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The Elevation of the Bread in Honour of the Most Holy Mother of God ( Saint Maximos the Greek )
The Only-Begotten Son and Word of God, who became a human person for us (though He was sinless), voluntarily underwent the crucifixion, death and burial so that our human nature, which the father of evil had caused to be cast out of paradise in olden times, could be elevated. Christ rose, however, and was elevated to His initial glory, and then sent the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to his disciples and apostles. After the God/Man/Word ascended into heaven, the eye-witnesses and servants of the Lord were in the upper room, as Saint Luke tells us, and after they had received the Holy Spirit they were unwilling to neglect preaching the Word of God in order to wait on tables. So they appointed deacons in their place. When the preachers of salvation sat down at table, they placed on it a napkin with a loaf on it, which was the Saviour's portion and similar to those He had eaten when He was still incarnate among them, before His passion.
When the holy apostles rose from the table, the oldest and first among them took the loaf in his hands, raised it up and proclaimed 'Great is the name'. The other disciples of the Word responded 'of the Holy Trinity'. Then the deacon who was serving said 'Glory to You in the name of Christ the Saviour'. And the apostles again answered 'Glory to You our God'. The name of the Holy Consubstantial Trinity without beginning was said once and 'glory to You our God, glory to You' twice, because of the two elements, divinity and humanity, the two energies and two natures, and their perfect union in the God/Man/Word.
The holy apostles performed this rite both when they were together and when they were apart, after they'd gone out to teach all the nations. At the Dormition of the Holy, Most Pure, Ever-Virgin Mary, the Sinless, Uncorrupt, Mother of the Word, the Most Honourable and Sublime of all celestial concepts, the renewal of our race, the most precious, God-receiving vessel of the whole of the Divinity, the apostles, who were at the ends of the known world, were taken up in clouds and transported to Gethsemane to offer their services at the burial of the most pure body of the Mother of God the Word. By God's will, which sees and arranges all things, the holy and great Apostle Thomas was not with the others at the burial of the Mother of the Word, just as, when the Saviour appeared to His disciples behind closed doors after His resurrection and taught them about peace, Thomas wasn't there and didn't believe the other disciples and companions.
Because of this good disbelief, he taught us, through touching the most pure members of the Saviour's body- the ribs and the hands- that we should believe that He Who suffered the Passion while still among us is indeed the perfect God. So, in this instance, too, by the ineffable and unspoken will of Him Who orders all things and governs all things well, Thomas wasn't present at the funeral of the Mother of God. He came three days later, borne on a cloud and immediately hastened to the grave, together with the other apostles, in order to venerate the life-receiving body of the Mother of God. And so the whole of the human race was given salvation and the correct faith.
Dormition of Theotokos, by hand of Georgios Kordis, egg tempera on wood
Just as the incarnate God rose from the dead, so the holy body of His Mother was taken up into the heavenly domain. On their return from the grave, the apostles talked to Thomas, the preacher of the truth, about how he was transported on the cloud. They recalled the words of the song of the Mother of God, her miracles and her final resting in the grave. He in turn related the persecutions, the temptations and the hardships he'd suffered on his journey. He named the cities, the residents of which had come to believe through his preaching, and also told them what he saw when he was taken up in the cloud. He told them all of this. Then they went to eat and thereafter began to elevate the portion which had been placed in honour of Christ the Saviour.
When the deacon who was performing this rite took this bread in his hands, he raised it and said 'Great is the name' and the apostles replied 'of the Holy Trinity'. And when he said 'Glory to you our God glory to you'- oh, how ineffable and delightful are Your mysteries, Christ our King, through which you perform miracles! Wishing to satisfy the great desire of the Apostle Thomas to see the All Holy and Ever-Virgin Mother of God, You allowed him to see You and Your holy Mother, all the heavenly powers and all those who had fallen asleep throughout the ages ascending from earth to heaven. The apostles gazed in terror at Our Lady and her Only-Begotten Son. And instead of saying 'Glory to You, our God, glory to You', they exclaimed 'Most Holy Mother of God, help us!' And other apostles shouted 'Through her intercessions, God, have mercy upon us and save us!' Since then, this elevation of the 'Panayia', Our Most Holy Lady, has been celebrated in commemoration of the Mother of God herself.
And so we celebrate the elevation of the 'Panagia' when we rise from the table, for the sanctifying of our souls and bodies. Who can praise in an appropriate way her innumerable miracles, which are still being performed to this day? Were we able to concentrate the eloquence of all orators into one mouth and a single voice, we still wouldn't be able to find a way to tell the secrets of her wonders, which she performs on land and sea: illnesses disappear, demons are put to flight, prisoners are liberated from bitter enslavement, the down-trodden are freed from the misery that oppresses them. And from what I've seen and heard, anyone who raises a finger, a stone, or some plant in her memory and her name receives the same deliverance from tribulations as the person who elevates the bread in honour of the Ever-Virgin Mary, the Mother of God.
Her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, took the bread in His hands and said 'Take, eat; this is my body' and 'do this in remembrance of me'. Christ is the head, which is why those who partake of His great mystery, if they receive it worthily, will receive His glory and become gods by grace.
Those who instituted the sacraments were pleased to confirm that, because of this bread which is elevated in honour of the holy name of the Mother of God, we should be delivered from every evil and should partake of her holy body. And, thanks to her protection, that we should be delivered from eternal torments and be counted worthy of the eternal blessings, through her prayers and those of all the saints throughout the ages. Amen.
http://pemptousia.com/2017/08/the-story-behind-the-elevation-of-the-bread-in-honour-of-the-most-holy-mother-of-god/
Labels: Elevation of the Bread, Saint Maximos the Greek
The Dormition of the Mother of God: a liturgical approach
The feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God is celebrated on August 15 by the Christian world and is the greatest of those established by the Church in honour of the Mother of the Lord. It may be the oldest of all. The first evidence we have for it dates from the 5th century, round about the time when the 3rd Ecumenical Synod was called in Ephesus (451), at which the dogma of the Mother of God was defined and the honour due to her was developed. It appears that it was first held in Jerusalem on 13 August and was transposed soon afterwards to the 15th of the same month. It was a general feast of the Virgin, without particular reference to her Dormition.
It was called "the day of Mary, the Mother of God". The centre for the celebrations initially was a kathisma (seat), a church in her name, which was located outside Jerusalem, some three miles along the road leading to Bethlehem. The association of the feast with the Dormition of the Mother of God occurred at the famous church of Our Lady in Gethsemane, "Mavrikios' house of prayer", where her grave was. This church quickly acquired the status of the most important pilgrimage site of the Mother of God, and its renown became the reason why the feast on 15 August quickly spread throughout the Christian world, East and West, as the feast of the Dormition.
The feast was later elevated, with a preparatory fast and the extension of the feasting until 23 August or even to the end of the month and so it became not only the greatest of the feasts of the Mother of God but also one of the most important in the Church's year. It was only natural that this should be so, because Our Lady is the best-loved and holy person after Christ, which is why she has attracted the honour and veneration of all generations of Christians. Countless churches and monasteries have been built in honour of her Dormition; in every church, behind the main entrance, wonderful wall-paintings of astonishing composition depict her funeral; her service his been embellished with choice hymns; and fine words and encomia have been expressed by the Fathers and modern Church figures on the day when we commemorate her. All generations of humankind have rivalled each other in presenting the best they have to offer, to praise and bless the Virgin Mary in word and deed.
THE FESTAL CONTENT OF THE FEAST
If we are to understand the festal content of the feast of the Dormition, and indeed, that of the other feasts of the Mother of God, the Conception, the Nativity, and the Entry, we need to look back briefly at the sources from which the information concerning her was drawn. Otherwise, it's impossible to interpret all the things associated with this celebration: the narratives, the hymnography and the iconography. The authentic historical sources, the Gospels and the other books of the New Testament have not preserved any information about her life before the Annunciation or after the Ascension of the Lord. The intention of the authors was to narrate the life and the work of salvation of Christ, and whatever was directly linked with Him; not to satisfy the devout curiosity or the historical interests of their readers. By word of mouth, however, the tradition of the Church preserved various pieces of information having to do with the life of the Mother of God before the Conception of the Lord and after His Resurrection. Thereafter different authors, devout for the most part, took this information and embellished it throough their imagination, and, to give their works greater kudos, affixed great apostolic names to them. The Church rejected these works and called them apocryphal and falsified. In later times, many of these narratives, in their most basic forms, provided the subject matter for the formation of feasts, the construction of narratives, the poetry of hymns and the composition of icons. In any case, as we've said, the core of these narratives had as its base very old historical traditions concerning the person of the Mother of God.
STORY OF THE EVENT OF THE DORMITION
The event of the Dormition, in particular, is told, apart from elsewhere, in an apocryphal narrative which bears the name John, the disciple beloved of Christ. We shall present a summary of this lengthy text here. At each point, the reader will recall corresponding phrases from the hymns and synaxarion of the feast and details from the icon of the Dormition, which was composed by Byzantine artists.
After Christ's Ascension, the Mother of God went to the life-receiving tomb every day and prayed. One Friday, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to her and saluted her: "Hail, you who bore Christ our God. The Lord has heard your prayer and you will leave the world and enter the true and eternal life". The Mother of God returned home, burned incense and prayed to Christ to send her John and the other apostles, so that they could be present at her death. Her petition was heard and the first to arrive, snatched up in a cloud was John and then the others were borne by clouds and came from the ends of the earth, to which they had scattered. The Lord arrived in his radiant glory and, with thousands of angels, He received the soul of His Mother. She blessed the apostles and the world, interceded for the salvation of all and, having been given the assurance that any soul invoking her name would not be put to shame but would find mercy and comfort and defence and boldness in the present life and that of the future, she gave up her holy soul into the hands of her Son.
The apostles surrounded the body and, chanting, lifted up her bed with the body lying upon it, to be buried. A Jew by the name of Jeronias made to attack the bed, but an angel of the Lord, with a sword of fire, cut off his arms at the shoulder, and they remained attached to the bed. He repented and they were re-attached, while the apostles continued the cortege undisturbed. The body was buried in a new tomb in Gethsemane, but on the third day was transported to Paradise.
CHURCH POETRY
The poetry of the Church has embellished this simple narrative. The three stikhira (poetic hymns) in the first tone at Vespers (the first an automelos [contrafactum] and the others based upon it) praise the Mother of God and her Dormition in a wonderful manner. The substructure, however, can easily be recognized as the apocryphal narrative: Gethsemane, the words of Gabriel, the presence of the angelic powers, the transition from the grave to heaven.
The stikhira at Lauds in the 4th tone have the same theme. In the first, the whole cosmos, heavenly and earthly, rejoices, accompanying the mother of Christ and singing a funeral song for her. The other two describe the arrival of the apostles and their chanting at the graveside, as well as the presence of the angelic powers and the reception of her spotless soul by Christ.
Finally, let us take a look at the most exceptional tropario of her feast, and, indeed, of all our troparia. It is the doxastiko at Vespers. It takes its subject matter from the apocryphal narrative. The exceptional nature of the hymn lies in the fact that it is not sung in only one tone, as are all the other Church hymns, but in all eight.
By the royal command all the God-bearing apostles were snatched up into clouds on high
Tone Plagial 1
On reaching your immaculate and life-giving body, they embraced it fervently.
The highest powers of heavens attended, with their own master,
Seized with awe, they accompanied your inviolate body which had held God, and went on high before you, calling, unseen, to the ranks above: "Behold the Maid of God, the Queen of all, is at hand".
Open wide the gates and welcome the mother of the everlasting light.
For through her the salvation of mortals has come; we are not strong enough to look upon her and are unable to render honours worthy of her.
For her excellence is beyond all conception
Therefore, most pure Mother of God, living forever with your Son and life-bearing King, pray without ceasing that your young people may be sheltered and saved from every adverse assault, for we have your protection.
And we bless you in beauty and light unto all ages.
Source: Λογική Λατρεία [Logical Worship], Apostoliki Diakonia Publications, Athens 1984.
(www.apostoliki-diakonia.gr)
Labels: Dormition
The Elevation of the Bread in Honour of the Most H...
The Dormition of the Mother of God: a liturgical a...


