The Kindle Blog Report

The Repurposed Writer (arts & entertainment)

2012-01-27T11:43:00.002-07:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: The Repurposed Writer

WEB ADDRESS: http://setthiswriterfree.blogspot.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: I am a repurposed writer who got off the couch several months ago, formatted my out-of-print backlist books published them on Amazon and now sell them in the Kindle store. The idea of publishing another book with a traditional publisher was soul crushing and I remained silent for several years. E-publishing has set me free. My mind used to only work for a couple of hours in the morning. Now it works all the time. I don't know if I will sell enough books to make a difference in my life but the psychic income of having control to publish my writing and control what happens to it is thrilling. Yes, thrilling. The first day, I pulled the trigger and uploaded my historical epic novel, Daughters, onto the publishing platform on Amazon, I was beyond happy. As Truman Capote said when he sold two short stories in one day: Dizzy with happiness is no mere phrase. It used to be that I would clean the oven to avoid writing. Now I write avidly because I know I can publish what I write. I have satisfied my two passions - writing and commerce. I'd love to share the ride with you and also everything else that I think about.

MY REVIEW: I enjoyed this blog from a fellow writer. It's a blog of interest to everyone - writers, women..men...anyone who has an interest in what goes on in a daily basis within ourselves.

Her book titles are interesting. I particularly liked Thinner Thighs in Thirty Years!

Sample post:

"I'm with the rescue boats."
Hop scotching over the news:

In the phrasing is everything department:
“Get back on board!” De Falco (Coast Guard) to the Captain of the Costa Concordia.
“I’m with the rescue boats.” Captain Francesco Schettino.

In the equal opportunity department:
People are all upset about the image of President Obama on the cover of Newsweek.
“ He looks terrible, and surprisingly like Jimmy Carter, even down to the downturned liverish lips and incipient jowls.”
Let’s not forget Michele Bachman’s cover where Newsweek gave her those googly unfocused eyes. It all evens out.

In the giggling over excess department:
Poor Paula Dean. Yes, she sort of withheld the truth. Is that lying? (I think lying has its place.) Yes, she is now being compensated by a drug company that provides relief for diabetics. Yes, she doesn’t make sense when she begins to defend the timing of her revelation. Maybe all that maniacal giggling over her excess that goes on in the cooking show is not put on. Okay here’s our problem. We thought Paula was lovable, like our ditzy Auntie Josephine. Now we find out she is an avaricious uncontrollable giggler who is slavishly devoted to money. What’s wrong with that?

Apropos of nothing remember when Christopher Hitchens called Mother Teresa an avaricious gnome? How can you not miss that guy?

Too much admiration can ruin you department:
Tom Hanks’ dog, Monty, died. That was a headline. I’m not one to feel that because our brave young soldiers are dying in foreign lands we can’t say anything fun but come on. Here’s my problem with Tom Hanks. People loved him too much and then he thought he was too special and could be good at everything. Who wouldn’t? I think his “jump the shark” moment came right after Forrest Gump. Then he began acting all “awh shucks” that was really hiding, “I’m so freaking special but I don’t want to look as if I agree.” Whenever anything good happens to me I start acting up, too, so I’m no better than Tom Hanks except no one is shoving a microphone in my face.

An irrelevant revelation department:
Newt Gingrich’s ex revealed that Newt wanted “an open marriage.” If you were named Newt and looked like a kewpie doll and some good-looking woman wanted to have an affair with you, wouldn’t you want an open marriage? Remember when Jimmy Carter admitted to having “lust in his heart.” In the Catholic Church there’s no difference between lust in your heart and lust in the bed. Thought or deed, a sin is a sin. I would give Newt a pass on this one especially since the ex who is blabbing was the “affair” when Newt was married to another.

Okay, that’s the news in a nutshell except for the irresistible clip of our President looking up at Al Green and singing a phrase from “Let’s Stay Together” at the Apollo.

RECENT POSTS:
--I tilt toward nurture.
--Goodnight Moon for Grandma
--#SampleSunday: "I'm so worried and afraid."
--E-warning! I'm going to ramble. (Redux)
--"I'm with the rescue boats."
--Have this blog delivered to your device. Whaaaat?...
--Letting Spills Harden on the Stove
--“Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow” Steve Jobs
--The power of soup and the power of sound.

_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

Eve Le QiNu's Flashwords - Unofficial Scrabble Study Guide

2012-01-23T10:22:00.003-07:00

This is why I've missed several days worth of posting. I've been working on this Scrabble Guide. Volume 1 went on sale about a week ago. I finished Volume 2 yesterday and uploaded it, and it is also available now.

Scrabble enthusiasts will love these two books which will help them memorize all 2- and 3-letter words - the building blocks of any successful Scrabble strategy.

(The books are also available on the Nook)

Here's the link to Volume 1:
http://www.amazon.com/Eve-QiNus-Flashwords-Unofficial-ebook/dp/B006XLTMK4/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1327339509&sr=1-1

Here's the link to Volume 2
http://www.amazon.com/Eve-QiNus-Flash-Words-ebook/dp/B0070RVY9W/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1327339509&sr=1-2

Description from Vol 1
A 7-letter word (bingo) in Scrabble is a spectacular play, averaging 70 points in a single turn. But if you know your 2-letter and 3-letter words back-words and fore-word (and middle-word), you can easily make up those points in two well-played turns, by making five 2-and 3-letter words in a single turn and reaping the benefits.

In Volume 1 of Eve Le QiNu's Flashwords, an unofficial Scrabble and other word game study guide) we help you memorize all the 2-letter and 3-letter words currently approved for Scrabble.

We do this by the Flashcard system. You read a definition, you think of the word, you go to the next page and find out if you're right. Or you're given a list of words - all the 3-letter words that begin with the letter A and end in the letter A and are asked, Which one is missing.

It's a fun game and one that will help you memorize these words quickly.

We've broken it into two volumes, as this volume already has 2000 pages.

First we cover the 2-letter words, then the 3-letter words which end in the letters from A to G. (The next volume will cover 3-letter words that end in letters from H to Z, plus some other fun stuff).

At the back of the book are also word lists - 2 letter words sorted by first letter and last letter, and 3 letter words sorted by first letter, middle letter and last letter.

Eve Le Qinu is the pseudonym of Caroline Miniscule, who has written two science fiction novels - the Coldest Equations: The People Out There and The Coldest Equations: The Labyrinth Makers.

She also has a five year mission to memorize every single word in the Scrabble dictionary and become a world champion Scrabble player.

Description from Vol 2
In Volume 2 of Eve Le QiNu's Flash Words, an Unofficial Scrabble and Word Game study guide, we continue our quiz of 3-letter words, beginning with those 3-letter words ending in the letter H and continuing on through the letter Z.

We also provide appendices: 2-letter words sorted by 1st and last letter, and 3-letter words sorted by first, middle and last letter.

The 2- and 3-letter words are the building blocks of any successful scrabble player's high scores. While a bingo of 70 points in one turn may be spectacular, that person's competitor can make up that score in two turns, if they know how to parlay 2-and 3-letter words into a 35 point score or so, by spelling five or more 2-and 3-letter words at one time and reaping the benefits.

In Volume 1, we gave unique and humorous definitions for all those 2- and 3-letter words that might be unknown to the average player, and then segued into a flash-card like game in which the reader was presented with a list of words - for example 2 out of the 3 3-letter words that began with H and ended in G, and asked to name the missing word. (We also give the reader a hint, never fear).

In Volume 2, which is over 1,500 pages, we continue that game with 3-letter words ending in the letters H through Z.

This type of game helps our readers remember these words and increase their ability to remember them when the time comes to play Scrabble.

T E O T W A W K I (Doomsday 2012)

2012-01-18T12:04:00.003-07:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: T E O T W A W K I

WEB ADDRESS: http://thetwelvetwelvetwelve.blogspot.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Mankind has always been obsessed with the end of the word. On several occasions throughout history, members of cults have gathered together in caves or other locations to wait out the end of the world - which of course has never ended. The latest obsession is the belief that when the Mayan Long Calendar ends on 12/21/12, the world will end. This blog will spend a year chronicling the evolution of this most current fear, "Doomsday 2012" - from the books published on the subject to the TV shows made to the people who believe it and their actions. We also study the culture of the Mayans, Aztecs and Incas. And we'll also discuss the psychology and literature of those individuals and organizations who await for TEOTWAWKI . While we believe these individuals are misguided, articles will be posted in a respectful manner. Only the dawn of December 22, 2012 will prove who is right in that regard. This blog is updated at least a couple of times a week.

MY REVIEW: This blog represents the danger of using an in-joke as a name. I don't think very many people will be doing a search on T E O T W A W K I (the end of the world as we know it). Much better if they'd named it Doomsday 2012, or The Doomsday Seekers, or something like that.

For those folks who don't know why a certain amount of people think the world will end on Dec 21, 2012, this is the blog for you.

For those who wonder why people are so quick to embrace the end of the world...this blog will eventually be for you!

RECENT POSTS:
--The Mayan Calendar
--ROONEY BIN: Hoping for an end to doomsday predicti...
--The Mayan Series of Calendars
--What is a baktun?
--Manifesto
_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

Scrabble Quest

2012-01-18T11:38:00.002-07:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Scrabble Quest

WEB ADDRESS: http://scrabblequest.blogspot.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: By October 10, 2012, I want to have learned/memorized the over 100,000 2-to-8 letter words in the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary (the American edition!) as well as Scrabble strategy, so that I can compete at a decent level in an NSA sponsored Scrabble tournament.

Learn along with me.

Word lists, word quizzes, playing strategy

MY REVIEW: This blog is simply a lot of fun. Even a casual scrabble player will enjoy it. The not-so-casual scrabble player will learn a lot!

Sample post

Vengeance will be mine
You meet a wide variety of people on the online scrabble club Wordbiz. Some of them are friendly and will chat with you, some won't. Some will do the bare minimum. They'll do Hi, GL to open the game. (Hi and good luck) and at the end of the game TY. GG. (Thank you, good game.)

And I don't mind those. It's obvious they don't want to chat but rather concentrate on the game, and I completely understand that.

What irks me are people who don't respond to those bare minimum overtures.

I had a guy tonight, ZAquariusZ, rankled about 70 points higher than me. He challenged me. I did my, Hi and Gl. No response. I got no vowels on my first rack. Instead of exchanging a few of them - I hate to do that on my first turn - I played an H and a W around a E.

No vowels.

I had no choice. I turned in 4 letters, got back 4 consonants. Again, my opponent spelled a word such that there was nowhere I could go to spell anything that would give me any points, so I turned in 4 letters again. And got back 3 consonants and an O.

So I was frustrated, and I said to my opponent (in a little message bar), something like "3 changes of tiles and I finally get one vowel."

No response.

Well, that really irked me. A simple ; ) to know that he (or she) knew the feeling would have been nice. But no.

Eventually I managed to catch up, but he pulled ahead again at the end and beat me by about 10 points. I said TY, GG. I didn't expect a response and i didn't receive one.

Now, had I won, I'd make a point of never playing this guy again. But he was a jerk and he beat me, so he must pay.I "buddied" him, so I'll be told when he's on the site again, and I'll challenge him, and if the computer plays fair by me I'll beat him.

And then I'll message him, "sucks to you!" and put him on my noplay list!

RECENT POSTS:
-- Vengeance will be mine
-- My collection of Scrabble books
-- 6 letter word: R N V O G E
-- How can SIG *not* be a word????
-- The Cynic's Dictionary - the Hs
-- Eve Le QiNu's Flashwords - Unofficial Scrabble Stu...
--- 6 letter anagram: I L L E D K
-- This is a Usable Word? Ablins
-- The Cynic's Dictionary - the Gs
-- This is a Usable Word? Abaser
-- 1000 games, 200 ranking?
_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

The Terry Pratchett Reader

2012-01-18T10:36:00.002-07:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Terry Pratchett Reader

WEB ADDRESS: http://terrypratchettreader.blogspot.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Terry Pratchett is the creator of the Discworld - a world that rests on the back of four turtles, which stand on the back of Great A'Tuin, the Star Turtle. The Discworld has witches, wizards, trolls, dwarfs, an orangatang and Death, to name only a few. In this blog, updated every other day, I annotate each of the Discworld novels (there are over 20 of them), share my thoughts on some of Pratchett's powerful imagery, and share news and reviews of Terry Pratchett, his other writings, as well as movie, tv and radio adaptions of his Discworld ouvre.

MY REVIEW: This is a new blog that studies the Discworld ourvre. As a Terry Pratchett fan I find it of interest. Pratchett's works are so popular that there are many small websites and a couple of larger ones devoted to his work. Pratchett's work is sophisticated and he satirizes and homages many other books, movies and TV shows - some evident to an American audience, some not so evident. So for an American audience, this blog should be a lot of fun.

RECENT POSTS:
-- The Color of Magic: The Wizard's Quarter
-- The Color of Magic: Krull
-- Colour of Magic covers
_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

Retro Review #30: John Brown Kin

2012-01-15T12:47:00.000-07:00

Not updated often, but the posts are interesting.

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: John Brown Kin

WEB ADDRESS: http://johnbrownkin.blogspot.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Follow a direct descendant of John Brown as she researches and documents her family history

MY REVIEW: I am more interested in the Civil War time period itself (the military battles) rather than the time period leading up to it, when diplomacy ultimately failed and "cold iron" was necessary to settle the question. Nevertheless, it's fascinating to read about the people of that time period, and what they were willing to sacrfice for their beliefs.

This is a well-written blog, with an author who knows her stuff. Obviously, since she is a descendant of John Brown. Anyone with an interest to the time period leading up to the Civil War, and anyone interested in genealogy, will find this blog of interest.

A FEW PARAGRAPHS FROM A SAMPLE POST

At the John Brown Remembered Academic Symposium held at Harpers Ferry, WV in October 2009, I had the pleasure of meeting Ian Barford. Ian is an actor, documentary film maker, and the proud father of twins! Last week, Ian traveled to Texas to do interviews for the documentary he is currently working on about John Brown. He traveled to Austin first to interview my good friend Evan Carton, author of Patriotic Treason. He then drove up to Allen to interview me. While he was here I showed him my prized family artifact - Oliver Brown's Bible that he carried throughout his years in Kansas.

The Bible is small, 2 1/2 inches x 3 1/2 inches and just over an inch thick. Just the right size to be carried in an inside pocket of a wool overcoat. The cover is black leather embossed with an ornate design. On the spine, the words Holy Bible are embossed in gold. For a book that is over one hundred sixty years old, the binding is realitively tight, the cover only slightly torn.

On the inside back cover the following is written in pencil, in an ornate old-timey script:
This Bible was carried all through the Kansas troubles by Oliver Brown.
On the left hand inside back page is written the name of the original owner of the Bible, Oliver Brown, in ink and in a beautiful calligraphic hand.

But it is what can be found on the front inside cover that makes this Bible so valuable to me personally -- in pencil, written over and over again, in the handwriting of a young girl perfecting her signature, is the name Annie Brown. It makes me smile to think of young Annie, my great-great grandmother, scrounging around for a piece of paper to practice her penmanship on, and noticing a clean white space inside the cover of big brother's Bible. The temptation was more than she could resist. I imagine that she got into a great deal of trouble when it was discovered that she used the inside cover of the Lord's word for her penmanship practice.

Annie had the Bible in her possession when she moved to California in 1863, and it is one of the items that escaped the fire that distroyed her house and most of her belonging in 1896. Annie passed the Bible to her granddaughter Beatrice Cook Keesey, my grandmother.

RECENT ARTICLES:
-Join Me at the 2010 DFW Writer's Conference in April (FEb 19, 2010)
-2010 Winter GeneaBloggers Olymics Update (Awarding herself medals of appropriate colors for things she's accomplished on her blog - very amusing!) (Feb 18 2010)
-Tarantino to Free the Slaves Next? (Not happy about Tarantino's plan to film a movie about John Brown, given his penchant for violence in his films) (Feb 18, 2010)
-Letter from CORE - Letter to Gov to save John Brown Farm (Feb 17, 2010)
-Winter 2010 GeneaBloggers Olympic Games (Participating in the "Olympics' with other geneolocgical bloggers (Feb 14, 2010)

Anelemc's Blog (life)

2012-01-11T01:01:00.005-07:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES, with reservations

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Anelemc's Blog

WEB ADDRESS: http://anelemc.wordpress.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Short pieces on my interpretation of life and excerpts from a book in progress based on oral stories.

MY REVIEW: Another blog that hasn't been updated recently. Well...not since November originally, then one post on Jan 1st and nothing since. But as I know myself everything is at 6s and 7s thanks to the New Year...so he may well start posting again.

It's an interesting blog, so at least check out the archives with your 2-week free sub option. If no new entry after that time, unsubscribe.

Sample post:
Self-medication or “What’s your vice?”

Self-medication as Wikipedia states “is a term used to describe the use of drugs (including alcohol) or other self-soothing forms of behavior to treat untreated and often undiagnosed mental distress, stress and anxiety.”

At the mental health facility where I work part time, clients who suffer from various mental health issues abuse their antidepressant medications. As the abuse turns to recreational use, the dosage needed to dull the emotional or physical pain exceeds the psychiatrist’s recommendation. Of course, the term self-medication applies to anyone who abuses prescription meds in order to self soothe. Seroquel, Zoloft, Cymbalta, Wellbutrin, Prozac- whatever-the euphoric high these meds can produce is worth the abuse.

Self-medication does not exclude alcohol or pain killers. The bingers, everydayers, the necessary one drink a day to the one bottle a dayers, the wine or beer consumers to the hard-core whiskey and ryers, gin and tequila without the lime on the siders-alcohol is accessible and cheaper than antidepressant meds. Of course there’s, Vicodin, Codeine, Percocet, Hydrocodone, 10mg, 50mg, 500mg or one tablet or two and taken sometimes with an alcoholic chaser and so readily prescribed when sustaining an injury or as post surgical candy.

Okay. Self-medication is bad.

Is it?

What about self-soothing?

There are those who indulge in self-soothing forms of behaviour without the use of psychotropic drugs. Such as, the super athletes’ addiction to endorphins and the caffeine junky who consumes six cups of coffee a day so their internal body cruise control can fly quickly through time. In addition, let us not forget the foodie who grabs snacks of the most comforting kind during all commercial breaks while chasing it down with Coke a Cola (the carbonated sugar drink not the white powder) because a relationship fizzled (just like the Coke). Or, the female chocoholic who downs a 12 piece assorted box of Godiva’s in fifteen minutes because of PMS. Caffeine, endorphins, sugar-the acceptable kinds of comfort foods or exercise, all, legal, accessible and coveted.

There is harm in overindulgence of the self-soothing kind. Obesity, physical ailments and injuries, diabetes, high blood pressure may arise from too much self-soothing while abuse, self-loathing ,self-medication can come from too little.

Too much of a bad thing is not good and too much of a good thing is bad. The goal of self-medication and self-soothing is to numb the pain, which makes everything that will be, okay. Appearances are misleading with the pain, the stress, the anxiety, the paranoia-yes this can go on-of everyday life which at times are unbearable to handle but can exist comfortably under grey clouds of distortion infused by the vice (s) of our choice.

So, what’s your vice?

RECENT POSTS:
--2011 in review
--Self-medication or “What’s your vice?”
--What was left behind…Greenwood Cemetary Brooklyn NY
--What was left behind…
--Complainers

_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

Ukulele Review (Music)

2012-01-10T19:29:00.004-07:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: Yes...with much reservations

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Ukulele Review

WEB ADDRESS: http://ukulelereview.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Reviews of instruments, accessories, books and CDs relating to ukuleles.

MY REVIEW: This blog hasn't been updated since Nov 30...so you might not want to chance subscribing to it. On the other hand, I know from experience that many bloggers will start blogging again if someone subscribes to their blog...so you might give that a try - especially since you get 2 free weeks to see if they start blogging. And the archives are of interest.

RECENT POSTS: (Recent being a relative word in this case!)
--Gift Ideas for your Favorite Ukulele Player
--The Incredible Folding Ukulele
--Nick Peay Louisville, KY Ukulele Player / Singer-Songwriter
--Flea Market Music Introduces the Fire Fly Banjo Uke
--iProp iPad Music Stand Review

_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

Dancing Fields (traveling, family)

2012-01-08T10:14:00.005-07:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Dancing Fields, by Anastasia Stanmeyer

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.dancingfields.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Writer Anastasia Stanmeyer muses about life and finding the extraordinary out of the ordinary. Her witty, insightful writing comes from the perspective a mother of three, world traveler and professional writer who lives on an organic farm in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts.

Description of the author from her blog:

My name is Anastasia Stanmeyer. I’m a writer by trade, by default, by purpose. I’m also a lot of other things: journalist, gallery owner, wife, mother of three, dog owner (two times over), chicken owner (30 or so hens with one very protective, chest-butting cock), organic vegetable grower, all-around farmhand, PTO (not PTA, although the same idea) director, cultural council member and the list goes on. I also spend my time driving around quite a bit, with one son passionate about trumpet (private lessons), another son just starting piano (more private lessons), art programs squeezed in for both boys, and our littlest one finally going to preschool. So where does that leave me? Right here. Writing. Back (finally) to exploring my world, both inner and beyond. And realizing, once again, my fodder is endless.

I find that the similarities and the challenges are many between myself and my contemporaries. We’re faced with the daily grind, the triumphs, the valleys, and all the while don’t want to lose our voice and our individuality as we divide ourselves into the many pieces that get distributed by our obligations.

My life has changed dramatically. For twelve years, I lived in Asia (Hong Kong and Bali) and traveled throughout the region, writing stories of human trafficking and the AIDS epidemic, meeting with Mother Teresa in her Home for the Dying and the Dalai Lama at his Government in Exile, accompanying a Vietnamese family forcibly repatriated to Vietnam, and interviewing sex workers from northern Thailand, Burma, China, the Philippines, Bangladesh and elsewhere. And the stories go on and on. I find my attention now focused primarily on raising our family in the western Berkshires, a dramatic shift in life, yet one that I have embraced wholeheartedly. I’m pulling back the reigns a bit, though, taking a few steps back and looking at myself and what’s going on around me as an observer. And writing about it, because that’s what I do. And that’s what I need to do, for my own peace of mind. And sanity.

MY REVIEW: I enjoyed the blog a great deal.

The author writes well - as may be expected since she's a professional author - and takes the reader on a variety of journeys - both physical and mental.

If you're interested in travel, in family, in the human experience, you'll enjoy this blog.

Sample post
(At least, one half of one):

The RV, Walmart and entering darkness
I’ve been on the road for the last four days on another planet. OK, you’ve heard that before. And, OK, maybe I didn’t cross any national borders or break through the outer atmosphere into another planetary dimension. But I did cross several time zones yet remained on the same land mass.

We were long overdue for an adventure. We decided to hit the road for two weeks, leave the dogs and the chickens and the nearly ripened vegetable gardens in the very capable hands of a young friend and avid rugby player named Greg. Where were we to go? Quite honestly, we wanted to go back to Bali, to visit our old friends and neighbors, and to take the kids on a memorable journey across still-active volcanoes and pristine terraced rice fields. We wanted to return to where was once our home.

That didn’t happen. Instead, we found ourselves smack in the middle of a Phoenix, Arizona, in record-temperatures of 115-plus degrees. It was the kind of heat that was foreign to us even though we lived in subtropical Bali. It was the kind of heat that smacked you when you walked out of the hotel room, and the shade gave no relief.

