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Reading Challenge: Bookish Bingo Summer Edition
I stumbled upon this new reading challenge thanks to Book Bunny's Burrow's sign-up post, and it looked like so much fun I decided to sign up too!
Hosted by Great Imaginations, this fun reading challenge is a summer-themed bingo card. For those who haven't seen this type of reading challenge before, you try to get a bingo on the card with the books you've read. Each book can only count for one square. Additional rules for this round are: sign up by July 14th, and all books read for the bingo must be read during July, August, and September.
I know I'll be reading a bunch anyway, and I'm excited to check things off on the bingo card. Maybe some of the squares will even help me decide what to read next! Keep an eye out for my wrap-up post in September where I'll let you know how many bingo's I got.
Want to join the fun? Sign up over on Great Imaginations!
By the way, how adorable is that flamingo? So adorable!
Book Review: The Drowning Girl by Caitlin R. Kiernan (Audiobook narrated by Suzy Jackson)
India Morgan Phelps, Imp to her friends, is sure that there were two different Eva Cannings who came into her life and changed her world. And one of them was a mermaid (or perhaps a siren?) and the other was a werewolf. But Imp's ex-girlfriend, Abalyn, insists that no, there was only ever one Eva Canning, and she definitely wasn't a mermaid or a werewolf. Dr. Ogilvy wants Imp to figure out for herself what actually happened. But that's awfully hard when you have schizophrenia.
I'd heard that this book was a chilling mystery featuring GLBTQ characters and mental illness. When I discovered it on Audible with an appealing-sounding narrator, I knew what I was listening to next. This book is an engaging mystery that also eloquently captures the experience of having a mental illness that makes you question yourself and what you know while simultaneously giving a realistic glance into the queer community.
Imp is an unreliable first person narrator, and she fully admits this from the beginning. She calls herself a madwoman who was the daughter of a madwoman who was a daughter of a madwoman too. Mental illness runs in her family. She states that she will try not to lie, but it's hard to know for sure when she's lying. This is due to her schizophrenia. Imp is writing down the story of what she remembers happening in journal style on her typewriter because she is trying to figure out the mystery of what exactly happened for herself. The reader is just along for this ride. And it's a haunting, terrifying ride. Not because of what Imp remembers happening with Eva Canning but because of being inside the mind of a person suffering from such a difficult mental illness. Experiencing what it is to not be able to trust your own memories, to not be sure what is real and is not real, is simultaneously terrifying and heart-breaking.
Imp's schizophrenia, plus some comorbid anxiety and OCD, and how she experiences and deals with them, lead to some stunningly beautiful passages. This is particularly well seen in one portion of the book where she is more symptomatic than usual (for reasons which are spoilers, so I will leave them out):
All our thoughts are mustard seeds. Oh many days now. Many days. Many days of mustard seeds, India Phelps, daughter of madwomen, granddaughter, who doesn't want to say a word and ergo can't stop talking. Here is a sad sad tale, woebegone story of the girl who stopped for the two strangers who would not could not could not would not stop for me. She. She who is me. And I creep around the edges of my own life. Afraid to screw off the mayonnaise lid and spill the mustard seeds. (Part 2, loc 55:35)
The thing that's great about the writing in the book is that it shows both the beauty and pain of mental illness. Imp's brain is simultaneously beautiful for its artistic abilities and insight and a horrible burden in the ways that her mental illness tortures her and makes it difficult for her to live a "normal" life. This is something many people with mental illness experience but find it hard to express. It's why many people with mental illness struggle with drug adherence. They like the ability to function in day-to-day society and pass as normal but they miss being who they are in their own minds. Kiernan eloquently demonstrates this struggle and shows the beauty and pain of mental illness.
Dr. Ogilvy and the pills she prescribes are my beeswax and the ropes that hold me fast to the main mast, just as my insanity has always been my siren. (Part 1, loc 4:08:48)
There is a lot of GLBTQ representation in the book, largely because Kiernan is clearly not just writing in a token queer character. Imp is a lesbian, and her world is the world of a real-to-life lesbian. She is not the only lesbian surrounded by straight people. People who are part of the queer community, in multiple different aspects, are a part of Imp's life. Her girlfriend for part of the book is Abalyn, who is transwoman and has slept with both men and women both before and after her transition. She never identifies her sexuality in the book, but she states she now prefers women because the men tend to not be as interested in her now that she has had bottom surgery. The conversation where she talks about this with Imp is so realistic that I was stunned. I'm not sure I've ever seen a conversation about both transitioning and the complicated aspects of dating for trans people that was this realistic outside of a memoir. Eva Canning is bisexual. It's difficult to talk about Eva Canning in-depth without spoilers, so, suffice to say, Eva is out as bisexual and she is also promiscuous. However, her promiscuity is not presented in a biphobic way. Bisexual people exist on the full spectrum from abstinent to monogamous to poly to promiscuous. What makes writing a bisexual character as promiscuous biphobic is whether the promiscuity is presented as the direct result of being bi, and Kiernan definitely does not write Eva this way. Kiernan handles all of the queer characters in a realistic way that supports their three-dimensionality, as well as prevents any GLBTQphobia.
The plot is a difficult one to follow, largely due to Imp's schizophrenia and her attempts at figuring out exactly what happened. The convoluted plot works to both develop Imp's character and bring out the mystery in the first two-thirds of the book. The final third, though, takes an odd turn. Imp is trying to figure out what she herself believes actually happened, and it becomes clear that what she ultimately believes happened will be a mix of reality and her schizophrenic visions. That's not just acceptable, it's beautiful. However, it's hard to follow what exactly Imp chooses to believe. I started to lose the thread of what Imp believes happens right around the chapter where multiple long siren songs are recounted. It doesn't feel like Imp is slowly figuring things out for herself and has made a story that gives her some stability in her life. Instead it feels like she is still too symptomatic to truly function. I never expected clear answers to the mystery but I did at least expect that it would be clear what Imp herself believes happened. The lack of this removed the gut-wrenching power found in the first two-thirds of the book.
The audiobook narration by Suzy Jackson is truly stellar. There are parts of Imp's journal that must truly have been exceedingly difficult to turn into audio form, but Jackson makes them easy to understand in audio form and also keeps the flow of the story going. Her voice is perfect for Imp. She is not infantilized nor aged beyond her years. She sounds like the 20-something woman she is. I'm honestly not sure the story would have the same power reading it in print. Hearing Imp's voice through Jackson was so incredibly moving.
Overall, this book takes the traditional mystery and changes it from something external to something internal. The mystery of what really happened exists due to Imp's schizophrenia, which makes it a unique read for any mystery fan. Further, Imp's mental illness is presented eloquently through her beautiful first-person narration, and multiple GLBTQ characters are present and written realistically. Recommended to mystery fans looking for something different, those seeking to understand what it is like to have a mental illness, and those looking to read a powerful book featuring GLBTQ characters whose queerness is just an aspect of who they are and not the entire point of the story.
4 out of 5 stars
Source: Audible
Book Review: The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood (Bottom of the TBR Pile Challenge)
It's the 1960s in Canada, and Marian McAlpin is working writing and analyzing surveys for a marketing research firm. She has a feminist roommate she doesn't quite understand, and hangs out with the three office virgins for lunch. Her boyfriend is comfortable and familiar. When he proposes to her, the office virgins think she's hit the jackpot, her roommate questions why she's following the norm, and her married and very pregnant friend seems hesitant about her fiancee. None of this really bothers Marian, though. What does bother her is that, ever since her engagement, there are more and more things she simply can't eat. First meat then eggs then even vegetables! She thinks of herself causing them suffering, and she just can't stomach them. What will happen to her if there's eventually nothing left for her to eat?
I'm a fan of a few Margaret Atwood books, and the concept of this book intrigued me. Since I run the Mental Illness Advocacy Reading Challenge, I was also wondering if this might actually be a new take on anorexia. Unfortunately, Marian is not really anorexic, it's more of an elaborate, overdone metaphor. Perhaps the plot is simply dated, but the interesting concept, when fleshed-out, comes out rather ho-hum.
The novel is divided into three parts, with Marian using first-person narration for the first and third parts, with third person narration taking over for the second. This is meant to demonstrate how Marian is losing herself and not feeling her own identity. It's an interesting writing device, and one of the things I enjoyed more in the book. It certainly is jarring to suddenly go from first to third person when talking about the main character, and it sets the tone quite well.
It's impossible to read this book and not feel the 1960s in it. Marian is in a culture where women work but only until marriage, where women attending college is still seen as a waste by some, and where there is a small counter-cultural movement that seems odd to the mainstream characters and feels a bit like a caricature to the modern reader. However, the fact that Marian feels so trapped in her engagement, which could certainly still be the case in the 1960s, doesn't ring as true, given the people surrounding Marian. Her roommate is counter-cultural, her three office friends claim to want a man but clearly aren't afraid of aging alone and won't settle. Her married friend shares household and child rearing with her husband, at least 50/50. It's hard to empathize with Marian, when it seems that her trap is all of her own making in her own mind. She kind of careens around like aimless, violent, driftwood, refusing to take any agency for herself, her situation, or how she lets her fiancee treat her. It's all puzzling and difficult to relate to.
The Marian-cannot-eat-plot is definitely not developed as anorexia. Marian at first stops eating certain meats because she empathizes with the animals the meat came from. As a vegetarian, I had trouble seeing this as a real problem and fully understood where Marian was coming from. Eventually, she starts to perceive herself as causing pain when eating a dead plant, bread, etc… The book presents both empathizing with animals and plants as equally pathologic, which is certainly not true. Marian's affliction actually reminded me a bit of orthorexia nervosa (becoming unhealthily obsessed with healthy eating, source) but the book itself presents eliminating any food from your diet as pathologic. Either Marian eats like everyone else or she is going off the deep-end. There is no moderate in-between.
What the Marian-cannot-eat-plot is actually used for is as a metaphor for how Marian's fiancee (or her relationship with him) is supposedly consuming her. The more entwined with her fiancee she becomes in society's eyes, the closer the wedding comes, the less Marian is able to consume, because she herself is being consumed. This would be quite eloquent if Marian's fiancee or her relationship with him was actually harmful or consuming, but it certainly does not come across that way in what we see of it in the book.
Marian presents herself to her boyfriend then fiancee as a mainstream person, and he treats her that way. He does one thing that's kind of off-the-rocker (crashes his car into a hedge) but so does she on the same night (runs away in the middle of dinner, across people's backyards, for no apparent reason and hides under a bed while having drinks with three other people at a friend's house). The only thing that he does that could possibly be read as a bit cruel is when she dresses up for a party he states that he wishes she would dress that way more often. It's not a partner's place to tell the other how they should dress, but it's also ok to express when you like something your partner is wearing. Personally I thought the fiancee really meant the latter but just struggled with appropriately expressing it, and Marian herself never expresses any wants or desires directly to him on how they interact, what they wear, what they eat, how they decorate, etc…, so how could he possibly know? In addition to never expressing herself to her fiancee, Marian also cheats on him, so how exactly the fiancee ends up the one being demonized in the conclusion of the book is a bit beyond me. He's bad because he wanted to marry her? Okay…… The whole thing reads as a bit heavy-handed second-wave feminism to me, honestly. Marriage seems to be presented in the book as something that consumes women, no matter if they choose it or are forced into it by society. It is not presented as a valid choice if a woman is able, within her society and culture, to make her own choices.
In spite of these plot and character issues, the book is still an engaging read with an interesting writing style. I was caught up in the story, even if I didn't really like the ideas within it.
Overall, this is a well-written book with some interesting narrative voice choices that did not age well. It is definitely a work of the 1960s with some second-wave feminism ideas that might not sit well with modern readers. Recommended to those interested in in a literary take on second-wave feminism's perception of marriage.
3 out of 5 stars
Source: Better World Books
Book Review: Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan (Bottom of TBR Pile Challenge)
Celia, Bree, Sally, and April wound up on the same small hall their first year at Smith College. Celia is from a traditional Irish Catholic Massachusetts family, although she doesn't consider herself to be Catholic. Bree arrives at college from the south with an engagement ring on her hand. Sally arrives full of mourning and despair over the recent loss of her mother to breast cancer, and April arrives as the only work-study student on their floor. Paying her own way through school and with a whole slew of issues and causes to fight for. Their friendship is traced from the first weeks at Smith through their late 20s.