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Iouri Alekseïévitch Poudychev (en ) est un footballeur international soviétique et entraîneur de football biélorusse né le  à Kaliningrad (actuelle Korolev) et mort le  à Baryssaw.

Biographie
Natif de Kaliningrad (actuelle Korolev) dans l'oblast de Moscou, Poudychev est formé dans un premier temps au sein de l'équipe locale du Vympel avant de rejoindre en 1971 le Dynamo Moscou, pour qui il fait ses débuts professionnels lors de la saison 1973, à l'âge de 19 ans. Passant en tout trois saisons avec l'équipe première, il dispute 50 rencontres pour cinq buts marqués, jouant notamment la Coupe UEFA en 1974. Transféré au Dinamo Minsk en 1976, il s'impose rapidement comme un titulaire régulier au sein de l'équipe où il passe huit saisons et demi entre 1976 et 1984, disputant en tout 297 matchs et marquant 30 buts. Il prend ainsi part à la campagne victorieuse du club lors de la saison 1982 et dispute la Coupe des clubs champions 1983-1984 qui voit Minsk atteindre les quarts de finale. Il est également sélectionné une fois par la sélection soviétique d'Eduard Malofeev avec qui il joue un match amical contre l'Allemagne de l'Ouest le .

Poudychev fait son retour au Dynamo Moscou à la mi-saison 1984 et y joue notamment la Coupe des coupes 1984-1985 où l'équipe moscovite atteint les demi-finales. Il quitte définitivement la capitale et la première division à la mi-saison 1986 pour rallier le Dinamo Stavropol à l'échelon inférieure avant d'enchaîner des passages en troisième division au Dinamo Barnaoul et au Dinamo Samarkand entre 1988 et 1989. Il rejoint en 1990 le Dinamo Iakoutsk, avec qui il dispute la quatrième division en 1991 puis la troisième division russe lors des deux années qui suivent. Après un dernier passage au Samotlor-XXI Nijnevartovsk en 1994, il met un terme à sa carrière la même année à l'âge de 40 ans.

Ayant déjà occupé un poste d'entraîneur-adjoint au sein du Dinamo Iakoutsk entre 1990 et 1992, il obtient un poste similaire au Dinamo Minsk de 1994 à 1997 puis au BATE Borisov. Il devient à partir de là un adjoint régulier de Iouri Pountous, qu'il a déjà côtoyé à Iakoutsk puis à Nijnevartovsk, et avec qui il reste au BATE jusqu'en 2003 avant de le suivre au MTZ-RIPO Minsk entre 2004 et 2009, ainsi que lors de son passage à la tête de la sélection biélorusse de 2006 à 2007. En parallèle, Poudychev poursuit la pratique du football malgré sa retraite professionnelle et rechausse même brièvement les crampons avec le MTZ-RIPO en disputant deux rencontres de Coupe de Biélorussie en 2007 et 2008. Après avoir rejoint le Dinamo Brest en 2010, il dispute le  de la même année un dernier match de championnat contre le BATE Borisov et bat à cette occasion le record du joueur le plus vieux du championnat biélorusse à l'âge de 56 ans et demi.

