to justify acts they would never believe they were capable of committing. Major cities, including New York and Mumbai, were drowned as the planet heated; the capital city in Thailand is protected by levees and pumps. Fossil fuels were mostly spent out generations ago. Most power is now human- or beast-created and stored in springs; computers are driven by treadle; radios are hand-cranked. Bicycles, ships, and dirigibles provide transportation.
Anderson Lake manages the SpringLife kink-spring factory in the capital city of Thailand. Megadonts, huge beasts of burden that have been genehacked from elephants, power the factory. SpringLife kink-springs, when finally manufactured, should hold and disperse many more joules than regular springs. This huge factory, with its workers, its megadonts and their handlers, is failing, though Anderson keeps it running. It's a cover for his real purpose in Thailand. He works covertly for AgriGen, a calorie company based in Des Moines. He's in Thailand to figure out how the kingdom is growing disease-resistant crops independently of the calorie companies. Potatoes, tobacco, and other nightshades flourish in the markets in Thailand—how can that be when most natural plants succumb to the diseases that thrive and mutate in the age of genetically modified produce of AgriGen, PurCal, RedStar, U Texas and other calorie companies?
Emiko is a windup girl—one of the New People—a genetically modified humanoid "born" in a crèche in Japan and bred to serve her master. She began her life as a kind of secretary for her owner, Gendo-sama, but after he brought her to Thailand on a business trip, he discarded her; dirigible fare back to Japan is exorbitant and Gendo-sama, who had once told Emiko she was beautiful and perfect, found it more economical to simply purchase a newer model once he got back to Japan. As an unnatural species, Emiko is illegal in Thailand, but Raleigh, her new owner, pays bribes to the Environment Ministry to keep her in his club. She earns her keep as an entertainer in a sexually humiliating show for the pleasure of the patrons of the club. For the most part, Emiko can blend in with humans, though her engineered stutter-stop motions give her away, and her specifically designed small pore structure, fine in cooler Japan, causes her to overheat in Thailand.
When Anderson meets Emiko, Emiko reveals a vital clue to him about the plague-resistant foods, and he tells her something that changes her life forever—and ultimately leads to a rebalancing of power between the Thai government and the calorie companies.
Anderson and Emiko are just two of the many complex characters in the richly-developed Thai kingdom of the future that Bacigalupi has created. Anderson's assistant, Hock Seng, a "yellow card" refugee from an environmental disaster in Malaysia, has plans and secrets of his own. The head of the White Shirts, the Environment Ministry enforcers, Jaidee Rojjanasukchai and his lieutenant, the unsmiling Kanya Chirathivat, play their parts in this dense and detailed world. Trust and loyalty, kamma or karma, love, regret, and identity are themes that run throughout the novel. Religious beliefs and practices—Christian and Buddhist—have evolved also with the changing environment. The world described in The Windup Girl seems frighteningly possible as we ignore environmental concerns and allow corporations to patent seeds and genes.
The Windup Girl is novel that can be read multiple times without losing its surprises. It's one of the best novels I have read in many years. It tied with China Miéville's The City & the City (also a great novel) for the 2010 Hugo Award for best novel.
Check the WRL catalog for The Windup Girl.
The Coffin Trail, by Martin Edwards
This is the first in a satisfying cozy/police procedural mystery series set in England's Lake District. It's my favorite kind of case—a cold case!
Daniel Kind, an Oxford history professor, returns to his childhood vacation spot of Brackdale after many years' absence. Enchanted by the peace and quiet of country living, he decides to relocate there with his girlfriend, Miranda. He becomes intrigued by an unsolved mystery from years before, in large part because his now-deceased father had been the investigating office on that case. Also, the prime suspect had been a friend of Daniel's in his childhood— an autistic boy who had conveniently died soon after the crime, the ritualistic murder of a young woman.
Meanwhile, DCI Hannah Scarlett of the Cold Case Squad, who had worked under Daniel's father years before, gets an anonymous tip about the very same case and begins digging. Things get complicated when her longtime boyfriend emerges as a suspect and Hannah's official investigation collides with the amateur sleuthing of Daniel, with whom she feels an instant connection.
Daniel's amateur sleuthing also complicates his relationship with his girlfriend Miranda, and he too senses the chemistry between himself and DCI Scarlett. These issues are left unresolved, with the promise of further romantic complications to come in future installments.
The mystery at least is resolved, with a nice twist at the end. I appreciated the juxtaposition of Hannah's official "police procedural" investigation with Daniel's personal interactions with suspects.
This series will appeal to readers of Elizabeth George's Thomas Lynley/Barbara Havers series and Peter Robinson's Alan Banks series.
If you like this series, try also Peter Lovesey's Peter Diamond series, Susan Hill's Simon Serallier series, and Stephen Booth's Ben Cooper series.
WRL owns the book and the ebook of this title.
Origin, by Jessica Khoury
For the scientists at Little Cam, a top-secret research compound hidden deep within the Amazon rainforest, immortality is no longer an ambition but a reality. With the creation of Pia seventeen years ago, the scientists achieved their dream after more than a hundred years of experimentation. Hidden away from the world at Little Cam, Pia has always considered her life to be perfect and absolute. But one night curiosity takes over, and she dares to venture outside the facility through a newly created opening in the fence. Once on the other side, Pia is so transfixed by the freedom of the jungle that she fails to notice a native boy, Eio, and runs right into him. Soon, Pia is discovering a new community of people, a different way of life and emotions that she never knew existed. The tropical forest and its native Ai'oan inhabitants along with handsome Eio all call to Pia in a way the compound never has. As the story progresses, the history and happenings at the research facility become strikingly more disturbing, and shocking secrets about Pia's creation are revealed. When every ounce of her morality and humanity are questioned, Pia is torn between the life she is expected to live and the one that speaks to her heart.
