text:
Little Women Read-Along: Learning to Forget (Ch. 41)
In which we abruptly leave the mourning March household and return to Europe, where Laurie gets over Jo faster than he'd intended or expected. I like that he writes Jo and asks her one last time if she could marry him, and then accepts her negative answer as final.
And without further ado, he falls in love with Amy instead. I guess I don't mind, since "Amy felt that no one could comfort and sustain her so well as Laurie, and Laurie decided that Amy was the only woman in the world who could fill Jo's place and make him happy (p. 382). I'm a leeeeetle put off by him still thinking of that as "Jo's place," but okay, whatever. Not every match in fiction makes me happy, and I'm okay with that :-)
Favorite Lines:
Jo wouldn't be put into the opera at any price (p. 376).
While waiting for an answer he did nothing, but he did it energetically, for he was in a fever of impatience (p. 378).
Possible Discussion Questions:
Laurie's proposal to Amy is unconventional and brief. Do you think that suits them, or is it just Alcott refusing to give us what we expect?
IMPORTANT QUESTION!!! Does anyone want to write a character sketch of Jo March? I would need it fairly soon (sooner the better, really), but if no one volunteers to write one within the next few days, I'll probably write one myself later this week.
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!!! So that the end-of-read-along giveaway doesn't overlap my participation in the Great Book Giveaway Bonanza, I'm going to start the read-along giveaway this coming Friday, and will have it end on the 12th, after we've finished the read-along. Got it? Good!
Posted by Hamlette (Rachel) at 5:11 PM 10 comments:
Little Women Read-Along: The Valley of the Shadow (Ch. 40)
What a sad chapter :-( We've all known this was coming for so long, and yet, when it comes right down to it, it's hard to say good-bye to Beth, isn't it? I love how "even while preparing to leave life, she tried to make it happier for those who should remain behind" (p. 369). Her kind gifts for the school children made me tear up more than her actual death did.
According to my edition's notes, that poem Jo wrote about Beth? Alcott actually wrote it about her sister Elizabeth, shortly before her sister died. That makes me cry too.
With the wreck of her frail body, Beth's soul grew strong (p. 370).
If Beth had not died, but simply continued the way she was at the end of the last book (a little weak, but busy), what do you think she would have done with her life?
Amy March: A Guest Post by Heidi
Amy March
by Heidi Peterson
Growing up, Meg was always my favorite of the March sisters, but (while I've now come to appreciate Jo's complexity and character development, and also Beth's sweetness and patience) of late I've been most particularly intrigued (and impressed!) by Amy.
Not universally (but often), Amy seems to be viewed as merely, "Oh yes, the youngest sister that eventually gets Laurie." End of Story. But I think she very much deserves some attention and a closer examination in her own right.
Amy goes from being slightly spoiled at the beginning -- walking through life with her nose in the air (also exhibiting vengeful anger and a horrible lack of self-control in the incident with Jo's burned book) -- to a truly lovely, kind, cultured woman. Throughout, she is very consciously striving to live out what she believes.
Now, Alcott was pretty certainly writing from a transcendentalist worldview, i.e. leading in part to the idea of a person willing themselves to certain virtues, goodness, etc., whereas we know it's God -- and only ever God -- who can do the work in us, strengthening and giving us both the ability and desire to live out His commands. He alone is always, always initiating (doing the work in us that we absolutely never could) yet, as we're yielding to His working hand, it's definitely still a cognitive process, played out in time and space. At some point (or many points!) we have to make the conscious decision to act in ways that don't come naturally to us (being polite, gracious, forgiving, etc.) whether or not we feel like it.
On the day-to-day level, I like to think of it in terms of C.S. Lewis's words. To quote:
"The rule for all of us is perfectly simple. Do not waste time bothering whether you 'love' your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him. If you injure someone you dislike, you will find yourself disliking him more. If you do him a good turn, you will find yourself disliking him less."
And I think Amy finds out this great secret.
Growing womanly over the course of the story, she's also a beautiful example of honest humility and wise discretion. She's diligent, not afraid of hard work (she never complains), and she's strong -- making her decisions and sticking with them, yet not afraid to change her mind. She isn't afraid of wholesome confrontation, but -- dropping the petty, sinful squabbles of childhood -- becomes the woman who can rouse Laurie to reality and action. She also isn't too stubborn to change when he, in turn, candidly points out her weaknesses.
Finally Amy -- a true and gracious woman thinking first of others, seeking to bless and help them with her talents and gifts -- becomes the perfect lover and helpmeet for her husband.
(Hamlette's Note: Thank you for this beautiful portrait of Amy and the way her character growth can inspire us on our own personal journeys! Also, I loooooove the paintings you chose to illustrate this.)
Labels: Guest Writers
Little Women Read-Along: Lazy Laurence (Ch. 39)
Hurrah for Amy! I'm glad she tells Laurie the truth and tries her best to show him he needs to snap out of his funk. He's getting rather annoying with his ceaseless moping over Jo's refusal.
And Amy has come to realize that she will never be a famous artist, and accepted this with good grace. Although I myself think that being good at something and pursuing it with all your energy is a perfectly good endeavor, since Amy was set on being a genius, I'm glad she's made peace with her discovery.
"...talent isn't genius, and no amount of energy can make it so" (p. 361).
"Love Jo all your days, if you choose, but don't let it spoil you, for it's wicked to throw away so many good gifts because you can't have the one you want" (p. 366).
How do you feel about Amy's giving up her art because she can't be great at it? Would you do the same?
Posted by Hamlette (Rachel) at 12:27 PM 14 comments:
"North and South" by Elizabeth Gaskell
Yes, I have finally finished reading this. I started it way back in February, even though I'd meant to finish reading Middlemarch first, but I just couldn't make myself wait. You see, I first saw the 2004 miniseries in February, and after that, I simply had to get a copy of the book right away and begin reading it. Because I finally understood the awesomeness that is this story, and I wanted more and more and more. (I reviewed the miniseries here today too.)
This book focuses on Margaret Hale, a lady whose whole life is entirely disrupted when her minister father leaves his church because he has a crisis of conscience and moves his family from England's pastoral south to the industrial north. They move to Milton, a town where everyone is entirely consumed with the making of cotton fabric. A mill owner named John Thornton befriends the family, falls in love with Margaret, and finds his life changed by them as much as theirs have been changed by moving there.
This is the first Elizabeth Gaskell book I've ever read in its entirety -- I did try reading Cousin Phillis and Other Tales a couple of years ago, but never finished it. I'm not sure I'm exactly a fan of her writing style yet -- she gets melodramatic at times, with more heightened emotions than I generally care for... and yet, there's no denying the power of this story. She also loves her double-meaning names (Milton = Mill town, Thornton = North town, etc), though she's not as cutesy about them as her friend Charles Dickens, so I don't mind much.
I almost wonder if Gaskell got the idea for this by reading Pride and Prejudice and thinking, "Oh, but that's not how I'd have written it." I know sometimes I get story ideas that way, and there are some marked similarities here -- a woman who thinks badly of a man because she misunderstands him, a man who loves the woman who continually rebuffs him, a botched proposal scene. Anyone know if Gaskell ever revealed her inspiration for this?
Anyway, this is not my most coherent book review ever, and I'm sorry about that. I've got so many things to say, I'm kind of overwhelmed. I'm also trying not to compare it too much to the 2004 miniseries because I'm doing a review of that too, and I'd rather talk about this on its own merits, but it keeps getting tangled up with the movie in my head. So maybe I should just go ahead and talk about some things I was expecting from this book after having seen the miniseries first.
I wanted to know more of what was going on in Mr. Thornton's head and heart. I felt like after the miniseries, I understood Margaret Hale pretty well, but John Thornton was still a bit of a cipher. Here, I was very happily rewarded -- there's quite a bit of time spent in Mr. Thornton's head, and I was pleased.
I also wanted more wonderful scenes between Nicholas Higgins and Mr. Thornton. Here, I was disappointed, because the miniseries actually played that up more than the book does. Nuts. Of course, Higgins was wonderful all the way through the book; I just wanted more of him, is all.
However, I was very pleased by how much nicer Mr. Henry Lennox is in the book. He doesn't creepily sneak up on Margaret while she's napping in the meadow, he doesn't stand around glowering at everyone all the time, and he's generally helpful and nice. I felt quite sorry for him in the miniseries and wanted to like him better, so I'm glad he's more likable here.
And I was happy that Mrs. Thornton was equally as awesome in the book as the movie. I love how "she walked proudly among women for his sake" (p. 95). Some people might think she's a bit oddly devoted to John, but I think it's pretty natural for a mother to be proud of the son who has made up for his father's mistakes and then raised himself up into a position of distinction. I loved her. Especially since, well, she's shy. It says so! "Mrs. Thornton was shy" (p. 96). I'm shy too. And I really liked how straight-forward she was, always speaking the truth even if people didn't want to hear it. Like when she told Margaret, "If you live in Milton, you must learn to have a brave heart, Miss Hale" (p. 116). She sees to the core of things and dispenses with the frivolous niceties other people would insist on blanketing truth in.
And I can't forget Mr. Bell! He cracked me up continually! He had some of the funniest moments in the whole book, and I wish he could have been in it more. Same goes for Frederick Hale -- he was sweet and brave and kind and wonderful. I love how quickly he and Margaret understood each other and became sympatico.
One of the things that fascinates me the most about this book is the way both Margaret and Thornton had to realize they were not just wrong about each other, but that they needed to open their minds and hearts to new ideas and ways of doing things. But at the same time, they don't become new and different people by the end, they've just improved who they already were. And the same could be said of Nicholas Higgins -- he went through the same sort of transformation they did, which is quite remarkable for a side character. Mr. and Mrs. Hale, on the other hand, could or would not open themselves up to change, but tried to remain steadfastly the same, and so were broken.
Basically, I loved the contrast between what we are born versus what we make of ourselves, I guess.
I want to reread this again before too terribly long, maybe later this year, to see what more I glean from it. And maybe then I could write a better review. We'll see if I manage either of those or not.
But the cloud never comes in that quarter of the horizon from which we watch for it (p. 20).
...Susan Lightfoot had been seen with artificial flowers in her bonnet, thereby giving evidence of a vain and giddy character (p. 34).
As she realized what might have been, she grew thankful for what was (p. 68).
...small, keen, bright little spots of positive enjoyment having come sparkling into the very middle of sorrows (p. 104).
"Loyalty and obedience to wisdom and justice are fine; but it is still finer to defy arbitrary power, unjustly and cruelly used -- not on behalf of ourselves, but on behalf of others more helpless" (p. 109).
Margaret had always dreaded lest her courage should fail her in any emergency, and she should be proved to be, what she dreaded lest she was -- a coward (p. 173).
He had not loved her without gaining that instinctive knowledge of what capabilities were in her. Her soul would walk in glorious sunlight if any man was worthy, by his power of loving, to win back her love (p. 264).
"I don't want to be more liberal-minded, thank you," said Mr. Bell (p. 323)
He had the greatest mind in the world to get up and go out of the room that very instant, and never set foot in the house again (p. 324). (For some reason, that line made me slam the book closed and clasp it to my heart, and I couldn't read any more for hours.)
"...I doubt this smart captain is no great man of business. Nevertheless, his mustachios are splendid" (p. 356).
"I must not think so much of how circumstances affect me myself, but how they affect others, if I wish to have a right judgment, or a hopeful trustful heart" (p. 391).
If This Was a Movie, I Would Rate It: PG for some violence and people dying all the time.
This is my 20th book read and reviewed for The Classics Club.
Labels: Classics, Classics Club, Elizabeth Gaskell, Hamlet, Jane Austen, Movies, Published 1850-1899, Romantic Love
Little Women Read-Along: On the Shelf (Ch. 38)
In which we have a sermon about a wife and mother's proper behavior disguised as a chapter in our book.
Okay, maybe not quite, but on a whole, this one is a lot preachier than the last few chapters, don't you think? Actually, I quite agree with a lot of what she says here, and it feels very familiar to me, since I'm the mother of three little people.
I well remember that first year after I had Sam, how I had to struggle to find a balance between nurturing him and caring for our house and my husband. I've been blessed with a very understanding husband who has been engaged in child-rearing from the first minute or so of Sam's life. But I have really strong mothering instincts and get weirdly selfish about my babies -- happened with all three of them. For the first 3 months or so, I just want them all to myself, all the time. I have to force myself to hand them over to him sometimes, even if it's because I need to take a shower or whatever. People who aren't Cowboy -- wow, letting them hold those little all-important bundles of babyness was almost physically painful sometimes.
So I well understood Meg's exhaustion, and also her stubborn absorbtion in her babies. And also the need to make a point of spending time with her husband, because guys don't stop needing attention just because there's a baby around now. Husbands are people too, and wives are wise not to forget that.
"...you are the sunshine-maker of the family, and if you get dismal there is no fair weather" (p. 350).
Alcott says, "a woman's happiest kingdom is home, her highest honor the art of ruling it not as a queen, but as a wise wife and mother" (p. 356). Do you agree? Disagree?
Little Women Read-Along: New Impressions (Ch. 37)
Time to tell the truth: I don't particularly ship Laurie and Amy. I don't want Laurie to marry Jo, but I never quite like him with Amy either. It just feels too... convenient or something.
However, this is an amusing chapter, with all the little side comments about the way Americans behave in Europe, the way people dance well or badly, etc. I especially liked how "the Emperor's friend covered himself with glory, for he danced everything, whether he knew it or not, and introduced impromptu pirouettes when the figures bewildered him" (p. 344). Doesn't he sound like a fun person?
"I'd rather take coffee than compliments just now" (p. 345).
"Foreign life polishes one in spite of one's self" (p. 345).
What are your thoughts on Amy and Laurie's emerging relationship?
Little Women Read-Along: Beth's Secret (Ch. 36)
Best as I can tell, this is the sort of thing one wore at the sea side
in the 1860s, so imagine Jo and Beth in something like this.
Another sad chapter :-( A poignant and soft sadness, though, not like the messy, sloppy sadness of the previous one. My, how brave both Beth and Jo are, facing such loss, such sorrow with so much courage and acceptance.
Isn't that first description of Beth's face stunning? "It was no paler, and but little thinner than in the autumn, yet there was a strange, transparent look about it, as if the mortal was slowly being refined away, and the immortal shining through the frail flesh with an indescribably pathetic beauty" (p. 331). Wow. You can really tell that Alcott knows whereof she writes, huh? Her own sister Elizabeth died young, and I imagine writing about fictional Beth's illness and death must have been both painful and cathartic for Alcott.
Simple, sincere people seldom speak much of their piety. It shows itself in acts rather than in words, and has more influence than homilies or protestations (p. 333).
What do you think of the fact that Beth seems to have almost foreseen her own early death by never imagining a grown-up life for herself? Is this realistic? Or a fictional device?
AMA Answers #3
The final answers to questions y'all asked on my "Ask Me Anything" post. If anyone asks questions on it from here on out, I'll just answer them in the comments on that post, okay?
Elizabeth Grace Foley
Do you keep a pen-and-paper record of books read?
In a way. I keep a more-or-less-daily journal, and in that, I record when I start and finish reading a book. I also record watching movies and TV show eps in it. I also still have the written record of all the books I read from about 4th through 12th grade, which is cool to read through sometimes. Gives me good ideas of books to get for my kids, too.
What do you think is the best/most accurate book-to-movie adaptation you've seen?
Oh my. Um. Well, hmm. I'm not a huge stickler for accuracy in my adaptations because if it's just lifting the words off the page and sticking them in actors' mouths, it's kind of pointless -- I want an adaptation to bring something new to the experience, to make it richer somehow instead of just showing me the exact things I get from reading the book myself.
That being said, I don't know if any adaptation has ever captured a book's spirit quite so well as Anne of Green Gables (1985).
Have you seen Cranford?
Not yet! My library has it, so I'm hoping to see it soon.
Heidi Peterson
How about your favorite western book?
Oooooh, good question! Um, the one I've read most often is probably The Virginian by Owen Wister. I really love Hondo by Louis L'Amour too, though.
And how many states have you traveled in total?
Forty-eight! Still haven't hit Alaska or Hawaii.
Well, what is your favorite Pixar movie?
Toy Story (1995). Just posted my list of my 10 favorite animated movies here yesterday :-)
Also, are you a Star Wars fan?
I am! I love Han Solo the mostest, but also Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Marvel or DC?
Marvel. There's only one DC hero I love, namely Robin, but I love ever so many Marvel characters! Especially Wolverine. And Thor and Spidey and Professor X and Captain America and and and and...
Have you ever been to an amusement park?
I have been to lots of them! (Okay, six.) I'm very fond of amusement parks. Especially roller coasters. I could ride roller coasters all day. Which is why my favorite amusement park is Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, which has lots and lots and lots of roller coasters! In fact, it's called the Roller Coaster Capital of the World :-)
If you couldn't live in the state where you live now, where would you live?
If I could pick any state, you mean? I really loved living in North Carolina and Wisconsin, so either of those.
What is your favorite Austen novel?
Persuasion. And Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth are also my favorite Austen heroine and hero.
What is your favorite film adaptation?
The Man from Snowy River (1982), which is inspired by a poem of the same name, by A. B. "Banjo" Paterson. It's also my favorite movie of all time :-)
If you were on an isolated island, which books would you want to have with you?
The Bible, complete works of Shakespeare, and the complete Sherlock Holmes canon. I'd do pretty well with those!
What was the book that made you fall in love with literature?
If you mean what book made me realize I could love classic literature, then it was The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, which I first read when I was 11.
Why did you start blogging?
Initially, way back in 2002, I started Hamlette's Soliloquy because I wanted to see if anyone would be interested in reading my rambly thoughts. I liked the idea of having a place online where strangers could connect with me and we could discuss whatever I was interested in.
I started The Edge of the Precipice ten years later because I wanted to have all my book reviews together in one place where I could link them together with labels and make them easy for people to find. I had written book reviews on several earlier blogs which I have since abandoned, then wrote some on Hamlette's Soliloquy too, but I really wanted one place for all my book-related thoughts that was self-contained.
I've also had a writing-focused blog, a crafting-focused blog, and a homeschooling-focused blog, but like I said, I've abandoned them for various reasons, mostly because I didn't have as much to say on those subjects as I'd thought. I do have a recipe blog still, called We Cook Too Much, which I started because my sister-in-law wanted a searchable archive of the recipes Cowboy and I have tried and found tasty. I update it sporadically.
Do you like white, milk, or dark chocolate?
Yes! I even like white chocolate even though it isn't really chocolate.
Elizabeth Anne D.
Dark chocolate or milk chocolate?
I prefer dark if I have a choice, but milk is tasty too :-9 And thanks to all these questions about chocolate, I just ate a Lindt truffle.
Have you seen 'Merlin'? If so, what did you think of it?
Nope, never have. Sorry!
Thanks for all the awesome questions, everyone! This has been a ton of fun. I think when I hit 900 posts on Hamlette's Soliloquy sometime this summer, I'll done one of these over there too.
Labels: AMA
Little Women Read-Along: Heartache (Ch. 35)
This is definitely NOT my favorite chapter. I just want to shake Laurie and tell him to quit being such a dolt. Can't he take "no" for an answer and leave it at that? I do feel sorry for him, with his unrequited love and broken heart and all that, but honestly, he needs to stop being so persistent. Grr.
I'm very proud of Jo for not giving in and making Laurie temporarily happy. She must be cruel to be kind, and that's all there is to it.
Laurie bore himself as young gentlemen usually do in such cases. He was moody, irritable, and pensive by turns, lost his appetite, neglected his dress and devoted much time to playing tempestuously on his piano, avoided JO, but consoled himself by staring at her from his window, with a tragic face that haunted her dreams by night and oppressed her with a heavy sense of guilt by day (p. 330).
Is it me, or does this chapter go on and on and on? Do you think there's a reason Alcott has Jo refuse Laurie over and over and over?
More of my answers to your charming questions on my "Ask Me Anything" post last week. (And if you still want to leave a comment asking questions, you certainly may. I'll finish up answering the rest in a couple days.)
CGrace
-What is the most difficult/hard to finish book you've ever read? Did you end up getting through it?
Hmm. Probably The Iliad. I did finish it, but it took me over a month, and I was not particularly enthusiastic about it.
-What are you primarily- a reader who writes, or a writer who reads? Somebody asked me this recently and I thought it was a fascinating question.
That IS a fascinating question! I think I am a reader who writes. I tend to write books because I myself want to read them, and no one else has written them yet, so I have to.