Overnighting at a Phoenix airport hotel that I cashed in with our airline points, we hit the road the next morning after making a stop at CruiseAmerica. (I quickly realized that their RVs are everywhere on the road in this part of America, easily identifiable by the blatant U-Haulesque advertising on all sides of the exterior that includes a website address and 1-800 number. This was a far cry from our farm setting in the Berkshires.) From the outside, we didn’t know how we could fit five people and an overwhelming amount of luggage in this vehicle. We even asked for a larger size RV, but they were all rented. Surprisingly, once inside, this glorified minitruck was roomier than our first apartment in Asia, a 100-square-foot flat in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. When I put things in perspective, they become much easier to accept.

RECENT POSTS:
--Devils Garden
--Coming of Age at Monument Valley
--A Wasteland or the Promise Land?
--Music for the Road and Grand Canyon for the Soul
-The RV, Walmart and entering darkness
--DUM ditty DUM ditty DUM DUM DUM…

_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

Ebook Ebdeavors: Writing Books, Author Interviews

2011-12-31T01:30:00.000-07:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Lindsay Buroker

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.lindsayburoker.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: E-publishing basics, social media marketing, search engine optimization, and blogging to sell your books.

MY REVIEW: Lindsay Buroker is the author of Flash Gold, The Emperor's Edge, and Encrypted. So she knows whereof she speaks in this blog about writing, and helping other authors to publicize their work.

This blog is of interest not only to prospective authors but also to their prospective readers as well. Check it out!

Sample post:

Tips For Interviewing Authors
One of the perks of running a blog is that it gives you a place to post author interviews.

Whether you’re a book blogger or you’re a writer yourself, if you’ve spent time building up your site (i.e. getting folks to find it and follow it), you might have the perfect place for authors to “visit.” And an interview is a great excuse to interrogate question your favorite writers. You can ask them about their books, themselves, their plans to take over the world with words, and other fun stuff.

But how do you approach an author? How many blog readers do you need to entice someone to take the time to answer questions? What should you ask if you do get an author to agree to an interview?

I can’t speak for all authors, but I’ll attempt to answer some of these questions.

How do you approach an author for an interview?

In this day and age, most authors have websites, and many will have blogs where they post regularly. If you surf around the site, you’ll probably find an email address or a contact form.

It can be harder with authors who got their start in the pre-internet age. Some of those guys jumped right on board and learned about promoting on the web, but others may never have gotten that involved with the internet and social media. You can always try getting in touch with these folks through their publisher. You might check Facebook and Twitter, too, since authors who aren’t sure about the ins and outs of buying a domain name and building a website might settle for a Facebook page.

Will popular authors agree to interviews on blogs?

One of the truths of being an author is that emails asking questions or requesting help increase as an author becomes well known. I’m a small fry, and even I’ve experienced this more of late. I can only imagine how it is for a bestselling author.

These folks may not have the time to do interviews, but it doesn’t hurt to ask. You never know. You might catch them on a slow day, or something about the theme of your questions (more on that further down) might pique their interest.

An alternative way to snag the popular guys is to find out what their conference/convention schedule is for the year (many SF/F authors in particular are active with conventions) and see if they have a few minutes to answer questions at a local event (make sure to take a recording device — you can transcribe the answer for your blog later or you can simply post the audio file). I’ve seen podcasters in my genre have a lot of luck getting bestselling authors to sit down and answer questions.

Remember, the more popular your blog, the more enticing it’s going to be for an author to appear there, so keep working on building it up and increasing traffic.

How popular does your blog need to be, anyway?

This is going to depend on the person. Some new authors just want to be interviewed and will agree to appear anywhere, but you’ll probably want to wait until you’ve built up a readership and are getting regular blog comments before approaching people.

If you have a fairly popular blog, use that as a selling point when you ask for an interview. Don’t be afraid to say, “I have 5,000 mystery readers who stop by each month and a newsletter with 500 subscribers” or whatever the case may be. If you install something like Google Analytics, you can share exact numbers and even some demographic information about your visitors.

If you don’t have many readers yet, don’t mention that. Some authors don’t really know how to figure that stuff out, so you might get lucky!

What interview questions should you ask authors?

There aren’t any rules here, but you may want to avoid some of the common questions that writers get asked all the time. Authors get a lot of “tell us about yourself” and “what first made you decide to become a writer?” There’s nothing wrong with these questions, but they aren’t always that interesting for the author to answer, and readers who aren’t familiar with the author probably won’t care.

Think of questions that might reward current readers and entice new ones. For example, I recently had a lot of fun answering questions that weren’t about me at all. They were about one of my core characters. The interview was about my assassin, Sicarius, and is up at a reader’s blog. I think the questions are fun for readers of my series, but they might also intrigue someone who hasn’t read the books (authors are always hoping to find new readers!).

Interviews with a theme can be a nice draw as well. If you share the interview on Twitter and Facebook, you need it to grab folks with nothing more than the title. What sounds more interesting to you? Interview with Jane Doe? or Jane Doe Offers Tips on Writing Psychopaths, Serial Killers, and Assassins?

If you have a writing blog instead of a book blog, it may make more sense to pick a theme that will appeal to other authors (i.e. an interview about writing or publishing or book promotion) as opposed to something that talks about the author’s books. Any extra visibility is good visibility for an author, and you’ll probably find that folks are willing to answer questions on a variety of topics related to their work.

Is there any sort of interviewer etiquette you need to keep in mind?

My first tip would be to respect the author’s time. It can take an hour or two to answer questions, especially if they’re thoughtful ones.

When I’m doing interviews, I usually only send five or six questions myself. I’d recommend you send no more than ten and make sure some of those ten are on the type where the response can be on the shorter side. Authors like to write, yes, but they’re busy working on the next book too!

Next, make sure to customize your questions for that author. I’ve had folks send me thirty generic questions and ask me to pick ten that I wanted to answer. Granted, that was early on and for a book blog tour where the blogger hadn’t read my stuff, but I definitely had an “Uhmmm, okay….” response.

If an author agrees to an interview for your site, he or she is probably doing it for book promotion purposes. It’ll be very much appreciated if you include links to the author’s website as well as their most recent book. That way readers can easily click through for more information or to download ebook sample chapters without having to head over to Google.

Many bloggers will schedule the interviews to post on a certain day. It’s good if you can let the author know the day in advance, but do yourself a favor and remind him or her when the post goes online (you’ll need to wait until it’s actually up to send the link anyway). That way, the author can help you with promotion. Social-media-savvy writers will post links on Twitter and Facebook so their fans can check out the interview.

That’s it for my suggestions on interviewing authors. If you have any comments or tips to add, please let us know below!

RECENT POSTS:
--Tips for interviewing authors
-- Tips for Interviewing Authors
--Cut Scene from Deadly Games
-- How Editing Works for Independent (Self-Published) Authors
--10,000 Ebooks Sold and Encrypted Mentioned in RT Book Reviews
--Story Updates and Why My Ebooks Aren’t in the Amazon Prime Lending Library
_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

Grief and Grieving - A mother's perspective on death of a child

2011-12-30T19:19:00.002-07:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: Yes, with reservations

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Grief and Grieving - A mother's perspective on death of a child

WEB ADDRESS: http://daneeleshipman.blogspot.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: I lost my 18 year old son on February 14, 2010, from synovial sarcoma 5 months after diagnosis. This blog is my accounting of life after death and the long road of healing.

MY REVIEW: This is an excellent blog for those who want to share fellow feelings by reading about other people who have lost loved ones. Unfortunately, the author only posts once every couple of months or so. But at only 99 cents a month, why not subscribe?

Sample post

Just a quick thing to ponder. A friend of mine mentioned this to me when telling me of another family whose child passed away from cancer recently. If a person loses their spouse, they are a widow/widower. If a child loses their parent, they are an orphan. There is no word to label when a parent loses a child. Maybe because it is an unnatural order to what we should expect. I would like to give us fellow survivors of this loss a name - warriors. We fight the battle daily to not just give up and give in to what sometimes feels like unsurmountable desire to check out of life. We fight the battle daily to keep our memories alive and current in our hearts. We fight the battle daily to not give up on God and turn our backs on the one who has our precious cargo in his keeping. We fight the battle daily not to feel guilty about every little thing that we did, are doing, and will do. We fight the battle daily not to feel ashamed that we did not die instead. We fight the battle daily to go on with what is left when the battle feels like it has destroyed everything. Yes, we are warriors. We may appear shabby and tattered... but we haven't left the war. My hats off to all the fellow fighters I know and don't know. I have to think that God has made a special sort of armor for our battle that we can still stand despite all the odds.

RECENT POSTS:
--Fear (posted Dec 11, 2011)
--Compassion (September 21, 2011)
--No title (June 12, 2011)
--No title (March 38, 2011)

_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

Retro Review #29: How To Choose a Feng Shui Consultant

2011-12-27T04:58:00.001-07:00

REVIEWED BY: Ann Currie

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES, with reservations

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: How to Choose a Feng Shui Consultant

WEB ADDRESS: www.fengshuiharmony.net/blog/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: How to choose a Feng Shui Consultant by Dr. Anna Maria Prezio

In selecting a Feng Shui Consultant, make sure that the person you choose is qualified. Here are some typical questions to ask of your prospective consultant.

1. Do they practice classical or traditional Feng Shui?

2. What do they need to assess your home or office?

3. What tools will they use to assess your home or office?

4. What kind of remedies do you use?

5. What can I expect from an assessment?

6. What kind of remedies do you use?

7. What can I expect from an assessment?

8. How much does a Feng Shui assessment cost?

9. Where did they get their training? Who did they study with? How many places have they assessed?

10. How long does this process take?

MY REVIEW: Not knowing anything about Feng shui, I am going to assume that my house is out of order and my karma is out of whack. And, I just learned that I need to move to the Northwest sector of my house. (I wonder how my husband will feel about our bedroom being in the kitchen - after all that will bring harmony to our love life.) Seriously, I am out of my league here. But that is why we have blogs written by experts.

Dr. Prezio is an expert -with her book Confessions of a Feng Shui Ghost Buster and in her blog she recommends other books and catalogs on the subject and gives explanations to the in and outs of Feng Shui for those of us who have yet to sway our feng - but we working on it. And, thanks to her, the secrets are revealed.

I am concerned about the frequency of posts. After her post of December 1, it was February 1, before she post again, then several times in the next 2 weeks. perhaps 2010, the Chinese year of the White Metal Tiger will be more prolific.

RECENT ARTICLES:

Happy Valentines Day
Sex, Romance, and Feng Shui
Predictions and Placement for 2010
Change your Chi, Change your Life
Transformational Gifts

________________________

Ann Currie publishes My Life a Bit South of Normalwww.abitsouthofnormal.com/
and also, Silver Pieces: The Strange and Peculiarstrangeandpeculiarsilver.blogspot.com/

RetroReview #28: InfoCult

2011-12-26T16:57:00.001-07:00

REVIEWED BY: Ann Currie

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: Infocult

WEB ADDRESS: infocult.typepad.com

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Infocult is devoted to exploring the world from an information-centric perspective. This means looking at the shifting admixture of information in print, in digital formats, in minds. Information drives us to topics: cyber culture, intellectual property, computer games, the history of information, education, and anything else that rethinking the world information-centrically requires.

MY REVIEW: This is the blog you need to read every morning if you want some interesting story to bring up around the water cooler. In reading many of the posts, I really had to question if the whole thing was a hoax, but there are links to actual reputable news outlets that discuss the happenings. Although the links are in each article, not being able to access the links when reading this blog on the Kindle does not diminish the experience. (There are a few posts that rely solely on a video feed but they are infrequent.) And, there are pictures to bring further credence to the stories.

The posts are frequent. Because of the links, I encourage you to try the 14 Day Free Trial Amazon offers and see if you need the links to enjoy the blog.

THE GOOD: Frequent interesting unique querky posts.

THE BAD: I have some concern about the number of links contained in the posts and how much that will limit the Blog to Kindle readers.

RECENT ARTICLES:
--School laptop spycams
--Scary urls
--Debunking technofear - Bell in Slate
--Cold War Gothic- Soviet Secret Town Sold
--The fish that shouts apocalypse
________________________

Ann Currie publishes:
My Life a Bit South of Normal/
Strange and Peculiar Silver

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2011-12-24T09:15:00.001-07:00

Regular blog postings begin on DECEMBER 26, Monday.

Retro Review #27: The Elmo Wallpaper

2011-12-20T10:45:00.001-07:00

REVIEWED BY: Ann Currie

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: The Elmo Wallpaper

WEB ADDRESS: theelmowallpaper.blogspot.com

BLOG DESCRIPTION: An Ivy League-educated, thirtysomething mother of three young boys survives motherhood in suburbia. Just barely.

MY REVIEW: A blog of honest emotion by a mother struggling with daily domestic life with her three young sons. Her posts, unlike those of many mothers, are not cute or coy. She is right up front, not bitter, but truthful. She questions her life and what woman hasn't has some point? How did I get here - I did everything right - I went to the right school, did well, fell in love, married a bright guy. Here I am listening to the Wiggles, spending part of my valetine's evening in Border's, and treating goose eggs. There have been many times when I could have related to this lament. But it is not negative, it is well worth the read and well written. You want to offer her your support, cheer her on, and follow her vicariously. She comes through with strength and humor. She posts several times a week.

RECENT ARTICLES:

If you are needing catharsis today . . .
Other peoples pictures
Ask me anything
Why I am wound:
My graceful friend

________________________
Ann Currie publishes My Life a Bit South of Normalwww.abitsouthofnormal.com/
and also, Silver Pieces: The Strange and Peculiarstrangeandpeculiarsilver.blogspot.com/

Everything Dinosaurs

2011-12-13T14:46:00.003-07:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: N/A

WEB ADDRESS: http://blog.everythingdinosaur.co.uk

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Everything about dinosaurs!

MY REVIEW: I love this blog, and any fan of dinosaurs - from the toys to the movies to the real thing, will love it too. The main emphasis is on models of dinosaurs.

Sample post

Dolichorhynchops – Monster from the Western Interior Seaway
With the mysterious decline in Ichthyosaur numbers towards the end of the Cretaceous, a new type of marine reptile evolved to take their place as a predator of fish, squid and octopi in the shallow sea that covered much of North America. This sea is known as the Western Interior Seaway and at its greatest extent is effectively split the United States into two. Fossils of Dolichorhynchops have been found at a number of locations, but the most famous fossils and the holotype material come from Kansas.

This short-necked Plesiosaur is represented by a new model (CollectA) which will be available next year. A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commmented that although there had been one or two delays at the factory, the “Dollies” as they are affectionately called are going to be shipped into the Everything Dinosaur warehouse probably in February.

It is an interesting pose, scientists remain unsure as to whether this stiff-limbed, Plesiosaur could haul itself onto land like modern turtles. Or did this animal, which could grow to over five metres long spend its entire life in the water?

The jaws seemed to be lined with a lot of sharp, pointed teeth, just what is needed when you live on a diet of slippery marine creatures. We are not sure wherther Dolichorhynchops genera had this many teeth (perhaps as many as forty in the jaws) – we will have to “bone up” on this Late Cretaceous vertebrate.

RECENT POSTS:
--Mapusaurus Enters the Fray
--Neanderthal Figures from CollectA
--Kosmoceratops – Amazing Horned Dinosaur
--A Reminder about Christmas Posting Dates [posting as in mailing]
--Dolichorhynchops – Monster from the Western Interior Seaway
--Knocking T. rex of[f] its Perch

_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

Retro Review #26: Full Figure Plus

2011-12-11T20:48:00.001-07:00

REVIEWED BY: Ann Currie

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: Full Figure Plus

WEB ADDRESS: www.fullfigureplus.com

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Full Figure Plus is dedicated to posting news, links, and relevant information for plus size women and big and tall men.

MY REVIEW: This a full-size blog for the millions of full size women out there. The posts are full of shopping information as well tips on dressing and styles. The posts are updated regularly.

There are some links that cannot be accessed on the Kindle but the entries are not dependent on those links and the valuable content is in the posts. One of the more valuable assets of this blog is its references to and reviews of retailers that offer fashions for this audience. It is refreshing to see a positive fashion blog for the full size woman.

RECENT ARTICLES:

Full Figured Weekly Question
Trendy Plus Size Fashion from Elvi
Charming Shoppes introduces one stop shopping for plus sizes
10 steps to reducing your frustration level when shopping
Plus Size Maxi Dresses Just In Time For Spring

Time Keeps On Slipping Into the Future

2011-12-10T20:54:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the dearth of posts recently...I've been working on a project, wanted to devote all my time to it, and kept telling myself...it'll be done today so I can get back to blogging here tomorrow.

The next day it was... okay, it's definitely going to get done today....

Well, today it is done... so back to posting here on a daily basis tomorrow. (With the first post appearing tomorrow afternoon while I'm watching football!)

Thanks for your patience.

http://tintinblog.com/ (Tintin)

2011-12-07T12:14:00.003-07:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: N/A

WEB ADDRESS: http://tintinblog.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: The Tintin Blog is a fan site dedicated to Tintin and his friends. It is my goal to write original posts, and to present edited versions of news and gossip that exists about Hergé’s most famous creation. I hope to offer the most relevant, though-provoking, and interesting information about the characters and stories that make up The Adventures of Tintin.

MY REVIEW: I have been a fan of Tintin for twenty years. Tintin, if you don't know him, is a boy reporter who travels the world having adventures. It's all good clean fun.

Tintin was first created in the 1930s, by the Belgian Herge (Georges Remi), and continued through until Herge's death in the 1980s.

I think he's always been more popular in Europe than in the US, although that may change once the Spielberg movie debuts here. (For my part I'm not too happy about how they changed Tintin's facial appearance, but..I'm willing to suspend judgement until I see the film.)

If you're a fan of Tintin, or looking for a new character to become a fan of, check out this blog.

RECENT POSTS:
--Tintin on Sale – Save 20-35% All Day
--Autographed by the Dalai Lami, Tintin in Tibet up for Auction
--New Tintin Merchandise!
--Toronto Draws Tintin
--Tintin Movie on Cover of TIME

Sea Turtle Restoration Project (Marine biology)

2011-12-01T12:09:00.003-07:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: N/A

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.seaturtles.org/article.php?list=class&class=20

BLOG DESCRIPTION: The Sea Turtle Restoration Project’s Mission: To protect and restore endangered sea turtles and marine biodiversity worldwide in ways that incorporate the ecological needs of marine species and the economic needs of local communities, both of which share our common marine environment. We accomplish our mission through grassroots and policy-maker education, consumer empowerment, strategic litigation and by promoting sustainable local, national and international marine policies.

MY REVIEW: Animals "have no voices", so it is up to human beings to speak for them. While I have little sympathy with activists putting a whole town out of work to save an insignificant thing like a snail darter, or a type of flower that's about to go extinct, I do have a great deal of sympathy for the bigger, more sentient creatures whom we share this planet with - lions, tigers, bears, wolves, and in the ocean sea turtles (as well as dolphins, whales and yes, even sharks.)

Sea Turtle Restoration Project speaks out for the sea turtle.

Check out their blog.

Sample post:

Taking Action to End Sea Turtle Drownings by Shrimp Trawls in the Gulf of Mexico
Posted by Eileen Nalley, STRP Intern on November 15th, 2011

As the newest intern for the Sea Turtle Restoration project, I am excited to be a part of the campaign to demand that NMFS enforces the proper use of Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) in the Gulf of Mexico shrimp fisheries. A New Orleans native recently transplanted to the Bay Area, this issue hits particularly close to home for me.

Although the Gulf of Mexico region has been devastated repeatedly by man made disasters ranging from broken levees to oil inundation, we cannot use those tragedies as blinders to ignore the ongoing and flagrant violation of a 25 year old federal law mandating the use of TEDs by shrimp trawlers in the region. Having eaten as much fried shrimp growing up in bayou country as any other self-respecting y’at, I am growing increasingly aware of the unconscionable cost of this delicacy.

With no scientific data supporting the argument that TEDs significantly reduce the amount of shrimp caught by fishermen, there is no base to the argument against them. Though TEDs are a requirement on trawl nets, they are not yet required on the skimmer nets so often used in the Gulf of Mexico, creating yet another loophole for turtle bycatch to slip through.

Deeply rooted in a unique culture, desperately attempting to survive against the odds in a habitat where water represents more than recreation, but rather a way of life, Louisiana fishermen and law makers, along with the National Marine Fisheries Service overseeing regulation enforcement, need to realize that the only means of persistence is to adapt. If I achieve one goal with this internship, I hope that I manage to successfully convey the message to my beloved home state that progress necessitates change, and in this instance, everyone involved, including the commercial fishing industry, stands to benefit from proper use of TEDs.

If we allow this travesty to continue, it may reach a point of no return, a point where mutually cooperative policy no longer remains an option. We cannot allow ourselves to reach a point where the policies needed to protect the five species of endangered and threatened sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico necessitate drastic reductions in the fishing industry that sustains so much of the life and culture of my dearly beloved Cajun Country.

STRP has compiled a list of concerned scientists, fisheries managers, and industry representatives who support the call for action by NMFS. So come on Louisiana, work with me and the Sea Turtle Restoration Project to demand that our government agencies enforce the long standing federal law requiring the protection of our ancient, ailing sea turtles with no negative consequences for the shrimp fisheries of the Gulf Coast.

RECENT POSTS:
--Chevron runs roughshod over Australian Aboriginals at Wheatstone project
--Sea turtle guru tells all in Outside
--Taking Action to End Sea Turtle Drownings by Shrimp Trawls in the Gulf of Mexico
--News, Videos, and Fundraising Expeditions Bolster Leatherback Watch Program
--Farallones Expedition Trip Report for Leatherback Watch Program

_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)The Coldest Equations (science fiction)Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

Da Vinci's Blog

2011-11-30T12:27:00.002-07:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: N/A

WEB ADDRESS: http://davinci.wordpress.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Daily Research Updates from The Da Vinci Code Research Lab from the Authors of “The Da Vinci Code – The Facts Behind The Fiction”

MY REVIEW: This blog has not been updated in 5 years - it has entries for 3 months in 2006, presumably when the movie The Da Vinci Code came out. But these three months worth of posts are there, and they are pretty interesting from a religious standpoint.

The plot of The Da Vinci Code, if you recall, was that Jesus did get married to Mary Magdalen and have a son.

The blog makes for interesting reading. Check it out.

RECENT POSTS:
-- If Jesus Were Indeed Married To Mary Magdalene, Does His Bloodline Still Exist?
--Did The Church Evolve From Pagan Religions?
--Why are three so many Mary’s in the bible
--The Last Supper and it’s clues!
--How Many Gospels Were There?
--What Is The Quest Of The Grail?
--Does The Priory Of Sion Really Exist?
--Can you name the five major religions?
--Alex Tracey Spotted This!
-- What Was The Role Of The Freemasons?

_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

Retro Review #25: The Kindle Taproom

2011-11-28T23:21:00.001-07:00

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: The Kindle Taproom

WEB ADDRESS: http://kindletaproom.blogspot.com

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Friendly, entertaining bar chat on all manner of topics, but especially great stuff on Kindle.

MY REVIEW: The author, Joe Menta, posts on average a couple of times a day (the Sample posts below are his first posts on each day, not all the posts on one day). He'll review a book available on Kindle, or a movie, tell a joke, and so on. Because of the great amount of content, I highly recommend the blog.

He writes well, he's amusing (when he makes his posts, I actually don't find the jokes he shares amusing, but then I never have cared for jokes) and he articulates his reviews well. He's a friendly guy, I think you'll like sharing time with him in the Taproom.