I picked this book up because it was compared favorably to Mary McCarthy's The Group (review), calling it a modern version of that story telling the tale of a group of friends from a women's college. It certainly revisits the concept, however, The Group was actually more progressive both in its writing and presentation of the issues. Commencement is a fun piece of chick lit but it misses the mark in offering any real insight or commentary on the world through the eyes of four women.
What the book does well is evoking the feeling of both being in undergrad and the years immediately after graduation. Sullivan tells the story non-linearly, having the women getting back together for a wedding a few years after college. This lets them reminisce to early years of college and also present current life situations and hopes for the future. After the wedding, the story moves forward to cover the next year. The plot structure was good and kept the story moving at a good pace. It feels homey and familiar to read a book about four women going through the early stages of adulthood. It was hard to put down, and the storytelling and dialogue, particularly for the first half of the book, read like a fun beach read. However, there are a few issues that prevent the book from being the intelligent women's literature it set out to be.
First, given that the premise of the book is that four very different women become unlikely friends thanks to being on the same hall of a progressive women's college, the group of women isn't actually that diverse. They are all white, three of the four are from wealthy or upper-middle-class backgrounds (only one must take out loans and work to pay for school), none are differently abled (no physical disabilities or mental illnesses), and not a single one is a happy GLBTQ person. Given that The Group (published in 1963) managed to have an out (eventually) lesbian, a happy plus-sized woman, and a socialist, one would expect a drastic increase in diversity in a book considered to be an update on a similar idea. Women's colleges in the 1930s when The Group is set were extremely white and abled, but the same cannot be said for them now. Creating a group of women so similar to each other that at least two of them periodically blur together when reading the book is a let-down to the modern reader.
The book has a real GLBTQ problem. One of the characters has two relationships. One is with a man and one with a woman. She is happy in both and attracted to both. She takes issue with being called a lesbian, since she states she definitely fantasizes about men and enjoys thinking about them as well. Yet, in spite of the character clearly having both physical and romantic attractions to both men and women, the word bisexual is not used once in the entire book. The character herself never ventures to think she might be bi, and no one else suggests it to her. She struggles with "being a lesbian" and "being out as a lesbian" because she doesn't think she is a lesbian. The other characters either say she's in denial in the closet due to homophobia or that she really is straight and she needs to leave her girlfriend. It is clear reading the book that the character struggles with having the label of lesbian forced upon her when she is clearly actually bisexual. This is why she is uncomfortable with the label. But this huge GLBTQ issue is never properly addressed, swept under the rug under the idea that she's "really a lesbian" and is just suffering from internalized homophobia. The bi erasure in this book is huge and feels purposeful since the character's bisexual feelings are routinely discussed but the option of being non-monosexual never is. It's disappointing in a book that is supposed to be progressive and talking about modern young women's issues to have the opportunity to discuss the issues of being bisexual and instead have the character's bisexuality erased.
The second half of the book makes some really odd plot choices, showing a highly abusive relationship between one of the characters and her boss. It probably is meant to show the clash between second and third wave feminism, but it feels awkward and a bit unrealistic. Similarly, the book ends abruptly, leaving the reader hanging and wondering what is going to happen to these characters and their friendship. Abrupt endings are good when they are appropriate to the book and mean something, but this ending feels out of place in the book, jarring, and like a disservice to the reader.
Overall, this is a fast-paced book that is a quick, candy-like read. However, it is held back by having the group of women in the core friendship be too similar. Opportunities to explore diverse, interesting characters are missed and bisexual erasure is a steady presence in the book. The ending's abruptness and lack of closure may disappoint some readers. Recommended to those looking for a quick beach read who won't mind a lack of depth or abrupt ending. For those looking for the stronger, original story of a group of friends from a women's college, pick up The Group instead.
3 out of 5 stars
Source: PaperBackSwap
Book Review: Waiting For the Galactic Bus by Parke Godwin (Series, #1) (Bottom of TBR Pile Challenge)
When two brothers from an incorporeal alien species get left behind on a spring break visit to prehistoric Earth, they decide to put their, as yet uncertified, evolutionary development skills to work by prodding along the the evolutionary process on Earth. In doing so, they accidentally create a species with a spirit tied to a body for a certain amount of time that then is tied to the idea of an afterlife. They also manage to turn themselves into Earth's spiritual mythology.
An ingenious take on the aliens made humans concept with two overlapping plots, a tongue-in-cheek take on world religions, and a wry wit.
This take on aliens made humans makes humans the result of the bumbling activities of aliens from a species that controls evolution in the universe. However, these aliens are currently uncertified, unsupervised, and basically the frat boys of outerspace. At least at first. Thus, instead of it all being some evil experimental conspiracy, the direction of life on Earth is much more of an accident of floundering fools. Granted, the fools grow and change over the time that they spend on Earth waiting for their ride back from spring break, but the fact remains that evolution on Earth is a result of the experiments of two aliens who are not yet fully trained. This is also used to explain the phenomenon of souls in bodies and then souls that have an afterlife. All other species have souls that can either choose to be in or not in a corporeal body. This is the result of the two aliens, Barion and Coyul, not staying within the rules of evolution.
We thus get to the other really creative part of the book. Since the souls are unfotunately tied to bodies that die, when the bodies die, the souls don't know what to do or where to go, and so humanity creates the idea of the afterlife, with the two aliens serving as the rulers of the two options (again, created by humans). The aliens thus are kind of forced into the roles of God and Satan. The way afterlives go, though, is generally more the result of what the various humans think it will be or think they deserve. The aliens have mostly tried to stay out of the way, but when they hear rumblings that remind them on the beginning of the nightmare that was Nazi Europe in the American midwest, they decide to dive on in and try to fix it.
Clearly the plot and setting are extremely engaging and thought-provoking. I could truly talk about them for hours. They are creative and a vision of the world I enjoyed visiting. The characterization of the two aliens is a bit weak though. I mixed them up a lot, constantly forgetting who was God and who was Satan. I honestly can't remember right now if Barion or Coyul plays Satan. I wish they had been characterized more clearly, as this would have strengthened the story.
Overall, this is a unique take on aliens creating humans, featuring a rollicking and thought-provoking plot. The characterization can be a bit weak but the action-packed plot and vibrant setting generally make up for it. Recommended to scifi or fantasy fans looking for an extraterrestrial take on mythology.
4 out of 5 stars
Source: PaperBackSwap
Book Review: Doctor Sleep by Stephen King (Series, #2) (Audiobook narrated by Will Patton)
Danny Torrance didn't die in the Overlook Hotel but what happened there haunts him to this day. Not as much as the shining does though. His special mental powers that allow him to see the supernatural and read thoughts lead to him seeing some pretty nasty things, even after escaping the Overlook. He soon turns to drinking to escape the terror. But drinking solves nothing and just makes things worse. When he sees his childhood imaginary friend, Tony, in a small New Hampshire town, he turns to AA to try to turn his life around and learn to live with the shining.
Abra is a middle school girl nearby in New Hampshire with a powerful shine. She sees the murder of a little boy by a band of folks calling themselves the True Knot. They travel in campers and mobile homes, seeking out those who have the shine to kill them for it and inhale it. They call it steam. They're not human. And they're coming after Abra. Abra calls out to the only person she knows with a shine too, the man she's talked to before by writing on his blackboard. Dan.
A sequel that takes the original entry's theme on overcoming your family origin and ramps it up a notch, Doctor Sleep eloquently explores how our family origin, genetics, and past make us who we are today. All set against a gradually ramping up race against the clock to save a little girl from a band of murdering travelers.
The book begins with a brief visit to Danny as a kid who learns that the supernatural creatures exist in places other than the Overlook, and they are attracted to the shine. This lets the reader first get reacquainted with Danny as a child and also establishes that the supernatural are a potential problem everywhere. The book then jumps aggressively forward to Danny as a 20-something with a bad drinking problem. It's an incredibly gritty series of scenes, and it works perfectly to make Dan a well-rounded character, instead of a perfect hero of the shine. It also reestablishes the theme from The Shining that someone isn't a bad person just because they have flaws–whether nature or nurture-based. That theme would have been undone if Dan had turned out to be an ideal adult. It would be much easier to demonize his father and grandfather in that case, but with the way King has written Dan, it's impossible to do that.
The way Dan overcomes both his drinking and his temper, as well as how he learns to deal with his shine, is he joins Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). In contrast to his father who tried to quit drinking on his own, Dan attempts it in a group with accountability. This then shows how much easier it is to overcome a mental illness with community support. I appreciated seeing this. I will say, however, that some of the AA talk in the book can get a bit heavy-handed. Some chapter beginnings include quotes from the book of AA, and Dan can sometimes seem a bit obsessed with it when he relates almost everything to something he learned or heard there. AA definitely plays a vital role in many people's recovery from addiction, and it's wonderful to see that in a work of fiction. However, it would have been better for the reader to see the role of AA more than to hear quotes from AA so often.
The big bad in this book is a band of supernatural creatures who were once human and still look human. But they change somehow by taking steam and go on to live almost indefinitely. They can die from stupid accidents and sometimes randomly drop dead. The steam is acquired by torturing children who have the shine. The shine comes out of their bodies as steam when they are in pain. They call themselves The True Knot. This troop is a cartoonish group of evil people who try to look like a troop of retirees and some of their family traveling in a camper caravan. The leader of this group is Rose the Hat–a redheaded woman who wears a top hat at an impossibly jaunty angle. I was pleased to see Rose written quite clearly as a bisexual. Her sexuality is just an aspect of who she is, just like her red hair. Seeing a bi person as the big bad was a delight. Her bisexuality isn't demonized. Her actions as a child killer and eater of steam are. She is a monster because of her choices, not because of who she is. I alternated between finding The True Knot frightening and too ridiculously cartoonish to be scary. I do think that was partially the point, though. You can't discredit people who seem ridiculous as being harmless.
How Abra is found by The True Knot, and how she in turn finds Dan, makes sense within the world King has created. It doesn't come until later in the book, though. There is quite a bit of backstory and build-up to get through first. The buildup is honestly so entertaining that it really didn't hit me until after I finished the book how long it actually took to get to the main conflict. So it definitely works. Abra is a well-written middle school girl. King clearly did his research into what it's like to be a middle schooler in today's world. Additionally, the fact that Abra is so much older than Danny was in The Shining means it's much easier for the reader to understand how the shine works and see a child, who understands at least a bit what it is, grapple with it. This made Abra, although she is a child with a shine, a different experience for the reader who already met one child with a shine in the previous book. Abra is also a well-rounded character with just the right amount of flaws and talent.
There is one reveal later in the book in relation to Abra that made me cringe a bit, since it felt a bit cliche. It takes a bit of a leap of faith to believe, and I must admit it made me roll my eyes a bit. However, it is minor enough in the context of the overall story that it didn't ruin my experience with the book. I just wish a less cliche choice had been made.
The audiobook narrator, Will Patton, does a phenomenal job. It was truly the best audiobook narration I've heard yet. Every single character in a very large cast has a completely different voice and style. I never once got lost in who was speaking or what was going on. More importantly to me, as a New England girl born and raised, is that he perfectly executes the wide range of New England accents present in the book. Particularly when he narrates the character, Billy, I thought I was hearing one of my older neighbors speak. I could listen to Will Patton read a grocery list and be entertained. Absolutely get the audiobook if you can.
Overall, this sequel to The Shining successfully explores both what happened to Danny Torrance when he grew up and a different set of frightening supernatural circumstances for a new child with the shine. This time a girl. The themes of nature, nurture, your past, and overcoming them are all eloquently explored. There is a surprising amount of content about AA in the book. It could either inspire or annoy the reader, depending on their mind-set. Any GLBTQ readers looking for a bi big bad should definitely pick it up, as Rose the Hat is all that and more. Recommended to fans of Stephen King and those that enjoy a fantastical thriller drenched in Americana.
4 out of 5 stars
Source: Audible
Previous Books in Series:
The Shining, review
Book Review: Will I Ever Be Good Enough?: Healing the Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers by Karyl McBride