-If you were stranded on a desert island with one book character, who would you select?
Robinson Crusoe. He's so clever and resourceful! And also has remarkable faith.
(Yes, I know this wasn't the most faithful adaptation ever.
HOWEVER! Pierce Brosnan is always a good idea.)
-Favorite Ice Cream Flavor? :)
Mint chocolate chip :-9
Naomi Bennet
How did you meet 'Cowboy'? :-)
We met at college, at the beginning of my sophomore year, his freshman. We had two classes together that fall semester, Self-Defense and German. I found him conceited and annoying, but he was friends with some of my friends, so I kept bumping into him outside classes, and once I got beneath what I had perceived to be hubris, I discovered he was intelligent, kind, and sincere, just without a great deal of social grace, shall we say. Also, he had magnificently broad shoulders and really cute dimples :-) And he kept showing up places where I was, like sitting by me in chapel, eating lunch with me and our mutual friends, so I got the feeling he liked me. (He swears this was unintentional.)
During the spring semester, he asked to borrow some notes from me. I screwed my courage to the sticking point and wrote in the margins, "If you like me so much, why don't you ask me out already?" So he did. We've been together ever since.
Have you read Gone with the Wind? Like, Love or Hate?
I have. I liked it fine, but have no great desire to read it again any time soon. I do watch the movie every few years, though.
Have you ever visited the UK?
No, but it's on my bucket list! I want to visit Baker Street, the Globe Theater, Stratford on Avon, interesting Jane Austen sites, something J.R.R Tolkien-related... all sorts of literary places :-)
What's your favourite Jane Austen movie?
The 1996 Emma with Gwyneth Paltrow.
Have you seen Little Dorrit?
No :-( I have to admit I'm not a huge Dickens fan. However, lots of people speak so highly of that adaptation that I've added it to my to-watch list. (Plus, Matthew Macfadyen!)
Have you ever found a note in a library book? Or written one, for that matter?
I have found all sorts of interesting things in library books, sometimes tucked in the pages, sometimes scribbled in the margins. I've found grocery lists, old cash register receipts, and sometimes a note to someone else. I've also read books where someone felt compelled to correct a typo, and sometimes I've found a comment or word written in, for whatever reason. I myself Do Not Ever Write In Library Books. I've probably accidentally left some oddment I was using as a bookmark in one at some time or other, though.
OH! I just remembered that after reading The Man in the Box by Mary Lois Dunn for the third or fourth time, I wrote a poem about it (I was probably 14 or so) called "To the Reader: An Ode" (not at all a pretentious 14-year-old, you can see), copied it off on a sticky note, and stuck it inside the front cover of the book. I used to go and check and see if it was still there when I went to the library, and for a long time, it was.
That's all for today, kiddos. Thanks for all the fascinating questions!
Little Women Read-Along: Friend (Ch. 34)
This book just gets better and better. If you're a fan of Professor Bhaer or Jo, anyway :-) I keep going, "This chapter is my favorite. No, this chapter is my favorite." Isn't this one wonderful? How subtly Professor Bhaer influences Jo to give up the writing he believes is beneath her, and which her conscience is telling her she shouldn't continue! Just shows you what great power a good friend can have, whether we realize it or not.
And then by the end, I'm feeling so very sad for Professor Bhaer. When I got to the part where, "'It is not for me, I must not hope it now,' he said to himself, with a sigh that was almost a groan" (p. 321), I kind of choked up for a minute. Oh my goodness, poor, good, dear Professor Bhaer. And yet, he was so good and kind, even in his disappointment, as to see Jo off at the train, with "a bunch of violets to keep her company."
She took to writing sensation stories, for in those dark ages, even all-perfect America read rubbish (p. 309).
He was neither rich nor great, young nor handsome, in no respect what is called fascinating, imposing, or brilliant, and yet he was as attractive as a genial fire, and people seemed to gather about him as naturally as about a warm hearth (p. 313).
Of course, here also comes the great discussion that we've been dipping into in the comments already: Alcott wrote sensational stories herself, and reportedly enjoyed writing them more than writing moralistic stories for the young. Alcott clearly based Jo on herself. Are we then to think that Alcott regards the writing she enjoyed to be worthless or dangerous? Or is she putting this here as an obligatory warning she thinks her audience wants to hear, a warning she herself had no intention of heeding? What do you think?
Alcott says Jo "was living in bad society, and imaginary though it was, its influence affected her, for she was feeding heart and fancy on dangerous and unsubstantial food" (p. 311). Do you agree that reading "trashy" books of any sort (gothic romances, bodice-rippers, horror, lurid murder mysteries, etc) will affect you even though you know they're imaginary? Is there more danger in what you read, or in how much you read of it? Any other thoughts on this subject?
Posted by Hamlette (Rachel) at 9:36 PM 9 comments:
Here I am, beginning to answer the questions people asked me in response to my "Ask Me Anything" invitation in my 400th post. Thanks for all the cool questions, everyone! I'll be answering more in a couple of days.
"What is your favorite book (If you had to pick just one)"
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Only within the last few years have I admitted that, though. Until I was about 30, I would have said, The Black Stallion by Walter Farley because that was my favorite book since I was about 7 years old, and I have a really hard time admitting to myself that I like something better than what has always been my most favorite. However, I do now love Jane Eyre more, and have admitted it to the world.
"What are your top five TV shows?"
Combat! (1962-67)
Angel (1999-2004)
The Big Valley (1965-69)
Five Mile Creek (1983-85)
Cheyenne (1955-63)
Interestingly, I only watched one of these in its original run, namely Angel. The rest I've discovered via reruns or videos. Angel is also the only one I started watching as an adult.
"You love the character of Boromir (as rightly you should!). Do you think that people tend to judge him too harshly?"
I think a lot of people do. I know that before I went to see The Fellowship of the Ring in the theater for the first time (remember, I had never read the books before I saw the movies), I mentioned to some friends that I was excited about Sean Bean being in it, and one of them said, "Oh, no! But he's playing the bad guy!" I was like, "Oh, I'm used to that, I don't care." I came out of the movie going, "How can you say he's the bad guy?" Because I don't think of him that way at all, but a lot of people seem to dismiss him as weak or selfish or mean or bad. (I wrote a big post about him here a while ago, if you want to know more of my thoughts about him.)
"Do you enjoy animated movies?"
Indeed, I do! I love many animated movies, and I'm working on a list of my top ten to post on my other blog soon.
"Who is your favorite actor (or top three)? How about favorite actress (or top three)?"
1. John Wayne
2. Hugh Jackman
3. Val Kilmer
Actresses:
1. Maureen O'Hara
2. Sandra Bullock
3. Doris Day
"And, just because you gave me this question, chocolate and peanut butter or chocolate and mint?"
If I had to choose only one for the rest of my life, chocolate and peanut butter. But I dearly love chocolate and mint too.
Isaac Benjamin
"Have you read the Poetics by Aristotle?"
Not in its entirety, no. I did read selections from it, years ago, when I took a class on the history of dramatic criticism.
"Have you read the divine comedy by Dante? Does the first third of it make you squeamish?"
Nope. So, also, nope. I've read a few selections from it, and I've read kind of a summary so I know the basics of what it's about, but that's it. I haven't read his Inferno either.
Little Women Read-Along: Jo's Journal (Ch. 33)
This is one of my favorite chapters. And a long one, too! I love how you can see Jo's affection for Professor Bhaer even though she hasn't really realized the extent of it yet -- such good writing, subtle but clear.
And my goodness, he's "almost 40," and she's only what, 20? Let's see, if we assume "almost 40" means he's 38, then if we adhere to the half-plus-seven rule for an "acceptable" age difference, half of 38 is 19, plus 7 is 26, and if Jo is 20, then yeeeeeeeah, he's really a little "too old" for Jo. HOWEVER! I happen to adore May-December romances (or April-September, as might be more the case here), so that may be why I've always loved them getting together. Or maybe my early love of this story helped shape my predilection for romances with big age gaps? Who knows!
Anyway, brave Jo, packing up and going off to a big city like New York to be a governess. I'm not sure I'd have the guts to do that. Yes, I went to college a thousand miles away from home, and I didn't know a single person there, but a tiny Christian college in a small midwestern city is not the same as a job in NYC, even the NYC of back then. I'm impressed.
I've got sense, if I haven't style, which is more than some people have, judging from the remarks of the elegant beings who clattered away, smoking like bad chimneys. I hate ordinary people! (p. 301)
"Read him well, and he will help you much, for the study of character in this book will help you to read it in the world and paint it with your pen" (p. 307). (Prof. Bhaer about Shakespeare)
Jo begins the December entry with "My Precious Betsey" (p. 304), which I took to mean she was addressing Beth, but then at the end, she says, "You see Beth manages [Laurie] better than I did," and "Thank Heaven Beth continues so comfortable" (p. 306), which doesn't sound as if she's directly addressing Beth at all. Any thoughts?
Post 400 -- Ask Me Anything!
This is my 400th post on this blog! Pretty crazy, huh? I thought I'd open this up to all my blogging friends -- ask me anything, book-related or not, and I'll answer your questions in future posts. As long as they're tasteful, of course ;-)
Marmee March: A Guest Post by Kelly-Anne
Marmee
by Kelly-Anne
Every time I open my well-worn copy of Little Women, I am captured by the character of Marmee.
I love this wise and gentle mother. I admire her diligent efforts to keep her little daughters from being idle and teaching them through her own example how to attain a servant's heart and a life of true worth.
The author of Little Women, Louisa May Alcott, describes Mrs March very briefly as "a tall, motherly lady, with a 'can-I-help-you' look about her," and I noticed that she left a lot about Marmee's character merely to dialogue.
"She was not elegantly dressed, but a noble-looking woman and the girls thought the grey coat and unfashionable bonnet covered the most splendid mother in the world" (p. 11).
Marmee truly inspires me. From what I understand, she was not a beautiful woman in the eyes of the world, but she had an inward beauty which truly shone through and drew people to her. She was humble, faithful, wise, understanding, always seeking to uplift another, always ready to help someone in need, motherly, joyful and above all, ever dependent on her Saviour -- both in times of joy and sorrow.
Unlike the many mothers of her time, Mrs March could be explained as quite unworldly in many of her ideas and hopes for her daughters' futures:
- She didn't desire to marry them off to rich husbands, but rather young men who would love and cherish them all the days of their lives.
- She didn't want them to have grand houses, elegant clothes and numerous servants, but rather simple, thankful hearts that were always looking for ways to bless, help and encourage others.
- She didn't encourage vanity, but rather a life of fruitfulness, productivity, and happiness in simple pleasures.
"You have a good many little gifts and virtues, but there is no need of parading them, for conceit spoils the finest genius. There is not much danger that real talent or goodness will be overlooked long, and the great charm of all power is modesty" (p. 66).
Marmee could always be relied upon for a kind word and never too busy to encourage or correct a wandering soul. But like every mother who has ever walked this earth, she was not perfect and just like you and I, in need of the grace and love that can only come from above.
In chapter 9, we see Marmee regretting her decision to allow Meg to visit a very fashionable and wealthy family for a fortnight of pleasure. She says, "I was very unwise to let you go among people of whom I know so little -- kind, I daresay, but worldly, ill-bred, and full of these vulgar ideas about young people" (p. 89).
Alcott portrayed Marmee to be a brave, strong lady who was a wonderful support for her family during their long separation. But in chapter 15 the March ladies receive a telegram saying that their beloved husband and father is lying far away in Washington, desperately ill and perhaps dying.
Only for a moment does Mrs March's strong character weaken and we catch a glimpse of who she truly was: someone who was weak and frail, but who had firm faith in the Almighty God.
This brave lady had sent off her husband whom she loved so much and whose opinion she valued above any other, to fight for his country, knowing that anything could happen to him and leave her alone to raise their girls. She said, "Your father, Jo... He helped and comforted me, and showed me that I must try to practice all the virtues I would have my little girls possess" (p. 75).
Marmee was a very special, Godly woman, and we can see the result of her virtue by observing her four daughters and the wonderful young women that they grew to become. Her prayers, her wise lessons and her "gentle and quiet spirit" was such a great example for her daughters and I think we can learn a lot from her.
I conclude with one of my favourite quotes by Marmee, taken from chapter 11:
"Have regular hours for work and play; make each day both useful and pleasant, and prove that you understand the worth of time by employing it well. Then youth will be delightful, old age will bring few regrets, and life will become a beautiful success in spite of poverty."
(Note from Hamlette: Thank you for this delightful character sketch, Kelly-Anne! I think you have captured Marmee's likeness beautifully.)
Little Women Read-Along: Tender Troubles (Ch. 32)
I do feel sorry for Laurie, don't you? He's so set on Jo, and so fond of her, and probably kind of in love with her too. And she discourages him any chance she gets because she's unable to think of him as anything more than a friend. No wonder Laurie's prone to the occasion "Byron fits of gloom" (p. 290).
But I feel sorry for Jo too, because after all, you can't make yourself fall in love with someone. You can, of course, gradually fall in love with someone you thought you didn't love, but it's not quite the same thing. You know Jo wants to make Laurie happy, but she can't pretend to love him, and she knows they wouldn't be happy together anyway.
"I never force my children's confidence, and I seldom have to wait for long" (p. 288).
...she preferred imaginary heroes to real ones... (p. 290).
"I'm glad you can't flirt, Jo. It's really refreshing to see a sensible, straight-forward girl, who can be jolly and kind without making a fool of herself" (p. 293).
But young as she was, Jo had learned that hearts, like flowers, cannot be rudely handled, but must open naturally (p. 295).
Laurie says that "pretty, modest girls are never talked about, except respectfully, among gentlemen" (p. 293). This has been my experience today, too. Has it been yours as well?
Do you think Beth suspects that Jo thinks Beth loves Laurie?
Little Women Read-Along: Our Foreign Correspondent (Ch. 31)
What a lot happens in this short chapter! I just love the use of letters here, don't you? It works so well to give us glimpses of Amy's physical and emotional journey without devolving into a travelogue. I do like the epistolary format, though -- I know some people don't. Isn't it cute how Amy sprinkles little French phrases into her letters? I can imagine her doing that in conversation too. Not to be pretentious and show off, but just to practice and use what she's learned.
And then, by the end of the chapter, she's practically engaged to Fred Vaughn. Oh my. Isn't it interesting how practical she is about this? Not mercenary, but practical and clear-headed. She knows she doesn't love Fred, but she's decided she's okay with that. She makes me think of Charlotte Lucas in Pride and Prejudice, marrying Mr. Collins for the security he would provide. Though I think Fred Vaughn is a good deal more agreeable than Mr. Collins, of course.
I ought to have read more, for I find I don't know anything, and it mortifies me (p. 285).
Do you think Amy and Fred could be happy together?
Labels: Epistolary
Announcing the Great Book Giveaway Bonanza!
Remember that idea I had for having lots of book blogs host giveaways at once? I've made an "official" page for it here, and Heidi Peterson made us 3 nifty buttons so people can spread the word. If you want to hold a book-related giveaway on your blog and participate in the bonanza, please sign up in the comments on the GBGB page I made. There's more info about it there too :-)
"Dreaming Spies" by Laurie R. King
Hurrah! I've finally read the latest book in King's Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series. I put a hold on it at the library when it first came out months and months ago, and it came in a few days ago, so I quickly devoured it.
It's no secret that I'm a fan of Laurie R. King's writing, especially this series. And I thoroughly enjoyed this book, though it was less of a whodunit and more of a "stop the blackmailer" type of plot. Although a big section of the middle felt more like a travelogue than a mystery, I didn't mind because I love spending time with Russell and Holmes in these books, whether they're tramping the Japanese countryside or plotting how to retrieve a stolen thingamabob.
I didn't like Dreaming Spies as well as the previous two books, Garment of Shadows and Pirate King, but it was still great fun. Hmm. I'm in the mood to make lists today, so here are how I rank the books in this series so far, from favorite to least:
1. The Beekeeper's Apprentice (book 1)
2. The Game (book 7)
3. O Jerusalem (book 5)
4. Garment of Shadows (book 12)
5. Pirate King (book 11)
6. Locked Rooms (book 8)
7. Dreaming Spies (book 13)
8. Justice Hall (book 6)
9. The God of the Hive (book 10)
10. The Language of Bees (book 9)
11. The Moor (book 4)
12. A Monstrous Regiment of Women (book 2)
13. A Letter of Mary (book 3)
I must admit, though, that I've read many of these only once. Rereadings may change my ranking of these over time. But today, that's how I feel about them :-)
If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: PG-13 for suspense, sexual innuendo, and the occasional mild curse word.
Labels: Historical Fiction, Laurie R. King, Lists, Mystery, Pastiche, published 2000-2019, Sherlock Holmes
Little Women Read-Along: Consequences (Ch. 30)
I like Amy better and better as this second half of the book progresses. She's not so spoiled and flouncy as she was as a child, and she really behaves well in this chapter, doesn't she? My goodness, she's so adult about all this nonsense at the charity fair! I love how Jo and Laurie rally the troops around her and make her flower table a huge success -- loyalty always pleases me. So does magnanimity, and Amy sending them over to the art table she'd been banished from just warms my heart.
But poor Jo, getting left behind from the trip to Europe. I feel so sad for her.
(I'm sorry these chapter posts are so short lately -- I've had a cold for over a week, which has morphed into bronchitis, and thanks to the illness and cough syrup, my brain is kinda fuzzy.)
"You laugh at me when I say I want to be a lady, but I mean a true gentlewoman in mind and manners, and I try to do it as far as I know how" (p. 276).
If Mrs. Chester hadn't gotten in a tizzy over Jo's impression of her daughter and packed Amy off to the flower table, do you think the art table would have been more or less successful than it was this way?
If Jo had gotten to go on the trip to Europe instead of Amy, how different do you think this book would have been?
Do you wish Alcott had sent Jo to Europe instead?
Little Women Read-Along: Calls (Ch. 29)
This chapter is mostly great fun, isn't it? Silly Jo, pretending to be first an iceberg, then a flirt, and finally being herself around a bunch of boys. And her aunts. Though it's sad at the end, knowing she's missing out on the chance to travel to Europe because she's, well, too honest, I guess. Do you think that's Alcott's point in this chapter? That being yourself is all well and good, but that adhering to societal expectations once in a while is beneficial too? That's our Possible Discussion Question for the day, I think.
"Goodness knows I need a little change, for elegance has a bad effect upon my constitution," returned Jo gruffly, being disturbed by her failure to suit (p. 264).
"...it's easier for me to risk my life for a person than to be pleasant to him when I don't feel like it" (p. 266).
Posted by Hamlette (Rachel) at 11:57 PM 8 comments:
Little Women Read-Along: Domestic Experience (Ch. 28)
(I know I don't usually post about chapters two days in a row, but I had such an overwhelming weekend that I missed doing posts for a bit, so I'm trying to catch up a little.)
What a sobering chapter this is! My goodness, Meg gets herself into some rather sad troubles, doesn't she? It made me think back to my first year as a married woman, and some of the downright absurd disagreements we had as we slowly figured out how this whole marriage thing was going to work.
Also, boom! Out of the blue, they have babies! Twins! Isn't that last page or two kind of odd? Alcott alludes to Meg getting a new experience, "the deepest and tenderest of a woman's life" (p. 255), which I kind of thought meant pregnancy, but the whole 9 months gets dispatched with a comic scene in which they surprise Laurie with the fact that she's had twins. Was that whole section just kind of oddly put together, or is it just me? Oh, isn't giving birth jolly, let's let Laurie name the babies, and tra-la-la, we'll all clown around a while. Hmm.
They were very happy, even after they discovered that they couldn't live on love alone (p. 245).
She put it away, but it haunted her, not delightfully as a new dress should, but dreadfully like the ghost of a folly that was not easily laid (p. 253).
Alcott says that "Meg didn't like to be pitied and made to feel poor" (p. 252). How is being made to feel poor (or ugly, or boring, or untalented, or any other undesirable thing) worse than the simple fact of being it?
Little Women Read-Along: Literary Lessons (Ch. 27)
In which Jo discovers she has a talent for writing sensational fiction and can earn pretty hefty chunks of money with it. Hurrah for Jo! She works up the courage to submit a novel for publication, after pretty thoroughly "ruining" it by changing it to suit everyone, which amuses me. But then she gets it published anyway, which I find a bit convenient or over-happy or something. Maybe I'm just being curmudgeonly today, but after all the time Alcott spends discussing how Jo messes up the novel, and then it sells anyway? I"m happy for Jo, but kind of annoyed with Alcott, I guess.
I do love the description of Jo's writing cap, though, don't you? And how people could tell by what was going on with it whether or not she could be disturbed -- so amusing!
...when the writing fit came on, she gave herself up to it with entire abandon, and led a blissful life, unconscious of want, care, or bad weather, while she sat safe and happy in an imaginary world, full of friends almost as real and dear to her as any in the flesh (p. 238).
What literary lessons do you think Jo has learned?
We know Alcott made some good money by writing sensational literature too. Do you think her father reacted like Mr. March, saying she could do better? Or does that feel more like Alcott looking back at her younger self and shaking her head?
Little Women Read-Along: The Valley of the Shadow...
Little Women Read-Along: Our Foreign Corresponden...
Little Women Read-Along: Domestic Experience (Ch....