A FEW SAMPLE PARAGRAPHS:

Following up on my post of a few days back, we did end up seeing Shutter Island over the past weekend. Despite my fears, the movie was not an overblown special effects extravaganza (as the trailer seem to indicate), but a well-crafted, moody, slow-burn psychological drama that keeps viewers involved from beginning to end. I should have trusted Mr. Scorsese more. The big special effects scenes in the trailer, by the way, are mostly associated with hallucinatory scenes in the movie, scenes that are used sparingly and effectiviely.

There are definitely big, lurid moments and instances of underlined melodrama in the film, accompanied by disturbing blasts from the none-to-subtle musical score, but it all serves Scorsese's aim to emulate the psychological dramas of the 50's, which were at the same time overstated and artfully done. Kind of like those old 50's paperbacks, which sported lurid covers of violence and heaving bosoms, but very often subtle, well-done stories once you got past the covers.

In any event, the lurid (I love that word) and more subtle aspects of Shutter Island work together to deliver a decent movie, one that we both liked a lot.

RECENT ARTICLES:
-Pretty Good King (review of Stephen King's Blaze) (Feb 24, 2010)
-At the movies (review of Shutter Island) (Feb 23, 2010)
-Spirited try falls short (review of The Spirit movie) (Feb 22, 2010)
-One fine Sunday in the local pub (a joke) (Feb 21, 2001)

The Cubicle Rebel (business, humor)

2011-11-26T23:04:00.005-07:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: N/A

WEB ADDRESS: http://thecubiclerebel.wordpress.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Jennifer Kley is a reluctant cubicle dweller who plots her escape every waking moment. She resents CubicleVille and all of its trappings. She types 85 wpm with few mistakes and loathes paper cuts. She keeps snacks in her desk drawer because she believes the vending machine is part of a grand conspiracy to make and keep workers fat and lethargic and therefore underpaid.

Kley is the author of the book “Cubicle Rebel: Ramblings of a Tragic Employee”, a memoir of sorts of her hilarious and quite painful jobs from age 11 to mid-adulthood. She’s a rebel for only pretending to conform and she’s tragic for her failed efforts. Kley is a self-described comedy writer who infuses mental shortcomings and right-brain driven mishaps into her musings. She resides in the Washington, D.C. area, she avoids traffic like shootouts, thinks SUVs are increasingly evil, plans to get a dog soon, is far too often hormonal and is perpetually ornery.

Her photo isn’t included because she doesn’t want the thumbnail to end up on a Russian web site advertising “dynamic, feisty American frumpy women for dating and good times.” Actually, she doesn’t want her current Establishment to discover that she writes about them in books and on the web. (Shhhhhhhhhh!!!)

Also…(now I’ll speak in the first-person):

I’m a lifelong Cubicle Rebel.

I run from office environments.

They make me itch.

And plotz.

And kvetch.

I was always a tragic employee. Always…from the actual swivel chair to the beige or gray partitions surrounding me from 8-4 or 9-5 or 8-4:30 or whatever daily time period I’ve been sentenced to until whenever I decide that I can really truly live off of the land.

WELCOME REBELS. ‘-)

And all others.

MY REVIEW: This is an enjoyable, funny blog, written by the author of the book, The Cubicle Rebel. Workers, especially those in cubicles, will enjoy this it.

Sample post:

Ladies and Gentlemen:

DO NOT DRINK THE KOOL-AID.

I repeat:

DO NOT DRINK THE KOOL-AID.

Your chosen Establishment is a ways to a means; a way for you to pay for your housing, your car, ridiculous gas prices, potato chips, chewing gum, maxi pads, shaving cream, newer shoes, batteries, whole grain bread, Starbucks cult elixir, new underwear when the elastic boings out of the old ones…You get the picture.

But your Establishment is NOT a place for your mind to be taken over.

You must remain in control of your journey.

You must protect yourself from becoming viscerally one of them.

When you hear words and phrases too often such as:

“The Team”

“We”

“Our”

“Associates”–particularly “Our Associates…”

“Together we can…”

“Let’s…”

Be wary. Be very wary.

This is cult speak. Companies, organizations, your chosen Establishment is out for mind control. They want you to believe that the oganization you work for needs you but not as much as you need them. They want you to think that they care about you, even your family. They want you to believe that what they are paying you is enough, especially before taxes. They want you to play nice and not revolt and subserviently ignore that you will never ever have a seat by a window. EVER. They want you to believe that your squeaky “ergonomic” chair is perfect for your frame even when you spill over it.

They want you to eat microwavable meals for twenty years and use the same water fountain they do to wash down miscellaneous noodles.

They want you to disclose personal information about your health so that they’ll know how to–ahem–insure you adequately. They want you to eat leftover muffins and previously fondled donuts that The Executives flown in from the midwest didn’t want. They want you to be a Follower, regardless of the ongoing “educational” training they offer to keep you feeling auspicious about your career path there.

It’s all a game. And if you’re losing it’s because your first mistake was to trust them with your next twenty years.

First rule of thumb:

Bring your own Kool-Aid.

RECENT POSTS:
--I Mean, It’s Your Butt
--Short Work Week
--Illegal Interview Questions?
--The Evil Vending Machine
--Cult-Like Speak

_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

3 woman pilot blogs

2011-11-23T19:32:00.001-07:00

I'll share a few of these every now and again:

http://toriaflies.blogspot.com/: Toria Flies: Thoughts of a red-headed Aviatrix

I'm slowly but surely learning my way about the world and becoming the woman I'm destined to be. I'm eclectic, I'm passionate, I'm a giver. I'm an always dreamin', airplane flyin', avid crocheter. I'm a girl who loves to be on a "mission" whether it's organizing a fundraiser or seeing how many turtles I can catch in the lake in a day. I don't like raisins, but love raisinets and yogurt covered raisins. I don't like purple grapes, but love the green ones. I hate blueberries except if they are in muffins. That about sums up the way my brain works.

I'm an instrument rated commercial pilot and work as a sales assistant for Aviation Insurance Resources. I am a co-host of the aviation podcast, the StuckMic AvCast. I am an active member of the Sugarloaf chapter of the Ninety-Nines, a VIP member of Women of Aviation Week and a member of Women in Aviation International and the Airplane Owners and Pilots Association. I also organize the Women Fly it Forward event in Frederick, MD.

http://www.myskymom.com/: Aviation wit and wisdom

(Danielle Gibeault is a CFI, CFII, and MEI for those in the know. To the rest of us, that translates to Certificated Flight Instructor, Instrument Instructor, and Multi Engine Instructor. I also hold a Ground Instructor Certificate, Advanced and Instrument. That’s right, the FAA trusts me to spend my days getting into airplanes with people who don’t know how to fly them! I’ve been a pilot for 13 years and a flight instructor for more than 5. I started my aviation career on my 18th birthday driving fuel trucks, parking airplanes, and doing all the rest of that glamorous grunt work that keeps the airplanes flying. Haven’t looked back since.)

The blog below hasn't been updated in a year, as she completed her goal, but the archives are there and make for interesting and fun reading.
http://flyingwisconsin.wordpress.com/: Flying Wisconsin

Who is this person who loves “flying Wisconsin?” I’m a general aviation and airport advocate who appreciates the beauty of my home state. My first flight lesson was at Alexander Field-South Wood County Airport (ISW) in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, on my 30th birthday, a few years ago. I haven’t lost the passion yet - it helps that my husband, John, a 9000-hour pilot, loves it as much as I do! Me, I was out of currency for a while, concentrating on life’s other responsibilities since getting my private pilot certificate in 1992 and instrument rating 10-years later. But at this time in my life I’m closing in on 500 hours and flying more than ever. I’m lovin’ it!

This blog begins with the adventurous goal my husband and I are accomplishing in the summer of 2010: Flying to all 60 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties that have a public-use airport – in four flights. Several people have suggested that we share this story online, so here it is! Once we reach that goal, I’ll add new pages, sprinkling in some aviation memories, goals, and current projects I’m working on.

I’m a mom to two adult children and they, along with my husband, are the wind beneath my wings. My daughter, Sister Maria Caeli, is a Dominican Sister and middle school teacher, and my son, Luke, is a student at UW-Stout and one of the best motorcycle hillclimbers and off-road action sports videographers in the Midwest. Check out his work at LPmultimedia.com and LPmotocross.com. (Yeah, I’m proud of their accomplishments.)

As the owner of SkyWord Communications, LLC, I offer writing, marketing, and consulting services to aviation businesses, airports, and organizations. As president of the Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame and editor of its quarterly magazine, Forward in Flight, I lead an effort to collect, preserve, and share Wisconsin aviation history, and honor those who made it. I’ve worked as an editor at EAA and have written dozens of aviation articles for various online and print publications, and even won a few awards for it.

Startng Wednesday I WILL keep to a schedule

2011-11-21T19:46:00.002-07:00

I know I seem to have promised that every other week... I really mean it this time!

Rertro Review #24:

2011-11-18T01:22:00.000-07:00

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: John Brown Kin

WEB ADDRESS: http://johnbrownkin.blogspot.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Follow a direct descendant of John Brown as she researches and documents her family history

MY REVIEW: I am more interested in the Civil War time period itself (the military battles) rather than the time period leading up to it, when diplomacy ultimately failed and "cold iron" was necessary to settle the question. Nevertheless, it's fascinating to read about the people of that time period, and what they were willing to sacrfice for their beliefs.

This is a well-written blog, with an author who knows her stuff. Obviously, since she is a descendant of John Brown. Anyone with an interest to the time period leading up to the Civil War, and anyone interested in genealogy, will find this blog of interest.

A FEW PARAGRAPHS FROM A SAMPLE POST

At the John Brown Remembered Academic Symposium held at Harpers Ferry, WV in October 2009, I had the pleasure of meeting Ian Barford. Ian is an actor, documentary film maker, and the proud father of twins! Last week, Ian traveled to Texas to do interviews for the documentary he is currently working on about John Brown. He traveled to Austin first to interview my good friend Evan Carton, author of Patriotic Treason. He then drove up to Allen to interview me. While he was here I showed him my prized family artifact - Oliver Brown's Bible that he carried throughout his years in Kansas.

The Bible is small, 2 1/2 inches x 3 1/2 inches and just over an inch thick. Just the right size to be carried in an inside pocket of a wool overcoat. The cover is black leather embossed with an ornate design. On the spine, the words Holy Bible are embossed in gold. For a book that is over one hundred sixty years old, the binding is realitively tight, the cover only slightly torn.

On the inside back cover the following is written in pencil, in an ornate old-timey script:
This Bible was carried all through the Kansas troubles by Oliver Brown.
On the left hand inside back page is written the name of the original owner of the Bible, Oliver Brown, in ink and in a beautiful calligraphic hand.

But it is what can be found on the front inside cover that makes this Bible so valuable to me personally -- in pencil, written over and over again, in the handwriting of a young girl perfecting her signature, is the name Annie Brown. It makes me smile to think of young Annie, my great-great grandmother, scrounging around for a piece of paper to practice her penmanship on, and noticing a clean white space inside the cover of big brother's Bible. The temptation was more than she could resist. I imagine that she got into a great deal of trouble when it was discovered that she used the inside cover of the Lord's word for her penmanship practice.

Annie had the Bible in her possession when she moved to California in 1863, and it is one of the items that escaped the fire that distroyed her house and most of her belonging in 1896. Annie passed the Bible to her granddaughter Beatrice Cook Keesey, my grandmother.

Retro Review #22: Breast Cancer? But Doctor, I Hate Pink

2011-11-17T01:21:00.000-07:00

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: Breast Cancer? But Doctor, I Hate Pink

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.butdoctorihatepink.com.

BLOG DESCRIPTION: With an humor and intelligence, Ann Silberman, breast-cancer "ass-kicker," describes her life since diagnosis. She found her lump in May 2009 and was diagnosed in early September. She is sharing her journey through surgeries and chemo as they happen. A must-read for anybody who either has cancer or has a family member with this disease. Ann writes with wit and energy in her blog: Breast Cancer? But Doctor ... I hate pink.

MY REVIEW: The author of this blog, Ann, found out she had breast cancer in August, 2009. This blog tells the story of her fight against the disease. It is very moving, very affecting, the more so because she does indeed manage to be funny and heroic at the same time. (Yes, there are heroes who, in a split second, risk their lives for others, such as our soldiers, and police and firemen and just regular people, and then there are people who have chronic illnesses in which they suffer every day and have to rise to that challenge every day. They are just as heroic.)

If you have just been diagnosed with breast cancer, or have a friend or loved one who has been - this is an excellent resource for you to know what the future holds. There are photos, there's talk of the various drugs and the chemotherapy and so on. If you're just interested in how people live their lives when faced by chronic illness, you will find this blog uplifing as well.

A few paragraphs from a sample post:

I am a small person with bird bones. My wrist is five inches around; I wear a size 4 1/2 ring. I can't purchase a watch without a picture of Hannah Montana on it, and I buy bracelets to use as anklets.

I have correspondingly small veins. Watching people draw my blood has always amused me, because I have a strong sadistic streak and no needle phobia whatsoever. I like seeing sweat on the brow of the phlebotomist responsible for getting blood out of me and into that vial. It just doesn't happen without hard work.

Typically, the way it goes is the first tech pokes around a while, moving the needle in and out, muttering about tiny veins until she either pops one or freaks out. She then calls the specialist with the butterfly needle who has the finesse to start the flow. Even when I try to make it easy - drink lots of water and wear warm clothing to "plump the veins," it's never enough to get the well pumping.

I'm so dry if I was Bella, Edward would leave me. [Is this a Twlight reference? KBR ed]

RECENT ARTICLES:
- Chemo Angel (Feb 21, 2010)
- Vampire Diaries (Feb 20, 2010)
- Did I mention before, that I hate leukine? (Feb 19, 2010)
- Chemo number...oh I can't remember (Feb 18, 2010)
- Chemotherapy-induced anemia (Feb 17, 2010)

Retro Review #21: Tales from the administrative minefield

2011-11-16T00:19:00.001-07:00

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: Tales From The Administrative Minefield

WEB ADDRESS: http://administrativemadness.wordpress.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: I am a seasoned executive adminstrative assistant with over fifteen years experience who loves her job. Very few other employment opportunites exist that allow me to manage people, events, and offices to my heart's content, then go home and have a life.

My many years of employment have given me plenty of opportunities to scratch my head and wonder what my employers and co-workers were thinking. As a consumate professional, I have just kept a smile on my face, done my job, and listened to my gut for the next opportunity.

Welcome to my world and I hope you enjoy the ride.

MY REVIEW: As a former administrative assistant, I know where this author is coming from. Very little gets done in an office in an efficent manner unless the admin assistant is herself (or himself) efficient. And yet they get so little credit for keeping the machine running smoothly.

This blog tells the story of one such admin assistant, and her adventures in the world of business.

Here's a few paragraphs from an entry on that ever-present evil - outsourcing work overseas [more often than not to the detriment of the business, costing them more money than they save, in loss of good will if nothing else!, IMHO]

Nothing seems to be safe anymore in today’s employment climate. Gone is security of generations gone by. Very few people can stick with one company for their entire career. If they manage to do that, they have to reinvent themselves to stay ahead of the latest management model that leans toward automation, downsizing or out-sourcing.

I realize that there are many processes that can be outsourced, off-shored, and just plain automated. When all these cost cutting measures are taking place, what happens to the actual employee, who helped build the company? The general morale? The principles that built the company? More importantly the corporate history?

While the government gives lip-service to keeping jobs in the country, more and more companies are sending department functions overseas. Why? ‘Because it can be done cheaper elsewhere’. Sure, there are binding contracts that impose penalties if things are not done to the SLA’s (service level agreements) of the corporation, but what happens to the customer service interface? There are no guarantees that expectations will be met.

To be frank the customer wants to interface with employees they feel confident will fulfill their needs. Not third-party vendors that have no clue as to why the company even exists

.

This blog is well-written, by a "soldier on the battlefield." Admin Assistants - the good ones, anyway, know what is going on in the office. Know how things are done and why they are done in that way. Aspiring admin assistants, and the people who have them, should read this blog!

I would like a bit more grounding for the blog, however. If not the specific business she works for, at least a general sense of what the company does.

RECENT ARTICLES:
-Melting the Myth [of perfection]
-On the Cheap [outsourcing]
-Valuable Resources [admin assistant's role in the work place]
-Upon Your Actions
-Follow Instructions [sales people, especially!

Retro Review #20: Foodie Momma

2011-11-15T01:18:00.000-07:00

REVIEW BY: Ann Currie

OUR RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: Foodiemama

WEB ADDRESS: http://foodiemama.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Teaches you how to save money, streamline ingredients and save time and stress at dinnertime. Dinner becomes a breeze with Foodiemama.

MY REVIEW: A food blog, that lists easy family friendly recipes. Tips and advice are offered and each recipe is tagged with the "Feeding by Age" to help Moms and Dads) chose meals that will appeal to the kids. Each recipe has a short introduction and comment followed by the ingredients and directions which are clearly given. Entries are only posted every 7 or 8 days and 2 recipes are included in each post.

The recipes are ok, but the posts are infrequent. There is nothing unique or entertaining about the text. If you want a good basic Mom friendly food blog this is one of many.

RECENT ARTICLES:
--Easy Ham Barbque Biscuits
--Honey Mustard Salmon
--Butternut Squash Gnocchi
--Soft Caramel Popcorn
--Party Food for Tots

________________________
Ann Currie publishes My Life a Bit South of Normal> and Silver Pieces: The Strange and Peculiar

Retro Review #19: evie s.

2011-11-14T01:17:00.001-07:00

REVIEWED BY: Ann Currie

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: evie s.

WEB ADDRESS:www.evie-s.com/news

BLOG DESCRIPTION: A design, craft, and beauty blog by graphic designer Evie Shaffer. Highlighting art, DIY projects, and beautiful design.

MY REVIEW: This blog is tied to her etsy shop. She posts about crafts for your wardrobe and home she has done with before and after pictures. Most posts refer to items that can be purchased from her shop. She posts interviews she has conducted with artists. And, there are some DIY (Do It Yourself) projects.

One interesting personal project are the pictorial posts that follow the progression of her second pregnancy. If you are interested in crafts, some DIY projects, and evie s.' store, then this blog will probably interest you. I found it more of an extension of her shop, than a blog, but there are many like that on the web.

RECENT ARTICLES:

Finally painting again

Last minute valentine's ideas

A beautiful idea - Artists changing the world

Winter Beauty

Yet another wardrobe refashion
_________________________

Retro Review #18: Fragrant Liar

2011-11-13T21:15:00.001-07:00

REVIEWED BY: Ann Currie

OUR RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: Fragrant Liar

WEB ADDRESS:fragrantliar.blogspot.com

BLOG DESCRIPTION: An irreverent woman's witty rants, raves, reflections, and ROFL.

OUR REVIEW: Although I wouldn’t say it exactly like the blog author does, and I am on my first - and hopefully only husband (it’s hard enough to get used to one, why change in mid-stream) - I can relate to much of what she is writing about. She is irreverent and wickedly funny. Most of all, she is a survivor – of a lot.

The author posts several days a week about her kids (grown and gone), her “coupla husbands”, the house, and anything else that pops in her head. What woman wouldn’t be thrilled at the idea of complete control of the remote? This is a good blog, that stays on track and is not only entertaining but is reliable and consistent.

Men may not share the humor, however!

RECENT ARTICLES:
--Wee wisdom
--Sadly, I'm frigid
--Whack-a-mole
--The chicken or the leg
--All by myself

________________________
Ann Currie publishes
My Life a Bit South of Normal
Strange and Peculiar Silver

Mummy Whisperer (parenting and couples with kids)

2011-11-07T01:27:00.002-07:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: N/A

WEB ADDRESS: mummywhispererblog.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: As a 'Mummy Whisperer' my priority is to help the Mum, because when she is happy and contented either her family tends to settle around her, or she rediscovers her own natural instinct to help her family deal with it's daily challenges.

I'm not here to tell you what to do, or offer another one-size fits all parenting technique which can't possibly work for all the shapes and sizes of family.

Instead I teach skills that adapt as the family grows and I use techniques that help Mums clear the stress, fear, guilt and brain noise from their lives. The aim is to boost your self-belief and increase the contentment, sparkle and closeness in your family’s life; as you are the expert on your own family, sometimes you might just need reminding of how fabulous you are!

MY REVIEW: This is both a parenting blog, and a blog for couples who still want to keep the excitement and romance in their own personal lives while also raising children.

The author is British so Americans will have to get used to some British-isms, but of course that's not a difficulty.

A very interesting blog - check it out.

Sample post:

Men, did you miss an opportunity for sex with your wife?
At the weekend I was pointed to a blog by a guy called ‘Athol Kay’ about making sure you still get sex as a married man by the Daily Mail; yes I admit it, sometimes I skim the front page of the mail’s website for fun or annoyance. I’m so going to have to blog about this guys site loads, because it was full of all sorts of ‘you must be kidding’, ‘really?’, ‘thats so true’ and ‘seriously no ones going to believe that are they?’. In general though, its a pretty good blog, very much written from a blokes perspective and in that bloke language that they keep hidden from us, if wise.

So it had me thinking? How many blokes were out there this weekend complaining that their wife doesn’t give them sex, who were so involved in the complaining that they didn’t take the opportunity that the Royal Wedding afforded? I bet there were tonnes who wouldn’t know an opportunity if it slapped them in the face.

Let’s run through all the opportunities that there were, especially if they went to one of the hundreds of royal wedding parties …

- Compliments: Tell her how pretty she is when she comes down the stairs in her outfit for the party. Compliments might not get you sex, but they will definitely get a warmer wife. Bear in mind though that they need to be accompanied by the right tone of voice and a fond/amorous look. Plus it’s not the same as telling her she looks hot in her underwear. She knows your a bloke, so that is kind of a given.

- Make her feel appreciated: At the party, unless it’s an out and out lie, tell her how lucky you are to be with her and how pretty/beautifully dressed/gorgeous/’most true compliment you can find’, in comparison to all the other wives there. She needs to know that you appreciate her and know how lucky you are to have her.

- Cuddle up: sitting next to her during the ceremony and cuddling up would be bound to give extra bonus points. Plus being in physical contact, kind of makes being in contact later more likely. This doesn’t work from across the room with a drink in hand and all the other blokes making ‘guffaw we’re not very interested in all this girly stuff noises’.

- Talking to her: reminiscing about your own wedding, feeling nervous on the day, the honey moon, joking light heartedly about the stresses (unless they were so bad they should never ever be mentioned again), will give her that warm romantic feeling.

- Kissing: Athol’s blog recommends a 10 second kiss, and as a big fan of kissing I’m in total agreement with him. Any guy who didn’t make sure he got a kiss in soon after the balcony scene was totally missing a trick.

- Looking after the kids: If your wife was really enjoying the wedding, then keeping an eye on the kids for her is bound to be seen as a big gold star. Plus a harassed, ‘been running around after the kids all day at a party’ kind of wife, is much less likely to fancy you later on.

- Buying her something: Some husbands might have even seen the opportunity to treat their wives to a new dress for the party, or some flowers, or a little something that reminded you of your own wedding.

Any husband who hit all or some of these was then bound to be seen in the light of a romantic royal prince, and be rewarded with a honeymoon night to remember (unless after all that he drank too much beer and passed out on the sofa, or managed to mess it up in some obvious way). Bear in mind you have to translate them to your wife’s language as well, so into what she likes doing or having; but they would be a good start!