Quittant Brest durant le mois de , il fait ensuite son retour au BATE en novembre de la même année, occupant par la suite un poste d'entraîneur au sein des équipes de jeunes du club. Poudychev meurt une dizaine d'années plus tard le 29 août 2021 à l'âge de 68 ans.

Statistiques

Palmarès
 Dinamo Minsk
 Champion d'Union soviétique en 1982.

Notes et références

Liens externes

Footballeur international soviétique
Footballeur biélorusse
Joueur du FK Dynamo Moscou
Joueur du FK Dinamo Minsk
Joueur du Dinamo Stavropol
Joueur du Dinamo Barnaoul
Joueur du FK Dinamo Brest
Entraîneur biélorusse de football
Naissance en avril 1954
Naissance à Korolev
Naissance en RSFS de Russie
Décès à 67 ans
Décès en août 2021
Décès en Biélorussie

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Convention, Volume 1;Volume 30
Oleh National Electric Light Association. Convention
ELECTRIC LIGHTING IN GERMANY*
The introduction and development of various means of lighting in recent years have been accompanied by critical comparisons between different sources of light, but none have been subjected to more careful tests than electric and gas lights, and it is due to the keen competition between these two systems that each has been brought to the state of perfection in which it is seen to-day.
It is a fully recognized fact that for units of light giving below about 100 candle-power the electric light produced with steam under normal conditions comes out more expensive than gas lighting, at any rate when comparing the cost per candlepower-hour. One can not, however, maintain that this comparison is correct and the only one of importance, in view of the present enormous development of electric lighting with small units.
In spite of all improvements that have been made in gas lighting, it has been impossible to obtain for it the peculiarities for which electric lighting is characteristic, which are commonly known to be the following: easy control of lights from a distance, agreeable shade, great adaptability, its coolness, the absence of gases caused by combustion, the beautiful and varying effects, the possibility of splitting the light into small units, the better light obtained by fixing lamps at an angle, and the possibility of using the current in a lighting installation for other purposes (heating, motors, ventilators, and so forth). Advantages of this
, kind can not be expressed in figures. They are, however, in many cases of such importance that the electric system of lighting is adopted in preference to any other, in spite of the higher cost per candle-power-hour.
Owing to the above peculiarities of electric lighting, it is very often regarded as a luxury, with the result that electric lights
* I have to thank Dr. Norden for the assistance he has given me in compiling these notes.
are burned as little as possible in order to keep the lighting bill low. Economy in this direction is easily obtained, because it is so very convenient to switch the electric current on and off again. The effect this has on the plant in the central station is, however, less desirable, since the total capacity installed is annually used for a comparatively short period. A better station load would be obtained under these conditions if more long-period consumers were tempted to buy current at more favorable terms than those offered in the uniform rate of charges. . The natural consequence of the low consumption in comparison with the capacity of the plant was a high price for current, which formed a hindrance to the introduction of electric lighting.
It has become usual to divide the annual cost for the generation of current into constant expenses and variable expenses. On this basis the constant expenses with modern steam-driven central stations of an average size are between 80 and 120 marks per kilowatt.
The variable expenses are between 2.5 and 5 pfennigs per kilowatt-hour. The figures will of course vary according to local conditions. Assuming an average of 100 marks and 4 pfennigs respectively, we get the following generating costs for the current in relation to time:
It is evident from the above figures that the extra cost per kilowatt-hour incurred through an increase in consumption, the capacity of the plant remaining the same, is very slight indeed. This, however, is quite contradictory to the tendency for consumers to reduce their expenses for lighting by burning lamps as little as possible, because, so far as the generating station is concerned, the extra hours of consumption make very little difference in generating expenses.
If electricity works had come in before gas works, they would no doubt have had the advantage of supplying current for lighting installations which are used for long periods, as, for instance, street lighting, and so forth. The result would have been low tariffs and probably a very large development of the supply to installations burning small units of light. It would then have been exceedingly difficult for gas lighting to compete successfully with electric lighting.
In consideration of the above contradictory circumstances, central stations have charged special rates to long-period consumers by introducing tariffs with a certain fixed rate of charges calculated on the maximum current consumed and an additional price per kilowatt-hour shown on the meter. Tariffs of this kind are largely used at the present momerit, and they fairly well correspond to the actual generating costs. A general introduction is, however, impossible, owing to the great divergency in the use of current and the difficulty of bringing the influence of various classes of consumers to bear satisfactorily on the maximum capacity of the central station. Installations in private houses, for instance, always require a high local maximum, although the effect on the central station is comparatively small, because local peaks do not overlap. To charge a consumer the same fixed rate for a lamp that does not burn often as for another lamp that is lighted regularly, is no doubt a hindrance to the introduction of electric lighting. A double tariff, as extensively applied in Germany, overcomes this difficulty. The principle on which this tariff is based is to charge the normal price for current during the time of greatest consumption, but at other times to charge a very much lower price. One of the advantages of a tariff of this kind is that a power load and a lighting load will not overlap to the same extent as is the case with the single tariff or the maximum tariff.
We will now consider the influence of pressure on electric lighting. The cost of a continuous-current network is known to form a considerable item in the total capital outlay. For the last ten years preference has been given to a circuit pressure of 2 X 220 volts in Europe, contrary to American practice. The consideration that led to the introduction of this pressure is that a loss of 10 to 12 per cent in the economy.of high-tension carbonfilament lamps is more than balanced by a saving in interest and depreciation in the network. In other words, one could supply current to consumers at lower prices in compensation for lamps with a lower efficiency.
The experience gained with the length of life of 220-volt lamps is favorable. This is probably partly due to smaller fluctuations in pressure in 220-volt circuits than in those for 110
volts. A reasonable tariff and low initial expenditure with the accompanying low rates of charges led to a general introduction of electric lighting with glow lamps and helped to overcome the keen competition of gas lighting.
This is a remarkable fact, especially in Germany, where the average consumer very carefully calculates his expenses for lighting. The price of the electric light is, however, still higher than the price for gas lights, and if certain improvements in the manufacture of glow lamps had not been made just in time, the development of gas lighting and the introduction of inverted gas burners, with the accompanying higher efficiency representing an improvement of 30 per cent, might have seriously hampered the introduction of the carbon-filament lamp, although it would never have brought it to a complete standstill.
The improvements referred to consist of the manufacture of lamps with a high efficiency, such as Nernst lamps and metalfilament lamps.
The Nernst lamp reduces the consumption per candle-powerhour to half the value for carbon lamps, and has the advantage of being very suitable for high pressure (220 volts), which led to an extensive use of three-wire installations with 2 X 220 volts. These lamps require a certain time for lighting up after being switched on, but this is a disadvantage that very often is of no consideration. The life of Nernst lamps is practically as long as that of carbon-filament lamps, at any rate as far as continuous-current circuits are concerned. The results in alternating-current circuits are not quite as favorable.
The metal-filament lamps mentioned above consume just about one-third of the current taken by ordinary lamps with carbon filaments. One of the first of these lamps brought out in recent years is Auer's osmium lamp, with a specific consumption of 1.5 watts per candle-power. This lamp can, however, be made only for about 55 volts. Another lamp of this kind is Siemens and Halske's tantal lamp, which will burn in 110-volt circuits and takes about 1.7 watts.
The most prominent and latest of all nietal-filament lamps is the tungsten lamp. The filament made by one group of manufacturers is obtained by chemical reaction and not by com