A guidebook for adult women raised by a mother with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). Dr. McBride is a therapist with many years of experience treating daughters of NPD mothers and also with treating people with NPD. Additionally, she herself is the daughter of a woman with NPD. The book is divided into three sections to help the daughters of mothers with NPD to heal and take charge of their lives. The first section "Recognizing the Problem," explains what maternal NPD looks like. The second section, "How Narcissistic Mothering Affects Your Entire Life," explains the impact NPD mothers have on their daughters, both as children and as adults. The third section, "Ending the Legacy" is all about healing from the NPD mothering and breaking the cycle of Narcissism. Dr. McBride offers clinical examples from her practice as well as detailed, clearly explained exercises to aid with healing.
It's not easy to find a book addressing healing from abuse that manages to walk the fine line of understanding for all involved and absolute condemnation of the abusive actions and that simultaneously encourages agency and healing without making the survivor become stuck in a victim's mentality. Dr. McBride strikes this balance eloquently.
The three sections of the book work perfectly for guiding the reader through understanding precisely what happened in her childhood, how it impacts her adulthood, and how to regain agency of herself and her life. NPD is not a mental illness that is well-understood or recognized. The first section thus must explain NPD and how NPD leads to abusive mothering without demonizing the mother suffering from NPD. It is incredibly difficult not to demonize people with NPD. People with NPD tend to be self-centered, manipulative, and resistant to treatment. McBride manages to simultaneously describe the person with NPD in a sympathetic light and condemn their behavior. This section also serves to provide an aha moment for the reader. It will immediately be clear if your mother has/had NPD or not, and if she does/did, it will shine a light on the daughter's childhood, proving she is not crazy or ungrateful. Some of the signs of a mother with NPD include: the mother demanding praise for everything she's ever done for the daughter, a lack of compassion or empathy for the daughter, approval for who the mother wants the daughter to be instead of who she is, the mother perceives of the daughter as a threat, the mother is jealous of the daughter for various reasons, the mother is overly critical or judgmental, the mother uses the daughter as a scapegoat for her bad feelings, the mother treats the daughter like a friend, no boundaries or privacy, the mother involves the daughter prematurely in the adult world, and more.
This section also explains why the book is only about daughters of mothers with NPD and not for her sons as well.
A mother, however, is her daughter's primary role model for developing as an individual, lover, wife, mother, and friend, and aspects of maternal narcissism tend to damage daughters in particularly insidious ways. Because the mother-daughter dynamic is distinctive, the daughter of a narcissistic mother faces unique struggles that her brothers don't share….A narcissistic mother sees her daughter, more than her son, as a reflection and extension of herself rather than as a separate person with her own identity. She puts pressure on her daughter to act and react to the world and her surroundings in the exact manner that Mom would, rather than in a way that feels right for the daughter. (6-7)
The next section looks at what impact being raised by a mother with NPD has on the daughter's adult life. McBride factually explains where some of the daughter's less healthy behaviors and thought processes may come from without falling into the trap many childhood healing books fall into of repeatedly directing negative energy toward the parent. Some of the issues that may be present in an adult daughter raised by a mother with NPD include: high-achieving or self-sabotaging or waffling between the two, difficulty understanding and processing feelings, inappropriate love relationships that are dependent or codependent or giving up on relationships entirely, fear of becoming a mother herself, unconsciously mimicking her mother's parenting with her own children or doing the exact opposite of what her mother did.
The final section is all about the daughter healing, overcoming, and taking agency for herself. McBride encourages therapy, but also offers at-home tips and exercises for those who cannot afford it. An example of one of these is the "internal mother" exercise. This exercise involves many steps, but it essentially seeks to replace the internal negative messages the daughter has from her own mother with more positive messages that are the type the daughter wanted from her real mother. The daughter grieves the mother she never got to have and learns to parent herself. Much of the work in this section involves grieving the mother and childhood the daughter never got to have, accepting it for what it is, giving herself the encouragement and mothering she needs, learning to set boundaries, and the daughter coming to be in charge of her own life. The exercises are not simple and may seem a bit overwhelming to the reader at first, but they do serve to mimic the real therapy process, encouraging introspection, journaling, grieving, and behavioral changes.
One thing I really appreciate about McBride's approach is how she handles the adult relationship between daughter and mother. She 100% encourages the daughter to make the choice that is right for her own emotional health and that simultaneously does not expect miracles from her mother. Since most people with NPD don't receive successful treatment, McBride carefully admonishes the daughter to base her decision based on her mother's proven behavior. She encourages setting clear boundaries, and individuating oneself from mother. But she also acknowledges that having a relationship at all with a mother with severe NPD might not be possible.
We have to acknowledge that a narcissistic mother may be too toxic to be around. In many situations, daughters have to make the choice to disconnect completely from their mothers because the toxicity damages their emotional well-being. While others around you may not understand it, this is a decision that you get to make for your own mental health. (184)
Refusing to give one-size-fits-all advice on the relationship between a narcissistic mother and her adult daughter is just one example of the many positives of this book. McBride offers insight, advice, and isn't afraid to say what might be painful to hear. She has done an excellent job putting the therapy process into book format, as much as possible.
Overall, this book tackles an incredibly difficult topic in an even-handed, clear manner. Its focus on just daughters of mothers with NPD allows Dr. McBride to give targeted examples and advice to the reader. It never excuses the mother's behavior, firmly condemning it, but still exhibits compassion for the mother suffering from NPD. Any woman who thinks she may have been raised by a woman with NPD should read this book and see if any of it rings true for her. Additionally recommended to anyone interested in how NPD impacts parenting and the next generation.
5 out of 5 stars
Source: Amazon
Book Review: I, Robot by Isaac Asimov (Series, #0.1) (Bottom of TBR Pile Challenge)
This collection of short stories tells the history of the invention and gradual improvement of robots. The robots in this future must follow the 3 Laws of Robotics:
- A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
- A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
- A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
But following these laws doesn't always have quite the outcome the inventors and managers of robots intended.
I wasn't aware I, Robot is actually a short story collection. It's precisely the type I enjoy though because they all work together to tell one overarching story in order. Beginning with the earliest robots, they slowly move up through important points in the history of robotics to lead up to the world run by big brain machine robots that Asimov has imagined. This collection is a prequel of sorts (and of many) to Asimov's robot series that begins with The Caves of Steel (list of entire series).
One thing I like about the world Asimov sets up is that unlike many scifi books featuring AI, the people in Asimov's world are highly, intensely cautious of robots. They're very concerned about robots taking jobs, killing humans, and even robbing humans of their autonomy. It sets up a conflict from the beginning and frankly presents the humans as just a bit more intelligent than in some AI scifi universes.
I was under the impression from pop culture that in I, Robot they think they're protected by the Laws of Robotics but something happens so that the robots aren't programmed with them any longer. That's not what happens at all. What happens is much more complex. How the robots interpret the Laws and how the Laws work end up being much more complex and less straight-forward than the humans originally imagined, so much so that they have to have a robopsychologist to help them interpret what's going on with the robots. This is really quite brilliant and is one of my favorite aspects of the book.
Unfortunately, the book can read a bit sexist sometimes, in spite of having a female protagonist through quite a bit of the book. (The robopsychologist is a woman). The book was first published in 1950, though, so when you think about the time period, the sexism is pretty minor, especially compared to having a female worldwide expert on robopsychology. The main time sexism comes up is when the leader of Europe is a woman and says some self-deprecating things about difficulty leading because she's a woman. Yes, there is older scifi that avoids sexism pretty much entirely, but I am able to give this instance a bit of a pass considering the other strong portrayal of a woman in a leadership role. But be aware that at least one cringe-inducing sexist conversation does occur.
Overall, this piece of classic scifi stands the test of time extraordinarily well. Its film adaptations do not do it proper service at all. Come to this book expecting a collection of short stories exploring robopsychology, not an action flick about killer robots. Recommended to scifi fans.
4 out of 5 stars
Source: Harvard Books
Book Review: Chop Suey: A Cultural History of Chinese Food in the United States by Andrew Coe (Bottom of TBR Pile Challenge)
American Chinese food is different from Chinese Chinese food. This is a well-known fact. Coe tells the history of how Chinese food came to America and changed and adapted to the cuisine we know today. Along the way, some of the stories of Chinese immigrants to America and Chinese-Americans are told as well.
I love food, and I love history, so a book telling the history of a specific cuisine totally appealed to me. Unfortunately, this book missed the mark for what could have been an enticing history of American style Chinese food. Instead, it gets hung up in the early history of both Chinese food in China and Chinese food in America in the 1800s then hops, skips, and jumps over how it changed through the 1900s up to present. While this information is interesting, it is not the history of American Chinese food it is presented as.
The main issue with the book is it spends almost 1/4 of its time exploring the history of Chinese food in China. While I learned some interesting facts, such as that tofu was invented in the Han Dynasty (page 80), this information is not necessary to convey how Chinese food came to America and changed. A much briefer introduction to where Chinese food was at before coming to America would have sufficed. The best part of the book is when it discusses Chinese food in America in the 1800s and explores how US-born Americans' embracing of Chinese food or not depended on many factors such as the current rates of xenophobia, job markets, and prices. Viewing the history of the American west coast through the perspective of Chinese immigration and Chinese restaurants was truly fascinating. One of the more fascinating things that I learned in this section was a detail of the history of the racist perception of Asian men as not masculine. In that time period, when Chinese immigrants were competing with white Americans and Irish immigrants for railroad and other jobs, the backlash was that since Chinese men "didn't need" to eat meat to work long hours they could afford to take a lower rate of pay. Articles attacked the Chinese diet as a sign that Chinese men are less masculine since they "don't need" meat the way white American and Irish-American men do. One article title from this time period cited in the book is "Some Reasons for Chinese Exclusion. Meat vs. Rice. American Manhood against Asiatic Coolieism. Which Shall Survive?" by Samuel Gompers (page 141). As a vegetarian, I found it fascinating that the sexist perception of a less meat-centric diet (the Chinese did indeed eat meat, just less than American men), has both such a far-reaching history and was used to fuel xenophobia and racism against immigrant workers. It is clear to me after reading this that a large part of the work for vegetarians is to get rid of the faulty correlation between meat and masculinity. I could see fixing this having other positive outcomes as well, such as fighting against misperceptions of the masculinity of other cultures.
Unfortunately, the wonderful details found in the chapters on the 1800s gradually cease to exist as the book moves up through time. While the 1920s get some special attention, such as touching on the fact that Chinese restaurants survived Prohibition well because they had never served alcohol anyway (page 189), slowly these details fall away until we get nothing but the bare bones of how Chinese restaurants functioned and interacted with American history in the rest of the 20th century up to present. There is even one rather aggravating long aside exploring President Nixon's visit to China. While his visit to China definitely gave a resurgence of interest in Chinese food in the US, it was again unnecessary to give such incredible details on Nixon's visit. It could have been simply stated, instead, that Nixon visited China, bringing Chinese food to the forefront of American thought again and giving a resurgence of interest in Chinese cuisine. The book has a tendency to lollygag on topics that are not actually what the book is supposed to be about. While these topics can be interesting and Coe explores them well, they are not what the book supposedly is about. It would be better to present the book with a different title or edit the focus back to simply Chinese-American cuisine.
One other factor that made me enjoy the book less is that Coe shows a clear bias toward Chinese culture. There is nothing wrong with enjoying Chinese culture, but Coe says some things that if he had said them in reverse would be considered completely unacceptable to say. He frequently presents the Chinese people as more civilized, their way of doing things as more logical and simply better, and even scoffs at the level of advancement of European countries compared to China at one point (page 94). Lack of bias and simply presenting the facts is the strength of historical nonfiction works. It would have been nice to see that level of professionalism in this book, regardless of Coe's personal views.
Overall then, while I learned some new facts about both Chinese-American cuisine and Chinese-American history, the book wanders significantly through Chinese history and Chinese cuisine as well. Interesting, but not what the title implies the book is about. Coe also shows some bias that should not be present in a history book. These are easily skimmed over, however, and thankfully do not come up very often. Recommended to those with an interest in both Chinese-American and Chinese history in addition to the history of American style Chinese cuisine, as all three are covered rather equally.
3 out of 5 stars
Source: Amazon