So to the guys now hitting their heads and going ‘Doh’; don’t worry, but stop complaining and keep your eyes open as there are bound to be other romantic sure thing options at some point. There’ll be another wedding at some point in the next ten years I’m sure! I’m kidding. The lesson is to look out for opportunities, and to be really caring. Ironically, just as in other things in life, if you don’t really care about your wife and it is all about the ulterior motives, she is going to smell a rat and it won’t work. So the final important thing is that you really care about making her feel good!

I’d love to know from the Mums out there, what do you think? Would any of the above have worked on you?

RECENT POSTS:
--What makes a Man sexy?
--Amazing Competition: For a Radio Flyer!
--Men, did you miss an opportunity for sex with your wife?
--How David Tennant Made My Day
--Question Corner: What would you advise a husband whose wife doesn't want to sleep with him

_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

Retro Review #17: Twig and Thistle

2011-11-03T01:17:00.002-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Ann Currie

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: Twig and Thistle

WEB ADDRESS: www.twigandthistle.com/blog

BLOG'S DESCRIPTION: Daily Inspiration For Home & Life

MY REVIEW: This is an updated blog that is more arts and crafts. Each post has at least one idea of how to make an item – a gift, a goodie, something for your home. The recipe or instructions are always included (or a link is) and a picture.

The author is quick to give credit to friends and colleagues for their contributions. She is always upbeat and positive. (She is one of those folks whom you wonder if she ever has a bad day!)

The blog is full of pictures of items she has found, shops and resteraunts she has visited. It is inspirational, but you draw the inspiration from her. I am not an “a&c” person, but this is an excellent blog.

And, let me explain myself here, when I say arts and crafts, I am not talking about simple “let’s glue these 2 sticks together and wrap them in colorful pipe cleaners” crafts. I’m talking about very sophisicated and impressive work that takes talent. And, some of it is clever. A great blog. Upbeat and creative, she shares and gives credit.

RECENT ARTICLES:

Alt Love No. 1
Love posters by Ty Mattson
Say it with jam and Nomination
Valentine’s day round up
Rita’s living room

Retro Reviews #16: Eyes for Lies: The Blog of the Human Lie Detector

2011-11-02T13:16:00.001-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Ann Currie

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: Eyes for Lies: The Blog of the Human Lie Detector.

WEB ADDRESS: www.eyesforlies.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Scientists have identified 50 individuals who are able to spot deception with great accuracy after testing. More than 15,000 people. Eyes for Lies is one of the 50 people.

MY REVIEW: This one caught my eye. In one post she reviews the video of Josh Powell concerning the disappearance of his wife. She uses her special "skills" to determine if he is guilty by watching his video. Then she dissects the interview piece by piece and describes what she sees and how she interprets it. Each post deals with a prominent criminal case in the news.

Some of the posts can get almost a little sensational, but that is the nature of the beast. The blog is interesting (I have always loved mysteries). She posts everyday.

RECENT ARTICLES:

Sam Thompson
Diena Thompson talks to Chris Cuomo
Alex Martin is Nick Francisco
LA Times: Edwards is Engaged
Perhaps its not Jarred Harrell

The Dao of Dragon Ball (manga, TV)

2011-10-31T19:21:00.006-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: The Dao of Dragon Ball

WEB ADDRESS: thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: The true history and connections between Dragon Ball and ancient cultures, divine beliefs and the martial arts of the spiritual warrior have never been unveiled. Until now.

Finally, a blog that reveals the secrets of Dragon Ball.

MY REVIEW: If you like Dragon Ball, you'll love this blog. For those of you who have never heard of Dragon Ball:

Dragon Ball is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It was originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1984 to 1995; later the 519 individual chapters were published into 42 tankōbon volumes by Shueisha. Dragon Ball was inspired by the classical Chinese novel Journey to the West. It follows the adventures of Son Goku from his childhood through adulthood as he trains in martial arts and explores the world in search of the seven mystical orbs known as the Dragon Balls, which can summon a wish-granting dragon when gathered. Along his journey, Goku makes several friends and battles a wide variety of villains, many of whom also seek the Dragon Balls for their own desires.

Since its release, Dragon Ball has become one of the most successful manga and anime series of all time. The manga's 42 volumes have sold over 152 million copies in Japan and more than 200 million copies worldwide. Reviewers have praised the art, characterization, and humor of the story. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest manga series ever made, with many manga artists citing Dragon Ball as a source of inspiration for their own now popular works. The anime, particularly Dragon Ball Z, is also highly popular in various countries and was arguably one of the most influential in greatly boosting the popularity of Japanese animation in Western culture.

The author of this blog is something of an experton the subject, and indeed is working on a book on the subject, also called The Dao of Dragon Ball.

Here's a bit more of the author's bio:

Padula is a website developer, private Shaolin Gong Fu martial arts instructor, video game designer and owner of Young Forest Games, where he creates "Games with Meaning" for PC and consoles, and is also a journalist for the Epoch Times Newspaper.

Derek has been a fan of Dragon Ball since the first two seasons of Dragon Ball Z aired on television in America over a decade ago (1997), and has been watching the anime and reading the manga ever since. He majored in East Asian Studies and saw a lot of correlations between Buddhism, Daoism, and Japanese culture within Dragon Ball and his daily life. This led him to write The Dao of Dragon Ball.

Derek is also a Falun Dafa practitioner and believes strongly in it's Fa (Law).

He holds a B.A. in East Asian Studies with a minor in Chinese from Western Michigan University.

He has contributed to the following video games:
-"Tony Hawk Under Ground (T.H.U.G.)"
-"Pitfall: The Lost Expedition"
-"James Bond: 007: From Russia With Love"
-"The SIMS 2: Holiday Pack"
-"Puzzles of Life"
-"The Sopranos"
He is a board member of the Westwood College Student Advisory Board Game Design Curriculum of Los Angeles and is on standby at ITT Technical Institute Torrance campus as an Adjunct Professor of Multimedia.

Check out this blog!

Sample post:

Goku’s Simple Life
Goku lives a simple life.

Like a wandering pilgrim, Goku’s only possessions are a martial arts uniform and occasionally the nyoi bo staff.

Goku is almost single mindedly focused on his martial arts cultivation.

Chi-Chi handles all of the domestic affairs, including the caring of their house, the monetary concerns, and the raising of children.

This reminded me of my own life and how it is a bit too complicated.

By an average person’s standard my life may seem rather simple: An average guy with an apartment and some stuff. There are also career, family, social relationships, time, personal projects, and trying to achieve many things simultaneously. Perhaps too many.

In regard to physical stuff in particular, at times all of the external content can feel a little heavy, because each one of those items is connected to my emotions. Each material item, when picked up, transports my memory back 5, 10, in some cases even 15 years. They all carry emotional weight. An outsider cannot see or feel this.

I recently read a book called The Power of Less, by Leo Babauta, and it emphasized the importance of simplifying our lives.

I also read a blog post on Man vs. Debt that presented the idea of taking inventory of all the items in your possession, one by one, and the benefit of the process.

So that’s what I did.

Taking Stock and Letting Go
I counted every single item in my home and car: Every spoon, every pencil, every piece of clothing, and every game, miniature and cable.

They were recorded by hand and then entered into a spreadsheet (here). It was an exhausting process.

The end result was 1,706 items.

The number was surprising. How could I own so much?

When I looked at the spreadsheet of all the items from a zoomed out perspective, it seemed to almost amount to the culmination of my external worth. As if this was the entirety of my life.

But I knew this wasn’t true.

What would I be without all of these things? Would I still be me?

Yes. And perhaps even more so.

During the taking of inventory I threw some items away and designated others for donation. I donated three bags of clothes, electronics, and other items to Goodwill.

As time goes on, unwanted books and other items will be sold or donated. Why keep what has already been utilized?

There’s a story from Buddhism that states that once you’ve ridden your hand crafted boat to the other shore of nirvana, it is important to remember not to be attached to the boat. It was a beautiful boat and served you well. It was the vehicle that made your journey across the ocean possible. But now that you’ve made it this far, it’s time to let that vehicle go. Otherwise you cannot move forward.

Some items were easy to let go, while others were difficult. For example, my DBZ t-shirts, which I had worn since high school.

It was hard to look at each item practically, and ask if I really needed it or would use it in the future. Often I discovered that the item had been with me all these years for purely sentimental reasons.

Ultimately it is the attachment to the items that matter. Not the physical items themselves. Without attachments, anything can be let go if it’s no longer needed. Likewise, without attachments, the amount or value of material items isn’t important. Ideally, everything we own can be made of gold, yet we are not attached.

The entire process was liberating, as it allowed me to take stock of life, internally as well as externally. It was empowering to realize what I have available, and to control things, rather than have things control me.

To gain, one must lose. Because there is more empty space, I feel freed up and lighter in spirit.

Imagine how it must feel to be like Goku, as described in the final episode of Dragon Ball GT:

Full of joy and care free.

Gentle, with a good heart.

I recommend that you try this activity for yourself. Begin with a single section of a room and expand from there.

Tackle life with as much energy as Goku, and you’ll be sure to succeed.

SAMPLE POSTS:
--Gen Fukunaga Hints at More DBZ
--Dragon Ball Cosplay at Anime Expo 2011
--Dragonball Book Review – The Dragonball Z Legend: The Quest Continues
--Dragonball Book Review – Pojo’s Unofficial Dragonball Z Cards Simplified: A Player’s Guide
--Dragonball Book Review – Dragonball Z: An Unauthorized Guide
--Dragonball Book Review – Dragonball Z Extreme
--Dragonball Book Review – Pojo’s Unofficial Total Dragonball Z

_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

The Thing on the Fourble Board (arts and entertainment, OTR, audio books reviews)

2011-10-30T23:24:00.004-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: The Thing on the Fourble Board

WEB ADDRESS: http://thefourbleboard.blogspot.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: eviews of audio books in the mystery and science fiction genres, and in nonfiction - historical, biographical, scientific. I review the quality of the narrator(s), as well as the books.

I also review and synopsize old time radio programs - The Shadow, The Saint, The Jack Benny Show, Dragnet, X Minus One.

I also review soundtracks to selected theatre productions and motion pictures.

If you're a fan of the theatre of the mind, I think you'll enjoy this blog.

Updated twice a week.

MY REVIEW: When I was young, I scoffed at the idea of listening to books on tape. I could (and can) read a book in three hours that it would take a narrator eight hours to get through.

But I hadn't fully thought my criticisms through. I now listen to audio books in the car, and make time for at least half an hour before lights out. With a good book and, just as importantly, a good narrator, audio books are fun to listen to.

My OTR experience is limited to The Shadow - and I'm still waiting for those synopsis to show up on the blog, but it's a relatively new blog, we've been promised the Shadow, so I'm sure it will come.

Highly recommended.

Sample post:
The Art Thief, by Noah Charney, 2007

8 Audio CDs (about 8 hours listening time)
Interestingly, if you look on Amazon.com, The Art Thief, by Noah Charney, has only a 2-annd-a-half out of 5 star rating. A lot of people (at least, a lot of people who post their opinions on Amazon) don't seem to like it.

I do.

When listening to an audio book, it doesn't matter how good the book itself is, if the narrator is lousy. A few weeks ago I checked out a Clive Cussler audio book. Can't remember the title now, or the name of the narrator, but in any event I could only listen to a couple of minutes of it before I gave up on it - the narrator's reading was that bad. No attempt to change voices depending on what character was talking, no intonation changes at all, just a dull monotone.

Simon Vance has all this stuff down pat. The Art Thief is a bit wordy, but because Vance uses intonation and inflection all the time, it's not hard to listen to - it's easy to concentrate on it.

He also does various voices...although I did find it distracting that the voices his characters use when speaking, and the voices he used when that same character was just internalizing thought, were not the same.

Anyway...what you get with The Art Thief is a very complex story, and a lot of information on art. Some of the negative reviewers on Amazon got tired of all that art info (especially since several characters would have their own point of view on the same piece of art, so we'd hear the same information several times, just articulated differently. But, the way I looked at, hearing it repeated so many times allowed me to learn and remember what was being said - and since I'm interested in art as well as in a good mystery, I enjoyed it.

This book isn't a howdunit, more of a whodunit and eventually a whydunit. (In other words, we never learn exactly how all the artwork managed to be stolen, but we learn who did it and why they did it.)

If you're interested in art at all - how it affects the human psyche - and mystery, and like listening to a good narrator, I think you'll enjoy this book.

The characters may be stereotypical, and there isn't much character development, but they're interesting and sympathetic. ANd the author has a good sense of dialog and sense of humor.

So give it a listen. You may turn it off...but I guarantee it won't be in the first five minutes!

Noah Charney bio from Wikipedia:
Noah Charney (born November 27, 1979) is an American art historian and novelist. He is the author of The Art Thief, a mystery novel about a series of thefts from European museums and churches, and is the founder of the Association for Research into Crimes against Art.

Early life and education
Charney was born in New Haven, Connecticut in 1979. His parents, a psychiatrist and a professor of French Literature at Yale University were, in his words, “of the class of Americans who idealize Europe”, and as a youth he spent most of his summers in France.

He attended Choate Rosemary Hall, and received his undergraduate education at Colby College in Maine, where he majored in Art History and English Literature. During this period, he spent two years on exchange programs in Paris and London. Also while at Colby, he founded the Colby Film Society and wrote several plays, one of which won the Horizons New Young Playwrights Competition in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2002, the year of his graduation.

After graduating, he moved to London, where he studied at the Courtauld Institute and received a Masters for his work on seventeenth century sculpture in Rome. He subsequently attended Cambridge University, St. John's College, where he received a second Masters in History of Art writing on Bronzino's London Allegory, and began a PhD.

Current and Recent Projects
In 2006 Charney took a leave of absence from his studies at Cambridge to focus on other projects. Notable among these was writing. During the previous year he had written his first novel, The Art Thief which was published by Atria, a division of Simon and Schuster, New York,in September 2007. It has been published in 13 languages and was a best seller in Spain, Slovenia, Canada and The Netherlands. As he researched his novel he found that there was little scholarly material on the subject of art crime.

So he organized a conference on the subject in Cambridge in 2006, which attracted the heads of the art crime divisions of the FBI, Scotland Yard, and the Italian Carabinieri and was the subject of an article in the New York Times Magazine. In 2007 he joined with them, along with academics and others interested in the field, to form the Association for Research into Crimes against Art (ARCA). ARCA is a non-profit think tank based in Rome, dedicated to helping to prevent and prosecute art thefts, and to establishing the study of art crime as an academic subject.

Mr. Charney taught at Cambridge University's summer program and at Miami Dade College's program in Florence. In 2009 he taught a seminar on Art Crime at Yale University, New Haven. He is currently Adjunct Professor of Art History at the American University in Rome. He has also been a visiting scholar at the Institute of Criminology in Ljubljana, Slovenia .

He is the editor of Art and Crime, a collection of original essays by experts in the field, published by Praeger Press in the Spring of 2009[11]. In February 2010, geoPlaneta published a series of four museum guidebooks by Charney in Spanish and English. Called "Museum Time" (De Museos) the first books in the series provide guided tours to highlights of the collections of the leading museums of Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, and the Basque Country.

His non-fiction work on the many thefts of the Ghent Altarpiece, called Stealing the Mystic Lamb, was published in October 2010 by Public Affairs. He is currently working on a second novel and other non-fiction projects.

ARCA offered its first Masters level course in art crime and security in the summer of 2009—a 12 week course in the town of Amelia, Italy. The program has been quite successful and was featured in the New York Times. Mr. Charney also edits The Journal of Art Crime, a scholarly publication on Art Crime and Security that comes out twice a year.

RECENT POSTS:
--Paul Temple Radio Serials: An Overview
--Theatre Music: The 39 Steps
--Audio Book: The Art Thief, narrated by Simon Vance
--OTR: The Shadow
--The Joy Of Audio Books
--Manifesto

_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

Gearzap - Kindle covers and more!

2011-10-27T14:21:00.005-06:00

There's a company in the UK that offers all kinds of covers for the Kindle, as well as IPads, for tablets and for Macbooks

http://www.gearzap.com/

They've got more stuff than you can shake a stick at.

The only caveat is that the descriptions of the products don't give dimensions - I ordered a Kindle cover for the "latest generation of Kindle" - only to find out it didn't fit (The "latest generation" are those ones without keyboards, mine has a keyboard but its a year or two old). That's my fault - if I'd taken a closer look at the Kindle in the illustration I would have seen that it didn't match my Kindle - it's the newer grey version rather than my older white one - and my doesn't it look clunky!

But since the Kindle isn't backlit, a cover with a light works nice!

They have a variety of clip on lights for the Kindle, for example (my major interest!,) so that if you already have a Kindle cover , you can just clip on with the light without having to buy a new cover.

Check 'em out today - you'll be surprised at how much stuff there is to make your Kindle experience more enjoyable! They are located in the UK but in this day and age of computers, you can order from them with no problem if you live in the US.

So check out their Kindle covers today.

Faith-FilledFood For Moms and Grandmothers (parenting, Christian life)

2011-10-27T13:43:00.005-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: N/A

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.faithfilledfoodformoms.com

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Hi,my name is Shari Lynne! I am a stay at home faith filled Christian midlife wife,Mom,Step Mom,Grandma! Whew,that’s a mouthful.

I am so excited to share my experience,strength and hope with you! I have been married for 24 years and am a stay at home Mom of 7 (3 still at home). I also have 3 beautiful grandchildren. One of which I get to babysit everyday:) Yeah,for me! (that is my only claim to fame:)

..We are a blended family. When my husband and I got married,24 years ago,he had two children and I had two children. Ages 9,10,11,12.

Well when our older children were almost all grown and out of the house (all except one) my husband began to suggest that we have children together.

I was pretty young,36,So with much more prayer I gave in to God and my Husband. And as Martha Stewart would say “It’s a Good Thing”

Another part of my journey that I feel compelled to share and encourage others about is that I have been in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction for 27 years. I feel very called to share that there can be joy and real life in sobriety. That God does indeed restore the years the locusts have eaten away!

Whether you have come to this blog seeking positive encouragement, laughter or spiritual insights you have come to the right place!

Or maybe you’ve come for some great parenting and homemaking tidbits to add to your toolbox…you’ve come to the right place!

Possibly you have come out of frustration and desperation, even despair…you’ve come to the right place!

May Faith Filled Food For Moms be a daily resting place where you find the “Food”you need to be the best you can be. Let’s encourage one another and build each other up!

MY REVIEW: This blog will be of interest to parents - and grandparents, in particular those who are Christians. The author has led - and leads - a fascinating life, and shows how to overcome problems in one's life.

Check it out!

RECENT POSTS:
-- Guessing Game
-- Red Lights–Give Thanks
-- Wife,Mom,Step Mom,Grandma ….I’m just me!
-- Easy Pumpkin Muffins
-- Listen To The Children –Giving Our Full Attention
-- Step Parenting–An Investment in the Future
-- Taking Time To Relax!
-- Have a Plan!
-- Buying in Bulk
-- Book Review –Bible Stories for Preschoolers

_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

Repost: Stay At Home Dad - now available on Kindle!

2011-10-27T13:34:00.001-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Stay At Home Dad

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.stayathomedadblog.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Information for Stay at Home Dads from the CDO, Chief Domestic Officer

MY REVIEW: Too often in today's society, the Dad as parent has been ignored or marginalized. (The stereotypical dad spends all his time at work, comes home to pat his kids on the head and send them off to bed, while he relaxes in front of the TV.) In actual fact, Dads are very important to the development of a child or children.

So it's nice to see a parenting blog written by a dad (there are a few of them out there.) This blog is written from the perspective of a stay-at-home dad, and its interesting to see the "stay at home" type stuff written from the dad's perspective.

Both moms and dads can benefit from reading this blog.

Sample post:

Media Challenge: Add a Dad Advise Column/Blog (or at least include us)
With more and more dads choosing to stay home to raise their children I am surprised that media outlet have yet to embrace dads for blogs, parenting advise columns, guest writers and the like. At the very least, rename the “mom” columns and blogs to “parents” and have both moms and dads input. Whether a major news network site, national parenting magazine or advertiser, each blatantly lacks advise or input from dads.

The days of the hands-off dad are vanish quickly. More and more dads are playing an active role in raising their children and sharing duties around the house, not to mention being the primary care giver while mom works.

As a stay at home dad, I do everything a stay at home mom does. Primarily, raise my son, teach him life skills, love and nurture him. After that comes, all of the cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping, home repairs, appointments, scheduling, transporting, bill paying, chaperoning, school involvement, and making a little money on the side consulting. I list these tasks not as a badge on my sleeve, but to eliminate the forthcoming questions from the nay-sayers that think stay at home dads play with their kids all day and leave the chores for mom to do on the weekend or evenings after a full day of work. It is a stereotype that I am frankly tired of hearing and reading about. The only way to eliminate the stereotype, just like any other, is through education. So here in lies the challenge:

Affiliates with ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, Parenting Magazine, Parents Magazine – seek out and include dads in your blogs, ads, guest columns, articles, advise columns and features to help quash the stereotypes of the stay at home dad. You may be surprised at how much we know about parenting and how much help and advise we can offer from a slightly different perspective.

RECENT POSTS:
--Part 1 – The Bully Debate: Is all bullying bad?
--Stay at Home Dads Are Quickly Being Noticed By Savvy Retailers
--The Cut-off Date. “Red Shirting” – Trending Towards Later Kindergarten
--Have You Become A Talking Head When Correcting Behavior? Passive vs. Active Interaction.
--Daddy, That Lady is Big! – How to Handle the Not-so-subtle Questions
--Start of Fall: Wild Mushroom Risotto
--Moment of Reality: The first family vacation
--Simple (and inexpensive) Home Improvement
--Media Challenge: Add a Dad Advise Column/Blog (or at least include us)
--Make Your Own Pizza Night

_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

Reuniting pets lost during natural disasters with their owners

2011-10-24T21:27:00.003-06:00

http://www.DogCatBlog.com
Blogging on no-kill and reuniting families and lost animals

A couple of websites that also deal with this project:
http://www.TagTrace.com
Instructions for Shelters and Rescues on how to trace dog tags

http://www.StealthVolunteers.com
Stealth Volunteers

Free (and semi-free) Literary Books for the Kindle (US & UK)

2011-10-24T21:00:00.003-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Free (and semi-free) Literary Books for the Kindle (US & UK)

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.ClassicKindle.com

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Your guide to the best free and inexpensive classic e-books for the Kindle. Because some conversions are sloppily done, a free download can be a waste of time. These are books that are out of copyright, but never out of style! Many are from before 1923, but some were published between 1923 and 1963. I link to the US & UK versions.

MY REVIEW: There are a LOT of free books for the Kindle - most of them coming from before 1923, because that's when the copyright date went into effect. Anything published before 1923 is in the public domain, anything after that....may or may not be.

But everyone's getting into the act with these public domain books - there are often several versions available. And some of them have just been scanned in - which always results in a few errors which may or may not have been corrected before being uploaded to the Kindle.

So this blog is really helpful and well worth the 99 cents a month, to save time finding professionally produced books.

Sample post:

Tristram Shandy - by Laurence Sterne The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, a novel by Laurence Sterne, published 1759 through 1767. (US Edition) (UK Edition) That is, additional pieces came out over the years, but now all are collected into one novel.

This is said to be a very funny and at the same time, very difficult novel. (Proust & Joyce are also in the funny, but difficult category – not to scare anyone off.)