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Even if Drew Inzer '01 never plays another down in the National Football League, his rookie season with the New England Patriots left him with enough memories to last a lifetime. As a member of the Patriots' practice squad, Inzer was an eyewitness to New England's spirited victory over the heavily favored St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. "What a ride for a rookie," Inzer says. "Some people play their whole career and never get to experience a Super Bowl." With his teammates Inzer also experienced a wild ride through the streets of Boston as part of the Patriots' victory parade two days later, and he's hoping to be fitted for a championship ring. "As far as I know I'll be getting one," he says. "Everyone just took off [after the celebration], but I think I'll quietly ask around when we go back for off-season conditioning."
The NFL will compensate the Patriots for 125 rings, so it's a good bet Inzer will have a Super Bowl one to add to the Ivy League championship ring he earned as a starting offensive tackle for Brown in 1999. The six-foot-four-inch, 305-pound North Smithfield, Rhode Island, native was a captain of the 2000 Bears and was signed as a free agent by the Patriots last spring. Shifted from tackle to guard by the Pats, Inzer was cut before the start of the regular season but was picked up again and assigned to the five-man practice squad.
Practice-squad players work with the team on nongame days and attend all team meetings. But they do not dress on game day or travel for road games. The exception is the Super Bowl. Because the teams hold practices in the host city, practice-squad players travel with their teams and practice during Super Bowl week. Thus Inzer found himself in the Big Easy as part of America's biggest sporting extravaganza. After a week of hard work on the field and mega-hype off it, Inzer watched from the sidelines as his teammates rocked the Rams. "I was right on the sidelines. It was just wild," he said. "Millions of people watching around the world, and I've got a front-row seat, hearing what's going on in the game plan. Anyone wants to learn and grow in their profession - and that was a great chance for me."
If the Philadelphia Eagles had beaten the Rams in the NFC championship game a week earlier, Inzer's view of the field on Super Bowl Sunday would have included former Brown teammate Sean Morey '99. Morey, who'd been out of the NFL since being cut by the Patriots last fall, was signed by the Eagles on January 8, four days before the start of the playoffs. He played on special teams, racking up a total of three tackles during playoff wins over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears and during in the Eagles' 29в24 loss to the Rams.


text:
A MAZE. / Berlin 2022 has ended
A MAZE. / Berlin 2022
Welcome to the program of A MAZE. / Berlin 2022 - 11th International Games and Playful Media Festival. This festival edition is online from May 13-16 and on May 17 onsite at Silent Green and Panke. 4.5 days of hand selected sessions for everyone who loves an inclusive, respectful and meaningful future for games, playful media and their creators. You can follow our festival program live in the A MAZE. / SPACE and on our Festival Discord. Get your tickets here.
All links will get communicated here and on our festival website. #AMaze2022
Tuesday, May 17 • 11:00 - 11:45
Devolution is a game design focused project exploring the creative process and challenges of game development, consisting of exhibitions, interviews, lectures, an archive and so on.
Each Devolution event / exhibition focalises on the evolution of a game through the exhibition of prototypes and interim versions and an in-depth conversation with the developers. During the last years Devolution dismantled the games and worked with the developers of The Curious Expedition, Shift Happens and Thumper.
How did the game change during its development? Why? Which features were added? Which were taken away? When? What were the interesting design challenges? What was the original vision of the game? How did the idea emerge? How did certain features evolved into their final version? How did testing and feedback affect the game? What the hell is creativity? What is the connection of all this to business and technology? What might the future hold?
Martina Marchio
Martina Marchio (she/her) is an Italian game developer based in Berlin. She is graduating in Game Design at the University Of Applied Sciences of Berlin. In 2019 she published Pity Party, a point and click game that received great feedback from the itch.io community.On this year's... Read More →
Daniel Helbig
Daniel Helbig (he/him) is Co-CEO and Creative Director of Megagon Industries.
Jan Bubenik
Jan Bubenik (he/him) is Co-CEO and Technical Director of Megagon Industries.
Tuesday May 17, 2022 11:00 - 11:45 CEST
SG. Betonhalle - Stage silent green Kulturquartier


text:
Westerville Public Library
Students & Teens
... Anti-Saloon League Museum Associated Organizations Prohibition Party
Prohibition Party
An American political party was organized in 1869 whose chief aim was the abolition of the liquor traffic. Five hundred men and women delegates gathered in Farwell Hall, Chicago, Ill. September 1, 1869 to form a new political party. James Black of Pennsylvania was selected as the first presidential candidate of the new party at a national convention held in 1872 in Columbus, Ohio.
Prohibition Candidates for President 1880-1904.
Unlike the Prohibition Party, the Anti-Saloon League believed in working within the existing party system and did not desire to form its own separate political party.
About the League
History of the Movement
Anti-Saloon League Is Formed
Growing Influence
The March to National Prohibition
Patriotism's Role in the Ratification
Education vs. Enforcement
The Unraveling of National Prohibition
Leaders of the Anti-Saloon League
Purley Baker
Ernest Cherrington
William "Pussyfoot" Johnson
Francis Scott McBride
Howard Hyde Russell
Wayne Wheeler
Propaganda & Printed Materials
Songs, Stories and Dramas
American Issue Publishing Company
Lincoln-Lee Legion
Scientific Temperance Federation
Woman's Christian Temperance Union
World League Against Alcoholism
Closed on Saturday: 1-2pm
Available by appointment.
Catalog of Selected Items
Collection of Digital Images
Suggested Classroom Activities
126 S. State Street, Westerville, Ohio 43081
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Centrally located in San Jose, Burbank features historic buildings close to Downtown but without the city's hustle and bustle. With Victorian, Deco, and Craftsman architecture, Burbank is a flourishing "urban island" within San Jose. It's close to Westfield Valley Fair and Santana Row upscale shopping, as well as San Jose City College and Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. Considered one of the few affordable areas left in Santa Clara County, find your hidden gem of a home here.


text:
<?php

namespace MPWAR\Database;

use PDO;

class RelationalDB
{
    private $driver;
    private $host;
    private $database;
    private $user;
    private $password;
    private $pdo;

    public function __construct($driver)
    {
        $this->driver = $driver;
    }

    public function host($host)
    {
        $this->host = $host;

        return $this;
    }
    public function database($database)
    {
        $this->database = $database;

        return $this;
    }
    public function user($user)
    {
        $this->user = $user;

        return $this;
    }
    public function password($password)
    {
        $this->password = $password;

        return $this;
    }

    public function isConfigured()
    {
        return isset($this->host) && isset($this->database) &&
            isset($this->user) && isset($this->password);
    }

    private function db()
    {
        if (!$this->isConfigured()) {
            throw new Exceptions\DBException('database is not configure correctly');
        }
        if (isset($this->pdo)) {
            return $this->pdo;
        }
        $options = array(
            PDO::ATTR_PERSISTENT => true,
            PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE => PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION,
        );
        try {
            $this->pdo = new PDO("$this->driver:host=$this->host;dbname=$this->database",
                $this->user, $this->password, $options);

            return $this->pdo;
        } catch (\PDOException $e) {
            throw new Exceptions\DBException("Couldn't connect to the database");
        }
    }
    public function close()
    {
        $this->pdo = null;
    }

    public function runQuery($sql, $data = null)
    {
        $pdo = $this->db();
        $sth = $pdo->prepare($sql);
        $sth->execute($data);

        return $sth->fetchAll();
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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text:
Dan Atherton recovers from broken neck injury
Aims to return to world cup in Fort William
Published: January 31, 2011 at 3:36 pm
Dan Atherton is back in training after breaking his neck last July
Sven Martin
Dan Atherton
British mountain biker Dan Atherton has been given the all-clear to race again, following a horrific crash resulting in a broken neck last July.
Atherton broke the C1 disc in his neck while practicing on dirt jumps near his home in North Wales. It's taken him six months of rehabilitation to regain his strength. But on 20 January, a CT scan revealed that the injury has healed.
Dan's personal trainer, Red Bull's Darren Roberts, said: "The fractures have all healed and the tiny fragments of bone which are loose will be absorbed by the body over time, there was a slim possibility that an operation was required to remove these – but thankfully that op is not needed. More importantly Dr Bray said the words we've been waiting to hear since July 2010, 'you're good to go Dan, totally healed – get back on your bike and get riding hard. Try not to break it again'."
According to his Animal Commencal team, Dan Atherton is aiming to regain full fitness in time for the second round of the mountain bike world cup in Fort William, Scotland.