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Pinson Area Towns and Cities
|Henderson, TN - 38340
|Selmer, TN - 38375
|Bolivar, TN - 38008
|Lexington, TN - 38351
|Bethel Springs, TN - 38315
|Brownsville, TN - 38012
|Cedar Grove, TN - 38321
|Middleton, TN - 38052
|Huron, TN - 38345
|Whiteville, TN - 38075
|Reagan, TN - 38368
|Beech Bluff, TN - 38313
|Ramer, TN - 38367
|Luray, TN - 38352
|Saulsbury, TN - 38067
|Finger, TN - 38334
|Enville, TN - 38332
|Milan, TN - 38358
|Darden, TN - 38328
|Humboldt, TN - 38343
|Medon, TN - 38356
|Adamsville, TN - 38310
|Alamo, TN - 38001
|Bells, TN - 38006
|Bethel Spgs, TN - 38315
|Clarksburg, TN - 38324
|Crockett Mills, TN - 38021
|Crockett Mls, TN - 38021
|Crump, TN - 38327
|Denmark, TN - 38391
|Essary Springs, TN - 38061
|Friendship, TN - 38034
|Fruitvale, TN - 38336
|Gadsden, TN - 38337
|Gibson, TN - 38338
|Grand Jct, TN - 38039
|Grand Junction, TN - 38039
|Hickory Valley, TN - 38042
|Hickory Vly, TN - 38042
|Hornsby, TN - 38044
|Jacks Creek, TN - 38347
|Jackson, TN - 38301
|La Grange, TN - 38046
|Laconia, TN - 38045
|Lavinia, TN - 38348