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Why Lakeview
Admission Open House
Apply to Lakeview
Campus & Directions
SLA Food Services
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Meet Our Class of 2020
Digital Resources for Lower School
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Cite a Source Using Noodle Tools
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The Lakeview Academy mission includes a partnership with the community. The goal of the partnership is to foster a sense of responsibility, citizenship, commitment, and service. Community Service is an integral part of the Lakeview curriculum.
All students are urged to participate in service to others at school, in their communities, and in the larger world. Lakeview sees service as one of the methods of learning about ourselves and our place in the world. Emphasis is placed on service directly to others rather than fund raising for others to administer far away.
Upper School students are required to complete 60 hours of community service for graduation. Students who complete twice that number of hours or more are graduated from Lakeview with service distinction.
"Volunteering at the food bank was an eye opening experience. I had never realized how many people couldn't afford food. The food bank changed how I looked at everything. It's encouraged me to not only do my 60 hours of Lakeview community service, but to do 120. Volunteering at the food bank made me want to help my community as much as I could. Packing food in a box is such a simple task, but it's a small act that helps other people."
-Anna Caitlyn, 10th grade
MobileServe Link (Community Service)
796 Lakeview Drive Gainesville, GA 30501 • (770) 532-4383
Lakeview Academy is a private, coeducational day school for students in grades K3 through 12, located in Gainesville, GA.
Lakeview Academy is committed to excellence in the personal growth and academic development of the college-bound student through a partnership of school, family, and community.
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Keeping a job search journal will yield valuable benefits and can be a great advantage to your search. It may sound time-consuming or mundane, especially if you don't enjoy writing. But a journal can provide structure and organization to your job search and help you stay focused and positive during an often times stressful process.
Track job applications to help you with the all-important follow up.
Assess which strategies worked and which didn't – you'll learn from your mistakes and rejections by documenting them.
Vent your emotions privately in your journal, and then let them go.
Write down compliments and praises you've received. These can be helpful when asked for testimonials about your work and can also act as a morale booster when needed.
Journal about meetings or conversations you've had that related to your job search.
Keep track of your career goals and stay focused on the prize.
Before an interview, write down what questions you have for the interviewer. Also journal about your feelings — are you nervous, excited? Use journaling to prepare for the interview and also help settle your nerves.
Document networking relationships and connections you've made that can be helpful down the road.
Journal about your vision for the future, your hopes and dreams. Envision what you want to do, where you want to go, and how to get there.
By keeping a private journal of your job search activities, thoughts, and experiences, you better position yourself to succeed. Whether you hand write your journal, type it on an electronic device, or use a voice recording app or device, you will benefit from being able to analyze the job search process, reflect on your successes, and better see the areas needing improvements. Get started journaling today!
This entry was posted in General, Transition Advice and tagged career transition, job search, job search advice, journal, journaling, keeping a journal, military transition by Karin Durkee. Bookmark the permalink.