text:
ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 14 TEMPORARY CLOSURE - HOTHAM ROAD SW15
ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 14
TEMPORARY CLOSURE - HOTHAM ROAD SW15
1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Council of the London Borough of Wandsworth has made an order to restrict vehicular movement in Hotham Road to facilitate a crane operation.
2. Whilst the said works are taking place, no vehicle shall enter, proceed or wait along Hotham Road from the junction with Rossdale Road to the junction with Blackett Street. There will be no waiting between 08:00-18:00.
3. Whilst the order remains in force the alternative route for traffic affected by the closure will be appropriately signed.
4. Further information may be obtained from the Council's Network Management section - telephone number (020) 8871 6904.
5. The order will come into operation on 23 November 2021 and will remain in place until the works are complete. The order will remain in place for no longer than 18 months, although the works are expected to be complete by 23 November 2021.
Dated this eighteenth day of November 2021.
MARK MAIDMENT Chief Executive Town Hall Wandsworth SW18 2PU
London Borough of Wandsworth
The Town Hall , Wandsworth High Street , London , SW18 2PU
enquiries@wandsworth.gov.uk http://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/ 020 8871 6000
ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 -SECTION 14 TEMPORARY CLOSURE - HOTHAM ROAD SW15
WANDSWORTH BOROUGH COUNCIL ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 -SECTION 14 TEMPORARY CLOSURE - HOTHAM ROAD SW15 1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that
PROPOSED MINOR PARKING AMENDMENTS HOTHAM ROAD, SW11
WANDSWORTH BOROUGH COUNCIL PROPOSED MINOR PARKING AMENDMENTS HOTHAM ROAD, SW11 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Council of the London Borough
TOR VIDAR TVEITANE (Deceased)
TOR VIDAR TVEITANE (Deceased) Pursuant to the Trustee Act 1925 any persons having a claim against or an interest in the Estate of the above
ROSEMARY AGNES STARK (Deceased)
ROSEMARY AGNES STARK (Deceased) Pursuant to the Trustee Act 1925 any persons having a claim against or an interest in the Estate of the
MARY KATHLEEN MEADS (Deceased)
MARY KATHLEEN MEADS (Deceased) Pursuant to the Trustee Act 1925 any persons having a claim against or an interest in the Estate of the
Notice effective from Thu 6 Sep 18 to Sat 6 Oct 18
WANDSWORTH BOROUGH COUNCIL TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1990 PLANNING AND COMPENSATION ACT 1991 TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING GENERAL DEVELOPMENT ORDER 2015 PLANNING (LISTED BUILDING AND CONSERVATION AREAS) ACT 1990
WANDSWORTH BOROUGH COUNCIL TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1990 PLANNING AND COMPENSATION ACT 1991 TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING GENERAL DEVELOPMENT
ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 14 TEMPORARY CLOSURE - CHELVERTON ROAD SW15
WANDSWORTH BOROUGH COUNCIL ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 14 TEMPORARY CLOSURE - CHELVERTON ROAD SW15 1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN
TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1990 PLANNING AND COMPENSATION ACT 1991 TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING GENERAL DEVELOPMENT ORDER 1995 PLANNING (LISTED BUILDING AND CONSERVATION AREAS) ACT 1990
WANDSWORTH BOROUGH COUNCIL TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1990 PLANNING AND COMPENSATION ACT 1991 TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING GENERAL
Rosaleen Brenda Lawrence
Rosaleen Brenda Lawrenceof 28 Westhorpe Road Putney London SW15 1QH, died on 17/01/2018. If you have a claim against the Estate of Rosaleen Brenda
DOROTHEA MARGARET ANNE INGRAM Deceased
DOROTHEA MARGARET ANNE INGRAM Deceased Pursuant to the Trustee Act 1925 anyone having a claim against or an interest in the Estate of the
RALPH RETTKE-GROVER (Deceased)
RALPH RETTKE-GROVER (Deceased) Pursuant to the Trustee Act 1925 any persons having a claim against or an interest in the Estate of the
ROSSLYN ELIZABETH NEAVE Deceased
ROSSLYN ELIZABETH NEAVE Deceased Pursuant to the Trustee Act 1925 anyone having a claim against or an interest in the Estate of the deceased,
Notice effective from Thu 15 Feb 18 to Sat 17 Mar 18
LIISA MARJA MELA (Deceased)
LIISA MARJA MELA (Deceased) Pursuant to the Trustee Act 1925 any persons having a claim against or an interest in the Estate of the above
MAURICE LESLIE MEYER (Deceased)
MAURICE LESLIE MEYER (Deceased) Pursuant to the Trustee Act1925 anypersons having aclaim against or an interest in the Estate of the above