Check the WRL catalog for Origin
Fraternity, by Diane Brady
Amid the anger, confusion, and chaos that reigned in the days following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, a white priest provided unforeseen direction for a group of young black men. With riots breaking out across the country, Father John Brooks set out to recruit black students to the College of the Holy Cross, an all-male Irish Catholic institution in Worcester, Massachusetts. A theology professor at the time, Brooks had previously been involved in progressive recruitment efforts that yielded little results. He decided the time for discussion and planning was over.
With an enrollment of approximately 2,200 students, Holy Cross typically admitted two black students per year and had eight black students in April 1968. Wanting to bolster that number as soon as possible, Brooks persuaded the president of Holy Cross to authorize Brooks to offer scholarships on the spot to qualified black students, bypassing the lengthy admissions process. As a result, 20 black students entered Holy Cross in the fall of 1968 while Brooks assumed a new role as vice president for academic affairs and dean. Brooks became president of Holy Cross in 1970.
Brady focuses on five of those students and their relationships with Father Brooks and each other. The author draws in readers immediately by recounting where those figures were when King was killed and how that affected them. Brady deftly weaves the common threads of their stories through that event and their experiences on campus. On top of the experiences of adjusting to college life any incoming student has to make and issues associated with discrimination and racism, the specter of the Vietnam War and draft procedures loomed large for these young men.
Solidarity was important for these students even as they dealt with individual issues. Clarence Thomas found himself on a Catholic campus months after he left the seminary, which created problems at home. Ted Wells lost his desire to play football because he felt it detracted too much from his studies. Eddie Jenkins, later drafted by the Miami Dolphins, lost the majority of his first varsity football season after a hepatitis outbreak decimated the team. Basketball player Stan Grayson's career came to an abrupt end when he suffered a knee injury. Ed Jones struggled as a math major before finding his calling as a writer and switching to English. Through it all, the students learned to lean on Father Brooks and each other.
Long before embarking on successful and influential careers, these men had to navigate campus life at Holy Cross. The formation of a Black Student Union was a key step, and shortly thereafter the BSU lobbied for and was granted a black corridor among student housing. Thomas was the lone dissenter on the issue of a black corridor, although some BSU members avoided the vote. Despite his dissension, Thomas decided to live in the black corridor in a sign of solidarity and later viewed the corridor as a de facto fraternity.
That solidarity was most evident in late 1969 when all but three or four of the 68 black students (41 enrolled in 1969) threatened to drop out of Holy Cross because of what they deemed racist disciplinary action after a protest on campus that included black and white students. After a long few days of campus meetings in which Father Brooks advocated for the BSU position, the president of Holy Cross gave amnesty to all the students disciplined, and all the black students remained in school.
Although Father Brooks did not always agree with the viewpoints of the black students and as president could not grant all their demands, he always had understanding and compassion for how they felt. Through Father Brooks and the students he recruited to Holy Cross, Brady captures not only the events of tumultuous times, but also the breadth and depth of the emotions associated with them.
Check the WRL catalog for Fraternity


text:
Texas Lawmakers Looking To Require Drug Test For Unemployment Benefits
By: Kelly James
Updated: January 9, 2013
Texas Governor Rick Perry has asked lawmakers to pass legislation requiring those who apply for unemployment or food stamps to pass a drug test.
Several other states have already passed this law, and many Texas lawmakers say it makes sense for the Lone Star State.
"We don't want to provide funds forward for people who are using controlled substances so they can use more controlled substances," said Texas Senator Kel Seliger (R-Midland). "I don't think the taxpayers -- and employers in this case -- want to pay into a fund that is going to pay people who are unemployed and cannot be employed because of drug use."
Texas Senate Bill 11 would look a lot like Florida's controversial law.
A study done on Florida's drug testing program shows that the state has saved a little more than $48,000 in unemployment benefits.
However, the cost of drug testing in Florida was $118,000.
The American Civil Liberties Union also says that Florida's law violates the search and seizure amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
1. | Justine | ||
Individual and artistic, a Justine usually doens't give a crap about what anybody thinks of her.
Innovative and sincere, a Justine is a jack of all trades and appears to succeed in all that she puts her mind to or at least appear to. ;) Thus, insecure people will either hate on a Justine just for breathing or feel safe under a Justine's wing. ( due to a Justine's natural paternal nature) "Oh my god, did you see Justine today? She always looks good withought even trying! I HATE her sometimes..."
"I can't do that! Why don't we ask Justine, she's supposed to be really good at that kind of stuff, right?" "Man, it isn't a party until Justine walks through that door!" |
2. | Justine | ||
A vibrant brunette, who's very easy on the eyes. She's the kind of girl every guy wants to be with. She's someone you want to know even if only for a short time. She brightens up your day and leaves you wanting more. CAPTIVATING and SELF ASSURED. Boyfriend: So what do you guys think of my new girlfriend?
Friends: She's Justine! |
3. | Justine | ||
Goddess that looks after guys getting drunk in their basement, and keeps them from dying.
Also provides a local taxi service. Hungover Guy 1: Dude, what happened to my puke?