The book has a rather famous beginning with the protagonist’s conception. And here it is:
I wish either my father or my mother, or indeed both of them, as they were in duty both equally bound to it, had minded what they were about when they begot me; had they duly consider'd how much depended upon what they were then doing;--that not only the production of a rational Being was concerned in it, but that possibly the happy formation and temperature of his body, perhaps his genius and the very cast of his mind;--and, for aught they knew to the contrary, even the fortunes of his whole house might take their turn from the humours and dispositions which were then uppermost;--Had they duly weighed and considered all this, and proceeded accordingly,--I am verily persuaded I should have made a quite different figure in the world, from that in which the reader is likely to see me.--Believe me, good folks, this is not so inconsiderable a thing as many of you may think it;--you have all, I dare say, heard of the animal spirits, as how they are transfused from father to son, &c. &c.--and a great deal to that purpose:--Well, you may take my word, that nine parts in ten of a man's sense or his nonsense, his successes and miscarriages in this world depend upon their motions and activity, and the different tracks and trains you put them into, so that when they are once set a-going, whether right or wrong, 'tis not a half- penny matter,--away they go cluttering like hey-go mad; and by treading the same steps over and over again, they presently make a road of it, as plain and as smooth as a garden-walk, which, when they are once used to, the Devil himself sometimes shall not be able to drive them off it.

Pray my Dear, quoth my mother, have you not forgot to wind up the clock?-- Good G..! cried my father, making an exclamation, but taking care to moderate his voice at the same time,--Did ever woman, since the creation of the world, interrupt a man with such a silly question?
Did you follow that? Did you find it funny? Then this book is for you! I have to say it is funny and I like the analogy about us being so hard to budge from the tracks laid out for us early in life. To me that is more thoughtful than funny . . . This is yet another candidate for the “first modern novel.”

RECENT POSTS:
--Dracula's Guest -by Bram Stoker
--Tristram Shandy - by Laurence Sterne
--“Looking Backward, 2000 to 1887” – by Edward Bella...
--The Lifted Veil- by George Eliot
--Wuthering Heights - by Emily Brontë.
--A Ramble of Six Thousand Miles through the United ...
_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

Stay At Home Dad (parenting)

2011-10-20T23:13:00.005-06:00

Media Challenge: Add a Dad Advise Column/Blog (or at least include us)
With more and more dads choosing to stay home to raise their children I am surprised that media outlet have yet to embrace dads for blogs, parenting advise columns, guest writers and the like. At the very least, rename the “mom” columns and blogs to “parents” and have both moms and dads input. Whether a major news network site, national parenting magazine or advertiser, each blatantly lacks advise or input from dads.

The days of the hands-off dad are vanish quickly. More and more dads are playing an active role in raising their children and sharing duties around the house, not to mention being the primary care giver while mom works.

As a stay at home dad, I do everything a stay at home mom does. Primarily, raise my son, teach him life skills, love and nurture him. After that comes, all of the cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping, home repairs, appointments, scheduling, transporting, bill paying, chaperoning, school involvement, and making a little money on the side consulting. I list these tasks not as a badge on my sleeve, but to eliminate the forthcoming questions from the nay-sayers that think stay at home dads play with their kids all day and leave the chores for mom to do on the weekend or evenings after a full day of work. It is a stereotype that I am frankly tired of hearing and reading about. The only way to eliminate the stereotype, just like any other, is through education. So here in lies the challenge:

Affiliates with ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, Parenting Magazine, Parents Magazine – seek out and include dads in your blogs, ads, guest columns, articles, advise columns and features to help quash the stereotypes of the stay at home dad. You may be surprised at how much we know about parenting and how much help and advise we can offer from a slightly different perspective.

Repost of We Got Kidz - now available for the Kindle!

2011-10-16T16:54:00.001-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: We Got Kidz.

WEB ADDRESS: wegotkidz.com

BLOG DESCRIPTION: We are so happy to finally have this page up and running. It’s been a long time in the making. It all spawned from our need for attention and our super charged love for our family. Seriously – We have a story to tell, and we’re sure you’ll find it intriguing if for no other reason than because it’s a story that may be similar to your own. Our dream is for this to be an open forum for parents just like us – either married or single – to have a place to express their fears and air out their insecurities… A huge resounding “YOU’RE NOT ALONE!” Most of it will be absolutely hilarious.. We’re just a funny couple by nature – what can I say. Once we get the hang of this blog thing, look forward to silly videos, our Comic Strip of the week, and whatever other silliness we come up with to share. If nothing else, whenever you have those moments with your partner where you stop.. look at each other… and both say with disbelief.. WE GOT KIDS – hop online and share it with us.

MY REVIEW: I really enjoyed this parenting blog. It's a nice mixture of serious stuff (pointing out the problems with glorifying teen pregnancy) to informative (Target diapers are cheaper and work just as well when little kids let go of big...well, you know!) to just plain fun or humorous (the 9 types of crappy handshakes.)

The author writes well, and has much good stuff - and funny stuff, to say. And she's so clearly in love with her fiance and her twins - a boy and a girl. Like most parenting blogs where this is evident, these entries are a joy to read.

There's also a section of amusing comic strips, recipes, and a calendar of daily events happening in Atlanta, Georgia.

Check it out!

Sample post:

Teen Pregnancy Is Awesome! WTF?

A letter to Teen Mom’s who think it’s cool: Dear Teen Mothers, Okay, so what’s up with this whole teen pregnancy craze? I’m not one to judge, I mean things happen. I understand… But the way that it’s been glamorized in the media lately is just plain weird. 16 and Pregnant? Teen Mom? WTF?? It’s not cool to get pregnant prematurely ladies. I mean you’re a kid for cryin’ out loud! I waited until I was thirty to birth some babies and some days I still don’t know if I was ready for what I signed up for: loss of freedom, and certain luxuries – And let’s not talk about sleep. What the hell is that? I’m blessed to have a Fiance that supports his family to the death. We don’t have a lot, but we have each other. A lot of you all can’t say the same about your partners. To have a “baby daddy” who is sixteen years of age is psycho. You know girls mature faster than boys. You remember being on the playground running from Jimmy with the booger on his finger? Well at 16, it’s about the same mental capacity. Just trade the booger for a penis. I hear you all have a new member to welcome to the club. This is an interesting twist – 19 year old Dominican model beauty Rose Cordero has recently announced that she’s been knocked up. Congratulations and a welcome basket are not in order here. Sure, she’s the “it” girl in fashion right now. Her biggest achievement to date has been becoming the first solo “black” model to grace the cover of French Vogue. She’s a millionaire – or at least a “hundred-thousandaire” who I’m sure is more than capable of providing for a child… But can she provide for that child mentally being a child herself? I don’t think so ladies. Be young! Have fun! Live your lives, and wait to have your kids. Sincerely, Kesha C of WeGotKidz.

MY REVIEW:

RECENT POSTS:
--Stumble Saturdays – 9 Types of Crappy Handshakes
--Dinosaur Wearing Weirdo? Not MY son
--Video of the Week! ❤ Beyonce’s Fake Baby Bump??
--BET’s “Reed Between the Lines”…hmm
--Getting Down & Dirty With Diapers
--Teen Pregnancy Is Awesome! WTF?

_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

Retro Reviews #16: Eyes For Lies

2011-10-16T01:21:00.000-06:00

Sam Thompson
Diena Thompson talks to Chris Cuomo
Alex Martin is Nick Francisco
LA Times: Edwards is Engaged
Perhaps its not Jarred Harrell

We Got Kidz (parenting)

2011-10-15T21:04:00.006-06:00

Teen Pregnancy Is Awesome! WTF?

A letter to Teen Mom’s who think it’s cool: Dear Teen Mothers, Okay, so what’s up with this whole teen pregnancy craze? I’m not one to judge, I mean things happen. I understand… But the way that it’s been glamorized in the media lately is just plain weird. 16 and Pregnant? Teen Mom? WTF?? It’s not cool to get pregnant prematurely ladies. I mean you’re a kid for cryin’ out loud! I waited until I was thirty to birth some babies and some days I still don’t know if I was ready for what I signed up for: loss of freedom, and certain luxuries – And let’s not talk about sleep. What the hell is that? I’m blessed to have a Fiance that supports his family to the death. We don’t have a lot, but we have each other. A lot of you all can’t say the same about your partners. To have a “baby daddy” who is sixteen years of age is psycho. You know girls mature faster than boys. You remember being on the playground running from Jimmy with the booger on his finger? Well at 16, it’s about the same mental capacity. Just trade the booger for a penis. I hear you all have a new member to welcome to the club. This is an interesting twist – 19 year old Dominican model beauty Rose Cordero has recently announced that she’s been knocked up. Congratulations and a welcome basket are not in order here. Sure, she’s the “it” girl in fashion right now. Her biggest achievement to date has been becoming the first solo “black” model to grace the cover of French Vogue. She’s a millionaire – or at least a “hundred-thousandaire” who I’m sure is more than capable of providing for a child… But can she provide for that child mentally being a child herself? I don’t think so ladies. Be young! Have fun! Live your lives, and wait to have your kids. Sincerely, Kesha C of WeGotKidz.

Retro Review #15: Wendy Knits

2011-10-15T01:20:00.001-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Ann Currie

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: Wendy Knits

WEB ADDRESS: www.wendyknits.net

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Running commentary on knitting with advice, free patterns, and Lucy the WonderCat.

MY REVIEW: A blog that follows a knitter and her cat Lucy through their daily life. She mentions friends, interviews a peer who has recently published a book, talks about projects she is working on, and new products she has found. It is a well written blog that stays on track with her life around knitting with just enough of her personal life to keep it interesting. (It is a great resource.)

If I were a knitter, I would be a reader, but alas I lack this talent. The author posts frequently, almost every day, and has been doing so since 2002.

RECENT ARTICLES:

Busy Day
Happy Birthday Lucy
An Interview with Crazy Aunt Pearl
What Today has been Like
Let it Snow

-------
Ann Currie publishes My Life a Bit South of Normal
and also, Silver Pieces: The Strange and Peculiar

Retro Review #14: Sarah and the Goon Squad

2011-10-14T01:16:00.001-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Ann Currie
MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: Sarah and the Goon Squad

WEB ADDRESS: www.sarahandthegoonsquad.com

BLOG DESCRIPTION: twins, parenting, humor

MY REVIEW: Ok, here is a mom with twin 5-year-olds. Now, you have to understand that this winter has been a B*&^% for those living in DC which is where she resides. They have had snow upon snow upon snow. I cannot imagine continually being housebound with 5 year old twins, but Sarah has done it and lived to blog about it.

The author is a good writer with a dry wit. She stays on course - focused on what is going on with her life. I especially like her comment about a rumor that there was a run on Spam at Costco causing her to question if it were a snow storm or a nuclear holocaust. She posts frequently with pictures. Great blog.

RECENT ARTICLES:

An incomplete list of things I do not understand
Again
Reading teacher of the year, right here
Snowpocalypse now
Beware: The winter storm cometh

---------
Ann Currie publishes My Life a Bit South of Normal www.abitsouthofnormal.com/
and also, Silver Pieces: The Strange and Peculiar strangeandpeculiarsilver.blogspot.com/

Retro Review #13: Talking Films

2011-10-13T01:15:00.001-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: Talking Films

WEB ADDRESS: www.talkingfilms.net

BLOG'S DESCRIPTION: The site talks about movies from all across the world.

MY REVIEW: The author is an Indian, Prem Shashi. His writing reflects the fact that English is not his first language. It’s very, very good…very verbose, and with just occasionally the incorrect – but closely matching – word. Occasionally some missing punctuation – but nothing too distracting.

For example:

Enda Walsh is critically known for his work on the film Hunger. He is right now in line to write a screenplay based on the life of Nazi extermination camp commander Franz Stangl, according to the Australian Press.

Stangl was a senior assault leader for Hitler’s SS and a commander of two Nazi extermination camps who was infamous for his quick rise to power, ruthless leadership and consequent alcoholism.

(And just to be clear – “Enda Walsh is critically known for his work on the film Hunger,” would be better as “Enda Walk is known for his work on the critically successful film Hunger,” (critically in this context meaning “the critics”).

And “and consequent alcoholism” – I’m pretty sure he means “subsequent alcoholism.”

Nevertheless, this slight problem with the language is a minor detail. The author is clearly very knowledgeable on films and shares lots of good info. The actual site, http://www.talkingfilms.net., also includes videos of trailers, but if you don’t have time to check the site daily, having the info delivered to you on Kindle makes sense.

RECENT ARTICLES:

Hunger co-writer Enda Walsh on Nazi film
Bigelow gets a Miraculous Project next
Tom Hanks is all set to remake Summer Hours
Gwyneth Paltwo infects Contagion
Trailer watch: Zoe Kazan explodes on screen

Retro Review #12: Hawaii Vacation Blog

2011-10-12T01:13:00.001-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: Hawaii Vacation Blog

WEB ADDRESS: www.blogcatalog.com/blog/explore-hawaii

BLOG DESCRIPTION: An adventure blog to guide you to all the hotspots on the islands of Hawaii. Hop onboard and follow the tracks of the Trailblazer Travel Book authors.

OUR REVIEW: Ah, how I’d love to be in Hawaii right now. It’s not in the cards however, so the Hawaii Vacation Blog is a nice substitute. It’s written by people who actually live in and have traveled throughout all the Hawaiian islands. (Just as a point of interest, the Big Island of Hawaii is not actually the one people think about when they think of Hawaii, that’d be Oahu, on which is located Honolulu. Just in case you don't know that!)

RECENT ARTICLES:

Staying on Oahu
Guide Me (uninformative title for an entry about the Big Island
The Once and Present Place to Be – Mauna Lani Resort
Lyon Arboretum – it’s grrreeat!
Some enchanted evening article on the Fairmont Orchid Hotel

Retro Review #11: TV Snob

2011-10-11T01:12:00.000-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: TV Snob

WEB ADDRESS: www.tvsnob.com

BLOG DESCRIPTION: TV Snob - The weblog for exclusive news & reviews of tvs and tv technology.

MY REVIEW: I’m not interested in the technological aspects of television myself, but if you are, you’ll probably enjoy TV Snob. It’s published by the same people (Blogpire Productions), who publish Candy Snob, but the difference is this one is updated on a daily basis.

It is updated Regularly (Unlike other Blogpire Blogs). If you are in to entertainment technology, this is the blog for you.

These are simply reviews of different TVs and Accessories (No personal insight). Same stuff you will find on the internet, but compiled in one spot.

RECENT ARTICLES:

•JVC media player eats SD cards and that’s it.
•Sony BDP-S470 3D Blu-ray player shipping this month
•InFocus SP8602 home theater projector shipping
•BenQ V2200 monitor sports 10,000,000: 1 contrast ration
•Netflix Watch Instantly going 1080p, 5.1-channel surround sound.

Retro Review #10: Tales of an Amputee Mommy

2011-10-10T01:11:00.000-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

OUR RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: Tales of an Amputee Mommy

WEB ADDRESS: amputeemommy.blogspot.com

BLOG'S DESCRIPTION: I am a 35 year old below the knee amputee. I am also the Mommy to an extremely active 3 year old little boy. I have learned volumes since my amputation five years ago. Being a parent with a disability can be isolating for both parent and child. I am hoping to share my experiences through humor so that other disabled parents know that they are not alone.

OUR REVIEW: Tales of an Amputee Mommy is a very good blog, and an inspirational one as well. Its author, Peggy, is 35 years old. Eight years ago, she was involved in an accident that crushed her left foot. After a year or so of constant and excruciating pain, she decided to have her foot amputated. She is now fitted with a prosthetic device, and she and her husband have a three year old son.

Here’s some info from her website about the trauma of amputation:

I don't want to simplify the work necessary to recover emotionally from an amputation. It was not an easy journey. My surgeon recognized the depression and body issues and set up counseling sessions with a specialist in the field. Unfortunately, the insurance company denied the request stating that the amputation was "elective" and that I, therefore, shouldn't have emotional issues.

I was forced to maneuver through the transformation without expert guidance. I struggled with my identity as an amputee, and as an amputee woman. It took years before I could look in a full length mirror and not tear up. Although I believe I have worked through the pain and the issues, I still have bouts of "the amputation blues."

Peggy speaks of her life with a prosthetic leg, of her joy in taking care of her son, and the joy she and her husband have together, and the joy of family. Her stories will warm your heart every day (much more so than a “joke a day” would ever do.)

RECENT ARTICLES:

Retro Review #9: The Hermitage

2011-10-09T01:10:00.001-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Ms Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: The Hermitage

WEB ADDRESS: www.hermitblog.com

BLOG DESCRIPTION: This website chronicles the building of my home, The Hermitage. There’s tons of information here, including:
•resources for those who are interested in building their own homes.
•weather at The Hermitage and surrounding area
•lots of photos
•my milestones in construction of this wonderful place
•and the day by day ramblings in my blog.

MY REVIEW: The Hermit lives completely off the grid – his home is solar powered, and the resources include solar powered ones. (Once the concrete slab for his home was poured, all electricity to power tools has been generated by the sun). For anyone interested in solar power or alternative energy and how it can apply to your lives, you’ll enjoy this blog.

RECENT ARTICLES:

•Fort Garland for Sweethearts: Fort Garland is a popular pizza place in the area, having a Valentine’s Day special
•Foggy Morning: A photo and commentary on a foggy day
•Local food: a discussion of San Luis Valley – the “breadbasket of Colorado” – and how stores in the area ship produce from other locations.
•Building materials: He gives a plug to Jim’s Post Commissary, where he purchases all the basics for building his home and the La Jara Trading Post – a huge hardware store.

On travel til Wednesday

2011-10-08T17:29:00.001-06:00

I'm visiting elderly relatives in Box Elder, SD who do not have internet.

Will try to sneak out now and again to an internet cafe to post, but more than likely will not be posting until Wedneday.

(Retro reviews post regardless)

Retro Review #8: Deal Book

2011-10-08T01:09:00.001-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Deal Book

WEB ADDRESS: http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Daily news on mergers & acquisitions, I.P.O.'s, venture capital and more. Edited by Andrew Ross Sorkin

MY REVIEW: An excellent blog for investors and those interested in the financial future of the country... told from the New York Times' point of view!

Some sample paragraphs:

The long-awaited opinion in the Selectica case came out this week from Delaware Chancery Court. Vice Chancellor John W. Noble, in the 71-page opinion, validated the Selectica board’s decision to adopt a net operating loss poison pill and permit this pill to be set off after Versata intentionally crossed the pill’s threshold.

The facts of the case are frankly odd. They arose out of Versata’s acquisition of 5.2 percent of Selectica and Versata’s accompanying offer to acquire Selectica. (Both companies produce business software.) In response, Selectica adopted a low-threshold net operating loss poison pill that would be triggered when someone acquired 4.99 percent of its stock, rather than the more typical 15 percent trigger. Versata was exempted from this threshold to the extent that it did not subsequently acquire Selectica shares

RECENT ARTICLES:
-GE Disputes Incident in Paulson’s Book
-Citi Still Has Competive Pay, CFO Says
-Philip Morris to Buy Back $12 Billion in Shares
-Another View: Why Privacy Matters to the Swiss
-AIG Lines Up Underwriters for AIA Offering

Retro Review #7: Crooks and Liars

2011-10-07T01:08:00.000-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Crooks and Liars

WEB ADDRESS: http://crooksandliars.com

BLOG DESCRIPTION: This "Coulter-free Zone" blog is founded by John Amato and features political and other current events commentary by liberals and progressives for liberals and progressives. It frequently references The Daily Show, Hardball, and Countdown with Keith Olbermann

MY REVIEW: The blog may be intended for liberals and progressives but I as a Republican find it interesting as well. Indeed, anyone who is at all interested in the political process (and we all need to be, these days) will find it instructive to read blogs on both sides of the aisle – those from liberals and progressives aka Democrats, and those from Republicans, whom Amato apparently considers to be “crooks and liars.” (Truth be told, all politicians of either party are “crooks and liars” – that’s what’s so depressing about what should be the greatest government in the world… - but we as people are to blame for allowing these crooks and liars to remain in power.)

So, regardless of your political affiliation, this is a good blog to read. It cost $1.99 a month rather than 99 cents of most blogs.

RECENT ARTICLES:
-Sen. Kyl: Unemployment Benefits A 'Job Disencentive'
-Utah legislator who wants to criminalize miscarriages is a Glenn Beck '912er' and Tea Party fan
-Dana Bash: It Could Take a Couple of Weeks for Democrats to Work Around Bunning's Obstruction
-McCain: I'll Cut Deficits Like Reagan!
-Jim Bunning's hold is also killing "flood insurance"

Retro Review #6: The Comics Curmudgeon

2011-10-06T01:07:00.000-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: The Comics Curmudgeon

WEB ADDRESS: http://joshreads.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Do like the comics? Do you like making fun of the comics? Of course you do! Read the Comics Curmudgeon for all this and more.

MY REVIEW: I heartily recommend The Comics Curmudgeon, if you like to read the daily comics (for whatever reason. I read some of them because they’re so bad they’re good, for example, and that seems to be the reason the Comics Curmudgeon reads them, as well.

Rather than the Comics Cavern, which is – I guess – focused on independent comic books, The Comics Curmudgeon is strictly concentrated with the newspaper comic strip page (strips that you can read online at such locations as http://news.yahoo.com/comics

(My own favorites (favorites because they are good, not because they are "so bad they are good!") are Brewster Rockit and Rip Haywire. I wish my own strip, The Lady and the Tiger (about a woman pilot), was represented. Well…perhaps one day.

RECENT ARTICLES:
-Metapost: Attitude adjusting comments of the week! (Mary Worth)
-He’s got legs, and he knows he should hide them (Beetle Bailey and others)
-The Miller Party — and, oh, what a party it will be (Beetle Bailey and others including Judge Parker)
-Frolicmania: Day two (Archie, Mary Worth, Gil Thorp)
-PULL THE TRIGGER MARY (Mary Worth)

Retro Review #5: Financial Armageddon

2011-10-05T01:06:00.001-06:00

Reviewed by: Ms. Cairo

Recommendation: YES

URL: http://www.financialarmageddon.com/

Amazon Subscription page Financial Armageddon:

Blog description: Insights on debt, derivatives, government guarantees, the retirement system, and the coming economic unraveling

This blog is found in the Business and Investing category. It provides a gloomy view of investing, and it's a must read.

Sample post:
July 21, 2010

'Anyway You Cut It - Sales Just Aren’t Cutting It'
As a long-time market-watcher, I get a kick out of those countless Wall Street "experts" who focus so slavishly on "the number." You know, earnings per share, or EPS: the manipulated, expectations-managed data point that "analysts" view as their raison d'etre.

Even though it's been obvious for years that corporate America, including companies like Apple and IBM, are playing these fools guys (and gals) like a finely-tuned fiddle, the highly-paid Wall Street types still seem totally clueless about what's going on.

During ordinary times, a racket like this is simply a source of amusement; now, though, when it's more important than ever for people to have an accurate read on where things stand, the beat-the-number scam is a pathetically cynical joke.