text:
January 4, 2021 kristenLeave a comment
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (Website, Twitter, Insta)
Genre: literary fiction
Setting: North Carolina marsh/swamp
I read it as a(n): hardback
Source: public library
Published by: Putnam (2018)
Beginning in the early 1950s, Kya Clark is known as the Marsh Girl in her tiny hometown of Barkley Cove, NC. Her family are dirt poor and live in a shack in the swamp, four kids and their parents all crammed into a tiny space. Kya's father is an abusive drunk and, one by one, everyone starts leaving. First it was Kya's two eldest siblings. Then her mother. Finally, her brother, Jodie, who was closest to her in age. Kya is about six at the time and she learns to keep the abusive drunk at bay, though eventually he, too, abandons her. Alone and penniless, Kya learns how to care for herself. Through the kindness of one Black family, Kya usually has enough to get by. A friend of Jodie's teaches her how to read. Eventually, Kya blossoms into a beautiful woman, though her isolation and abandonment issues have made her exceedingly shy and eccentric.
When Chase Andrews, a well known young man in town, is found dead at the bottom of a lookout tower, the sheriff decides it looks like foul play and eventually arrests Kya, now in her early 20s, for his murder. What follows is a beautifully written story that weaves between the "present" 1969/1970 and the past, starting in 1952. Slowly, the two times merge, bringing Kya's story into crisp focus.
I don't usually read books that are wildly popular. I find the hype surrounding them is too often overreaction and the book itself falls flat. But! I. Fucking. Loved. This. Book! It was so, sooooooooooo good! I loved that Kya had a way to educate herself, having avoided school after the one day she attended and was mercilessly bullied. She was an uneducated hick – literally one of the swamp people – at first but learned to read with the help of Jodie's friend, Tate. She closely studies the ecosystem of the marsh and becomes an expert in the field. And there is no sappy plot that has her turning suddenly into a sophisticated woman who moves to the big city where she is super popular and happy in society or any such tripe. She never loses her connection to her land. She never gets comfortable with people, and certainly not with crowds. It is sad only because she could have become an expert in the marsh ecosystem AND been a more chic person if the vast majority of the people in her life hadn't walked out on her or had welcomed her into their community.
The underlying theme was one of tolerance and prejudice. It can be no coincidence that the only two people who truly loved and accepted Kya for herself, aside from Jodie, were Jumpin' and his wife Mabel, a Black couple from the outskirts of town. They helped her as they were able and as Kya allowed them. They stood by her during the worst times. They were never ashamed to be friendly or to be seen with her. Most of the other people in the book treated her with disdain and rejection, calling her swamp trash or telling their children not to go near her because she was dirty. So much for their vaunted Christian charity.
There were bright points throughout Kya's life and the people she encountered. Tate was arguably the most important person in her life. Because he taught her how to read, she was able eventually to support herself with her deep knowledge of the marshes. Jumpin' and Mabel helped her survive and always made sure she knew she could stay with them if she wanted to. The clerk at the store, who Kya thought was nosy, was actually helping her in ways Kya never knew. These kindnesses made the rejection and isolation Kya faced that much more painful.
More than anything, I think this book was a reflection on acceptance, hypocrisy, and redemption. I'm sure we all know a person who says they are accepting of everyone, but when faced with a challenge to that, shows they are anything but accepting at all. The people of Barkley Cove like to think they are kind and helpful but they are all quick to make assumptions about Kya based solely on the fact that she is poor. As if it were her fault every single person in her family took off and never seemed to give a thought about her afterwards. Kya made do, and she would have loved to have a friend or someone to care for her like a parent, but she was taught from a young age not to trust people because they will just hurt and abandon her. Kya is able to redeem herself in more ways than one over the course of the novel, from learning to read at the age of 14 to supporting herself through her painting and scientific observations, she shows those around her she is far more than just the Marsh Girl if they care to look deeper. The townsfolk also redeem themselves in an unexpected way, though by the time they figure things out, it is far too late to have a useful impact on Kya.
Overall, I thought this was a lovely novel and count myself among those who loved it. Seems like the feeling about this are black and white, which, strangely, is appropriate.
September 28, 2020 September 28, 2020 kristen1 Comment
Big Sky by Kate Atkinson (Website)
Setting: mostly a seaside town in the north of England
I read it as a(n): audiobook
Narrator: Jason Isaacs
Source: My own Audible collection
Published by: Hachette Audio (25 June 2019)
I'm giving this 3 out of 5 stars only because Jason Isaacs's narration was superb. The story itself was kind of boring. As with the rest of the books in Atkinson's Jackson Brodie series, Big Sky starts with Jackson working on a case, this time staking out a couple to provide proof of their infidelity to his client. Then, showing the kind of weird luck only Jackson seems capable of, he encounters a man on a crumbling cliff and gets sucked into a ring of sex trafficking and kidnapping. Of course, the only person who can solve things and fix it is Jackson.
If he weren't so sexy, Jackson Brodie would be really fucking annoying. The whole trope of "only I can solve this" was old to begin with, and now it has been pretty much ruined by the Lobotomized Hitler currently squatting in the White House, and it's a pretty arrogant thing to think regardless of who is saying it.
It was nice to see Reggie come back in this story. Last we saw of her, she was a lost and scared young lady trying to get by mostly on her own. It was fun to see her in this story and see what she's made of herself. Other than Reggie and Jackson, sometimes, I really found not one likeable character in this story. The traffickers of course were revolting, but Julia is a shallow twit, Nathan is a typical teen and no one really likes those, and most of the others were pretty one-dimensional. The plot itself wasn't terribly compelling to me, and Atkinson's style of writing is so nonlinear that listening to this as opposed to eyeball reading it was a chore. I found myself not listening to it as often as not, and only kept going by pure virtue of Jason Isaacs's sexy voice and skill in narrating. I really wish he would narrate more audiobooks. He's one of my very favorite narrators, and it isn't just because he's my mega celebrity crush. He is a genuinely excellent narrator, able to do a variety of accents well, and even reading women's voices nicely. I hate it when male narrators do a falsetto for women, or make them sound like brainless morons. Like, what women do you know who really sounds like that? Isaacs does nothing of the sort and all his voices are authentic and believable. I just really wish Audible could/would make more use of his voice talent.
The Cuckoo's Calling
February 12, 2020 February 12, 2020 kristen1 Comment
The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (Website)
I read it as an: audiobook
Narrator: Robert Glenister
Published by: Hachette Audio (30 Dec 2012)
Cormoran Strike is a private detective living in London. Typically, he investigates missing people, extramarital affairs, and the like. But when Lula Landry, a supermodel, falls to her death in an apparent suicide, her brother begs for Cormoran's help to investigate. He is convinced his sister didn't jump but was pushed, that her death was a murder. Cormoran takes the case and is rapidly enmeshed in the world of high fashion and the ruthless, greedy people Landry had surrounded herself with.
Robert Galbraith (AKA JK Rowling for anyone who's been living under a rock) delivers a thoroughly tepid story that really drags in spots. I truly don't know what all the hype was about. The plot was actually quite boring and predictable, despite being overly convoluted at parts. My opinion has nothing to do with wanting her to write more like Harry Potter. It is an adult mystery, so I don't really know why so many people gave her negative reviews because it wasn't written like Harry Potter. Helloooo, it's a totally different genre! Even so, it was deadly dull in general. I only kept listening because it ticks a box for a reading challenge task.
Strike seems in many ways like the opposite of the usual private detective. He's described as kind of short and really hairy. He is not handsome, and frankly, even if he were, his excess hair, described as a pelt or like a coconut mat, would take care of that. Yuck. I don't really get why Rowling would want her protagonist to be kind of gross, unless it is just to make readers (and characters) focus on his skills rather than his looks. Which, if so, well done on the social commentary about the shallowness of modern society! If not, then just why? I did like that he is a protagonist with a disability, and that the disability wasn't a constant focus of the narrative. It just was the way he was. The occasional reference to his aching stump or badly-fitting prosthesis was about it; Strike isn't defined by his disability.
In other ways, Strike is entirely typical – down on his luck, broke, difficult relationships with all the women in his life, ex-soldier, more competent than the cops or than anyone gives him credit for, with a sassy but highly competent assistant who kind of has a flame for him. It is very cliched.
I wanted to like this one, I really did. I wanted to see Rowling write an adult novel that grabbed my attention and was pleasingly complex. But I was disappointed. This was the first adult novel of hers I've read and it doesn't inspire me to read any more. The narrator did a good job on this, but that was probably the best part of the book for me.