Hungover Guy 2: Justine took care of it. |
4. | Justine | ||
Justine is an awesome girl who has the looks, and the humour. She has gorgeous brown curls and a cute little face, and always manages to keep the boys smiling. You just can't get enough of Justine. With a great fashion sense and body like a babe, she's just so hard to resist. But she's hard to get, so good luck.' Guy 1: Wow, i had a great time with this awesome girl last night.
Guy 2: Bro, that only means one thing, you were hanging with Justine! Guy 1: Hell yeah! :D |
5. | Justine | ||
Honest, down-to-earth girl. Blonde but doesn't have the stupidity commonly associated with them. Dates older guys because of advanced maturity. Much unlike definition number 3, yet the dating is, in fact, true due to aforementioned state of high maturity. That Justine really knows how to do the right thing.
6. | Justine | ||
a female, reckless yet tamed most of the time. the most adorable person and the greatest best friend. Damn, Justines are so rare nowadays.
7. | Justine | ||
The prettiest girl of all time...
The most amazing personality The girl with the pretty smile The one that will always make you laugh The girl that is super short The most greatest friend to have Someone thats super skinny Someone who never fails at anything The person with the best outfits The girl that is just AMAZING! A girl who gets all the guys Shes pretty intelligent at most things This girl has perfect sized boobs And a nice ass And is just a PERFECT girl :) OMG! Is that Justine shes so perfect.
Wow, I wish i was Justine shes everything i'm not! Boy: Damn i want that girl named Justine! |


text:
Carrollton Leader > News
FBI failed to give police pertinent information until after Nancy Howard shooting
By Marthe Stinton,
Published: Thursday, August 30, 2012 4:39 PM CDT
Following the arrests of several individuals associated with the attempted murder-for-hire scheme of Carrollton resident Nancy Howard, some news reports have stated that the Carrollton Police Department may have failed to act to prevent the near-fatal attack on Nancy Howard.
John Stovall, public information officer for the Carrollton Police Department, said that is not the case.
"Prior to the shooting, the Carrollton Police Department did not have any specific information about a particular offense or victim," Stovall said. "We had received some general unvetted information that we were attempting to follow up on. We did have investigators that were looking into the veracity of the statements at the time of this offense."
An affidavit for the arrest of John Howard states that a written statement from the FBI was given to Detective Michael Wall six days after the attempted murder.
Carrollton police stated in the affidavit for John Howard's arrest that on Aug. 24 Wall received a written statement from the FBI, six days after the shooting. On Aug. 6, alleged hit man Dustin Hiroms's mother, Stacey Serenko, told the FBI agent that the family had been in contact with Howard since 2009. Serenko was in custody at Wood County Jail, being held on unrelated drug charges. She also told the agent that John Howard had given the group $85,000 on initial contact.
Within hours of the shooting, the department was developing information that implicated John Howard's possible involvement in the incident, Stovall said. The Carrollton Police Department is coordinating efforts with the FBI during this investigation.
However, Carrollton police are no longer commenting on the story stating, "due to the complexity of this case, the Denton County District Attorney's Office has asked us not to comment further about any details of the investigation."
Below is a timeline of events according to the Carrollton Police Department's arrest affidavit for Dustin Taylor Hiroms and John Franklin Howard.
July 4:
Dustin Hiroms met John Howard at the Walmart located on East Trinity Mills in Carrollton. John Howard drove Hiroms to his home and stated that he wanted his wife to be killed. After returning to Walmart, John Howard paid Hiroms $24,000.
July 13:
Dustin Hiroms and Jason Rendine were stopped for traffic violations half a mile away from the Howards' home in Carrollton. Hiroms originally told officers he was in the area to get money from his uncle, but later changed his story stating he was working for a man named John and that Hiroms was a hit man.
July 15:
Carrollton police received information from the Van Police Department that Rendine had been talking about a "hit" that Dustin Hiroms was involved in. Rendine said Hiroms was hired to "get rid of" the wife of a Carrollton man. Rendine also told officers Hiroms had recently received $30,000 from the Carrollton man.
July 26:
Rendine's wife, Stephanie Delacerda, received a wire transfer of $20,000 deposited into her Wells Fargo bank account from Genschu Management Company, where John Howard is listed as the registered agent, director and president.
Aug. 4:
Hiroms contacted John Howard who later drove to Van, to meet with Hiroms. According to Hiroms's statements given to Van police, he received $5,000 in cash and John Howard told Hiroms Nancy Howard would be staying at the Gaylord Texan from Aug. 8 to 11. Howard told Hiroms he wanted Nancy to be killed at that time and he wanted Hiroms to refrain from using a gun, because of the attention that it could call to the incident. John Howard told Hiroms to use a knife or bat instead.
Aug. 6:
Stacey Serenko provided the FBI with information on the "hit." Serenko said John Howard contacted Serenko's husband and Hiroms's stepfather, Billie Johnson, because John Howard was told Johnson "did murder for hire." Serenko said John Howard had been in contact with Serenko and Johnson since February 2009, when Howard gave the pair $85,000 on initial contact.
Aug. 18:
Police were dispatched to the Howard residence on Bluebonnet Way in regard to a shooting at 7:52 p.m. on Aug. 18. Upon arrival, officers found Nancy Howard, who had suffered a gunshot wound to the face. Nancy Howard told police she was confronted in the garage by an unknown white male in his early 20s when she arrived home. The suspect was wearing a black baseball hat, black-rimmed glasses and put a silver handgun to Nancy Howard's head and demanded her purse. Nancy Howard gave the man her purse and was shot just above her left eye.