subset: commoncrawl


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Now have working video element, for example in the ParksCanada video page in the archive. Still have to create an ogg version of the data file.]]>
For archive text documents with more than one page image, added the gallery feature so that you can go to next and previous large version of the page for that document.]]>


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Windows Phone 8.1 confirmed, with Cortana digital assistant
Microsoft calls Cortana the first 'truly personal' voice-activated assistant
Computerworld - Microsoft unveiled Windows Phone 8.1 on Wednesday, and confirmed reports that the new OS includes Microsoft's first voice-activated digital assistant, called Cortana.
Windows Phone 8.1 won't be generally available for several months -- it's slated to run new phones shipping in late April or early May, according to Joe Belfiore, corporate vice president of Microsoft's operating systems group.
Belfiore spoke at the opening of Microsoft's Build 2014 developer conference, which was webcast.
Another major new feature in WP 8.1 is a shape writing capability now commonly available in some other smartphones and via add-on apps. Belfiore demonstrated the shape writing by swiping his finger through a keyboard without lifting it between letters.
Cortana will first appear in beta.
The digital assistant hits the smartphone scene three years after Siri was launched on the iPhone 4S with iOS 5 and two years after Google Now for Android 4.1 smartphones was launched in 2012.
But Belfiore argues that Cortana is better than Siri, calling it the "first truly personal digital assistant who learns about me and the people that matter to me most."
Belfiore introduced the female voice of Cortana and said the digital assistant can also be contacted via text input.
During several demonstrations, he showed how Microsoft tried to mirror the way a real-life personal assistant would manage a person's calendar or relationships. By using Microsoft's Bing search engine, Cortana "knows everything about the world" as well as information contained on a user's phone, he said.
In one demonstration, he asked Cortana to set up a dental appointment on Aug. 1 at 10 a.m., but Cortana replied that he was expected to pick somebody up at the airport at the same time. In another demo, he asked Cortana to remind him to ask a friend how her puppy was doing when she called the next time, and the reminder appeared in text on the phone's display when the phone call came from her.
Belfiore was subject to a couple of demo mishaps with Cortana. The first came when he asked Cortana to pick the second of two Mexican restaurants to call that were displayed on the phone and Cortana apparently started to call the first in the list. Calling the mishap a "minor bug," he added, "We're launching Cortana as a beta while we train the service on the back end, with lots of voice utterances to improve speech recognition."
But Cortana did use its intelligence to find several four-star Mexican restaurants in Palo Alto, Calif., after Belfiore asked her to find the best ones. And Cortana was also able to show four out of the group that take reservations.
In another mishap, he asked Cortana to convert a temperature from Farenheit to Celsius, which worked, but when he asked Cortana to covert that temperature reading to the Kelvin temperature scale, Cortana twice repeated, "I converted to Celsius ..."
Belfiore called that mishap "the vagaries of a service that's live and up and down ... We tried to make her smart."
Cortana can also recognize a user's closest connections, based on the frequency they are contacted and other usage patterns, Belfiore said. The list of closest personal connections can help Cortana decide whether to put through a late night call. The close personal contact list can be customized by the user, based on Cortana's suggestions.
Belfiore saved his riskiest demo for last, in which he used fingers on a smartphone's virtual keyboard to show how shape writing works. Only one mispelling occurred in the complex sentence he typed: "Being onstage at Build is simultaneously delightful and horrifying. Of course I love to hear from developers, but occasionally techies can be intimidating."
Patrick Moorhead, an analyst at Moor Insight & Strategy, said Cortana's addition to Windows Phone "is impressive but so was Siri and Google Now when it was demoed on stage, so I'm skeptical that it can make a different in Windows Phone sales."
Moorhead said Windows Phone suffers the most from a shortage of apps.
Matt Hamblen covers mobile and wireless, smartphones and other handhelds, and wireless networking for Computerworld. Follow Matt on Twitter at @matthamblen or subscribe to Matt's RSS feed. His email address is firstname.lastname@example.com.
See more by Matt Hamblen on Computerworld.com.
Microsoft watch
- Ballmer quits Microsoft board, cites NBA commitments
- In his own words: Best quotes of Steve Ballmer
- Update: Microsoft pulls crippling patch from Windows Update
- New Microsoft same as the old Microsoft
- Microsoft urges customers to uninstall 'Blue Screen of Death' update
- Windows 'Threshold' to go public within weeks
- Microsoft: Give IE another chance
- The news isn't good for Windows Phone
- Deja vu all over again: Windows 7 will be the new XP
- Microsoft postpones IE's Java blocking after IT complains
Read more about Windows Phone in Computerworld's Windows Phone Topic Center.
- 5 Fast, Easy, Cheap IT Certifications
- Register for this Computerworld guide to useful IT certifications and gain access to hundreds of premium content articles, cheat sheets, product reviews and more.
- Troubleshooting Common Issues in VoIP Learn more about Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), including common VoIP metrics used, best practices in VoIP management and tips and tricks for...
- IDG Research Survey: Are you Paying Too Much for Your NMS? Feel like you're paying too much for network monitoring? You're not alone. This survey brief summarizes findings from research recently fielded by IDG...
- 2013 Network Management Software (NMS) Buyers Guide This white paper contains an independent comparison study of six different network management solutions and provides guidance on how you can choose the...
- Rightsizing Your Network Performance Management Solution: 4 Case Studies This white paper discusses challenges encountered as organizations search for the most cost-effective network performance management solution.
- Tips to Simplify Database Administration and Development Make your job easier while getting the most from the leading productivity tool for database professionals. Learn tips from Dell Software's Oracle® ACE,...
- E-Signature RFP Checklist Webcast If your organization is looking to adopt e-signatures, you may be overwhelmed by the number of providers that offer seemingly similar solutions. How... All Windows Phone White Papers | Webcasts


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rock27gr wrote:Yep. You should be able to tell as the standby light will stay orange if it's still downloading something from your download list. It'll also quickly go orange about once an hour as it quickly checks for new updates.
Edited by DFawkes at 22:06:48 14-12-2013
I'd kick the living daylights out of the producers of Tipping Point - Ghandi


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Attention! in July 2014, Elfwood.com will get a makeover! Read more about the change.
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Seed Open-source machine learning startup PredictionIO has raised $2.5 million in seed funding in a round led by Quest Venture Partners. Azure Capital Partners, CrunchFund, the StartX Fund and Kima
Secret secures $25m Series B – Investment Round Up
Series B Anonymous sharing app Secret has raised $25 million in Series B funding. Index Ventures, Redpoint Ventures, Gary Tan and Alexis Ohanian, SV Angel, Fuel Capital and Ceyuan Ventures all
Startups face age-old battle to enforce change in established industries
In 19th century England, during the Industrial Revolution, a group of textile artisans labelled Luddites protested against new technology in their industry by smashing the new machines to pieces. This
5 Takeaways from the Google I/O Developer Conference
Google's I/O Developer Conference, held this week in San Francisco, featured a number of new product launches, including Android TV, Android Wear, Android Auto and a new smartphone and tablet
Handybook secures $30m – Investment Round Up
Series A Light has raised $9.7 million in Series A to help it realize a "mission to reimagine the art and science of photography." The Palo Alto-based startup was co-founded by Dave Grannan, whose
Facebook's messaging mission leads to Snapchat competitor Slingshot
Facebook's pursuit, rejection, and subsequent mission to bury Snapchat is starting to resemble a teenage courtship gone bad. After Snapchat declined Facebook's offer to buy the company last year for
Apple, Microsoft and Google set for battle to control consumers' homes
The news that Apple is set to unveil a software platform to control the objects inside our homes reflects a push by technology companies to completely integrate their products into our everyday
Doximity secures $54m funding – Investment Round Up
Series A New York 3D printing venture SOLS has gained $6.4 million in Series A investment, according to reports. Lux Capital led the round, which included contributions from Founders Fund, RRE,
Airbnb raises $450m mega round – Investment Round Up
Series A China's Baoku, which delivers travel and expense management services, has raised $10 million in Series A funding, say reports. China Broadband Capital and Asiainfo-Linkage provided the
Paraplegic to kick off World Cup with groundbreaking robotics
The first kick of this year's FIFA World Cup in Brazil will be performed by a paraplegic teenager, thanks to a robotic exoskeleton that translates brainwaves to actions. The revolutionary device was