The Distant Hours
January 29, 2020 January 28, 2020 kristen1 Comment
The Distant Hours by Kate Morton (Website, Insta)
Genre: historical fiction/ mystery
Narrator: Caroline Lee
Published by: Bolinda Publishing (26 Oct 2010)
Edie Burchill never really understood her mother. But the arrival of a letter, lost for 50 years and addressed to Edie's mother from Milderhurst Castle, sets Edie on a mission to discover the mysteries of her mother's past. Mystery mixed with a bit of the Gothic and the romantic, the plot takes Edie back to Milderhurst Castle, her mother's home during the evacuation of London's children during the Blitz. There, she meets the sisters Blythe, twins Persephone 'Percy' Blythe and Seraphina 'Saphy' Blythe, and their younger sister Juniper. Edie digs deep to discover why her mother is so reluctant to talk about her time at Milderhurst, why the abandonment of Juniper's fiance in 1941 sent her mad, and what the twin sisters are really hiding.
This was a solid Gothic mystery, though not one of my favorites. It seems like it has all the requisite components of a very good Gothic mystery, but something was just lacking. I think there was often too much telling and not showing, what must have been pages of no dialogue (listening to it on audio makes it a little hard to tell), and then the denouement was kind of flat and not really a surprise.
I didn't really like Edie very much. Not that she was a bad character or anything, she was just rather boring. Maybe this was intentional on Morton's part because the sisters Blythe were certainly NOT boring. Maybe Morton did that so she could highlight the eccentricity of the sisters. Whatever it was, I did very much enjoy the sisters. The writing style itself was also nice. I like the florid style of Gothic literature, and while this wasn't exactly florid or fully Gothic, I liked the atmosphere Morton created all the same.
This was my first read from Morton and, while I didn't care for some aspects of it, I liked her writing and am happy to give her other books a go.
January 2, 2020 January 2, 2020 kristenLeave a comment
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson (WEBSITE)
Her Grace's rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Published by: Back Bay Books (1 Sept 2004)
This first installment in Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie series introduces, well, Jackson Brodie, private detective and former detective inspector. Case Histories starts off with three different stories being introduced to readers by way of short chapters outlining the characters and reasons we should be interested in them. In short, they are given as case histories. The various stories cross paths in one way or another, whether through a chance encounter in a park or simply through the character of Brodie himself, acting as detective for all parties. The stories are all varied, from a missing child in the '70s to a murdered young woman in the '90s to an axe murderer's sister looking for her lost niece.
I enjoyed this a great deal. I had read one of Atkinson's books a long time ago, Life After Life, and was bored to death by it. I'm not sure if it was just that I wasn't in the mood for that particular book at that particular moment or what, but I didn't like it. I steered clear of her books after that, but decided to give this series a go when I came across the BBC series Case Histories, starring my current mega crush Jason Isaacs. I loved the show and thought I would try the titular series, and I am very glad I did. Atkinson's writing style might take a little getting used to, but it reads easily and the stories were fun.
I have to say that for such an alpha male, Jackson sure gets his ass kicked plenty. I think it is funny, but it was also perhaps established with the very first time he is introduced in the book, when he's sitting in his car listening to a ladies' talk show, thinking about his daughter, who he loves, his ex-wife, who really did one over on him, and he is watching a woman to find out if she's having an affair. He is complex because he is very much an alpha male – former soldier, former cop, current private detective – but he also is ruled by the women in his life and he seems quite happy for that to be the case. He's protective of most people he comes across, even if he doesn't really like them.
This story also took a look at different ways to grieve and to think of people who are no longer here. Theo idealized his daughter, Laura, even though she wasn't perfect. He himself seems to think that it is surprising she was his daughter because he thought she was so perfect. He said to himself that he loved Laura more than his other daughter, Jenny. I think if he had not had such a clear image of her in his mind he would have had an even harder time with his grief because he would have had to reconcile Laura's imperfections with the image he had of her. Probably he would have felt even guiltier for not loving his other daughter as much, too, since he could have had a closer relationship with Jenny. The Land parents clearly favored Olivia over her three older sisters, and it was obvious to them all. It made Olivia's disappearance harder on her sisters because she was their favorite, too, and there was nowhere for them to go to visit her or remember her. The not knowing is, I think, harder than knowing for sure someone is dead, because you don't know what is happening to them, what kind of life they are living, or if they even remember you. It would be so much worse, in my opinion, not to know the fate of a loved one than to know for certain they were dead. Lots of complexity in the various plots, which is fantastic. Most mysteries seem kind of one-dimensional to me. This one is more literary than a lot of others I've read.
I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series!
Favorite part/ lines (potential spoilers!):
Novels gave you a completely false idea about life, they told lies and they implied there were endings when in reality there were no endings, everything just went on and on and on.
God and Sylvia had been on speaking terms for almost as long as Amelia could remember. Did she really think he spoke to her? She was delusional, surely? At the very least a hysteric. Hearing voices, like Joan of Arc. In fact, it was Joan of Arc she used to speak to, wasn't it? Even before Rosemary died or Olivia disappeared. Had anyone ever entertained the possibility that Sylvia was schizophrenic? If God spoke to Amelia she would presume she had gone insane.
It was an education (although one Jackson had already been subject to) because Theo was extraordinarily good at documenting the banal details of failure, the litany of tiny flaws and cracks that were nothing to an outsider but looked like canyons when you were on the inside – "He buys me carnations, carnations are crap, every woman knows that so why doesn't he?" "He never thinks to run a bit of Toilet Duck round the bowl, even though I leave it out where he can't miss it and I've asked him, I've asked him a hundred times." "If he ever does any ironing it's 'Look at me, I'm ironing, look how well I'm doing it, I iron much better than you, I'm the best, I do it properly.'" "He'd get me my breakfast in bed if I asked him to, but I don't want to have to ask." Did men know how much they got on women's nerves?
Boys took a long time to become men but daughters were women from the kickoff.
What did you do when the worst thing that could happen to you had already happened – how did you live your life then? You had to hand it to Theo Wyre, just carrying on living required a kind of strength and courage that most people didn't have.
What if reincarnation existed, what if you came back as a pedophile? But then what would you have had to do in the first place to deserve that? What did the holy girls come back as? Flocks of doves, groves of trees?
But Jackson couldn't make Marlee safe, he couldn't make anyone safe. The only time you were safe was when you were dead. Theo was the world's greatest worrier, but the one thing he didn't worry about anymore was whether or not his daughter was safe.
"She'll spend it on drugs," she said to Julia as they walked away from the girl. "She can spend it on what she wants," Julia said. "In fact drugs sound like a good idea. If I was in her position I would spend money on drugs." "She's in that position because of drugs." "You don't know that. You don't know anything about her."
"Is 'macheted' a verb?" Amelia asked Julia. "Don't think so." Well, that was the end then, she was Americanizing words. Civilization would fall.
A lot of people thought Theo spoiled his girls, but how could you spoil a child – by neglect, yes, but not by love. You had to give them all the love you could, even though giving that much love could cause you pain and anguish and horror and, in the end, love could destroy you. Because they left, they went to university and husband, they went to Canada and they went to the grave.
There was that survey, years ago, that found that women didn't feel threatened by a man carrying the Guardian or wearing a CND badge. Jackson had wondered at the time how many rapists started carrying a Guardian around with them. Look at Ted Bundy. Stick your arm in a plaster cast and women think you're safe. No woman was ever truly safe. It didn't matter if you were as tough as Sigourney Weaver in Alien Resurrection or Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2, because wherever you went there were men.
The clavicle was tiny and fragile, like an animal's, a rabbit or a hare, the broken wishbone of a bird. Jackson kissed it reverently because he knew it was the holiest relic he would ever find.
"To my friend, Mr. Jackson Brodie, for being kind." He had cried when her solicitor had read that out to him. Cried, because he hadn't been particularly kind to her, cried because she didn't have a better friend, that she had died alone, without a hand to hold.
The Woman in the Window
July 31, 2019 kristenLeave a comment
The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn (Twitter)
Her Grace's rating: 1 out of 5 stars (1 star only because I actually finished reading it)
I read it as a: hardback
Published by: William Morrow (3/28/18)