Aug. 22:
Bossier Parish Sherriff's Department notified Carrollton Police Detective Michael Wall that Rendine and Delacerda had been arrested for unrelated drug charges. Upon arrest, Delacerda was in possession of $14,900 in cash and a Samsung cell phone. Police found a Wells Fargo checkbook in Delacerda's name at the pair's residence. Delacerda told officers she had been paid $35,000 by John Howard for a business transaction. She later changed her story and said the $35,000 was for "sexual contacts" with John Howard.
Aug. 24:
Billie Johnson, currently incarcerated, contacted police officials. In an interview at the Denton County Sherriff's Office, Johnson told officers that approximately three years ago he had been contact by John Howard because Howard wanted to have his wife killed.
Aug. 24:
Detective Michael Wall received a written statement from the FBI with Serenko's statements that had been provided to Bossier Parish police on Aug. 6. Wall obtained an arrest warrant for Hiroms for the aggravated robbery of Nancy Howard.
Aug. 26:
Dustin Hiroms was taken into custody at the Smith County Sherriff's office and denied being any part of the aggravated robbery, but admitted to being contacted by John Howard. Hiroms confirmed the identity of John Howard via a cell phone photograph.
Aug. 27:
John Howard was booked into the Denton County Jail on a charge of criminal solicitation.
Aug. 29:
Dustin Hiroms was booked into the Denton County Jail on a charge of criminal solicitation.
Copyright © 2013 - Star Local News


text:
Results 1 to 2 of 2
Universal Studios Orlando Ticket Price Increase
Universal Studios Orlando has raised the price of an adult one-day, one-park ticket to $88 $3 more than the equivalent ticket to Walt Disney World theme parks.
Orlando's theme-park resorts have historically raised prices almost in lockstep with one another. But Universal had in recent years typically not acted until its larger rival, Disney World, moved first. When Universal raised its base price to $85 last year, it did so only about a week after Disney went to $85.
"Our pricing reflects the high-quality entertainment experience we offer, while still providing great value," Universal spokesman Tom Schroder said Monday.
Most of Universal's other ticket prices have also increased. The price of a one-day, two-park ticket allowing access to both Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida also jumped $3, from $120 to $123.
Multi-day passes roses by slightly smaller margins:
- A two day, single park rose from $135.99 to $139.99
- A two day, two park rose from $155.99 to $159.99
- A three day - rose from $170.99 to $172.99
- A four day, two park rose from $175.99 to $179.99
- The price of Universal's most expensive ticket option, offering unlimited admission to its parks, including the Wet 'n Wild water park, over 14 days rose from $194.99 to $199.99
The prices of three and four day single park passes remain unchanged.
Universal also opted to leave the price of their Florida Resident Tickets unchanged when purchased online.
"Our multi-day tickets are popular, and we always work to provide value where our guests want it most," Schroder said. "That's why our Florida-resident online pricing and three-day and four-day base ticket pricing remains unchanged."
If ever there is a tomorrow when we're not together.......
there is something you must always remember.
You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.
But the most important thing is, even if we're apart...... I'll always be with you.
Winne the Pooh - A A Milne
A friend is a hand that is always holding yours,
no matter how close or far apart you may be.
A friend is someone who is always there and will always, always care.
A friend is a feeling of forever in the heart.
is sleeeeepy!!!I am:
Re: Universal Studios Orlando Ticket Price Increase
I suppose $3 isnt too much more - still means that a whole day is quite alot though. Youd think that with all the extra money harry potter world has brought them they couldve left the increase!
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I will view anything with a cute tennis girl in a skirt and sneakers but they ruined her scene by matching her with Billy Glide, ugh!!!! The hardcore throughout is not bad but nothing special. The girl on the cover is all I cared to view, too bad they didn't make the whole volume about her.
I could not enjoy this because the picture is grainy and the colors are yellowish and blurry. The performers appear to all be pros and somewhat jaded to the sex.
The girls on this volume 39 are not cute and I skipped the interracial scene. I liked the Penelope scene with T.T. Boy but the other action was subpar.
This review is for volumes 3 and 5 in this series. I did not care for either volume. For the most part the girls are not attractive; most are very average looking at best and not that young. I counted only two girls out of these two releases that would be considered attractive. The rest look weathered, have breast jobs, are on the thick side or are trashy looking. Much of the sex is raunchy with some DPs, oral only and anal sex. If you are a Brandon Iron fan you can do much better looking elsewhere, his TEEN titles are far better. The recruitment of the girls is inferior, BIG TIME, the sex itself is average. The girls did nothing for me and were not enthusiastic.
I hoped to see some hot scene but this was all stale sex. It is not the worst 90s stuff but pretty lame.
Judy Star gives off a sexual energy few girls show on screen. I didn't care for any of these scenes, they are just raunchy and not at all erotic. The guys just try to pound her as hard as possible in all the boy/girl action. Erik Everhard is in 3 scenes and Mr. Marcus in 2 scenes. There are 5 scenes total, 1 all girl scene and a long gangbang scene from the title The Gangbang Girl #31 with Judy Star and another Candadien girl, Angel. If you like an erotic feel to the sex avoid this but if you like constant pounding sex and raunchy sex you may like it. There are no trailers on this disc.
This is a 1996 release and is a double sided DVD. There are loads of trailers on the back side. Nothing on this DVD is appealing, not even the trailers. The girls are not cute. Nothing is erotic, it is just raunchy sex and mostly anal sex. I rarely bother with the Anabolic studio products because of this type of material, everything is passionless and sleazy with a lot of interracial sex. If you like cute girls, avoid this at all cost.