However, if somebody actually takes the time to look at data that might be a tad more relevant to the decision-making process, they will likely reach the same conclusion as Bloomberg BusinessWeek's Investing Insights blog does in "No Sales Means No Jobs Means No Recovery":

Last week U.K. scientists determined which came first: the chicken or the egg? They claim it was the chicken. But the Wall Street version is which comes first, Sales or Jobs, is still open. Consumers don’t want to spend because they don’t feel comfortable about the future, specifically the economy and their job; companies won’t expand - add to plants, spend on capital expenditure, hire workers (full or part time, even extending hours) until their sales pick up. From the company’s viewpoint, why invest to produce more when you aren’t even selling everything you are making now, especially if their earnings are doing well (not to mention they have more cash on hand then at anytime in history). From the consumer’s side, even those who feel secure with their job are watching their bottom line, and money remains tight (and don’t even look at your retirement holdings or benefits). So how do you break the downward cycle of ‘I won’t spend’ therefore ‘I won’t build’? For starters there were the jump start stimulus programs. But here we are trillions later and no jobs. Maybe it would have been worse, maybe we just need more stimuli or maybe we’re just feeding a junkie. Pick a theory, stand at Broad and Wall and preach it. But whatever we’re doing, wherever we are in the process, it hasn’t worked yet, and Americans aren’t known for their patience. So if we don’t start to see some actual improvements soon the tie goes to the down side, and time is not on our side. I’m not looking for a home run, just someone on base would be nice - something to root for.

The above commentary is mine of course, and not part of my earnings review below, but the two do appear to be blending. Maybe I need to step back and look for bias in my reporting, or maybe a 38% increase in earnings isn’t the whole story.

As of last night we had 24.9% of the Q2 earnings reported. So far, the Q2 2010 earnings results are encouraging at first glance. Based on the issues that have actually reported, earnings are 14.5% ahead of estimates, with 65.8% of the issues beating their estimate. Sales, however, are a different story. While 73.4% of the issues have beaten their sales estimate, the “beat” is only slight, with the overall aggregate sales coming in 4.4% ahead of estimates - far less than the 14.5% for earnings. The earning growth over last year’s Q2 2009 is equally impressive, with earnings 38.4% ahead (excluding Citigroup which had a massive loss last year), but sales are a disappointing 6.7% ahead. Anyway you cut it - sales just aren’t cutting it.

I believe comparisons should focus on quarter-over-quarter results to determine the recovery’s progress, as well as the underlying momentum of the economy. And since I believe jobs are number one, and given that companies are generally in good financial shape with excess cash so they can ride out any short term disruption, I look to sales as a future indicator. On this basis, earnings are running ahead of Q1 2010, but sales are flat, and that’s the problem. It’s great that companies have improving earnings, but those improvements are due to high margins, which were the product of cost cuts - specifically job reductions, the very thing that we need to improve now. Until companies and consumers start to spend more, the job front will not get better, but they won’t spend more until they believe things are getting better. The stimulus programs were suppose to jump start the economy and break the downward cycle by convincing both groups that better times were here. But so far we’re not seeing the sales or the jobs; but earnings are good, at least for now.

Latest posts--Safe, or sorry: Americans investing in municipal bonds. They *used* to be safe, but now more and more cities are in danger of defaulting.
--No Wonder Americans Are Pessimistic: job news isn’t really as good as its been portrayed
--The Next Phase of my Evaluation: Michael Panzer points out that Greenspan, Paulson and Greenspan are not economic experts.
--A Secular Shift: The recession has battered the US economy, but the lobbying industry is humming along in the nation’s capital, even for companies that have shed thousands of jobs in the past year.

Retro Review #4: Improve Your General Knowledge in your Leisure Time

2011-10-03T01:05:00.001-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: Improve Your General Knowledge in Leisure Time!

WEB ADDRESS: gklt.blogspot.com

BLOG DESCRIPTION: It provides readers with information that people should know as their general knowledge; the knowledge that is well known or must be known by everyone. This blog is to help people establish their common framework in a social context to know general items in various areas of social life, science, business, technology, art, sport, universe, creatures, etc. It presents the information in an easy way to read, memorize (also to improve memory) and self-test. So readers could improve their general knowledge while enjoying their leisure time.

MY REVIEW: Each entry in Improve Your General Knowledge is simply a piece of trivia.

For example:

Jeopardy: The American quiz show featuring trivia in topics such as science, literature, history, music, culture, sports, etc.

Cold Mountain: wounded soldier, Inman, leaves the Civil War and walks home to his sweetheart Ada in Charles Frazier’s book: Cold Mountain.

The Falkland Islands: IN 1842, the British made Stanley the capital of the Falkland Islands of Argentina.

Well, the trivia is interesting, and it can certainly act as a spring board to do further research, should you find one of the trivia pieces is interesting.

I just wish that each piece of trivia would actually give a bit more information. Two paragraphs are better than one!

RECENT ARTICLES:

Retro Review #3: Cessna Warbirds

2011-10-02T01:04:00.000-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES, with reservations

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: Cessna Warbirds

WEB ADDRESS: www.cessnawarbirds.com

BLOG DESCRIPTION: History of the 12,000+ Cessnas sold by military air arms worldwide since World War II. Book excerpts. Articles. Artwork. Military Cessna flight manuals.

MY REVIEW: If you go into the archives (on the web), there are some great and informative articles (about 3-5 a month for 2009).

As an aviation enthusiast (my own aviation blog is - You Fly Girl: Women in Aviation), I was looking forward to learning about Cessna Warbirds, from this blog by Walt Shiel. He’s the author of the book, Cessna Warbirds, as well as T-41 Mescalero, Cessna Warbirds Vol. 1, Devil in the North Woods (Novel) and Pilots and Normal People.

Unfortunately, his blog is not updated as frequently as I would wish - although the last update was February 17, 2010, so I've moved him from the inactive file into the active file.

FYI, Shiel has another blog, www.waltshiel.com, entitled View From The Publishing Trenches, about publishing, which makes for interesting reading also.

RECENT ARTICLES:

Cessna Built Gliders
Tweet, Skymaster, DC-3 News
Cessna Bird Dog Woes

Retro Review #2: My Life A Bit South of Normal

2011-10-01T01:02:00.001-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: My Life a Bit SOuth of Normal

WEB ADDRESS: www.abitsouthofnormal.com

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Every once in awhile I stop and ask myself, "I don't think everyone lives this way." In fact, "I don't think anyone else lives this way." I have an ordinary existence with an insane extraordinary cast of characters. When I think about it, I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried. Yes, folks it's all true, and it could only happen in the south.

MY REVIEW: The author of the blog, who updates it every couple of days, is a 50-year old southerner who lives in the Deep South. I believe this means, South Carolina. (I’m from Minnesota, for all that I currently live in Virginia.) Most regions of the US (or indeed, of any country) have different traditions, menus and so on, as does every generation. (I’ve read about collards in books, for example, but I’ve never felt the need to dine on them. Sufficient to know that in the Deep South they are still a traditional dish!)

If you’re interested in people, you’ll enjoy these entertaining and amusing, and culturally-instructive anecdotes.

RECENT ARTICLES:

Reading Clive Cussler (annotations)

2011-09-30T11:11:00.002-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Reading Clive Cussler

WEB ADDRESS: http://readingclivecussler.blogspot.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Clive Cussler is the author of dozens of action/adventure/techno thriller books. One series features the famous Dirk Pitt, another the Oregon Files, another the NUMA files, another features treasure hunters Sam and Remi Fargo, and so on.

Most of these books feature prologues from the past, and the future adventure ties in artifacts from those past prologues to the present day.

How much of those historical events are fiction and how much fact?

For that matter, can a submarine really go 125 knots submerged? Did Napoleon really have a horse named Sytrie? Just how does an echo sounder work?

In this blog, I go through all of Cussler's books --in chronological order --and annotate them.

Blog is updated two or three times a week.

MY REVIEW: There's a saying - guys won't read books written for women (chick lit) but women will read books written for men and women. Such it is with Clive Cussler. I've read some of his stuff myself. I find his treatment of female characters rather annoying in the Dirk Pitt series, but I enjoy the books overall because of the formula - the historic artifacts from the past having importance in the present day.

But these are techno-thrillers, and what do most women know about types of airplanes, types of weapons, not to mention military history. But really, in these weak, piping times, how many guys know that stuff, either?

Instead of just glossing over these things, now readers can know exactly what these weapons are (if they really exist) and so on, thanks to the annotations being made in this blog.

The author has started out chronologically with two sereies - the first Dirk Pitt written (though not the first one published) and the first Sam and Remi Fargo book.

Only a couple of pages are annotated in each entry, so it's going to take a long time to get through each book, nevertheless the info is fascinating and I highly recommend this blog.

RECENT POSTS:
--Spartan Gold: Grand St. Bernard Pass and more
--Pacific Vortex: Maiden trial and more
--Spartan Gold: Napoleon's Reserve Army and more
--Pacific Vortex: Nuclear marine Starbuck and more
--Spartan Gold: Horse known as Styrie and more
--Pacific Vortex: Mutiny on the Bounty and more
_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

African American Books on the Kindle

2011-09-30T10:51:00.004-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: African American Books on the Kindle, by VaLinda Miller

WEB ADDRESS: http://africanamericanbooksonthekindle.blogspot.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Sure there are many African American Books on the Kindle, but you want to cut your search time in half and some of you want urban, street and erotic and laugh until you mess on yourself! That's my job to give you what you want at a cheap price!

MY REVIEW: As the title states, this blog reviews, or mentions, books targeted towards African Americans. That doesn't mean anybody else can't read them. Indeed, it's interesting to read books targeted towards particular groups, to see all sides of the spectrum.

The author starts out each blog entry with a little bit about her personal life, giving us a connection with her, before going on to either review a book or to provide book titles and summaries (and links to Amazon.)

Check it out.

Sample post:

We Need Some Comedy
Hey, we got a day off of work today. That’s only for government and Bank employees. I think the Post Office is closed too but don’t remember who else is off. I’m just glad to have a day off. We should celebrate, but who is in the mood. With so many people without a job and I’m blessed to have two jobs and it still amazes me that many people cannot find a job. I know, I know, there are lines every where you see on TV or the news and I feel for them. I know what it is like to be without a job. I also know that you take what every job you can until you find the job you want. I also know that making minimum wage, I think it's $7.25 (that's what I'm getting at the part time job) is not enough to fee and clothed one parent and one kid. It's just awful how hard it is to buy the necessities on such low salary. I just know.

I left a good government job when I got married the first time (Oh, yeah, I did forget to mention that I was married before, he died and no I did not kill him!!!) and left to live in Spokane, Washington. Why you ask? I had a best friend who was station out there and my husband at the time was not able to find a good job. So we packed up and drove from Washington, DC to Spokane, we took his nephew who was, can you believe it, 5 years older than him. It was a long ass drive, but we figure we were not in a hurry so we took two weeks to get there. It was fun at times and a few times I knew I saw some KKK in Montana and Idaho. Got to a small town in Idaho to stop for some food. We entered the “diner” and noticed that we were the only black people there. I got scared, but hubby and nephew said we needed to eat. Didn't see a got damn McDonald's for miles. We sat at the counter and ordered, hoping like hell that we would not be hung or food thrown at us or something worse. The waitress and a few other “white” people surrounded us and I knew we were going to be killed. The time was 1984 and even though there may have, I mean “may have” been some racial harmony, I was not going to take or feel any chances. The first young white guy asked where were we heading and my hubby told him Spokane. Remember, this is Idaho, not country talk, but it sounded like country talk with a twang. The waitress asked, hold on now, if we were the “Cosby” family because I looked like Claire. I'm not kidding. I told her no and she was a bit disappointed, but told me, “We don’t get many people like you guys here,” maybe a truck drive now and then, but no black people.” “You kinda of friendly so what would you like.” Jesus!! I just knew I was in some crazy horror movie, but knew I was awake too!. We ordered and they (more white folks surrounded us) continued to ask us questions about DC and our travels. It was completely surreal and if you can believe it, the food was good and they would not let us pay for it. They told us they enjoyed out company. In the back of my mind I'm thinking we will leave the "Psycho Dinner" and end up in some slaughter house waiting to be cooked. We “haul assed” out to the car and I took over the driving this time and left Idaho. That placed scared me and after I looked back when we left, it appeared to be some “Texas Chain Saw Massacre” diner with a big old, fat, slimy and greasy white man staring at me. Too weird, just too weird that I remembered it. Ding Dong!!, I won't be having any dreams tonight.

Lets get to some books, I need to laugh and so do you.

ERIC JEROME DICKEY - SISTER, SISTER - $7.99 - - - It takes guts for a male writer to tackle the trials and tribulations of upwardly mobile African American women. So, let’s see how he does. Southern California sisters Valerie and Inda are close. Fair-skinned Valerie is the younger of the two and takes after their white mother in appearance. After six years of a lousy marriage to Walter, she knows she's miserable but doesn't know any role other than that of a satellite eternally in orbit around her husband. Inda, who inherited their father's dark skin and features, has a stable career, but a divorce from her white husband has made her pessimistic about men of any color, a situation exacerbated by flagrant evidence of her current lover's infidelities. Inda meets Chiquita, a young flight attendant, whom she instinctively likes, and their friendship is cast when they discover they both have been simultaneously deceived by Raymond, who is engaged to a third woman. Chiquita is drawn into the girls' tight-knit family as she falls for their brother, Brown, and learns something from them about courage and love. In recovering from their individual disappointments, Valerie, Inda and Chiquita risk new relationships, strengthened by one another's humor, candor and understanding. I enjoyed this book due to it’s humor and the relationships, bad and good, of Valerie, Inda and Chiquita. It’s made me a laugh too!

ERIC JEROME DICKEY - FRIENDS AND LOVERS - $7.99 Paperback - - - Tyrel, whose twin sister MyeGYN nurse, have fallen for each other big-time. It takes Tyrel and the outspoken, harder-edged Shelby, a flight attendant (who hates being called a ``stewardess''), a little longer, but after a rocky start they too find in each other what they've been searching for. Los Angeles seems at first a paradise for the foursome as they enthusiastically hit the beaches, comedy clubs, restaurants, and discos. Then a massive misunderstanding destroys Tyrel and Shelby's romance, leading them to move to San Francisco and San Diego, respectively; by this time, Leonard and Debra are happily married and frustrated with their best friends' inability to resolve their differences. It takes tragedy on a grand scale to reunite lovers destined for each other and to teach both couples that friendship is perhaps the most valuable gift they've been given. With four characters taking turns offering snippets of the story, it's sometimes hard to keep track of who's talking, but stick with the story, Dickey does know how to keep it real and funny.
Friends and Lovers

LURMA RACKLEY - LAUGH IF YOU LIKE, AIN’T A DAMN THING FUNNY: THE LIFE STORY OF RALPH “PETEY” GREENE AS TOLD TO LURMA RACKLEY - $31.99 Hardback - - - I know the price of the book is high, but if you were born and raised in Washington, DC and a bit older, over 35 I suspect, then you may or may not remember listening to the radio station WOL’s show Moonman. Petey green was the only black man, at that time, who could say what we wanted to say and everyone listen. I remembered my mother, while working at Walter Reed Hospital with my grandmother and great aunt, coming home and talking about the black men in the hospital just arriving from Vietnam, the Korean War and how they got hooked on drugs and alcohol. They also talked about their youth growing up in Georgetown (it’s now all white), Howard University Hospital, which was called, Freedman’s Hospital in the 1800s, which served freed, disabled and aged blacks and their love of Petey Green. I did not listen to him, but I know about him from them. It was our black history living in DC with GoGo music and funk. Petey Greene died before the book was completed and his funeral was the largest in the history of DC for anyone who was not elected to office, but I’m sure Lurma has done a great job. If you never heard him you can see a movie on his life with Don Cheadle called, “TALK TO ME” which was directed by an African American woman, Kasi Lemmons. Who also directed “EVE’S BAYOU” with that crazy ass Samuel L.Jackson, Jurnee Smollett and my girl Lynn Whitfield (Do you remember her in “Madea’s Family Reunion” and “A Thin Line Between Love and Hate with Martin Lawrence). I can go on forever about connections to books and movies, but you need to get this book and those movies. Halluyah!!

TYLER PERRY - DON’T MAKE A BLACK WOMAN TAKE OFF HER EARRINGS: MADEA’S UNINHIBITED COMMENTARIES ON LOVE AND LIFE - $11.99 - - - I don’t think there’s more to say. It’s “hilarious”

CARL WEBER - THE CHOIR DIRECTOR - $8.99 (It went down a $1.00) - - - I’m here to tell you, that man knows how to tell a story. I read the second in this series, THE FIRST LADY - $4.47 The First Lady, just to get a better knowledge of Bishop T.K. Wilson, who I think is one of the best characters in novels around. He has the looks and intelligent of a man of the cloth, but still a man with some serious needs in the bedroom just like any other man. Second book is about his wife coming back from the dead to help him find a new wife. The women in this book, scared the living day lights out of me. It has been a long time since I’ve read about so many evil-minded and venomous bitches to get a man and his church. Then I read his newest one. Took the woman’s hair our by mixing the woman’s hair shampoo with Neet hair removal. Taking a sister down by accusing her, maybe a new boyfriend, of being a rapist. Stealing money from the church, yes I said it, stealing money from the church, even though that’s not really unusual in today’s society. Damn, are we woman that desperate for a man? Wo-cheggin!!!

I laughed so hard, my dog fell out of the bed and gave me a, “what the hell is wrong with you look,” and one of the best lines, let me set it up for you first. Mackie is getting it on with Sandra. Knock at door, Mackie hides Sandra in bedroom. The two men at the door are Bishop T. K. Wilson and Reverend Jenkins,. Bishop is offering Mackie a job and Reverend is a mentor to Mackie and his boss at their church. Mackie turns down the job offer and both men leave. Mackie goes back to finish “getting it on” with Sandra, but there’s another knock at the door, this time its just the Reverend. Mackie is thinking the Reverend is coming back to thank him for not taking the job, but my boy the Reverend pulls out a gun and accuses him of having an affair with his wife. Mackie lies and says no, but the Reverend knows he is lying because when he was there earlier with the Bishop, he saw his wife’s hat pushed into the sofa. Tells Mackie to show him where the wife is and they find her naked on the bed, she is shock and trying to cover her self with clothes and an excuse. The Reverend tells Mackie to take the job and leave town or he’s going to shoot him. Reverend smacks wife and knocks her off the bed, then says, “She may be a ho, but she’s my ho, bought and paid for.” Damn!!!

You have got to read to this book. If you want to laugh, take my word for it, Carl Weber can make you laugh. I’m glad I got a chance to meet him at Books A Million in Charleston and saw him again in Atlanta. He was funny and he still wants to own a McDonald's.” Side joke.

WANDA SYKES - YEAH, I SAID IT! - $10.99 - - - I’m not a big fan of hers, but some of the comments received about her book tells me I may need to get it. Let me know if you have read it or know someone who has. They say it’s hard to write comedy than do it on TV or a movie, that is probably why I would not buy the book because I rather see them in concert or on TV, but who knows, I'm not the expert.

CHRIS ROCK - ROCK THIS! - $10.00 Hardback - - - According to my sources, these are his routines and it’s funny.

CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER - GROWN-A$$ MAN - $6.50 Hardback - - -
I’m going to get this book because I did not know he had a book out. I love me some Cedric. Can’t go wrong with this guy!! Word!!!

Got to stick on one for Black History Year.
BERNIE MAC - I AIN’T SCARED OF YOU: BERNIE MAC ON HOW LIFE IS - $11.99 - - - I’m sorry that he passed away. I always thought he was one of those actors who could play anyone. He just had the gift of talking you into anything, especially with those big eyes.

I Ain't Scared of You: Bernie Mac on How Life Is

RECENT POSTS:
--National Book Festival In DC!!!
--Oh, art thy Book Fairs!!! Where have you been!!!
--Boy! There's just too many books!!!
--We Need some Comedy!!

_______________
New Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

Retro Review #1: Gun Nuts Media

2011-09-30T10:02:00.001-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: Gun Nuts Media

WEB ADDRESS: www.gunnuts.net

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Gun Nuts Media is one of the premier online sources for information on the shooting sports, new guns, gear, events. We also provide up to date coverage of political issues surrounding the right to keep and bear arms.

MY REVIEW: Gun Nuts Media is a blog that is newly available for subscription by Kindle, but has been around on the web since 2006 (at http://gunnuts.net). It’s found in the Sports section (where I found it) and also in News, Politics and Opinion.

The blog is for gun enthusiasts who like to target shoot, in various events, and secondarily about protecting people’s rights to bear arms. They also have a radio program.

The blog entries talk about everything gun related, from the laws about gun ownership to the individuals involved in the sport.

PERSONAL NOTE: I would love to take up target shooting as a hobby... if only ammunition weren’t so expensive! In any event, for those are in to target shooting and collecting guns and so on, this is an excellent blog.

RECENT ARTICLES:

Glock Sponsores USPSA Area 6. (2010 pistol shooting championship season, sponsored by the US Practical Shooting Association). Area 6 region includes states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee...

Indiana Residents: Contact Your State Senators: news of interest to gun owners who don’t want conceal laws messed with, nor give the government the right to confiscate their guns in the case of a national emergency...

FBI purchases AR-15s in .40 S&W (Smith & Wesson). From my buddy at the Firearm Blog; apparently the FBI has decided that hey, pistol caliber carbines are kind of a neat idea. According to the procurement document, the FBI wants these carbines for training and as option to the 5.56 AR15 rifles that they currently issue. The caliber makes sense as well, as the FBI’s standard issue firearms for Special Agents is usually a Glock 22 in .40 S&W. The FBI document actually mentions “easily sourced ammo” as a reason for going with the .40 S&W AR...

Revolver Boot Camp: Shooter Julia Golob has sent her S&W 627 V-Comp off to revolver boot camp at Apex Tactical to get slimmed and trimmed down for the upcoming ICORE season...

Kindle Navigation: How to go Back to A Book's First PAge

2011-09-30T09:58:00.002-06:00

For those who read books on your Kindle - and who doesn't?

To go to a book's first page:
Press the menu button. That's the one where you Turn Wireless Off or On (supposedly if you keep it turned off except while you're downloading books, it saves the battery), and can shop in the Kindle store.

On the MENU, you'll see:
Turn Wireless On
Shop In Kindle Store
Go To...

[If you're not in a book and you press the MENU button, there will be no "Go To..." choice. You have to be in a book for that option to appear.]

Choose "Go To" and you'll get another dialog box that will enable you to choose (using your 5 way controller) Cover, Table of Contents, Beginning, Location.

Toggle over to Beginning, press the 5-way controller down, and there ya go.

What's "location"? Note the numbers at the bottom right hand corner of a book. That's the "page number". If you want to skip ahead til nearly the end, say for example of a mystery book, just type in a number about 300 less than the last page, and that'll take you to near the end.)

Now, another couple of plus. ; )

I'm a writer of science fiction - check out my novella, The Coldest Equations: The Labyrinth Makers, and the novel, The Coldest Equations: The People Out There. Fun stuff!

And what blogs should you subscribe to?

Well, improve your mind, try my science blogs.

Go to the Kindle Store and search on:
Volcano Seven (sunken treasure)
Seaborn (oceanography)
Star Trek Report (space exploration)
Miniscule Guide to the American Civil War

or just do a search on Volcano Seven and you'll see *all* my blogs!

Retro Review: Fully Booked (New York Travel)

2011-09-26T09:30:00.000-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Ann Currie

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: Fully Booked

WEB ADDRESS: www.fullybooked.biz

BLOG'S DESCRIPTION: Events with an edge! In New York. Parties, press events, launches, shopping events and more! Trends in the party scene. And lifestyle tips. For those who are not invited. Get invited for free!

MY REVIEW: Bored in New York? No idea what to do? Where to go. . . here's your answer. This blog gives a daily post with a description of the event, the location, the time, and any other relevant information, often including a picture. Frequently web sites are listed and, although you cannot access them from the Kindle, you do have them for later reference. The events are interesting and run the gamut from the Fancy Food Show, a book signing at Williams Sonoma, Food & Wine from North Carolina, gallery openings, and happenings at Whole Foods just to name a few.