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US officially calls on Israel to reverse land appropriation
Militant Palestinian group stages rally in Gaza City
A guided tour of a Hamas terror tunnel
IDF fires on Palestinian driver attempting to run down soldiers at checkpoint
PA replaces prisoners ministry with PLO body
Opposition: PM avoiding real investigation of Gaza war
EU extends deadline on settler fish and dairy products ban
Congressmen belie perception of trouble in Washington-Jerusalem ties
Liberman thanks US for support during Operation Protective Edge
Israel squad reassembles for short camp
Eventful day at the office for Mac TA's Pako
Israel soccer coach Gutman names national squad for Shefayim camp
Yellow-and-blue sent packing from Europe
Energy, Economy ministries issue grants to convert 16 factories to gas
Peres Center director Sharir to head Science, Tech Ministry
*Putting their heads together*
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak in Israel for 2014 EduAction Forum
Blue-and-white films for just NIS 10 – celebrate Israeli Cinema Day
Old is the new black
Analysis: Talansky retrial could seal Olmert's fate on Holyland appeal
Stern scolds Rabbi Eliyahu, says he deals in racism, lies
Thessaloniki mayor sworn in wearing yellow 'Jude' star
Ukrainian rebels shoot Jewish man
Birthright alumni more supportive of Gaza op than general population
Thousands in Britain rally against rise in anti-Semitism
Report: Joan Rivers being brought out of induced coma, family to sue doctors
Islamic State claims murder of Jewish-American journalist in latest beheading video
Jabhat Al-Nusra 'unlikely to target Israel soon,' senior army officer says
Islamic State claims life of second American, citing airstrikes
Explosion kills 11 Egyptian soldiers in Sinai
Syrian rebels demand ransom, removal from terror list in order to free captive Fiji troops
On Judaism in Spain
Candidly speaking: Déjà vu: Jewish renegades spewing vitriol against their people
Starting anew
UNRWA: A Palestinian, anti-Israel, non-territorial government
Arm Syria's moderates
Is 'blood' thicker than water?
Hamas vs humous: What's the difference?
Teaching Israelis some finesse
Marking the end of 'youthful obnoxiousness'
A song for ELUL: 'The song of the land
סִדְרַת סְטֶנְד-אַפְּ חֲדָשָה: קוֹמֶדִי בִּיט
גִיבּוֹרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מְקַבְּלֵי עִיטוּר הַגְבוּרָה
גֶ'אז בְּעִבְרִית
Huge culture festival to be held in Afula for first time
Wading through widowhood: You don't have to be Jewish
From Berlin to Hollywood to Jerusalem
Grapevine: Leket Israel HQ suffers fire, but work continues
A web of alliances
The 28 envelopes
Startup Nation's dark side
Bibi's post-war challenge
From tragedy to charity
Shabbat planet
This week in Jerusalem: Peggy Cidor's round-up of city affairs
Rolling through summer
Can the Dalai Lama win Beijing's heart?
Starting the countdown to the next Gaza war
Facing chaotic instabilities
Iran's golden summer
When 'Romeo and Juliet' are Reuven and Jamila
Hitting the books
The king of impersonators
Women who run… and bike...and swim
JPost Cartoon
Gossip is a form of trespass
WATCH: Lady Gaga greets fans in Israel before Tel Aviv show
Jon Stewart: I am not anti-Israel
Surfing in more ways than one
Israël a perdu la guerre du web
De parking en hôpital d'urgence : la métamorphose
Meshaal : une élimination ratée
Faut-il tuer les leaders du Hamas ?
Revisiter le sionisme
Préserver l'héritage des Juifs de Tunisie
Ton peuple sera mon peuple
Pessah, de la première à la dernière délivrance
Les ,ésaventures de Sainsbury
Crispation de l'allié allemand
La paix, version palestinienne
David Azrieli, 1922-2014
Dimanche 13 juillet
Deux familles, une histoire
Il était une fois en Israël
Boucler la boucle
Sondage : la victoire de Tsahal à Gaza
L'épreuve de la dissuasion
Sale temps sur les routes israéliennes
JNF USA Solidarity Mission Visits Southern Israel
Turning Tanks into Pine Cones
Under Hamas Fire, KKL-JNF Paves a Security Road for Kibbutz Sufa
Canada-Israel Solidarity Rally in Jerusalem
Children from Moshav Tekuma Take a Break from the Rockets
IDF Soldiers Volunteer in Carmel Forest
New Single Tracks for Cyclists in the Western Galilee
Returning to the Well of Ziklag and ANZAC
KKL-JNF and Fair Planet in Ethiopia–Seeds of Hope
KKL-JNF at United Nations Committee of Forestry Conference
Argentine Province of Misiones Minister for Agriculture Visits the Negev with KKL-JNF
Nice-Netanya Scientific Seminar 'Mare Nostrum: A Vision for Tomorrow'
Nevatim Celebrates 60 Years and Dedicates a New Reservoir
Mexican Parliamentarians Visit the Biofilter for Urban Runoff in Kfar Saba
Agriculture and Nature Coexist at the Galilee's Eilon Reservoir
European Leadership Conference 2014 - Brussels, Belgium
The KKL-JNF Europe Young Leadership Conference
KKL-JNF Office Opens in New Zealand
KKL-JNF Leaders at ELC meet with the EU Parliament
Addressing Climate Change Conference
Nurturing the Foresters of the Future
Saving the Sabras
Ma'alot 360 Scholarship Recipients from Australia Tour Israel
03.09.2014 | 8 Elul ,5774
On Judaism in Spain
Candidly speaking: Déjà vu: Jewish renegades spewing vitriol against their people
Starting anew
UNRWA: A Palestinian, anti-Israel, non-territorial government
Arm Syria's moderates
Terra Incognita: Politics of the veil comes to east Jerusalem
Grapevine: A local version of 'Annie Get Your Gun'
Israel's energy horizon
Architect of the Cold War
Borderline Views: Pyrrhic victories
No holds barred: 'The New York Times' censors our anti-ISIS ad
This is not David Harris' sermon
18/02/2014 21:49
Denmark 2, giraffes (and Jews) 0
A crowd of people look on at the Copenhagen zoo after the giraffe Marius was killed..
(photo credit:REUTERS)
Centuries after Shakespeare said "Something's rotten in the state of Denmark," we have hard proof of a big stink in Denmark and nearby Scandinavian countries.Only days after Denmark passed a racist law banning kosher butchers, supposedly because Kosher meat slaughtering is "cruel to animals," Danish authorities showed everyone what real cruelty to animals is.The Danish Zoo took a healthy young giraffe – named Marius – shot him in the brain with a bolt gun, dissected his body in front of a crowd of children, and then fed pieces of the carcass to the zoo's lions. Television cameras caught the happy lions at their meal.Sounding a bit like Nazis, Danish Zoo authorities said they had to kill the giraffe for the sake of racial purity – to protect the genetic lines of their giraffes. They added that the zoo needed lebensraum –living room – space for other, purer giraffes.They also justified the murder of the giraffe for the sake of the hungry lions. Not since the Roman Empire has their been such governmental concern for the feeding of lions."Our giraffes are part of an international breeding program, which has a purpose of ensuring a sound and healthy population of giraffes," Bengt Holst, scientific director at Copenhagen Zoo, told CNN. He explained that there was not enough room at the zoo for giraffes with inferior bloodlines.Danish authorities rejected appeals from tens of thousands of people who asked that the zoo find a less-than-final solution for the problem of a genetically inferior giraffe, for example sending him to another zoo, or to nature reserve.The Danish Giraffe Murder shows Danish hostility to kosher slaughter to be both hypocritical; the Danes, like the Swedes and the Norwegians, only take pity on those animals that are being eaten by Jews. Otherwise, they will happily shoot anything that moves.When Danish, Swedish and Norwegian boys reach their teens, they are often presented with a shotgun or a rifle, and taken by their fathers to kill their first deer or elk.When Jewish boys reach 13, they learn to read part of the Bible. Jews get gifts ranging from pens to tablet computers.Religious Jews slaughter animals only to feed themselves, and use a very sharp knife under very strict procedures specifically designed to eliminate animal suffering.Many houses in Denmark, Norway and Sweden have animal heads on the walls as trophies. This custom is not often seen in Jewish circles.Scandinavian countries also have laws barring Jewish circumcision, claiming that the practice is cruel to children, though there is clinical proof circumcision reduces many diseases (in men and women), from sexual diseases to cervical cancer. There is much evidence that circumcision by the Jewish timetable (the eighth day) is largely safe and relatively pain-free. Circumcision at a later time in life is more dangerous and complicated.Limiting kosher slaughter and circumcision has now spread to other European countries, such as Holland. The Council of Europe passed a resolution in October calling on European Union states to "adopt specific legal provisions to ensure that certain operations and practices will not be carried out before a child is old enough to be consulted."Nevertheless, many Jews are not impressed by claimed European concern for the suffering of Jewish children, remembering just how many non-Jewish Europeans came to the rescue of defenseless Jews during the past century, especially during the Holocaust.It seems the real motive for Scandinavian laws against kosher meat and circumcision is simple anti-Semitism or Jew-hatred. These laws are not linked to pain felt by defenseless animals or children, but rather by a desire to inhibit Jewish communities and, more recently, Islamic communities that also have ritual slaughter of animals and circumcision.After all, in Europe, persecuting Jews is always kosher, and the Jews will sooner or later leave Europe rather suffer the fate of that Danish giraffe who was found to be genetically inferior.The author, visiting professor at UC Irvine and an expert on Arab politics and communications, is the author of Battle for Our Minds: Western Elites and the Terror Threat, published by Threshold/Simon and Schuster. He is a former reporter, correspondent and editor respectively at The New York Times, Cox Newspapers, and The Jerusalem Post, and he served as strategic affairs advisor in Israel's Ministry of Public Security.
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Happy Trails Plush Rocking Mo Mammoth with SoundsItem # HN-ASR1750
- Soft plush exterior
- Sturdy wood core and rockers
- Press the ear for exciting mammoth sounds
- For children 3 years and up; 80-lb. capacity
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Best Uses
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Comments about Happy Trails Plush Rocking Mo Mammoth with Sounds:
Easy to construct project. The animal has good sound effects and is highly entertaining. It is probably most suitable for a child who is 2 years old rather than an infant although the website indicated that it was appropriate for 9 months through 3years of age.
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text:
Meet Valerie Placide, a hard working mother, entrepreneur and artist. She is the owner of BOHIOMANIA, she designs jewelry inspired by African and West Indian cultures. 98 more words
Tags » Business Highlight
STRATOS® Winch Pro with Dyneema® Offers Unique Benefits to the Forestry Industry
Despite continuing mechanization, harvesting timber places high demands on lumberjacks and materials. This also applies to the ropes used in hauling and winching the timber, leading fibre manufacturer Dyneema reports. 600 more words
St. Pierre Mfg Featured in Telegram & Gazette
By Nick Greenhalgh SPECIAL TO THE TELEGRAM & GAZETTE
Working with family members can often be problematic, frustrating and difficult.
Only 30 percent of family businesses survive to be handed down to a second generation; that number dwindles to 12 percent for the third generation, according to the Family Business Institute. 480 more words
Gaylin Honored with Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Award
On July 19th, 2014, Enterprise Asia celebrated 14 of the Most Promising and Outstanding entrepreneurs of Singapore including Gaylin International, a specialist provider of rigging and lifting solutions to the global oil and gas industry. 65 more words
Checkmate's feature-packed fall protection range lifts the LEEA Innovation Award for 2014
Checkmate has emerged as the winner of the LEEA Innovation Award for Best Product at LiftEx 2014, the annual trade exhibition for the overhead lifting industry that was co-located at the Safety and Health Expo, ExCel London, June 17th-19th. 281 more words