I viewed this in less than 10 minutes, and that includes the extras. I saw this title years ago and back then thought the Jenna Haze and Evan Stone scene was hot. How times have changed, I now think it is lousy. Condoms are used in all the hardcore action. Other than Jenna, the rest of the girls are not cute and look like porn star skanks. Ugly muscle head Evan Stone is also annoying and is in most of the scenes. The only good thing is the scenic outdoor setting on a boat. Don't waste your time unless you like played out porn stars doing a days work.
I rented this again even though I viewed it years ago when it was released just to see Kate (Kate Kaptive). She is the beautiful energetic baby faced, sparkling eyed girl with very long hair on the center of the cover. Her scene is electric although I wish it had lasted a lot longer, it was too brief. All the other action was bland and the girls not to my liking.


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What's on Now!
Quilting Arts
The focus of Quilting Arts, Series 900 is finding your signature style. Programs feature: quilting with a touch of whimsy, personalizing your quilt projects, master quilters sharing their knowledge and experience, quilting for all seasons, exploring unique materials and tools of the trade, high tech approaches to quilting, and more. Quilting projects include: a name badge holder, pillows, a tablet cover, tote bags, wall art, a Christmas tree skirt, a water bottle cover, and a fabric collaged door nameplate.
Distributed by: The National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA)
Coming soon
Modern Day Quilting #1001 Contemporary quilters are redefining just what modern means. First, Heather Jones presents a scrappy contemporary log cabin pillow with a modern quilt aesthetic. Then, meet Deborah Boschert for illuminated letters-using text as a design element for one-of-a-kind quilts. She presents a technique for creating monograms and initial letters out of foil paper. We finish up with expert Ana Buzzalino for the first of her machine quilting tutorials. Today she reviews accessories that make machine quilting easier. |
Experimental Quilting and Surface Design #1002 This episode introduces some experimental concepts using both thread and paint. Ellen Anne Eddy starts out with a demonstration of free-motion bobbin work with hand-dyed and metallic threads. Then, meet Marcia Derse as she shows us resist dyeing techniques for creating unique fabric designs with infinite color combinations: first is monoprinting, and then she shows over-dyeing with thickened dyes. Finally, it's lesson 2 with Ana Buzzalino: tips and tricks to make free-motion machine quilting easier. |
Make It Work! #1003 How do you make your quilting work? What determines if all of the elements come together in a harmonious way? This episode looks at some of the ways to have a finished project where all of the "pieces" come together! First, Helen Gregory shares a patchwork computer bag-it's the choice of fabric that makes this project work. Next, Deborah Boschert offers a lesson on combining a linear background composition with organic shapes in stitch or paint-two very different elements that "work". Finally, Ana Buzzalino provides another machine stitching lesson: how to make perfect free-motion feathers. |
Free-Motion Work #1004 Free-motion stitching is a favorite topic for art quilters; unique thread patterns are an all-important layer in contemporary quilting. We begin with Ellen Anne Eddy and her free-motion techniques for making flower motifs. She's making pattern-free embellished flowers with free-motion applique stitching. Then, meet Lindsey Murray for some of the best quilt storage and organization tips for both your machine and your studio. Finally, Ana Buzzalino presents lesson 4 of our free-motion stitching tutorials: using a basic free-motion machine quilting design in different configurations for interesting effects. |
Quilts at Play #1005 Quilting is all about having fun-don't take yourself or your quilting too seriously. We begin with Heather Jones as she stretches her improvisational piecing skills with an easy wall hanging. Then, Deborah Boschert is back to create a sheer silhouette over a dramatic fabric background with free-motion stitching and clever layering of materials. We finish up with Sophie and Luana Rubin for a youthful perspective on the process of learning to quilt. |
Creative Quilting #1006 Every once in a while we need to jump-start our creativity. Maybe it's finding a new source of inspiration or a new supply, and sometimes it's as simple as learning a new technique. This episode does all three. First it's simple shibori with Jeannie Palmer Moore: learn the art of resist painting. Then, meet Jane Davila. She creates watercolor-like quilts with free-motion stitching. We end today with the first of our UFOs-those unfinished projects in need of a little inspiration. |
Paint and Dye #1007 One key element of quilt design is fabric. Learn to create your own fabrics with paints and dyes for truly one-of-a-kind patterns. First, Marcia Derse begins with techniques for painting fabrics with silk screening paints. Hand painting fabric creates intimate marks and layers of color. Then, we move to unique postcards with Marlene Glickman. They feature dyed sheers, silks, and collaged fabrics. Finally, we move to another method of fabric manipulation with Michele Muska and machine needle felting. She creates felted trees of roving, yarn, and wool onto a premade red tree skirt. |
Stitch, Quilt, and Finish #1008 It's hard to define the common elements of an art quilt, but at the most basic level all have stitching, quilting, and finishing plus the added element of a contemporary attitude. This episode begins with a segment taped on location with Valori Wells: fabric designer, sewer, and quilter. She presents a modern quilt featuring paint, embroidery, machine stitching, and specialty fabric-for an integrated design. Then, Luana Rubin, trend expert and chair holder in the Color Marketing Group, returns to the show. Learn about two key trends in the industry today. We finish up-literally-with Jane Davila who shares edge-finishing techniques involving stitch, machine decorative stitching, and stitch and paint-all suitable for small quilts. |