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Top London Teaching Hospital Implements Varian Medical Oncology Network | Varian
{ "pageType": "news-article", "title": "Top London Teaching Hospital Implements Varian Medical Oncology Network", "articleDate": "13 de March de 2006", "introText": "", "category": "Oncology" }
Top London Teaching Hospital Implements Varian Medical Oncology Network
London, England, March 9th 2006 – One of the UK's leading teaching hospitals has implemented a medical oncology information system from Varian Medical Systems to improve inter-departmental communication and reduce the risk of human error when prescribing chemotherapy drugs for cancer patients. St Bartholomews (Barts) in north-east London has integrated the VARiS MedOncology™ system with its existing networks to create a more fully integrated oncology department. Using this new system, the medical staff expects to enhance patient safety and the quality of care.
Dr Chris Gallagher, clinical director at Barts, says, "The modern treatment of cancer is organised through multidisciplinary teams and not separate departments so that integration of information and the improvement in communication between the departments is of great importance in ensuring safe and optimally effective treatments.‿
VARiS MedOncology provides cancer treatment facilities with software that combines and manages information including appointments, treatment regimens and diagnostic suggestions for both radiation therapy and chemotherapy within a single electronic medical record for each patient. A key element is 'decision support', which helps increasingly-busy medical oncology departments to reduce the risk of human error when prescribing and delivering powerful chemotherapy drugs.
Dr Gallagher said VARiS MedOncology has a significant role to play in helping staff to reduce the risk of human error in chemotherapy prescribing, particularly 'click' errors when inputting data. "It has been shown in various studies to significantly reduce the incidence of human error in the prescribing process,‿ he said.
He also expects the new system to increase the speed and accuracy of communication between departments, support the identification and handling of new trial drugs, and enable better management of budgetary issues.
VARiS MedOncology is designed to improve patient care by tracking dose levels and drug/allergy interactions. It saves clinical staff time by automating preparation of forms, reports, progress notes and – where applicable – charge capture.
"This system provides cancer treatment facilities with software that combines and manages information including appointments, treatment regimens and diagnostic suggestions for both radiation therapy and chemotherapy within a single electronic medical record for each patient,‿ says Walter Frei, Varian's VP European sales & marketing operations.
Editorial contact: Neil Madle, Varian Medical Systems, +44 7786 526068, neil.madle@varian.com
Varian Medical Systems, Inc., (NYSE:VAR) of Palo Alto, California is the world's leading supplier of equipment and software for treating cancer. The company is also a premier supplier of components including X-ray tubes and flat-panel detectors for medical, scientific, and industrial imaging. Varian Medical Systems employs approximately 3,280 people who are located at manufacturing sites in North America and Europe and in its 55 sales and support offices around the world. The company operates manufacturing and engineering centers in Baden (Switzerland), Crawley (England), Haan (Germany), Helsinki (Finland) and Toulouse (France) and has headquarters for Europe, Middle East, India and Africa (EMEA) based in Zug, Switzerland. Additional information is available on the company's web site at www.varian.com