RECENT ARTICLES:

Wedding Salon and Dylans Candy Bar
Pistachio Hot Chocolate
Back Stage at New York's Fashion Week - Designer's Andy and Deb
Beard on Books

Chittle Chattle (general interest, parenting)

2011-09-21T20:16:00.003-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: N/A

WEB ADDRESS: http://chittlechattle.wordpress.com

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Calling a blog ‘Chittle Chattle’ gives me permission to talk about anything! No theme, just words and pictures. If you have time to leave a comment I’d love to hear from you.

MY REVIEW: A fun little blog about this, that and the other thing. If you like crafts, photography, and stories about parenting, you'll enjoy this blog. Check it out.

Sample post (photos used not included below):

The (im)perfect answer
Yesterday I told you that I was looking forward to some crafty time with my little grandson. Well, we did have fun, and here’s a bad photograph to show you how we got started.

This poor quality snap was taken without him realising, and it would have been impossible to do so later on in the session, so this is all you will get. The page is about a quarter of the way through, and he painstakingly completed it and then two more. Such concentration! He learnt the important difference between firm and gentle too, and I was amazed at how he continued with that during the whole exercise.

So, he now has a new journal – and proof that he can make purple, green and orange. He was delighted to see them transform before his eyes, and couldn’t wait to pass on the information to his little sister. She was more interested in his wellington boots, however, but did show some interest when told they were made from blue and yellow! (Again, apologies for the bad picture)

The comments on yesterday’s post posed an interesting point, and I’ll endeavour to throw some light on it.

Mike10613 said ‘I’m confused now. First I thought how does a television do all the colours when it relies on RGB (red-green-blue) as it’s primary colours. then I thought red and yellow make orange, but your red look pink to me. then I thought. Am I colour blind?’

Yes, television does use RGB, but we weren’t using technology. We were using pigments, and the primary pigments are red, yellow and blue. If you think about the inks printer use (which are used to produce colours on paper and not on a screen) – you will see magenta, cyan and yellow, magenta is a type of red, cyan a type of blue, and yellow – well, that’s yellow! LOL. So these are the types of colour we used. All these pigments can be combined to make the colours of the rainbow and more. They can be mixed to make the secondary colours, green, blue and purple (that’s by just mixing one with one of the others) or further mixed with both in varying quantities. Hopefully this helps with the question. If you need further clarification, just ask.

Incidently, every monitor interprets colour differently, so the colours that you see on the screen may not exactly match the colours we used.

RECENT POSTS:
--The (im)perfect answer
--The perfect question
--Open Wide
--Weekly photo challenge - faces

_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

Stories of My Wandering Feet & Mind (travel)

2011-09-18T09:55:00.002-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: N/A

WEB ADDRESS: http://yobynos.wordpress.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: My name is Sonyboy Fugaban – a proud Filipino, an accidental stenographer, a student, an adventurer/backpacker, a health buff, an educator, a parent, a blabbermouth, and a struggling servant of Mother Nature.

I appreciate and respect the Aura up in the sky, bodies of water, mountains, stars, and the creatures of kingdom animalia and plantae.

I gave rise to this blog to share the stories of my wandering FEET & mind and photos by point(ing)-&-shoot(ing) that gives air to the the many “hats” I wear and to promote the pulchritude of the Philippines, with whoever stumbles upon it.

When I set foot in the academe (as an instructor in college), I’ve noticed how important communication skill is that I needed to optimize it. Thanks to WordPress for giving me the excellent place to do that. I didn’t have formal lessons in writing so I am only trying to learn it by simply putting down my stories under the sun, from travels primarily to other stuff, that may also come in the form of notes, recollections, insights, or commentaries. I believe that doing so will help me develop better writing habits, improve my health, embrace my idiolect more and, of course, to become an effective communicator. The more my feet and mind wanders, the more I write; the more I learn to articulate the universal language.

After more than a year of blogging (since January 2010), the encouraging words from few readers gave me that extra challenge to do better. Moreover, now that one of my blog posts was featured on Freshly Pressed last 02 September 2011 to 05 September 2011.

P.S.

Let me impart my favorite travel quotes:

1. “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine

2. “Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe.” – Anatole France

3. “What you’ve done becomes the judge of what you’re going to do – especially in other people’s minds. When you’re traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don’t have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road. ” – William Least Heat Moon, Blue Highways

4. “One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller

5. “Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind – and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.” – Mark Jenkins

MY REVIEW: I just discovered this blog and I love it. Although I traveled a bit when I was younger, my traveling days are over and its all Armchair Adventuring for me from now on.

This blog satisfies the wanderlust.

RECENT POSTS:
--Weekly Photo Challenge: Faces
--I Touched The Sun — Literally!
--Weekly Photo Challenge: Textured
--Sinarapan, The World’s Smallest Commercial Extant Fish For My Favorite Breakfast
--Early Birthday Gift: Getting Featured on Freshly Pressed
--Weekly Photo Challenge: Path
--Chasing Skink
--The Wandering Feet and Mind On Post A Day/Week Question
--Weekly Photo Challenge: Up
--Weekly Photo Challenge: Flowers
--Neglected Simple Rules for Riding the Metro Rail Transit (MRT)
--Weekly Photo Challenge: Entrance
--Eyeballing Mr. Sunset at Bangued, Abra
--The Pristine Water Around Capones Island

_______________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

3 Star Trek blogs

2011-09-18T09:37:00.003-06:00

None of t hese blogs are on the Kindle, but they're all focused on Star Trek, Star Trek recently celebrated its 45th anniversary (on Sept 8, 2011) so I thought I'd share a few of these blogs today.

Soul of Star Trek: http://soulofstartrek.blogspot.com/

Welcome to Soul of Star Trek. Craig of Craig's List names it one of the top ten Star Trek blogs, Film Fresh names it as one of the top five. It's on the Guardian's top 10, Blogs.com's top 10, and at least one other top ten list. The Trek Movie site recommends it.

There are posts here about other science fiction, from 50s classic movies to Doctor Who and Firefly, H.G. Wells and Olaf Stapledon to Kim Stanley Robinson. Most wind up relating to what I feel is the soul of Star Trek in some way.

As for Trek itself, you might start with Star Trek origins posted for the 40th anniversary, or the Trekalog essays on the Star Trek feature films, or on one of the more popular TNG episodes, The Inner Light (with a comment by one of its writers.) I'm also partial to the posts on Encounter at Farpoint.

I've tried to make the labels useful, so I hope they can serve as good guides on your explorations. The Captain's Logs are generally newsier and more random. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy your orbits.

Star Trek Sci Fi Blog: http://startrekspace.blogspot.com/

Welcome to Star Trek Sci fi Blog. Star Trek is merged with real science and futuristic adventures which unites trekkie minds with hope for the future. Its not all going to end tomorrow with a big bang and a ka-boom.

Get warped with Star Trek within the galactic dimensions of Star Trek - Sci Fi Blog and you'll soon get wise to Star Trek worship.

Star Trek Prop, Costume & Auction Blog: http://startrekauction.blogspot.com/

The Internet's premier source for information on collecting Star Trek props and costumes, as well as coverage of all major Star Trek auctions from the famous 2006 Christie's Star Trek auction, through the It's A Wrap Star Trek auctions on eBay and the Propworx Star Trek auctions.

_______________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

Letters of Note (arts and entertainment)

2011-09-15T22:17:00.003-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: N/A

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.lettersofnote.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Letters of Note is an attempt to gather and sort fascinating letters, postcards, telegrams, faxes, and memos. Scans/photos where possible. Fakes will be sneered at. Updated every weekday. Edited by Shaun Usher.

MY REVIEW: This is an excellent blog if you're interested in a glimpse of the private lives of actors, directors, politicians or other people of note. Today's post provided a jpg of a letter Audrey Hepburn had sent to Henry Mancini, praising him for his work on the soundtrack for Breakfast at Tiffany's.

It's a lot of fun, check it out.

Sample post:

Star Trek castingIt could have been so different. From the archives of Paramount we have a memo - written in April of 1987 to the studio's Head of Network TV - detailing the acting talent then being considered for various roles in Star Trek: The Next Generation; a programme that would begin to grace the small screen just five months later. A few observations: at this juncture, Patrick Stewart was already a favourite for Picard, alongside Patrick Bauchau; Brent Spiner wasn't even being considered for the role he eventually took, as Data; a young man by the name of Wesley Snipes was in the running for the part of Geordi, a role ultimately filled by LeVar Burton but seemingly close to being taken by Reggie Jackson; Jenny Agutter at least read for the part of Beverly, and there was, as of yet, no sign of a certain Wil Wheaton, the youngster who eventually played her son, Wesley Crusher.

Transcript follows. Memo found at Slice of SciFi.

Recommended reading: Making of Star Trek, by Stephen E. Whitfield and Gene Roddenberry.

TO: JOHN PIKE
DATE: APRIL 13, 1987
FROM: JOHN FERRARO
SUBJECT: STAR TREK/Casting

Per your request, following is a list of actors who are being considered for their respective roles in STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION.

Picard
Patrick Stewart
Mitch Ryan
Roy Thinnes
Yaphet Kotto
Patrick Bauchau

Tasha
Lianne Langland
Julia Nickson
Rosalind Chao
Leah Ayers
Bunty Bailey

Data
Mark Lindsay Chapman
Eric Menyuk
Kevin Peter Hall (also for Geordi)
Kelvin Han Yee

Ryker
Michael O'Gorman
Gregg Marx
Jonathan Frakes
Ben Murphy

Geordi
LeVar Burton
Reggie Jackson
Tim Russ
Wesley Snipes
Victor Love
Chip McCallister
Clarence Gilyard Jr.
Kevin Peter Hall

Beverly
Anne Twomey
Jenny Augutter
Cheryl McFadden

Troi
Denise Crosby

Wesley
J.D. Roth

The above actors will be brought in to read for Gene Roddenberry starting next week. However, Patrick Bauchau did come in to read for Gene today for the role of "Picard." His reading was well received; he and Patrick Stewart seem to be the favorites for the role of "Picard."

For the role of "Ryker," Michael O'Gorman seems to be a favorite. He's sort of an atypical choice for the role, however, a good one.

Denise Crosby seems to be the only possibility for the role of "Troi" at this point; the same for J.D. Roth for the role of "Wesley."

There are several contenders for "Tasha," "Geordi," and "Data." However, Rosalind Chao seems to be a favorite for "Tasha"; Reggie Jackson for "Geordi"; and Mark Lindsay Chapman for "Data."

For the role of "Beverly," Cheryl McFadden is the favorite. However, her schedule may pose a problem. She's currently performing in a play in San Diego.

General reading sessions are continuing; our next one is on April 14.

cc: Jeff Hayes

RECENT POSTS:
+ Your pal, John K
+ Your friend, Conan
+ Pixar don't finish films
+ Most beautiful death
+ The Tiger Oil Memos
+ Slaughterhouse Five
+ My outstanding experience
+ Dear 8yr old Teresa
+ Okay, you lazy bitch
+ Idiot of the 33rd Degree
+ Favourite memo ever
+ Hang on, my love
+ A Personal Letter
+ Message from another world
+ STAR TREK/Casting

_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

Will be back on track soon

2011-09-12T16:16:00.002-06:00

Missed a few days due to the Sept 11 events, but will get my girdle in gear and get the reviews back on track starting tomorrow...

The Annoyed LIbrarian (arts and entertainment, literature)

2011-09-08T01:35:00.002-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: N/A

WEB ADDRESS: http://blog.libraryjournal.com/annoyedlibrarian/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: The Annoyed Librarian is possibly the most successful, respected, and desirable librarian of her generation. She has no other interest than to bring her wit and wisdom to the huddled librarian masses yearning to breathe free. The Annoyed Librarian is a free spirit and you are lucky to have her.

MY REVIEW:
I love the sense of humor that the Annoyed Librarian displays, and I love her writing. I also love the insight she gives into reading and public libraries, for all that sometimes her news is pretty damn depressing. (The percentage of folk who read is dropping every year....)

Highly recommended.

Sample post:

Reading is Hip
The AL often depends on the kindness of strangers, whether it’s obsessive stalkers who drive up blog traffic or kind readers who send great stories.

From one kind reader comes this delightful story from Chicago: Chicago Public Library’s ‘Library Lounge’ Nights Aim To Make Libraries Cool Again. Chicago, as you might know, is a toddlin’ town, the kind that Billy Sunday couldn’t shut down, and the Chicago Public Library wants to take advantage of that.

As part of a “Not What You Think” campaign (and by god you had better not think of books!), the CPL is heading to local bars to hand out library cards and tell “young, professional urbanites” all about the library. I think it would be better to host parties in the library itself, but maybe there’s a rule against that.

Having been a young, professional urbanite myself once upon a time – at least if you count librarianship as a profession – I can only applaud and approve. It’s a great idea to associate libraries with alcohol and good times.

I myself frequently sit on my balcony sipping wine and reading an improving book. Not today, of course, since the weather where I am is much too wet, but frequently.

However, while Lounge Nights might be a great idea, this story promoting them is pretty bad from beginning to end.

The title is just weird. When were libraries ever cool? If they were never cool, they certainly can’t be cool “again.” Isn’t the writer familiar with library stereotypes?

Sadly, I don’t think the writer is familiar with library anything, and as usual we have a news story promoting libraries written by someone who hasn’t set foot in one for decades.

For example, it begins, “If the last time you saw your library card was senior year of high school, then there’s a good chance it’s still tucked away in your “East of Eden” paperback.”

Huh? Maybe if the “young, professional urbanites” went to high school in the fifties or sixties, but which of them is likely to have read “East of Eden”?

We also find out that “In addition to having the opportunity to sign up for a library card, Chicago residents can also learn about the valuable resources available to them at CPL. Hint: it’s much more than the microfilm we all sifted through for term papers in the ‘90s.”

Again, huh? Did we all sift through microfilm for term papers in the ‘90s? Something tells me the writer’s experience with libraries is very limited.

To be fair, she’s most likely prompted by the CPL’s Director of Marketing, who tells us about the public library collection: “We get to show off the fact that we have popular music; you know, our music is not all classical, our movies aren’t all black and white from 1945.”

That’s pretty much been the case in libraries for decades, so this is hardly news to anyone who has used one. It also seems to imply that classical music and classic movies are somehow bad, or maybe just stuffy. Classical music is great, and classic films are way hipper than any library.

The marketing director naturally enough has to give out the standard promotional line for libraries these days: “we are kind of not what people originally thought; we are very relevant, we are hip.” We wouldn’t want people to think that libraries weren’t hip. That would be a tragedy.

Librarians have been saying that for decades, and nobody seems to be listening. Millions of people use public libraries, and even they probably don’t think libraries are hip.

The problem with a lot of library marketing (if marketing is really the word for it) is that it’s hard to market an incoherent brand, and librarians are doing all they can to confuse what used to be the most coherent brand of all.

What are libraries for? Reading. That’s why the ALA has those goofy posters with celebrities that say READ. The posters don’t say, WATCH, or LISTEN. Reading. Literacy. Books. Magazines. More books and magazines than you could ever afford, and a wider selection than you would likely see elsewhere. Everything else libraries do is secondary.

And reading is hip. Think about the huge public discussion of books everywhere from Amazon reviews to Library Thing to book blogs. Books are hip. Reading is hip.

You won’t hear that from librarians very often these days, though. Libraries are apparently relevant and hip because of all the stuff they do that has nothing to do with books or reading. Unfortunately, “a whole bunch of stuff that isn’t about reading” isn’t a very catchy slogan.

I suggest instead a new slogan. Instead of “libraries are hip because they have a mishmash of things unrelated to reading,” libraries could market the one thing they do very well and that everyone already knows about.

RECENT POSTS:
--How Does Your Library Promote Fake Celebrations?
--Death of the Author
--Reading is Hip
--Books, No Books
--The Last Perk of Librarianship
--Libraries and Class
--Libraries and Riots
--Outsourcing and the ALA
--Busy Isn’t Enough
--Celebrate Banned Sites Day!

_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

BloominThyme (Gardening and relationships)

2011-09-07T10:25:00.003-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: N/A

WEB ADDRESS: http://bloominthyme.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: A mother of two young children in Central Florida, gardening is one of the LAST things I have time to do, but what started as a “victory garden” has become a favorite pastime. No longer working outside the home, I spend my days driving through school drop-off and pick-up lanes, running errands, washing clothes, volunteering in the community and managing a household – visits to the garden have become my personal reprieve!

Unless of course, it’s summertime. Heat and humidity don’t do any favors for the vegetables, let alone my appearance, but then again, summers are for vacations. Fall through late spring… Now these are wonderful times to be outdoors, and the harvest from a productive garden is simply a bonus. Not to mention it makes a great addition to the dinner plate. While my kids may change their appetites on a daily basis, the two agree: a bean never tasted so good as the one they grew themselves!

MY REVIEW: This is a fun blog, all about gardening, and family relationships. The author illustrates her posts with copious photos.

If you're a gardener, and/or someone with children, small or otherwise, I think you'll enjoy this blog.

Sample post:

Want to extend a BIG thank you to Ashley for signing on to volunteer in the school garden! So inspired was she by her own adventure this spring, she has eagerly joined the school garden and the kids love her. The more the merrier, right?

And what’s more merry than these garden boots? I mean, these are fashion and function all rolled up into one flirty package!

I love creative gardeners who can manage to not only grow some mean veggies but look good while doing it! Remember: when you have a garden, expect visitors. They will come in droves. They will watch with wonder and amazement. They will talk your ear off (if given the chance) and they will run home and want to start their very own garden. But they won’t give you notice so be prepared and look great — like our volunteer-extraordinaire, Miss Ashley!

Thanks for showing up with a smile. The kids appreciate it

RECENT POSTS:
--Flirty and Fun Volunteer
--Building Our Bean Fort
--Fiddling with Floating Row Covers
--Weeds, Seeds, Sunflowers and Wildlife
--If kids were vegetables/fruits, mine would be a…

_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

Retro Review: Eyes for Lies: The Blog of the Human Lie Detector

2011-09-06T19:00:00.001-06:00

Sam Thompson
Diena Thompson talks to Chris Cuomo
Alex Martin is Nick Francisco
LA Times: Edwards is Engaged
Perhaps its not Jarred Harrell

Men Reading Books (arts and entertainment)

2011-09-03T16:23:00.002-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: N/A

WEB ADDRESS: http://menreadingbooks.blogspot.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Book summaries and opinions written by guys about books that other guys might consider reading.

MY REVIEW: An excellent blog for anyone who likes techno or action adventure thrillers - not just for guys! However, it is aimed toward guys alone who like that type of literature.

Highly recommended.

Sample post

Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson
Imagine if HAL (from 2001) and SkyNet (from Terminator) had a love child and called it Archos.

Or, ever thought about all those computer geeks trying to develop artificial intelligence? Ever wanted to ask them, "What happens if you are successful?"

It's an unknown number of years in our future, but close enough for the military to still be in Afghanistan where robotic devices search out IEDs, enemy combatants, and make friends with the locals. Domestic and factory robots do the mundane. Cars have avoidance sensors that minimize MVAs. And there is that one geek working in a backroom lab at a university who actually manages to achieve what was thought impossible - actual artificial intelligence. The device, Archos, is not only intelligent, but also becomes self aware and reaches out to all levels of robotic 'life'. And he starts to plot the elimination of those unpredictable and emotional humans.

All those little seemingly insignificant gadgets have some form of networked chip and that's how Archos gets to them. Then they realize they need to adapt and manage to manufacture even more lethal robots that have one goal: to do what Archos asks - eliminate humans.

The story is told by a Cormac Wallace, a soldier in the Gray Horse Army that serves Gray Horse Nation in Oklahoma. It is 2 years into the New War and he has come across some form of a storage robot (a Rob) where much of the archives of the New War are stored. With the information in its memory, he manages to trace early isolated incidents, zero hour when the Robs make their worldwide move on humans, how the surviving humans form smalls bands to fight in spite of no ability to communicate and coordinate attacks, the awakening of small groups of self aware Robs that realize Archos must be defeated, and the final retaliation of the humans.

Cormac tells all this as individual short stories by introducing us to that geek, a Japanese robot repairman who manages to sort of disconnect his Robs from Archos, internal fights within Gray Horse Nation, the destruction of New York, Boston and more, Robs in the Afghan mountains, an English hacker whose change of heart helps break into the Archos network, and the daughter of a Congresswoman who is subjected to a robot version of Joseph Mengele whose surgery actually ends up being able to help, not destroy, the humans. The story jumps across vignettes neatly tying the stories up to the point of the final confrontation with Archos.

Science fiction is not high on the list of MRB, but I wouldn't label this that way, more like Twilight Zone on steroids. Reviewers have compared Wilson to Michael Crichton for his ability to weave obscure scientific subjects with human frailties (BTW, I never liked Crichton all that much. The bulk of his books ended with the stars just leaving the scene. Remember the end of Jurassic Park? Most ended like that). Thank goodness Wilson is far better at bringing his story to a satisfying close.

Looking for a diversion from the usual crime mystery or international thriller? You should seriously consider this one. Seriously.
by East Coast Don

P.S. Dreamworks SKG has optioned this book for the screen with none other than the boss, Spielberg, slated to direct. 2013 is the anticipated release year. Think of it as War of the Worlds with a far better plot and a few million dollars of CGI.

RECENT POSTS:
--Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson
--Villa Incognito by Tom Robbins
--Savage Run by C. J. Box
--Open Season by C. J. Box
--The Glass Rainbow by James Lee Burke
--Access to Power by Robert Ellis
--Sixkill by Robert B Parker
--The Guards by Ken Bruen
--The Lost Witness by Robert Ellis
--The Delta Solution by Patrick Robinson
--Down River by John Hart
--One Rough Man by Brad Taylor
--City of Fire by Robert Ellis
--Dirty White Boys by Stephen Hunter
--The King of Lies by John Hart

___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

And This Is What I Saw Today (photography)

2011-08-30T09:43:00.003-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: N/A

WEB ADDRESS: http://andthisiswhatisawtoday.blogspot.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: I like to go outside with my camera to see what I can see.

MY REVIEW: If you like photos of nature, or of cats, you'll love this blog. The blogger posts one photo a day (which is a pity, because I know, via a message board were she posts, that she takes dozens of photos a day!)

So take a look, bookmark it, and visit it every other day for a smile-generating photo.

RECENT POSTS:
-Shades
-Sasha, the cat who has lived on my sofa since 1999...
-Morning Glory
-Succulent
-Friend's backyard stream
-Queen Caterpillar
-Grrrrrrrr
-Queen Butterfly will emerge today
-Queen Anne's Lace
-Gulf Fritillary Caterpillar
-Canelo
-Arizona milkweed
-American Snout
-Foster kitten
-Tabby Tom (a feral cat who has lived in my yard fo...
-Gulf fritillary laying an egg
-Rufous hummingbird
-My backyard pond
-Great blue heron
-Chocolate Flower
-Sacred Datura

_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

Good Brew Hunting (fine living)

2011-08-29T18:11:00.003-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: N/A

BLOG NAME HERE Good Brew Hunting

WEB ADDRESS: goodbrewhunting.blogspot.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: You should be here if you like beer. It's that simple! Here, I'll be tasting beers on a frequent basis and posting my thoughts. A note on the thoughts I'll be posting on beers; these will be from the words of an amateur beer taster. Hopefully we'll all learn some things along the way about the wonders of beer. This is for the person who wants to get an honest idea of the flavor they'll experience if they decide to try one of these beers.