It's A Color Conundrum #1009 Color has the ability to change the look and focus of a quilt, especially when it comes to fabric choices. Our guests on this episode change or modify their initial fabric choice for a brand new look. We begin with Rayna Gillman and a fabric makeover. She shows us how to print on cloth that needs a little help, with the express purpose of slicing it up and using in a free-form quilt. Then, meet color expert Judy Coates Perez for an overview of 500 color recipes. She's creating custom recipes for dyeing fabric based on the weight of the fabric and water to dye ratio. Finally Michele Muska creates felted placemats with Dresden and double wedding ring shapes in a traditional color palette. |
Art Meets Stitch #1010 This episode looks at thread and stitch and their impact on projects. Rebecca Kemp Brent starts us out with a small drawstring bag. All sorts of stitching is prominent, from the machine-embroidered redwork designs to the enhancements with needle felting, punch needle work, ribbon embroidery, and beading. Then, Rayna Gillman is back for a return visit featuring her slicing techniques with hand-printed fabrics to create free-form strip sets. Finally we have another returning guest: Jane Davila gives a lesson on combining stitch, fabric, and paper. |
It's One-Of-A-Kind! #1011 One of the trademark characteristics of art and artists is uniqueness. Artists pride themselves on taking a personal approach to the artistic process. This results in work that reflects their personality and is one-of-a-kind. Jo Fitsell is our first artist. She shares fabric marbling techniques to create layered and organic effects. Then, meet Jeannie Palmer Moore as she creates a unique canvas for the addition of color. Finally, Ana Buzzalino gives one final machine quilting lesson: using stencils as an aid for free-motion work. |
Artfully Pieced #1012 This episode looks at piecing and how we put together our fabric and color elements to create an artfully pieced quilt. It seems like such a simple concept but it's a new way of looking at your quilt. Kathleen Loomis starts us out with a lesson on piecing in art quilting. Follow her expert guidance for a new direction to take. Then, returning guest Ana Buzzalino takes us from sketch to stitch. She uses free-motion machine quilting to stitch vignettes from sketches and photographs. Finally, we have another edition of unfinished quilts and some ideas for finishing in our UFO segment. |
Colorful Illusions #1013 We often explore different ways to create unique surface effects with paints or dyes, and this episode's designers share some very interesting ways to add and take away color. First, Jo Fitsell presents a fabric marbling technique using stencils. Next, Jeannie Palmer Moore is back with a lesson on preserving the white! She shows us how to do resists on fabric using screen printing ink and then she brushes on color using dyes. We end today's show with another "Save my UFO" segment, where Pokey offers some ideas on saving an unfinished quilt. |
#901 This show features quilting with a touch of whimsy. First is Susan Brubaker Knapp showing how to create a name badge holder featuring an owl. She discusses how to transfer images to fabric and then stitch them by machine. Then, Candy Glendening creates a pillow from hand-dyed fabric featuring a free-motion sketched botanical motif. Last is the first UFO of the season-those unfinished projects that you can't seem to finish-you'll love seeing the before and after of these designs. |
#902 Learn to personalize your quilt projects on today's show. Margaret Applin begins with digital monoprinting using software and her personal imagery. Then, Judy Coates Perez has a tutorial on adding and removing color. You'll learn some insider tips for bringing your projects to life with color. Last is Barbara Olson sharing her serendipitous quilting technique on black fabric, on location in Cincinnati. |
#903 It's all about the finished project-as style meets function. Designer Candy Glendening gets the show started with a tablet cover highlighted by her free-motion style of quilting. The botanical design adds an artistic flair to a functional project. Then, meet Terry White with a tote bag that reflects her whimsical style and features decorative machine stitching patterns. Last is designer Charlotte Angotti who shares her easy machine quilting tips on location in Cincinnati. |
#904 Master quilters share their knowledge and experience. First is Susan Brubaker Knapp. Today she creates a firefly art quilt with a fun fiber technique for making the bugs shine. Then, it's the perfect beginner technique from Debra Gabel. She demonstrates raw-edge applique using fusing and then sewing. Last, Laura Heine provides tips for free-motion stitching and threadwork, on location in Cincinnati. |
#905 Quilting for all seasons is featured on today's show. First, Judy Coates Perez has a lesson on choosing motifs for your quilting projects-her feature project is a tree skirt for winter. Then Pokey shares a lesson on sun printing-making colorful, one-of-a-kind fabrics. Last is Pat Sloan on location in Cincinnati, where she demonstrates making a fabric bracelet from scraps. |
#906 Make it personal with your own signature touches. The show begins with Ana Buzzalino. She creates beautiful art quilts with various signature elements, including the use of hand stitching. Today she demonstrates three different hand embroidery stitches. Next, Pokey and Helen Gregory show how easy it is to make a colorful pillow embellished with designer ribbons. Last is Jamie Fingal on location for a lesson on making collaborative cloth-each person adds their own signature until the total design is finished. |
#907 This show explores unique materials and tools of the trade. Artist Susan Brubaker Knapp begins with tools and techniques for painting on fabric. Along with a discussion of materials, she shares wholecloth painting techniques and demonstrates stitching through painted cloth. Then, Helen Gregory shares a tote bag design-what makes this bag unique is the designer ribbon embellishments. Last is Leslie Tucker Jenison on location for a lesson on making laminated fabrics. |