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Moving scenes in Paris as people sing Ave Maria
Distraught Parisians and stunned tourists have come together to sing hymns as they watch the monstrous inferno tear through the Notre Dame cathedral.
Thousands of onlookers lined bridges over the Seine and along the river's embankments, held at a distance by a police cordon as the blaze engulfed the cathedral's roof.
Notre Dame cathedral on fire
Others gathered to say prayers and sing hymns In front of the nearby Saint Julien Les Pauvres church, only a few hundred metres away.
Flames and smoke rose in the sky behind the singers.
"I'm devastated," said Elizabeth Caille, 58, who lives close to the cathedral.
"It's a symbol of Paris. It's a symbol of Christianity. It's a whole world that is collapsing."
As dark fell over the French capital, orange flames rising through the heart of the 12th century Gothic cathedral cast an eerie glow through its stained-glass windows and against its stone towers.
Dumbstruck observers stood rooted to the spot as the scale of catastrophe sunk in, questioning whether the cathedral would survive the night as clouds of acrid-smelling smoke rose into the sky. Some were visibly moved.
"It will never be the same" said 30-year-old Samantha Silva, tears welling in her eyes as she explained how she would always take foreign friends visiting Paris to the cathedral.
Built over a century starting around the year 1160, historians consider Notre Dame to be among the best examples of French Gothic cathedral architecture.
Notre Dame survived being ransacked by rioting Huguenots in the 16th century, pillaging during the French Revolution of the 1790s and being left in a state of semi-neglect until Victor Hugo's 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, which led to renewed interest in the cathedral and a major restoration which began in 1844.
The cathedral continued to be used as a place for national mourning in modern-day France. World leaders attended memorial services held there for former presidents Charles de Gaulle and Francois Mitterrand.
"It's horrible, it's 800 years of history gone up in smoke," said German tourist Katrin Recke.
As firefighters raced to save priceless artworks, centuries-old gargoyles and the cathedral's northern tower, world leaders expressed sorrow and grief in messages to the French people.
"Notre Dame belonged to all humanity. What a tragic spectacle. What horror. I share the French nation's sadness," tweeted Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Union's executive Commission.
Former US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton wrote: "My heart goes out to Paris. Notre-Dame is a symbol of our ability as human beings to unite for a higher purpose - to build breath-taking spaces for worship that no one person could have built on their own."
Reuters / Newshub.