Hopefully, after becoming a more experienced taster, I'll impart some knowledge about beer in this blog. I'll be focusing on the American craft brewery rise in particular. Welcome to Good Brew Hunting!

MY REVIEW: I like the concept of this blog - the author tries out different micro-breweries' products and writes about them on his blog, and he's certainly knowledgeable on the subject.

If you're in to finding the next best brew, check out this blog.

RECENT POSTS:
--120 Pulls a 1080
--Stung by Uinta
--Hippo Over the River Saison
--Going Several Rounds With Brawler

_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

World Baby Report (parenting)

2011-08-25T00:56:00.000-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: World Baby Report

WEB ADDRESS: http://worldbabyreport.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: A world of news and information for your pregnancy and parenting journey. Receive the latest pregnancy and infant health and wellness news. Plus- parenting tips, product news, and baby/toddler centered stories of interest.

MY REVIEW: This is an excellent blog for parents of newborns and toddlers. It has all sorts of news - from how to care for baby properly to the prejudice against parents these days. (For example, one story recently in the news: "Swedish Family Ousted From Residence Due To Crying Baby", and of course we all know how vicious folks get if a baby on an airplane dares to start crying!

The website itself has links to half-a-dozen news articles each day. The blog entries that go to the Kindle have a couple of news articles, plus links to the internet.

Sample post:
Mothers of Premature Infants Pump 75% More Milk Using New Product
A joint study between Rush University Medical Center and Medela, manufacturer of breast pumps and accessories, has revealed incredible results with lifesaving implications for premature babies. Preemies are susceptible to many serious health problems related to their immature systems. Such fragile infants gain tremendous benefit when nourished with sufficient quantities of breast milk. Too weak to suckle, their mothers resort to pumping. However, such honorable efforts do not routinely yield adequate quantities. The problem as described by lead researcher Paula P. Meier, R.N., Ph.D., FAAN was that “Previous breast pumps were not designed to mimic the unique sucking pattern of full-term infants when they feed at breast before the milk comes in.” Medela has solved this deficiency by developing a new cycle feature for it’s standard 2.0 Hospital grade pump. The Symphony Preemie+ cycle is modeled after the special suckling pattern of a full term newborn, which is significantly different than babies a few weeks older. When mothers of premature infants pumped using the the new preemie cycle in concert with the the standard cycle, they achieved milk volume commensurate to that of a full term breast fed infant in just six days—a 75% increase.

Family-Work-Life -Balance Support Waning
A major setback for working families occurred last week when a federal judge delivered a ruling favorable to Bloomberg, LP, casting aside discrimination complaints filed by pregnant and working mothers who had alleged improper treatment after maternity leaves. The judge, essentially cited that companies are not required to institute or abide by work-life-balance policies. She wrote that the law “does not require companies to ignore employees’ work-family trade-offs — and they are trade-offs — when deciding about employee pay and promotions.” In a tight economy, the playing field is getting ugly. Childless workers view family-work arrangements as unfair exceptions to company rules and often devalue the contributions of working mothers. Fearing a backlash from co-workers, loss of position or even a paycheck some women are choosing work over family. In the end entire families suffer and systemically society is hurt, when long work hours rob parents of their most valuable task of raising the next generation. Ironically, study after study has demonstrated that flexible work relationships create loyal and highly dedicated employees that impact overall company success. ABC news explores the Bloomberg ruling and the working mom dynamic in a series of videos .

RECENT POSTS:
--The World Baby Signal
--The World Baby Bonanza
--World Breastfeeding Week August 1st – 7th
--The World Baby Bugle
--The World Baby Herald

_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

Dave Lucas (news, views and interviews)

2011-08-23T11:06:00.004-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Dave Lucas, by Dave Lucas

WEB ADDRESS: dave-lucas.blogspot.com

BLOG DESCRIPTION: News, views and interviews from Dave Lucas (born October 29) , an American broadcast journalist, news anchor and talk show host. Dave is best known for the 1999 series of worldwide internet radio broadcasts surrounding the Jon Benet Ramsey murder case.

MY REVIEW: The author of this blog is currently Capital District Bureau Chief at WAMC Northeast Public Radio, a non-commercial listern supported public radio network (http://www.wamc.org/).

With all his experience, you know Lucas knows what he's talking about and all his posts are informed by his decades in the business. He talks about the news, with an emphasis on social media.

He's got some pretty interesting and informative things to say. Check it out!

Sample post:
Blogs, Blog Contests and BS

It seems I've "stirred the pot" a bit around the blogosphere with my stance on blog contests (and on guest-posting): someone even called me a "...blog monster, stuck on the ridiculous blogger platform."

Bloggers: Strive for COMMUNITY!

I recall signing up for something I think was called Tribe that was supposed to bring bloggers together… guess it petered out!

I loved MyBlogLog for its community spirit – of course, yahoo pulled the plug on it…

Bloggers have to be careful to build a real COMMUNITY – and not a CLIQUE – I know of a few blogs where you see 30-50 comments on very post but on closer inspection, those comments are divided among 3 other bloggers and the host blogger… and way at the bottom the site counter says ‘you are the third visitor today” – and it’s an hour until midnight!

I did everything I could think of (but never succeeded) to try to build a blog like the one LaShawn Barber published in the mid-2000′s when she was mostly a “political blogger.” I envied her “comments” area, which was more like an interactive forum: 30 to 200 comments on each post – every one from a UNIQUE visitor!

Lastly, SOCIAL MEDIA is NOT the best way to build a blog community, although it is a useful tool. There are a lot of bloggers who shun social media – a lot of “A-list” bloggers whose digital friendship is far more valuable than a "follow" on twitter or a "friendship" on facebook!

The Blog "Contests" that measure a successful guest-post by "mentions on social media" are just plain WRONG! the system is way too easy to game!

RECENT POSTS:
--La Oreja de Van Gogh
--Guest Blogging (what you should know)
--How to Identify B.S. Blog Articles
--Blog Contests Missing The Mark
--How To Make A Sticky Post
--Android Virus ANDROIDOS_NICKISPY.C Google++
--Twitter This and Tweet That
--Verizon: Strike Over (For Now)
--NetActive 21 August 2011
--Climate Feeds Conflict?

_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

Retro Review: Pin Stripe Alley

2011-08-19T17:53:00.001-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Ms Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES if you're a Yankee fan. Boo hiss if you're not!

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: Pinstripe Alley

WEB ADDRESS: www.pinstripealley.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Pinstripe Alley is your source for the latest Yankees news and game recaps. This blog provides a forum for passionate fans all year round.

MY REVIEW: Okay, I really, really dislike the Yankees (boo, hiss!) but there’s no denying that they’re a great team and they’ve got tons of fans. And those tons of fans will want to subscribe to this blog, just to get all the news about the team in one place. I personally don’t care for bloggers who use words like “suckitude”, but that’s the current generation for ya!

This is another blog hosted on Sportsblog Nation.

Unlike FishStripes (which I also reviewed today), which had only one author, Craig (at least at this time in the year); Pinstripe Alley appears to have several – Travis G., jscape2000, CrazyYankeeChick, and so on.

Some of these blog entries are the kind where you have to click on a link to go to a webpage to see the full story, but so many of them are the full article, so I’ll give that a pass.

THE GOOD: Lots of fans giving their own perspective of the Yankees. Well written, informative. These fans know their stuff.

THE BAD: Well, it is a Yankees blog!

RECENT ARTICLES:

Enjoy this, Yankee fans. It is diehard Red Sox fans Ben Affleck and Matt Damon portraying Yankee … (pitchers Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich in ‘The Trade’, a movie about the wife swap between the two former Yankees (Feb 20, 2010)
Saturday News: the tools of ignorance – a series of paras with links to more info on the web (Feb 20, 2010)
AJ Burnett’s face when he found out Jose Molina had signed with the Toronto Blue Jays (with accompanying photo) (Feb 19, 2010)
On Escaping the Demonic Nether Regions of the Off-season – a fun post by Crazy YankeeChick. (well, she calls the Red Sox the Sux, and I really disike when fans disrespect other clubs that way…but Yankees fans will love it….(Feb 19, 2010)
How will the schedule affect the 5th starter?(Feb 19, 2010)

Retro Review: Gun Nuts Media

2011-08-19T17:51:00.001-06:00

Glock Sponsores USPSA Area 6. (2010 pistol shooting championship season, sponsored by the US Practical Shooting Association). Area 6 region includes states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee...

Indiana Residents: Contact Your State Senators: news of interest to gun owners who don’t want conceal laws messed with, nor give the government the right to confiscate their guns in the case of a national emergency...

FBI purchases AR-15s in .40 S&W (Smith & Wesson). From my buddy at the Firearm Blog; apparently the FBI has decided that hey, pistol caliber carbines are kind of a neat idea. According to the procurement document, the FBI wants these carbines for training and as option to the 5.56 AR15 rifles that they currently issue. The caliber makes sense as well, as the FBI’s standard issue firearms for Special Agents is usually a Glock 22 in .40 S&W. The FBI document actually mentions “easily sourced ammo” as a reason for going with the .40 S&W AR...

Revolver Boot Camp: Shooter Julia Golob has sent her S&W 627 V-Comp off to revolver boot camp at Apex Tactical to get slimmed and trimmed down for the upcoming ICORE season...

Retro Review: Tales of an Amputee Mommy

2011-08-19T17:50:00.001-06:00

I don't want to simplify the work necessary to recover emotionally from an amputation. It was not an easy journey. My surgeon recognized the depression and body issues and set up counseling sessions with a specialist in the field. Unfortunately, the insurance company denied the request stating that the amputation was "elective" and that I, therefore, shouldn't have emotional issues.

I was forced to maneuver through the transformation without expert guidance. I struggled with my identity as an amputee, and as an amputee woman. It took years before I could look in a full length mirror and not tear up. Although I believe I have worked through the pain and the issues, I still have bouts of "the amputation blues."

Sleeping Kitties (photos, cats)

2011-08-16T11:30:00.003-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: N/A

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.sleepingkitties.blogspot.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: A collection of sleeping kitty photos from around the world!

MY REVIEW: This is a fun little blog. The title is self explanatory - lots of photos of cats asleep.

The author encourages other cat owners (or should I say, the pets of other cats) to send in their photos of sleeping kitties.

Also, lots of cats (as well as other animals) need to be adopted from shelters. So give that a thought as you peruse this fun site.

RECENT POSTS:
--48-Hour Adoption Drive
--Did sombody order sushi?
--Warm and Cozy
--Sleepcicle
--They Will Never Find me in Here!..What was that flash?

_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

Drink of the Week (lifestyle and culture)

2011-08-15T18:02:00.003-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Drink of the Week, by Drink of the Week

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.drinkoftheweek.com/category/blog/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Drink of the Week is an enjoyable bar blog that offers delicious drink recipes on a weekly basis, in addition to advice and information about bar supplies.

MY REVIEW: I've never liked the taste of alcohol, so I can't really give an informed opinion of the recipes offered from this blog. However, it's clear the author(s) know what they're talking about, and they talk about a great variety of things.

So if you're in to fine food and fine liquors, give this blog a chance.

Sample post:

Pau Hana Friday Original Cocktails: The Kilauea from Maui – Not Pink, Not White(Here's our regular Friday tropical cocktail from Hawaii from our friends at Hawaiirama)

It's a pretty neat trick to bring a volcano to your bar. But no, a pink-and-white lava flow cocktail is definitely not evocative of a volcano. Ask anyone who has walked next to the glowing molten rock. So Allan Labayo, bartender at the posh Grand Wailea Resort in Wailea, Maui decided to right this wrong by making a volcanic cocktail with a proper color palate that packed even more punch. He came up with the drink as part of an in-house bartending competition and it was a flaming hit with visitors to the bar. Here's the tale of the recipe tape

3oz Sweet & Sour
3oz Mango Puree
1oz Strawberry Puree
¼ slice of banana
1.5 oz Absolut Wild Tea Vodka

Blend sweet & sour, banana, and mango puree with Absolut Wild Tea Vodka. In a tropical glass, place strawberry puree at the bottom. Pour blended ingredients into the glass to obtain a swirl affect. Drink slowly to avoid simultaneous excessive libation pleasure inducement.

Grand Wailea Resort, Maui
3850 Wailea Alanui Drive, Wailea, Maui, HI 96753
808-875-1234

RECENT POSTS:
--Martin Miller's DIY Gift Pack Giveaway
--Manhattans: Stired Not Shaken
--Pau Hana Firday Original
--Cocktails: The Kilauea from Maui - Not Pink, Not White
--Taming of the Shrew
--FIrefly Sweet Tea Vodka Review

_______________

Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

Retro Review: The Hermitage

2011-08-12T19:08:00.001-06:00

•Fort Garland for Sweethearts: Fort Garland is a popular pizza place in the area, having a Valentine’s Day special
•Foggy Morning: A photo and commentary on a foggy day
•Local food: a discussion of San Luis Valley – the “breadbasket of Colorado” – and how stores in the area ship produce from other locations.
•Building materials: He gives a plug to Jim’s Post Commissary, where he purchases all the basics for building his home and the La Jara Trading Post – a huge hardware store.

Parenting With a Dash of Inspiration (parenting)

2011-08-08T01:03:00.004-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Parenting With a Dash of Inspiration, by K.D. Rausin

WEB ADDRESS: http://kdrausin.wordpress.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: KD Rausin's blog has been described as Chicken Soup for the Soul on a more personal level. She blogs about her family and life in a way that inspires readers to make a positive difference in their world one day at a time.

MY REVIEW: This blog will be of interest to every parent, but particularly to those parents with kids with disabilities - the author is the mother of a daughter who is in a wheelchair thanks to a car accident many years ago.

She also spends a lot of time talking about food!

Check it out.

Sample post:

My husband has a saying he likes to repeat to me, “You must fail to succeed.” He said he learned this from going to the gym. The only way he can improve his strength is by choosing a weight so heavy he is only able to do four to six reps instead of the normal eight to twelve. In failing to lift the weight the full amount he succeeds in building his muscles. Eventually the weight he could only lift six times is lifted twelve and more weight is added. The process begins again.

This saying of his has been on my mind lately. Is it true? Is it in failing that I succeed?

Two years ago I met the most amazing group of women. Seven of us traveled to Honesdale Pennsylvania to attend a two-part writing workshop called, “The Heart of the Novel.” Our teacher was the well known editor Patti Gauch. She was the reason we were all there. On our first visit we listened carefully to Patti’s every word, ate incredible food and then retreated to our individual cabins to write. Our goal was to have a completed novel in six months and send it to Patti to edit before our next gathering.

When we all returned to Honesdale it was like a family reunion. We had kept in touch through email discussing what we had learned and supported one another in our writing. We were all anxious to see Patti’s notes on our novels.

This was my first children’s novel and at the time I was still figuring out the differences between an editor and an agent responsibilities. I had two drafts written of MYSTIC and in my mind, I was done. It was ready.

I’ll never forget the rainy afternoon that I received my notes from Patti. I sat on the bed listening to the ping of rain on the tin roof of the cabin reading through her pages and feeling as though I was the worst writer in the world. I wondered why I even tried in the first place. I felt foolish and embarrassed.

I got out my cell phone and climbed to the top of a hill, umbrella in hand, trying to get more than one bar on my cell in order to call my husband. He would comfort my failure and probably even lie to me and tell me I was a great writer. Because that’s what husband’s do.

When it was time for my meeting with Patti, I asked her if she thought I should take a creative writing class. Here I was at a writing workshop with women who had already been published. Women who had graduated from prestigious colleges and I was just a teacher who liked to write. I was feeling very sorry for myself. Patti said no to the writing class and then said something I’ll never forget. “You’re closer than you think.”

Saying those words to me made me see her notes in a different light. I realized that everything she was telling me about my story was necessary in order to make the story better. My expectations of what I wanted to read in her notes were unrealistic. An editor is a teacher and a guide. A talented soul who helps writers hone their craft.

We focused on the first chapter. She showed me my mistakes and challenged me to try again. Still feeling vulnerable I went back to my cabin and forced myself to sit down with my laptop. I rewrote the first chapter. The next morning the sun shone bright. The dark clouds had disappeared taking with them much of my insecurity. I was not going to give up. Patti read my chapter and smiled. I learned and improved. The process of storytelling was finally sinking in.

If Patti had told me that my story was brilliant, which is what I wanted to hear, I never would have grown as a writer or as a person. I had to fail in order to gain the strength to persevere.

Isn’t that what life is all about? Perseverance – through the perceived good and perceived bad. If I don’t falter in following my path, I know all my failures are just stepping stones to success.

This morning I typed J into Google. I wanted to research the teachings of J. Krishnamurti. But when I typed J – pictures of J. K. Rowling appeared. I had to look because last night I watched the Lifetime movie of her life. And a few days ago I wrote about Daniel Radcliffe. That’s when I found the following in Wikipedia.

Seven years after graduating from university, Rowling saw herself as “the biggest failure I knew.”[42] Her marriage had failed, she was jobless with a dependent child, but she described her failure as liberating:

Failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy to finishing the only work that mattered to me. Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one area where I truly belonged. I was set free, because my greatest fear had been realized, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter, and a big idea.
And so rock bottom became a solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life. – J.
K. Rowling, Harvard commencement address, 2008.[42]

Bonus, it tied right in with today’s title.

Thanks for reading and here’s to failure!

RECENT POSTS:
--Yummy Desserts
--Peachy Entrees
--Celebrity Iron Chef II – So Much Food!
--Healthy Dinner For Tomorrow
--Fail to Succeed

_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

The Notepad (stationary and party etiquette)

2011-08-07T01:07:00.005-06:00

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: The Note Pad

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.americanstationery.com/blog/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Personalized Stationery and Party Etiquette

MY REVIEW: This is the blog to a commercial website, American Stationery, that sells everything related to the literary life - correspondence cards, embossed notes, business stationary, envelopes, address labels, business cards, unique personalized gifts, etc.

If you want to add a little distinctiveness to your literary endeavors - throwing parties, announcing good news, or just annoucning yourself, this blog makes for interesting and educational reading.

Sample post:

Back to School: Grade School Students and Teens
3 August 2011

Grade School Age
Children are typically excited about their first school year experiences. Many kids have gone home and played school with their stuffed animals or imitated their favorite teacher. Here are a few items that will personalize their play and imagination.

Your Child's Fun Penmanship Stationery
Allow your child to practice what they learn at school at home.

Kid's Travel Desk
A desk of their own... just like teacher, complete with pencil cup. This desk is travel appropriate, but will also contain all their teaching goodies: pens, pencils, crayons, scissors, stickers, and more.
Pre-Teen & Teens

The pre-teen and teen alike see school as an opportunity for learning, but also for socializing with friends. The school year is filled with all kinds of things to do with friends. Here are some ideas for your pre-teen and teen this school year.

Kid's Pillowcases and Door Hangers
Slumber parties and sleepovers are a lot of fun for both boys and girls. Children of this age are searching for their personal space and belongings. Why not show your child that their personal space is important to you too. Our pillowcases give a place to reflect their personality and our door hangers clearly state where their space begins.

Pizza Party Invitations, Bar / Bat Mitzvah Invitations and Sweet Sixteen Invitations
Nothing is more social for a kid than a party. Your pre-teen or teen may have a variety of reasons to have a celebration. Perhaps you want to throw your child their first boy/girl party, or maybe your son or daughter is starting a new chapter in their lives, or your daughter is celebrating her once in a life time, sweet sixteen. What ever the occasion, celebrate it with a little personalized style.

RECENT POSTS:
--Disposable Placemats
--Back to School: Grade School Students and Teens
--Back to School: For the Students - Pre-School Aged
--Back to School: For the Teachers
--Back to School: For the Parents
--Needing Some Time To Yourself?
--Creating a Photographic Memory
--Writing a Love Letter - Part 3
--Writing a Love Letter - Part 2
--Writing a Love Letter - Part 1

_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

The Kindle Blog Report

The Repurposed Writer (arts & entertainment)

Eve Le QiNu's Flashwords - Unofficial Scrabble Study Guide

T E O T W A W K I (Doomsday 2012)

Scrabble Quest

The Terry Pratchett Reader

Retro Review #30: John Brown Kin

Anelemc's Blog (life)

Ukulele Review (Music)

Dancing Fields (traveling, family)

Ebook Ebdeavors: Writing Books, Author Interviews

Grief and Grieving - A mother's perspective on death of a child

Retro Review #29: How To Choose a Feng Shui Consultant

RetroReview #28: InfoCult

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Retro Review #27: The Elmo Wallpaper

Everything Dinosaurs

Retro Review #26: Full Figure Plus

Time Keeps On Slipping Into the Future

http://tintinblog.com/ (Tintin)

Sea Turtle Restoration Project (Marine biology)

Da Vinci's Blog

Retro Review #25: The Kindle Taproom

The Cubicle Rebel (business, humor)

3 woman pilot blogs

Startng Wednesday I *WILL* keep to a schedule

Rertro Review #24:

Retro Review #22: Breast Cancer? But Doctor, I Hate Pink

Retro Review #21: Tales from the administrative minefield

Retro Review #20: Foodie Momma

Retro Review #19: evie s.

Retro Review #18: Fragrant Liar

Mummy Whisperer (parenting and couples with kids)

Retro Review #17: Twig and Thistle

Retro Reviews #16: Eyes for Lies: The Blog of the Human Lie Detector

The Dao of Dragon Ball (manga, TV)

The Thing on the Fourble Board (arts and entertainment, OTR, audio books reviews)

Gearzap - Kindle covers and more!

Faith-FilledFood For Moms and Grandmothers (parenting, Christian life)

Repost: Stay At Home Dad - now available on Kindle!

Reuniting pets lost during natural disasters with their owners

Free (and semi-free) Literary Books for the Kindle (US & UK)

Stay At Home Dad (parenting)

Repost of We Got Kidz - now available for the Kindle!

Retro Reviews #16: Eyes For Lies

We Got Kidz (parenting)

Retro Review #15: Wendy Knits

Retro Review #14: Sarah and the Goon Squad

Retro Review #13: Talking Films

Retro Review #12: Hawaii Vacation Blog

Retro Review #11: TV Snob

Retro Review #10: Tales of an Amputee Mommy

Retro Review #9: The Hermitage

On travel til Wednesday

Retro Review #8: Deal Book

Retro Review #7: Crooks and Liars

Retro Review #6: The Comics Curmudgeon

Retro Review #5: Financial Armageddon

Retro Review #4: Improve Your General Knowledge in your Leisure Time

Retro Review #3: Cessna Warbirds

Retro Review #2: My Life A Bit South of Normal

Reading Clive Cussler (annotations)

African American Books on the Kindle

Retro Review #1: Gun Nuts Media

Kindle Navigation: How to go Back to A Book's First PAge

Retro Review: Fully Booked (New York Travel)

Chittle Chattle (general interest, parenting)

Stories of My Wandering Feet & Mind (travel)

3 Star Trek blogs

Letters of Note (arts and entertainment)

Will be back on track soon

The Annoyed LIbrarian (arts and entertainment, literature)

BloominThyme (Gardening and relationships)

Retro Review: Eyes for Lies: The Blog of the Human Lie Detector

Men Reading Books (arts and entertainment)

And This Is What I Saw Today (photography)

Good Brew Hunting (fine living)

World Baby Report (parenting)

Dave Lucas (news, views and interviews)

Retro Review: Pin Stripe Alley

Startng Wednesday I WILL keep to a schedule