#908 High-tech approaches to quilting are featured on today's show. First is designer Margaret Applin. She uses personal images to create home decor projects using the technology of Thermofax® screen printing. Then, Sarah Vedeler and Jeanie Sumrall-Ajero show how to use an embroidery machine to custom embellish and enhance a printed kaleidoscope design created on your computer. Finally, it's the second UFO of this season. Readers sent in their unfinished projects, requesting that other quilt artists finish them off; the results are stunning. |
#909 Today's show explores the art quilt process from start to finish. Ana Buzzalino is first, sharing methods for finding inspiration-beginning with magazines, and then playing with color combinations and working in a sketchbook. Then, Pokey has some tips for printing designs on fabric using wood blocks. Last, Rhianna White Griffin is on location in Cincinnati for the "Text on Textiles Words as Design in Quilts" exhibit. Adding words to your quilts opens up a whole new aspect for surface embellishment. |
#910 Today's show uses stitch and patchwork to create a personal touch. First, Diane Rusin Doran creates a strip-pieced patchwork water-bottle cover. Then, Elin Waterson demonstrates what she calls "free-style" free-motion quilting-quilting without a pattern or even a serious plan. Last, we are on location at the quilt show in Cincinnati for another exhibit with Rhianna White Griffin. This one features our neighbors to the north and the "O Canada" exhibit. |
#911 This show explores stitching and thread in two very different ways. First is Helen Gregory demonstrating patchwork placemats-it's the free-motion threadwork that makes these placemats special. Next, Elin Waterson shows the ultimate in thread painting with an image created totally from thread. Last is another UFO-or unfinished object. Check out the before and after for a quilt makeover. |
#912 Witness a color explosion on today's show. First, Diane Rusin Doran shows how to toad borders that will enhance your central quilt design. She also machine quilts the borders to integrate the design. Then, Judy Coates Perez has a lesson working with one of her favorite mediums-acrylic ink-for vibrant color on fabric. The show closes with another set of UFOs-unfinished projects from quilters and the solutions to complete them. |
#913 This show focuses on contemporary approaches to quilting. Ana Buzzalino opens by showing how to take personal expression one step further: she shows feather and spiral quilting motifs accented with crystals-you'll recognize her signature style. Then, Pokey shares a fabric-collaged nameplate to display on your office or studio door. Last, Heather Jones is on location in Cincinnati. Learn about the modern quilt guild and the signature look of contemporary quilts. |
Create interests
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The full regular schedule of Create will resume at 3 PM ET on Thu, July 5th. Thank you for your patience.


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The start of the first 250 class moto saw Geico Honda's Justin Barcia take the holeshot and quickly jump into the led followed by Monster/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki teammates Dean Wilson and Blake Baggett. For the first five laps of the race, Wilson and Baggett couldn't catch Barcia, however, once they did, both riders worked their way around him quickly at the bottom of the downhill, and after that, Barcia began to go backwards as it appeared his illness was hindering his endurance. One lap later, Baggett made his way around Wilson, and after that, never looked back as he rode away from the field. Behind the top two, a hard-charging Eli Tomac was quickly working his way up to the front, and by the midway point in the race, he had moved into third ahead of Honda-mounted Darryn Durham. From that point on, the top positions remained the same, as Baggett took the win followed by Wilson and Tomac.
1. Blake Baggett (Kaw)
2. Dean Wilson (Kaw)
3. Eli Tomac (Hon)
4. Darryn Durham (Hon)
5. Tyla Rattray (Kaw)
6. Gareth Swanepoel (Yam)
7. Broc Tickle (Kaw)
8. Cole Seely (Hon)
9. Justin Barcia (Hon)
10. Travis Baker (Hon)
The final moto of the day saw Baggett quickly jump out to the lead followed closely by Geico Honda's Lance Vincent, DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing/Yamaha's Ryan Sipes, and Durham. As the laps clicked off, Baggett began to open up a comfortable lead, however, Wilson was charging hard and quickly got around Vincent and into second. A few laps later, Vincent dropped out of the race, and Tomac was once again climbing his way up to the front from deep in the top-10.
By the midway point in the race, Baggett was comfortably out front with Wilson in second and Tomac third, and after that, things settled down for the frontrunners as they remained in the same order until the checkered flag flew. Baggett took the win and overall with Wilson second for second overall and Tomac third for third overall.
1. Blake Baggett (Kaw)
2. Dean Wilson (Kaw)
3. Eli Tomac (Hon)
4. Ryan SIpes (Yam)
5. Tyla Rattray (Kaw)
6. Darryn Durham (Hon)
7. Malcolm Stewart (Suz)
8. Kyle Cunningham (Yam)
9. Martin Davalos (Suz)
10. Travis Baker (Hon)
Overall 1. Blake Baggett (1-1) 2. Dean Wilson (2-2) 3. Eli Tomac (3-3) 4. Darryn Durham (4-6) 5. Tyla Rattray (5-5) 6. Ryan Sipes (15-4) 7. Malcolm Stewart (13-7) 8. Travis Baker (10-10) 9. Justin Barcia (9-12) 10. Alex Martin (11-13) |
250 Class Championship Standings (After 5 of 12 rounds) 1. Dean Wilson (214) 2. Tyla Rattray (206/2 wins) 3. Blake Baggett (194/3 wins) 4. Eli Tomac (176) 5. Justin Barcia (137) 6. Kyle Cunningham (127) 7. Broc Tickle (113) 8. Gareth Swanepoel (106) 9. Darryn Durham (94) 10. Cole Seely (89) |
TAGS: blake baggett, Colorado, dirt bike, Lakewood, motocross, mx, national, ryan dungey, thunder valley


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My decoupaged boxes. This pic doesn't do the boxes any justice. Close ups are coming up in the next post.