text:
Володимир Тимофійович Степанов (, село Серебряне, тепер Ржаксинського району Тамбовської області, Російська Федерація) — радянський казахський державний діяч, 1-й секретар Північно-Казахстанського обласного комітету КП Казахстану. Член Центральної Ревізійної комісії КПРС у 1986—1989 роках. Депутат Верховної Ради СРСР 11-го скликання.

Життєпис
У 1945—1950 роках — студент Білоруської сільськогосподарської академії, вчений-агроном.

У 1950—1952 роках — агроном-овочівник радгоспу № 1 управління Омської залізниці Петропавловського району Північно-Казахстанської області.

У 1952—1958 роках — головний агроном, директор Асановської машинно-тракторної станції (МТС) Петропавловського району Північно-Казахстанської області.

Член КПРС з 1956 року.

У 1958—1959 роках — начальник Соколовської районної інспекції із сільського господарства Північно-Казахстанської області.

У 1959—1961 роках — секретар Конюховського районного комітету КП Казахстану Північно-Казахстанської області.

У 1961—1968 роках — заступник завідувача, завідувач сільськогосподарського відділу Північно-Казахстанського обласного комітету КП Казахстану.

У 1968 — квітні 1981 року — секретар Північно-Казахстанського обласного комітету КП Казахстану з питань сільського господарства.

У квітні 1981 — 27 квітня 1988 року — 1-й секретар Північно-Казахстанського обласного комітету КП Казахстану.

З квітня 1988 року — персональний пенсіонер союзного значення в Москві.

Нагороди і звання
 орден Леніна
 орден Жовтневої Революції
 чотири ордени Трудового Червоного Прапора
 два ордени Дружби народів
 медалі

Примітки

Джерела
 Первые руководители Северо-Казахстанской области за 80 лет
 Ашимбаев Д. Р. Кто есть кто в Казахстане. Биографическая энциклопедия. Алматы, 2010.

Депутати Верховної Ради СРСР 11-го скликання
Члени КПРС

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Hola Lexicans! As some of you may know from a previous post talking about it (which you can read here), a little over a year ago, my sister and I set up a charity called The Pyjama Fund. The Pyjama Fund (or TPF as it'll probably be referred to in this post) is an organisation which provides pyjamas, onesies and soft toys to vulnerable children, like homeless children and refugees, across the UK.
So far, we have sent off five bundles of pyjamas, onesies and soft toys to 4 different charities (which you can read about on our website), but normally what we would do would be to either send the package in the post, or drop it off with one of the volunteers in the charity. However, for the last bundle we did a couple of weeks ago, we actually got the chance to go and meet some of the children that our donations would be going to.
We were sending our donations to Merryfield's a short-term children's home for children with special needs in High Wycombe. We obviously had a vague idea of who we were sending them to, and we had seen photos of other children with their pyjamas, but meeting them was totally different. None of the children we met could speak or talk, but they could hear us and had their own forms of communicating, like feeling someone or using their sense of smell. It was so empowering to see the centre and see how the children are placed in a fun and loving environment. We took a few photos with a couple of the children so I wanted to share them with y'all.
Hi lexie! It was honestly great reading about how much TPF has already impacted people. I look forward to seeing more updates.


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Wood Lab
Precision Cancer Therapy
All Original Research
All Reviews/Perspectives
Our laboratory's work focuses on precision cancer therapies, drugs that target the oncoproteins and underlying pathophysiological and immunological processes that drive malignant progression. These exciting agents have the potential to selectively eradicate tumor cells while sparing healthy tissues, a notion supported by evidence of remarkable activity in a subset of cancer patients. However, critical challenges have prevented us from utilizing precision therapies to their fullest potential. These agents often fail, either in the upfront setting or over time, because of the phenomenon of resistance, which is only partially understood and, to date, extremely difficult to reverse. Further, for many deadly cancer types, including those driven by "undruggable" oncogenes and those that are immunologically "cold", no effective precision therapies currently exist.
These two major challenges – understanding how to overcome therapeutic resistance and selectively target difficult-to-treat cancers – are the central focus of our research program. Another key feature of nearly all of our studies is their use of unbiased genetic, chemical, and computational methods, many of which we develop or adapt ourselves, which provide a data-driven entry point into questions of interest. From there, we use the classic tools of molecular biology, cell biology, genetics, immunology, and biochemistry to perform mechanistic studies, then marry these with pharmacological methods and animal models to evaluate the translational potential of our findings.
Therapeutic resistance
We now know that resistance can be driven by diverse signaling pathways that often co-occur within individual patients. As a result, blocking individual resistance pathways is often ineffective, while simultaneously blocking multiple resistance pathways is often toxic. Consequently, there is now a compelling need for new conceptual strategies to solve the difficult problem of resistance.
Our approach to this problem is based on the hypothesis that by mapping the pathways of resistance on a systems-wide level, we may illuminate new conceptual approaches to overcome it. To pursue this hypothesis, we have engineered new technologies that enable researchers to rapidly and systematically map the pathways of resistance on previously difficult-to-achieve scales. For example, we recently created pathway activation screening, which involves first activating discrete signaling pathways using custom, barcoded, pathway-activating cDNA constructs, then reading out those pathways capable of driving resistance en masse through pooled screening1,2. We and others have extensively validated the ability of this approach, combined with complementary CRISPR-based methods, primary cellular models, and computational analytic pipelines developed in our lab, to map the landscape of key resistance pathways in diverse cancer contexts1-8,15.
From these studies, two key concepts have emerged. First, we have discovered that disparate pathways of resistance often converge onto one or more "common effectors": downstream signaling targets that are required for the development and maintenance of resistance6-9. Second, the convergent nature of resistance implies that resistant cells are likely to share common functional features and dependencies, even when the upstream resistance mechanisms in these cells differ. We have recently identified examples of these "collateral sensitivities" shared by tumors with diverse resistance mechanisms and have demonstrated that by targeting them, it is possible to build combination therapies that select against resistance evolution9,14.
Targeting cell death
Beyond our work in resistance, we also have an interest in identifying new therapeutic vulnerabilities in tumors, particularly those lacking clearly targetable features. One attractive approach to this problem is to directly target the process of apoptosis, or programmed cell death. The mitochondrial (intrinsic) pathway of apoptosis is a tightly regulated process that is controlled by the balance of pro- versus anti-apoptotic BCL-2 family proteins in the mitochondria. In recent years, we and others have become particularly interested in targeting this network because of two key advances: (1) the observation that some cancer cells may be particularly "primed" to undergo apoptosis relative to most normal cells in the adult, and (2) the development of small molecule inhibitors of the BCL-2 family proteins (e.g., BCL-XL, BCL-2, and MCL-1), known as "BH3 mimetic" drugs. Specifically, our work in this area has focused on addressing the following key questions: (1) How dependent are diverse tumors on BCL-2 family proteins?; (2) What tumor features control sensitivity to apoptosis induction by BCL-2 family proteins?; and (3) How can therapies targeting the apoptotic pathway be delivered in order to reduce toxicity and increase efficacy?
To address the first question, we have used combinatorial screening of all possible combinations of selective BCL-2, BCL-XL, and MCL-1 inhibitors to define the BCL-2 inhibitor dependency landscape in large numbers of cancer cell lines and primary cultures, work which revealed that most tumors are sensitive to at least one combination of BH3 mimetics, including subsets of solid tumors that harbor exquisite sensitivities to single agent therapy10. Further, this work revealed key determinants of sensitivity to BH3 mimetic combinations. Regarding the second question above, we have used combinatorial genetic and pharmacological screening to identify oncogenic mutations, aberrant organelle functions, and metabolic states that influence cellular commitment to apoptosis and enable tumor specific targeting of cell death11,12,13. Finally, to address the problem of delivery, we have teamed up with engineers, using molecular engineering principles to design and deliver combination therapies that drive cancer cell death. Moving forward, our work is now increasingly aimed at identifying and manipulating not only the process of tumor cell autonomous survival, but also the surveillance of tumor cells by our immune systems.
Together, our studies are making fundamental contributions to our understanding of the structures of signaling networks in tumors, how these networks evolve during therapy, and how their altered properties create new therapeutic opportunities. These studies have laid the groundwork for our ongoing and future studies while also yielding widely disseminated genomic and cellular tools and informing the ongoing design of multiple human clinical trials. Specifically, ongoing areas of research focus in the lab include the systematic discovery, mechanistic characterization, and translational evaluation of collateral sensitivities in drug resistant cancers and the use of new genomic tools to define unique, targetable cell autonomous or immunological vulnerabilities in difficult-to-treat cancers.
Wood, K.C. Mapping the pathways of resistance to targeted therapies. Cancer Research 75, 4247-4251 (2015).
Martz, C.A., et al. Systematic identification of signaling pathways with potential to confer anticancer drug resistance. Science Signaling 7, ra121 (2014).
Ding, Y., et al. Synthetic lethality between HER2 and transaldolase in intrinsically resistant HER2-positive breast cancers. Nature Communications 9, 4274 (2018).
Ali, M., et al. Codon bias imposes a targetable limitation on KRAS-driven therapeutic resistance. Nature Communications 8, 15617 (2017).
Anderson, G.R., et al. A Landscape of Therapeutic Cooperativity in KRAS Mutant Cancers Reveals Principles for Controlling Tumor Evolution. Cell Reports 20, 999-1015 (2017).
Lin, K.H., et al. Targeting MCL-1/BCL-XL Forestalls the Acquisition of Resistance to ABT-199 in Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Sci Rep 6, 27696 (2016).
Misale, S., et al. Vertical suppression of the EGFR pathway prevents onset of resistance in colorectal cancers. Nature Communications 6, 8305 (2015).
Winter, P.S., et al. RAS signaling promotes resistance to JAK inhibitors by suppressing BAD-mediated apoptosis. Science Signaling 7, ra122 (2014).
Singleton, K.R., Crawford, L.A., et al. Melanoma Therapeutic Strategies that Select against Resistance by Exploiting MYC-Driven Evolutionary Convergence. Cell Reports 21, 2796-2812 (2017).
Soderquist, R.S., et al. Systematic mapping of BCL-2 gene dependencies in cancer reveals molecular determinants of BH3 mimetic sensitivity. Nature Communications 9, 3513 (2018).
Anderson, G.R., et al. Dysregulation of mitochondrial dynamics proteins are a targetable feature of human tumors. Nature Communications 9, 1677 (2018).
Anderson, G.R., et al. PIK3CA mutations enable targeting of a breast tumor dependency through mTOR-mediated MCL-1 translation. Science Translational Medicine 8, 369ra175 (2016).
Lin, K.H., Xie, A., et al. Systematic dissection of the metabolic-apoptotic interface in AML reveals heme biosynthesis to be a regulator of drug sensitivity. Cell Metabolism 29, 1217 (2019).
Lin, K.H., Rutter, J.C., et al. Using antagonistic pleiotropy to design a chemotherapy-induced evolutionary trap to target drug resistance in cancer, Nature Genetics 52, 408 (2020).
Su, A., Ling, F., et al. The folate cycle enzyme MTHFR is a critical regulator of cell response to MYC-targeting therapies, Cancer Discovery 10, 1894 (2020).
The Wood Lab
Kris C. Wood, PhD
Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology
Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology
450 Research Drive, LSRC C134, PO Box 3813
E-mail: kris.wood@duke.edu
Website by Academic Web Pages
Publications at PubMed
Duke University School of Medicine
Duke Cancer Institute
© 2023 Wood Lab
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Nancy is as complicated a protagonist as we'll meet in a movie, and perhaps only an indie movie like this could pull it off. Between online forums and meeting strange men in diners, Nancy weaves a story about lost and/or current pregnancies, and it's unclear if (and perhaps unlikely that) any of it ever happened.
After years of taking care of her mother, Nancy (Andrea Riseborough) is at odds when she dies suddenly, leaving Nancy alone in a house she hates, and shards of a life she mostly resents. One night, she hears a story on television about a little girl, Brook, who disappeared 30 years ago. An inkling is all it takes, and soon Nancy is contacting and visiting Leo (Steve Buscemi) and Ellen (J. Smith-Cameron), the little girl's parents, believing or half-believing or half-willing herself to be the kidnapped child, now grown up.
The only person who wants it to be true more than Nancy does is Brook's mother, Ellen. Leo is much more skeptical, and admits they've had false hopes before. A DNA test is quickly procured but as they await the results, Nancy movies in and cozies up and Ellen can't help but get attached. Ellen has been a mother without a child for 30 long years; she's got a spot underneath her wing that's Nancy-sized, to say nothing of the hole in her heart.
The psychology of this movie is fascinating. It really explores the depths and nature of intimacy. Riseborough is fantastic. She's got a haunted look about her; there's a back story that's simply implied in her downcast eyes, her uncombed hair. Smith-Cameron is also exceptional. Her shakiness and fragility are evident in every quaking breath. Her need is enormous. A talented cast really makes this story, well-crafted by writer-director Christina Choe, come alive.
This entry was posted in Movie Reviews and tagged female directors, mother daughter movies on December 13, 2018 by Jay.