text: Great fun and a truly realistic experience. Well worth every cent! Me and my friends tried out a different simulator each (formel 1, 737 and F-16) and all loved it. The hour we spent flew by to quickly. I will recommend it to everyone with the slightest interest for either cars or planes. Super friendly and knowledgeable staff!


text:
I'm just the pieces of the man I used to be, too many bitter tears are raining down on me.
I'm far away from home and I've been facing this alone for much too long.
Oh, I feel like no one ever told the truth to me, about growing up and what a struggle it would be.
- Queen.


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Mortem get deep and experimental with "Life Forms" on IM:Ltd. The title track builds from a confident, stripped back intro with clipped, crisp drums and woozy, eerie SFX into a nice steady stepper with grouchy, murmuring b-line quaking below and atmospheric flourishes adding even more depth to the piece. "Mirrors Edge" goes deeper and yet darker with grating bass, sharp, industrial tinged beats and pounding sub bass from below. "Whispers" gets the VIP treatment with echoing whispers, shuffling breaks and hissing hi-hats dominating for the duration.
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text:
CBS46 viewers got a behind-the-scenes tour of Disney's The Lion King production Wednesday at Atlanta's Fox Theatre.
Kay Ragsdale, an original member of the company since The Lion King's theatrical debut in 2002, plays 15 different flutes during each performance. Her instruments range in size from the length of a toothbrush to five feet tall.
Stefan Monssen, also an original company member, is one of two visible percussionists positioned in boxes on each side of the stage. Monssen and fellow percussionist Reuven Weizberg play a variety of African percussion instruments throughout the performances.
Ragsdale and Monssen were featured Wednesday on Better Mornings Atlanta.
The Lion King is on stage at the Fox Theatre until April 27. Visit here for more information.
Copyright 2014 WGCL-TV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.
A woman who was texting while driving was impaled by guardrail pole.


text:
Earnestly Ernest
Last weekend (it seems so long ago now!), we went to see the Shakespeare Theatre's production of The Importance of Being Earnest. I've seen the play once before, and I've seen various snippets here and there, but I've never seen a production as lavish (two full sets — one interior, one exterior)! The actors used their classical training to e-nun-ci-ate each line with precision, often adding to the inherent humor of the dialog.
Mostly, though, I'll remember the production as the place where I learned the meaning of farce. Prior to Earnest, I'd considered farce to be a type of broad physical comedy — things like the French comedies that the Shakespeare Theatre loves so (too) much, or the funniest play I've ever seen in my life — Noises Off, which involves a lot of Feydeau scenes, and precise timing for physical gags.
And yet, Merriam Webster (and the dramaturg for Earnest) don't require any physical comedy for something to qualify as farce. Rather, it's a type of comedy of the absurd — a comedy built around ridiculous situations and events (such as a woman who will only marry a man named "Ernest").
By that definition, I like a lot more farce than I thought I did. After all, I love Frasier, and just about every episode of that show qualifies.
So, an enjoyable afternoon at the theater (or, theatre, as the Shakespeare folks would have it.) Are you a fan of farce?


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Image 66 of 71
James Garner - 86( EVERETT COLLECTION / March 4, 2003 )
Actor James Garner, seen here in a still from the 1969 film "Support Your Local Sheriff!" is best known for his TV roles in "Maverick" and "The Rockford Files" as well as many films. He was nominated for an Oscar for his role in 1986's "Murphy's Romance." Birthday: April 7, 1928


text:
I've just received my Black Widow. I ordered it on Saturday and it was
here this morning in Sydney Australia. That is the fastest service
I've...Read More ->
You guys are totally amazing. I don't know how you do it, but I just received the latest order from you guys. In fact I received the package about 2...Read More ->


text:
How to Satisfy Your Kitty's Demand to Go Outside
Do you have one of those cats that absolutely insists on going outside - despite your best efforts with cat trees, toys, and everything else you can think of?
You can safely let your cat outdoors ... well, at least enough so that kitty thinks she's wild and free. :-)
Build an escape-proof enclosure. This means the enclosure must be contained on all four sides and on top as well. Your cat should not be able to jump, squeeze through, escape, or injure itself in any way.
Consider constructing a cat door for free access to the outdoor enclosure. If you can, you may want to build a cat door and connect a special little runway for your kitty that goes straight to his or her outdoor enclosure. That will save you from listening to the plaintive yowls of your cat, asking to go outside!
Or take kitty out on a harness and leash. Some cats enjoy prowling outside on a harness. If you choose this option, your kitty still needs supervision: cats are clever little escape artists and may attempt to free themselves from the harness. They may also catch the leash on something and get stuck. Plus keep in mind that kitty can't protect herself from other animals if she's leashed!
It is so very important to keep your cat indoors (or protected outdoors, as explained above) that I just can't emphasize it enough. All too often we hear tragic stories about the beloved family cat that disappeared or was struck by a car. Don't let that happen to your own feline friend!
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text:
Stay healthy, Uloopers!
(Source: nbcnightlynews)
The library opening with the first day of classes on Monday at Florida's newest college features a sunlit arched roof and cozy reading chairs - but not a single book.
A fully digital library is among the futuristic features of Florida Polytechnic University's striking dome-shaped building, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.
"It's a boldly relevant decision to go forward without books," said Kathryn Miller, the university's director of libraries.
The inaugural class of 550 students, offered scholarships covering tuition to attend a public university so new it's not yet accredited, can access more than 135,000 ebooks on their choice of reader, tablet or laptop.
A bookless library is a rarity among U.S. colleges but reflects the high-tech ambitions of the university in Lakeland, Florida. Rising along a drab stretch of highway between Tampa and Orlando, Florida Polytechnic envisions building a technology corridor in the image of Silicon Valley.
A library with no books!?
(Source: yahoonews)
That MacBook on your desk might be even more powerful than you think.
For all the Mac fans out there …
(Source: popmech)


text:
Parents of one California middle school student are outraged after learning about the school's sex education class.
The San Marcos family says their daughter was asked in class how far she was willing to got sexually.
The 14-year-old girl says every student in class was asked the question and found it very embarrassing.
The parents say the teacher told students to stand under signs labeled "smile", "hug", "kiss", "above the waist", "below the waist" and "all the way".
The school says the purpose was to open lines of communication between students and parents about their dating expectations. But parents say the students were in disbelief.
"Pointing the kids out in front of their peers is definitely not something that needs to be done in school or anywhere," one father said.
Another mom said, "I was furious because my daughter was embarrassed. For the children to get that confused, is just another reason why it shouldn't even be in the schools."
The principal says the lesson came from a community clinic and has been sued over the past several years.