Some of my wall art. Close ups coming up :)
WOW....I am sure thishas left u with a great high....EXCELLENT WORK. U must be really proud of urself...all the very best....
congratulations on your exhibit. What fun!
wow this is super,all the best :)
Well done.That must feel wonderful, congratulations.
This is such great news vineeta ! congratulations. All the stuff looks fabulous and i so wish i could be there. But guess what, I'm coming to Mumbai this month or july 1st week. Will surely catch up then :)
Congratulations Vineeta! The stall looks charming and am sure you both got a great response!
Congratulations... Well done!! Looks like you guys had a great time!! Such talent!! Isnt it such a nice thought & feeling now...
Cant wait to see the closeups... Congrats to you & Ridhi!!
Congratulations! Gorgeous stuff- I especially liked the decoupage items.
lovely vineeta,as always i appreciate you for the hardwork,endurance and patience.I am sure u had fun and congratulations dear.
these are loevly! Amaziing talent! Many Congratulations! Why dont u make these stuff available online for sale?
CONGRATS Vineeta:-))
This is great news:-) Your work is lovely!
I am sure the exhibition went of well:-))
All the best for the future!
great work! I am sure you got a good response.
Keep us informed about ur next exhibition so that we can visit :)
Congratulations! How did the exhibition go? Your trays look lovely.
Vineeta, Khoob saari mubarakbaad ,
beshak zabardast response mila hoga...
hmm mujhe bhi b&w photo chahiye..
Ridhiko bhi meri taraf se khoobsari mubarakbaad dijiye..
han... ore tray bhi chahiye !
guess its not fair to put up after having an exhibition, why didn't you advertise before the exhibition. I would have come and purchased.
do you have an online store which we can browse, see the prices and decide...
*GASP!!!* And I didnt know about it!
I just saw your post about the decoupaged boxes and have been reading back trying to find out what's going on. Great stuff, Vineeta. Great ideas, well executed and I'm sure you're feeling so content after putting in all that effort.
i love your boxes Vineeta!!! where/how can i buy them? how was the response at the exhibition??
lovely works.
lovely works..
lovely works
hi, i am from mumbai, doing up anew house , ur stuff is v intersting . how do i get in touch with u ?


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Second thoughts on the emotional support animal debate
Don Urquhart, president of Quadomain condo on Hollywood Beach, is having second thoughts on this issue that we all stipulate evokes a great deal of passion. Originally Don advocated for an amendment of the docs to allow pets. Then he was confronted by owners who told him that their home buying decision was based on the promise of a pet-free environment.
Some have allergies, and the condo uses common washers and dryers. Others have phobias and the thought of sharing elevators and stairs with animals that cause them anxiety terrifies them.
Don said he never thought the day would dawn when he would advocate for states' rights. Section 10 of the Florida Constitution establishes the primacy of contractual obligations. Declarations and their covenant restrictions are contractual obligations.
He points out that this debate is deafeningly silent on the obvious mutual exclusivity between the medical/emotional needs of those who buy homes in no-pet associations and then argue for accommodations and those who have pet dander allergies and animal phobias, and whose investment backed expectation was of a home environment free of animal allergens and anxieties.
So you end up with "delicious irony" as Don puts it. The claim/exercise of a right to compromise the physical and emotional health of others on the basis of one's medical and emotional needs gives lie to the concept of common-interest living. What happens when such polar opposite interests collide?
We end up with a compelling need to find someone with the wisdom of Solomon who could resolve the competing interests between those who demand for themselves the things that they would deny others. Is this a flaw in our nature, or is it indeed our nature?
This debate is far from over. If anyone has good ideas about solutions, or experiences that could help find some, please do share them with us.


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Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Do you see it?
And then there is the next proposal...
I don't want to post the whole thing, but below is the middle third of the picture my boss was certain was a lady's nah nah-nana. The original has an identical girl on either side and their hair meets in the middle. This is the middle.
Now imagine it twenty feet high, looming ahead of you as you drive into downtown every morning...
25 comments:
Indeed, there do seem to be some vaginal qualities to the art, but perhaps your boss needs to get himself some Freudian therapy? I mean, what does he have against vaginas? We should celebrate the VAGINA in all its bold, 60 ft high glory!!! Can you imagine the publicity your office would get?
(By the way, totally kidding about your boss needing Freudian therapy. I'm sure he's well adjusted.)Um, I must be far too literal (or else my perceptive abilities are muted by the removal of the periphery), but I don't see it. I mean, I sort of maybe can work out some sort of muff and labia maybe, but no vagina that I can see. But, if you and your boss and 13 other readers can all see it, then perhaps it would be blatant to most of the rest of the world, too, and thus shouldn't be placed on the side of a building. 'Cos NO ONE should be subjected to twenty foot high hooha first thing in the morning.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah-- I see it. Interesting in the context of what you've said about the rest of the piece. Honestly, I'd kind of like to see it up there, but then again I'm a lesbian. It's not totally inappropriate for the arty district where your office is, though it might upset the scads of gay boys who hang out in the area.
ReplyDeleteI also could see a few vag-like spots in that piece... I am excessively used to uber feminist art though as my best friend as quite the collection of works to her name. I usually get roped into modeling for her. My bare breasts were on display for all to see at one point & I think my pregnant bod in all it's *ahem* glory will be posted in a 30 foot tall installation in the near future. I insist on complete anonymity for my participation, but still...