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Culture & News
SEOULA City where old meets new, You'll find everything you're looking for
INCHEONMore than the airport, A city full of unique islands
BUSANA Maritime city with charming views and a trendy urban culture
JEJUA Leisurely island surrounded by sparkling waves and places of healing
DAEGUA City full of youthful energy and vitality
GANGNEUNGA Coastal city home to stunning filming locations for k-dramas
CHUNCHEONA Jidden gem with beautiful nature scenes and specialties
JEONJUA City full of historic alleys, delicious food and exciting festivals
Shocking True Stories In Korea Behind Drama Taxi Driver
Did You Know That Taxi Driver Storylines Are Based On Real Events? Workplace Violence, Blackmailing And Other Shocking Incidents In South Korea.
Starring Lee Je-hoon, Kim Eui-sung and Pyo Ye-jin, and based on the webtoon with the same name, K-drama Taxi Driver tells the story about Rainbow Taxi Company.
However, this is not an ordinary taxi company.
Operating beneath the radar of the police, the company offers to help its client get revenge by fighting violence with violence.
The drama has received attention for covering real events and crimes that took place in South Korea.
Let's take a look at the events that serve as a background for the plot of Taxi Driver.
The Cho Doo-soon Case
Screenshot From Taxi Driver
At the beginning of Taxi Driver, we are shown the release from prison of a sex offender. Claiming mental exhaustion, the man succeeded in reducing his life imprisonment.
This storyline is similar to the Cho Doo-soon case, an event which shocked and angered South Koreans.
In 2008, a man named Cho Doo-soon sexually assaulted and injured an 8-year-old girl.
The victim of the attack suffered severe damage to the extent that some of her organs fell out of her body.
Although her life was saved after being rushed to the hospital, she ended up suffering permanent damage.
During his trial, Cho Doo-soon claimed that he was drunk during the act, and that he lost his ability to judge right from wrong.
Apparently, the judges took this into account, and he was given a light sentence of 12 years in prison. He was released from prison on December 12, 2020.
In Taxi Driver, we can see how the sex offender arrogantly boards a taxi which takes off and eventually disappears.
Cho Doo-soon being released from prison in 2020
When the real Cho Doo-soon was released last year, he didn't make any statement.
He just put his hands behind his back and bowed to the crowd and media that had gathered.
This way of bowing is generally how people in a superior position bow.
This angered many Koreans, who thought of his behavior as arrogant, not showing any real intention of repentance.
Screenshots From Taxi Driver
In real life, there were no vigilantes who abducted Cho Doo-soon after his release from prison.
However, the Korean crowd still largely appreciated the fictional character being punished in Taxi Driver.
The Salt Farms On Purple Island
Another storyline in the drama is based on events that took place on the so called Purple Island in Jeolla Province.
In the drama, disabled persons are trafficked and forced to work on a factory for salted seafood.
They are being subjected to merciless working hours, violence, as well as having their private property embezzled by their employers.
When a female worker finally manages to escape, she is taken back to the factory by a police officer.
It turns out that he is in collusion with the owner of the enterprise.
This plot is similar to real events that took place not so long ago.
Purple Island
In 2008 and 2012, two disabled men named Chae and Kim were deceived by an unregistered employment agency, and they were sold to salt farms on Purple Island.
The workers on the farm were not allowed to sleep for more than five hours, being forced to do hard labor such as salt farming and construction work.
The two men tried to escape several times without success, even being threated with death should they try to run away again.
The place where the men were forced to work was a rural area, and many locals and even police officers turned a blind eye to the exploitation of workers on the farms.
Ironically, a local police station nearby had praised for their excellent service not long ago, but later on it came to light that workers who tried to escape had been sent back to the farms again by police officers from the station.
The horrific condiions on the farms were exposed in 2014.
The Deputy Speaker of the county as well as members of the local parliament were arrested on charges of exploatation and faliure to pay laborers who worked on their farms.
The public were outraged to find out that even public officers can't always be trusted to protect the weak in society.
The South Korean National Police Agency eventually decided to extend their investigation, and salt farms and facilities for the disabled throughout South Korea were investigated.
They found that at least 100 workers, many of whom were disabled, had not been paid proper wages, and many more were either missing or unidentified.
Never-Ending Bullying
Another theme in Taxi Driver is bullying, both in school and on the workplace. The drama tells the story of people who were tormented to the point where they lose their will to live.
In one of the storylines, we get to follow a high school student who is looked down upon and bullied by his class mates because of him coming from a poor family.
In Taxi Driver, the bullied student receives help from Rainbow Taxi Company in order to get revenge, thus achieving some kind of redemption.
But what is bullying like in real life in Korea? How many end up ending their lives because there is no one to help them?
In fact, suicide accounts for 22.1% of deaths among teens in Korea.
That means that among those who die at a young age, one fifth do so by committing suicide.
It makes you wonder what kind of horrible everyday these teens had to suffer for them to chose their lives.
Ahn Ye-Jin / Pyo Ye-jin
The role of the female hacker Ahn Ye-Jin in Taxi Driver is played by Pyo Ye-jin. However, April member Lee Na-eun was originally casted to play the role.
Lee Na-eun had to withdraw from the production after suspicions that she had been participating in school bullying.
Considering that the drama deals extensively with bullying, the irony of Lee Na-eun departing because of such allegations was not lost on the audience.
Abusing Bosses & Workplace Violence
*The video clip below may cause discomfort
A later storyline in Taxi Driver deals with workplace violence against employees by their own boss.
WeDisk Chairman Yang Jin-ho (Source: DailySmart)
Without a doubt, this is based on the outrageous behavior of the chairman of WeDisk, Yang Jin-ho, in 2018.
In October 2018, Yang Jin-ho's violence against an employee was exposed after a movie clip was leaked.
In the clip, he is seen repeatedly slapping an employee, even ordering his subordinate to drop to his knees and apologize.
At a company dinner, Yang Jin-ho is also reported to have forced a handful of garlic into an employee's mouth, and ordering others to eat spicy chili sauce.
He even had managers go to hair salons to dye their hair to colors of his liking.
Leaked video footage of WeDisk's chairman
Although Taxi Driver exaggerates the events, just knowing that similar cases of workplace abuse take place is a source of distress to many Koreans.
According to a survey conducted by Korea Psychological Association, more than one out of ten office workers reported that they were bullied almost every day.
Five out of six workers said that they experienced abuse at least once a month.
Another survey from 2017 showed that 70% of all office workers in Korea have had experience of being bullied or abused.
Although legislation that explicitly prohibits workplace bullying was passed in 2019, there is no doubt that many still experience abuse and bullying at work.
How many are suffering every day without getting help from the likes of Rainbow Taxi Company?
The storyline about workplace related bullying also dealt with sexual exploitation and blackmailing.
This is very similar to the "Nth Room" case which sent shockwaves through South Korea last year.
In this article we took a look at the real events behind the storylines in SBS' latest hit drama Taxi Driver.
Although some events are exaggerated in the drama, it's still shocking to find out that they are based on real-life incidents.
Let's hope that justice will be served to the wicked, and that the services provided by Rainbow Taxi Company won't be needed in the future.
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HiHo Cheeseburger
April 22, 2018 ~ prachandrasoma	~ Leave a comment
1320 2nd Street, Suite B
I know. It's been a while. The last article I started to write for this Project was in October. I remember the exact day; it was immediately after Justin Turner did this. I tried to put my feelings into words that night, to no avail. I got swept up in the frenzy of October baseball. The hope. I fell in love with the possibility that 2017 might just be the Dodgers' year.
Then this happened.
And then this happened.
And now this is happening.
And if that wasn't enough, there's this.
All of which has made me feel approximately like this.
Now, I'm not saying the serial and crushing failure of Dodger baseball and the casual, inevitable hopelessness of Kings hockey are the most pressing problems of our time. Surely neither is. But they sure can take it out of you. I guess my point is, it can be exhausting to love something. I'm not sure it explains my silence here. Maybe nothing can. Maybe an explanation isn't necessary.
Whatever it was that took me away from this, though, one simple idea brought me back: life is too short not to seize the things that bring you joy and keep them close.
That was probably too heavy for a blog about cheeseburgers. But it was a couple weeks ago, spending a night at HiHo Cheeseburger with my better half (of whom I haven't been seeing enough lately) that it hit me. It's good to be with people you love doing things you love. So I'm back to say a few words about HiHo Cheeseburger. With a little good-natured pedantry on the front end.
The Order: Double HiHo Cheeseburger
The Price: $6.95
I've eaten some great burgers in the past few months. I resolve to write about all of them in turn. But it took something like HiHo Cheeseburger to bring me back.
When you think and write about cheeseburgers, you're often faced with dishes that are presented as elevated iterations of a classic form. Los Angeles as a food scene is obsessively colloquial. The culinary consciousness here is not, by and large, predisposed to traditionalist haute cuisine. Rather, it is about cultural reflection, comfort, familiarity. The food in this town is an expressive modality, a way for chefs to give you a window through which you can see who they are and where they come from, not merely what they can do.
It may sound a little high-brow, but it's really the opposite. Food in Los Angeles is a way for chefs to connect with the rest of us. You're not going to get a glimpse into a fancy culinary school; you're meant to get a glimpse into someone's childhood dining room. What makes food here truly exceptional (rather than just some cute nostalgic exercise) is that those classic dishes are re-imagined with beautiful, leveled-up ingredients.
To wit, all the patties at HiHo Cheeseburger are 100% grass-fed Wagyu beef from First Light collective–sustainably raised, totally free of all hormones, antibiotics, and GMOs. Laugh all you want at how cartoonishly L.A. that is; it tastes better. The beef elevates what fundamentally is an unabashed photocopy of a Double-Double (right down to the mustard grilling of the patties) to something memorable. The quality of the meat makes up for the slightly less-inspired seasoning on the patty.
Other elements of the Double-Double are referenced obliquely, for better and worse. The piquant onion jam admirably replaces the animal style minced onions and Thousand Island. The brioche bun is a step down from its sponge analogue, though it's tough to take serious issue with it. The pickles, made in house, are exceptional: sweet, sharp, and snappy but also, delightfully, a hair thicker than you might expect, nicely rounding out the homage to the Baldwin Park O.G.
Regular readers will know I have no issue with people riffing on In-N-Out, especially if it's done well. HiHo Cheeseburger riffs on In-N-Out quite well. And at $6.95, it's an extremely high value proposition: you'll have ample room in your wallet to give the Straus milkshakes or the banana cream pie a spin (and wash it down with a beer if you're trying to drown your latest Los Angeles sports-induced sorrow).
HiHo doesn't seek to elevate the concept of the cheeseburger. Just the execution. And in doing so, it embodies a lot of what is great about food in Los Angeles: it takes an iconic dish and pays respectful homage to it. If you're like me, eating here will remind you of why you love living here. In spite of the Dodgers.
Freshness: 9.50 / 10.00
Value: 10.00 / 10.00
Creativity / Style: 6.50 / 10.00
Overall: 91.30 / 100.00
Love & Salt
May 18, 2017 ~ prachandrasoma	~ Leave a comment
317 Manhattan Beach Boulevard
You probably can't live in Manhattan Beach. The prices are too high; the lifestyle is too idyllically Californian; the people are too beautiful for their age; the parking is too scarce. Most importantly, perhaps, the quality restaurants are too few. While higher dining options exist – M.B. Post, Fishing With Dynamite, and the subject of this review, Love & Salt – the culinary scene in Manhattan Beach would perhaps most aptly be characterized as "family friendly." Perfect if you like Pitfire Pizza, less so if your preferences skew toward street food, fusion or small plates.
But Manhattan Beach really does encapsulate the Southern California lifestyle, or at least what many people outside Southern California would imagine our lifestyle to be. It's mostly white, mostly rich, mostly sunny, mostly upscale, mostly clean, mostly successful, and mostly USC alumni. It exemplifies the relaxed affluence that is more closely associated with Southern California than with anywhere else. You'll spot an off-puttingly muscular forty-something year old man strolling down Manhattan Beach Boulevard with impossibly adorable children, his bronze arms bursting from Rip Curl t-shirts, salt-and-pepper hair cut close, smiling through his Maui Jim sunglasses at the cards life dealt him. And just when you think you might live a life like his one day, you see the glint of the alabaster dial on his $20,000 watch as it catches the sun just so, and you'll remember that this is not your place.
In spite of being inaccessible, though, I can't shake the feeling whenever I'm in Manhattan Beach that there's something missing there (besides minorities, I mean). It's a city that lacks a certain je ne sais quoi. It's beachy, it's Californian, there's a Marine Layer, and the schools are top-notch, sure, but it feels fundamentally anti-urban. It's oddly devoid of genuine culture. It's an ecosystem, not a city.
If you're looking for a B(a)esha Rodell-approved break from the blocks upon blocks of suburban ennui (and you are lucky enough to find a parking spot), you might stop in at Michael Fiorelli's Love & Salt. Chef Michael Fiorelli's food is described by the restaurant as Italian-inspired, but "with a California soul." It may be that soul animating the splash of salsa verde on the grilled octopus, or (depending on how forgiving you feel) the presence of gluten-free pasta. Good-natured ribbing aside, the food here is good. The cocktails are excellent as well. It may not be the most innovative menu in the world, but come on; this is still Manhattan Beach.
One item for which Love & Salt has become quietly regarded is a burger, which was inspired neither by Italy nor the restaurant's soul, but rather by a particularly intransigent regular customer who persisted in ordering a burger in spite of there not being one on the menu. Chef Fiorelli finally relented and, using what ingredients he had on hand, he served what is now known as the Downlow Burger. It recently received sterling plaudits from local tastemakers, so I predictably felt compelled to sample it. In the spirit of its origins, the Downlow Burger remains off the menu (as in, on the down low) at dinner, but they make a limited run of twelve per day during weekend brunch. Calling ahead to request a set-aside is advisable. Kelsey, Kristen, Tristan and I did just that, and took in a Saturday brunch there.
The Order: the Downlow Burger
The Price: $16
The Downlow Burger consists of two substantial black angus beef patties, fontina cheese, caramelized onions, housemade pickles, and a tomato aioli, all on brioche. Probably the highest praise I can heap on this burger is that it presents like a cousin of Petit Trois. It's a saucy, paradoxical thing: minimalistic but indulgent, familiar but challenging, understated but brazen. Like Ludo's masterwork, it eschews typical garnishment in favor of fewer, bolder flavors, assembled purposefully to complement one another.
The beef is the anchor, and though it was overcooked (and therefore a touch gritty), it was juicy and bursting with savor that stabilized every bite. The fontina cheese added a lightly botanical quality, while its fruit and nut notes seeped into the meat, giving it a subtle sweetness that interacted well with the caramelized onions, the residual tang of which, in turn, married nicely with the delicate sourness of the pickles. The buns hold everything together, but don't impress too much in their own right.
The really impressive choice here was the tomato aioli. While the tomato flavor was the right call, ketchup would have been too ham-fisted, too obvious, too sharp, and it wouldn't have fit in the context of this burger, which decidedly is aiming for gourmet status. By presenting the tomato as an aioli, Fiorelli manages to present the right flavor, but with a softer touch. It's a really sophisticated, thoughtful, creative stroke, and it elevates this burger and preserves a balanced flavor profile. It's no bordelaise sauce mounted with foie gras, but come on; this is still Manhattan Beach.
Freshness / Quality: 9.50 / 10.00