text:
The peaceful side of the Ferguson protests
Nightly chaos in the St. Louis suburb is getting all the attention, but the vast majority of those protesting have been peaceful. Here's a look at the some of the moments that are not making the front pages. (Yahoo News)
(Photos by REUTERS/Mark Kauzlarich, REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni, Scott Olson/Getty Images, AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
See more images of the peaceful side and our other slideshows on Yahoo News!
(via schoolofnero)
Source: yahoonewsphotos


text:
Hoeppner at work two weeks after brain surgery
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana's Terry Hoeppner walked into his weekly news conference Tuesday and got right back to business.
He took off his trademark hat and tried to talk about football, even if everyone else wanted to know about his health.
"I love coaching football games," he said. "I enjoy the preparation, I enjoy the recruiting, but my passion is coaching football games, so it's good to be back."
Hoeppner said doctors removed scar tissue, not another tumor from his brain on Sept. 13.
He said he wasn't taking pain medication, had no restrictions and that doctors gave him, his wife, Jane, and his family the best possible news.
"The surgery happened to be on Jane's birthday, and so she got scar tissue for her birthday," he said. "Right now, I'm good to go, and I'm ready to go."
Hoeppner temporarily turned over the reins of the Hoosiers to assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Bill Lynch two weeks ago after announcing he would have his second brain surgery since December. Doctors said then they would remove a possibly recurrent tumor, which turned out to be scar tissue, according to Hoeppner.
The prognosis: Hoeppner would miss two to four weeks.
But the amazingly resilient 59-year-old coach made sure his absence was on the shorter end. Aside from the new scar on the right side of his head, it appeared as if little had changed.
The major issues confronting Indiana -- a quarterback controversy, questions about the Hoosiers' top player, James Hardy, and a beleaguered ground game -- were still front and center when Hoeppner returned Tuesday.
Even consecutive losses to Southern Illinois and Connecticut didn't faze the usually optimistic coach.
"I came up with this great plan for this week," Hoeppner said. "I told the guys 'We're going to coach better this week and you're going to play better this week. We're in the Big Ten now, so let's go do it."'
Players welcomed the message but were more impressed by the messenger.
"It's amazing to see him come back in two weeks," said receiver Hardy, who is also returning to the team this week after a two-game suspension. "Mine was minor compared to his. But I wanted to make sure my coach was all right. He's more than a coach to me, he's a friend."
While doctors told Hoeppner to spend at least two weeks recovering, Hoeppner couldn't stay away from his passion even that long.
Three days after surgery, he attended the Southern Illinois game in one of the school's luxury suites.
Last Wednesday, he advised the board of trustees about a proposed $55 million upgrade of athletic facilities -- something he called essential to the program. The trustees approved the project Friday.
On Saturday, Hoeppner again attended the game at Memorial Stadium, and the next day, he resumed coaching duties.
Clearly, though, this was no typical news conference.
Hoeppner opened by thanking the hundreds of coaches in the high school, college and professional ranks who sent him notes offering support. He also thanked his family, coaching staff, players and the Indiana administration for aiding his recovery.
"I challenged them [the players] with the plan," he said of Sunday's team meeting. "I didn't talk to them real long, but I had some personal things to say. ... You know they've got a lot going on as a college student and a college player and any outside distractions are probably not the best thing I could have done. But if I had it to do all over again, I would."
Players believe Hoeppner's return has already provided an emotional boost to a team that seemed dispirited after a second straight poor performance in Hoeppner's absence.
"We're excited to get him back," safety Will Meyers said. "Any time your leader goes away for a little bit of time and then comes back, there's a lift."
But Hoeppner won't have much of a grace period.
The first decision will be what to do at quarterback when the Hoosiers (2-2) face Wisconsin this Saturday. Indiana rotated Blake Powers and Kellen Lewis throughout last Saturday's game against Connecticut, a strategy that didn't work well as the offense never really got in sync.
Indiana's poor rushing game also has caused consternation. UConn held the Hoosiers to zero rushing yards Saturday, and Indiana is the only Big Ten team averaging fewer than 139 yards per game on the ground. The Hoosiers are at 73.5.
It's not what Indiana players had in mind when Hoeppner instructed them before the surgery not to use his absence as a distraction or an excuse.
But now the Hoosiers have an opportunity to give Hoeppner a more meaningful welcome back gift.
"It's great to see him back," Meyers said. "It's great to have our leader back, especially after losing two in a row."
Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press
- Ohio State QB Miller out for season
- Under Armour unveils new Notre Dame unis
- Oklahoma suspends RB Mixon for season
- Golson: Irish supporting suspended players
- Familiar Story For Star QBs
- Oklahoma's 2009 season has uncomfortable parallels for Ohio State.
Ivan Maisel »
- Miller's Injury Hurts Big Ten
- Miller's injury puts a dent in Big Ten's playoff chances.
Schlabach »
- Shoulder Injury Downs Miller
- A fluke injury has ended Ohio State QB Braxton Miller's season.
Ward »
- Haney: Future Power Ranks | Top programs
- Ultimate Preview: CFB's top player
- Haney: Coker leads top 50 breakout players
- Steele: Pac-12 experience ranks | SEC | Big 12
- Best of BCS: Big 12 | ACC | Pac-12 | Big Ten


text:
Very modern, designer hotel, with comfortable bed and good shower, great views from the restaurant (on the 16th floor BTW), with good healthy breakfast.....let down by a useless gym and the lifts, which service offices as well as 16 floors of hotel, and take 10mins to come in the mornings. The checkin was a shambles, as they could not find... More
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text:
Toy Machine officially welcomes Blake Carpenter to their team. Be on the look out for nothing but kick ass things from Blake in the near future.
|Beautiful Moment Premiere San Francisco, CA Aug 30
|Battle at Hastings V Vancouver BC Aug 30
|Johnny Rad Show Long Beach, CA Aug 31
|Noise For The Needy Long Beach, CA Aug 31
|The Shrine Japan Tour Japan Aug 31
|Hightower SF, CA Aug 31
|Etnies Scout It Out Tour East Coast Sep 02
|Meltasia Music Fest LaFayette, GA Sep 05
|Lords of Seatown Seattle, WA Sep 14


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A deadly Al-Qaeda attack this month on a Yemeni defence ministry hospital was a mistake and the jihadist network is ready to pay blood money, a top jihadist commander has said.
The brazen daylight attack on the defence ministry complex on December 5 left 56 people dead, including patients and foreign medics from the Philippines, Germany, Vietnam and India.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has already claimed responsibility for the attack and late Saturday its military chief said in an online video the assault on the hospital had not been authorised.
"The attack was on the ministry of defence, it was not on the hospital," said AQAP military commander Qassem al-Rimi.
Rimi said the militants were told to stay away from the hospital and a prayer hall in the sprawling defence ministry complex, but that one lone jihadist disobeyed orders.
"We told them (jihadists) to be cautious, not to enter the prayer place or the hospital. Eight of our brothers were cautious, and one did not. May Allah forgive him and have mercy on him," said Rimi.
AQAP admits its mistake and offers "apologies and condolences" and accepts "full responsibility" for the attack, including the paying of blood money to compensate the families of the victims, Rimi said.
AQAP, which is considered by Washington as the most dangerous affiliate of Al-Qaeda, is also willing to pay for the medical treatment of civilians wounded in the hospital attack, he added.
"Whatever our Sharia (Islamic law) commands us we will do. Because we are preachers of Sharia and not frauds," he said, according to an English translation of comments he made in Arabic.
Following the December 5 attack Yemeni state television aired footage from a hospital security camera showing a heavily armed gunman shooting in a hospital corridor.
At one point he lobs a hand grenade at a group of doctors and nurses and in further footage a gunman can be seen executing a man and a child.
AQAP said earlier this month that its militants struck at the defence ministry a control centre for US drone attacks against jihadists in Yemen.
The Washington-based think tank New America Foundation says there have been 93 strikes by drones since 2002 in Yemen, killing between 684 and 891 people, among them between 64 and 66 civilians.
[Image via AFP]
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