On a daily basis, your teeth experience a loss and gain of vital minerals that keep them healthy and strong (known as demineralization and remineralization, respectively). Several of these core minerals include calcium, phosphate, and fluoride. If too much mineral loss occurs, your teeth can weaken and be more prone to breaking or decay. Fortunately, Prestige Dental provides its Elk Grove dental patients with a fluoride treatment process that can boost the enamel layer and protect against tooth breakdown.
Constant dry mouth – Dry mouth is caused by a wide variety of conditions, such as xerostomia, as well as certain medications and treatments. Lack of saliva increases tooth exposure to food particles and acids, which fluoride is able to help neutralize.
Frequent cavities – If you're getting cavities on a near-annual basis, increased fluoride levels can be a great way to fight decay.
Gum sensitivity – This can be a sign of gingivitis, a gum disease where your tooth roots are increasingly exposed to bacteria and other causes of tooth decay.
Rinses – Those mouthwashes and toothpastes you see in your local supermarket? Most of them contain fluoride, though in lower levels of concentration.
Topical applications – Dentists have access to fluoride in higher concentration levels which can be applied directly to the teeth in the form of gels, foams, or varnishes. These are either painted on or applied via mouthguard.
Dental prescription – Fluoride also comes in liquid or tablet form, but these are not available over-the-counter except through prescriptions provided by your dentist.
When Elk Grove dental patients come to Prestige Dental for fluoride treatments, the only requirement is that they don't drink or eat for at least 30 minutes beforehand in order to prime teeth for fluoride absorption. We recommend fluoride treatments in 3, 6, or 12-month intervals, depending on your oral health situation.
Ready to make a fluoride treatment appointment? Contact us today!


Definition: The process whose specific outcome is the progression of the cerebellar molecular layer nerve over time, from its formation to the mature structure. The molecular layer is the outermost layer of the cerebellar cortex. It contains the parallel fibers of the granule cells, interneurons such as stellate and basket cells, and the dendrites of the underlying Purkinje cells.