Anna Fox was a child psychologist with a successful practice, happy marriage, and healthy daughter. Then she experiences a trauma and becomes agoraphobic. She hasn't set foot out of her home for nearly a year and passes her time by watching old black and white films and spying on her neighbors through the windows with her camera. One day, she witnesses a murder and has a nervous breakdown when she tries to go outside to help. The cops don't believe her – they think she's just a drunk, which is true but doesn't change what she saw – and her estranged husband doesn't believe her, either. Anna has to convince everyone she is not insane or hallucinating in order to discover who the killer is and stop them before they come after her.
This book? Was WAY over-hyped. The writing style was all right and the basic premise of the story was theoretically interesting. The problem is that there was absolutely no suspense or nerve-wracking moments. The plot was entirely predictable and stereotypical, including Anna's trauma and the identity of the killer. *Yawn*. Also, the theme of men writing women as crazy/ not believed/ let's gaslight everything is so fucking dull. It *might* have been slightly more interesting if the protagonist had been a man, though that still wouldn't solve the problem of being predictable. It was a readable story and only took me a few hours to read, what with work and all, but given the lack of anything unique or really interesting, I can't really recommend it.
Also, not relevant to the book, but as I was writing this review, I went online to look up the author's website. Lo and behold, I discovered that he is a pathological liar and spewed various untruths ranging from his imaginary doctorate from Oxford to brain tumors to his mother's death. He has no doctorate from Oxford, no brain cancer (or any other kind, it seems), and his mother is alive and well. Regardless of how good his future novels might be, which I doubt, I would never read another book written by this gross individual. There are plenty of people who are actually talented and don't have to resort to pathetic grabs for sympathy to get noticed. Vox has a really good article about this author's multitude of deceptions.
Traitor's Codex
Traitor's Codex (A Crispin Guest Mystery Book 11) * by Jeri Westerson (website, Facebook)
Genre: historical fiction – medieval, 14th century London
Published by: Severn House (June 1, 2019)
**Spoilers below**
In 1394 London, Crispin Guest, self-styled Tracker of London, and his apprentice Jack Tucker are making ends meet with small jobs here and there. But their world gets turned upside down when a mysterious man drops a package in Crispin's lap and disappears. Inside is a book written in a language Crispin has never seen. Making use of his varied contacts throughout the city, he learns that the book is written in Coptic and contains a secret gospel, the Gospel of Judas, which claims that Judas was the most beloved apostle and that salvation can come from within a person, not through Christ's sacrifice. Knowledge of this gospel would overturn the Church's authority and lead to a dangerous heresy, something even skeptical Crispin isn't willing to allow. When people who have helped him start getting murdered, Crispin finds himself in the middle of a race to get the book to a safe place. In the meanwhile, someone in London is impersonating Crispin and wreaking havoc on his reputation…
Throughout this novel, themes of loyalty, oaths taken, and reevaluating what we thought we knew take the lead. Crispin and Jack both are forced to closely analyze the things they had always taken for, well, gospel truth, and both come away from their adventure changed in some fundamental ways. I think it was a good, if hard, lesson for Crispin to learn that Jews are people who have a great deal to contribute to his society and he realises he was not very good to them, or not as good as he could have been, only after two of his Jewish friends are killed.
The subplot with Crispin's copycat were amusing, and the way he handled it was very inventive. I liked how it came full circle in the end and Crispin used the man the way he did. It made that subplot more meaningful, rather than just a nuisance to Crispin that had no other purpose.
The concept of loyalty also comes into play a lot throughout this novel. It was good to see Crispin evaluating his past role in the rebellion to place John of Gaunt on the throne and to understand the impact it had on others in ways he had never considered. Assessing one's own thoughts and actions is an indication of a well-rounded adult and Crispin has really learned a lot about himself throughout the novels, and in this one especially.
I am looking forward to the next book in the series with both excitement and bittersweetness, knowing it will be one of the last. But also – Excalibur! YES! I am also really, really curious to see how Crispin's tale will end. I know *I* have my own ideas and hopes for how it will end and what will become of Crispin, Jack, and the rest. But it will be interesting to see if any of those align with Westerson's plan for our favorite intrepid, disgraced knight.
Favorite parts (potential spoilers!):
The bookseller's excitement over his books, especially the Launcelot book that was written in London but which he got in the Holy Land. Book nerds from the Middle Ages geeking out about their books is absolutely something I want more of in everything I read!
When Julian of Norwich comes to visit. I loved the nod to her writing when Julian refers to Mother Jesus, and later her most famous quote: All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.. As a medievalist who focuses on the writings of holy women, including Julian, I dig it when someone makes us if them in their own work. Also, the author's note explains why Julian was in London and not in her cell, which is where she actually would have been, and does so in a way that is believable within the scope of the novel. Nicely done, my lady Westerson!
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Rainbirds
June 17, 2019 June 17, 2019 kristenLeave a comment
Rainbirds by Clarissa Goenawan
Source: my own collection/BOTM credit
Publisher: Soho
***Spoilers for this book are very much present in this review.***
Ren Ishida comes from Tokyo to a small, unnamed town in Japan after receiving the news that his sister, Keiko, has been murdered. Intending to go and finalize her affairs, Ren finds himself accepting a job as a teacher at her old school and living in her old apartment. He essentially takes on his sister's old life in many ways, hoping to figure out what happened to her while bringing himself closure as well. In the process, he uncovers many surprising truths about his sister as well as his entire family.
Ehhhhh. I get that this was supposed to be written with a minimalist style, but I don't think it was actually minimalist. I think it needed to be fleshed the fuck out. This story could have occurred anywhere – there was just no sense of place at all, nothing memorable about the town or surroundings to make it special. The characters were mostly flat and Ren, the main character, was stultifying. He has no real personality. The dialogue was mostly painful and lame throughout as well. Do people really talk like that in Japan? For example:
"So, you're a teacher," she said.
I nodded. "I teach English at a cram school"
"That makes sense. I was wondering what kind of work you did. You leave the apartment around noon, and return pretty late. I thought you were in retail, like me."
"That would have made sense, too."
"Hey, Izumi." The young man who greeted me earlier approached us. "Sorry to cut in, but your shift is over."
"Already?" She checked her watch. Her wrist was slim and bony. "You're right. Thanks for letting me know." (219)
So stilted. This sounds very similar to some dialogue my daughter wrote in one of her stories. My daughter is eight. It just goes on and on like this throughout the entire book. Nobody seemed genuine at all because of the way their dialogue was written. Maybe I just didn't care for the style at all, but let's move past that.
I also didn't like – at all – how the killer's identity was discovered but no one cared to give that information to the police, either because it wouldn't bring back Keiko or because it would ruin the lives of the killer's family. Um, SO? How would something someone else did have any impact on another person? *I* didn't kill that person, my relative did it, let me help you throw their ass in the clink! Fuck reputation. Of course it doesn't bring the murdered person back, but that's not the point. The point is that you don't let murderers get away with it. What the fuck? So that was deeply unsatisfying. The end, I felt, just petered out and everything went back to normal and everyone moved on and it was like nothing much happened, just a minor six-month detour in life that we can now forget about and move past. I honestly kept reading this book to see who it was because I wanted them to go to jail, but that didn't happen and it left a bad taste. I feel like I wasted a whole weekend on this book when I could have been reading the new Guy Gavriel Kay book instead.
I want my BOTM credit back.
All This I Will Give to You
April 19, 2019 April 19, 2019 kristen1 Comment
All This I Will Give to You * by Dolores Redondo (trans. Michael Meigs)
Narrator: Timothy Andres Pabon
Manuel Ortigosa is a writer living in Madrid. He is hard at work on his next novel, waiting for his husband Alvaro to return from a business trip to Barcelona, when he receives word from police that Alvaro has been killed in a car accident. In Galicia, the opposite side of the country from Barcelona. Manuel travels to the town in Galicia where Alvaro died and learns that his husband was the Marquis of an ancient aristocratic family and Galicia is their ancestral home. Alvaro had hidden all this from Manuel because it seems he felt that his family was toxic and he wanted to shield Manuel from them. Upon his death, however, Manuel learns that Alvaro had saved his family from deep debt, using his own considerable funds to pay back loans and renovate the family homes, which put them in Alvaro's personal possession, and thus he bequeathed everything to Manuel. Manuel is trying to come to terms with the fact that his husband hid who he was from him for the 15 years of their marriage, deal with the family who is indeed toxic, and find out what truly happened to Alvaro because he hadn't died in an accident – he was murdered. Manuel meets two allies – a recently retired cop and a childhood friend of Alvaro's, now a priest and Alvaro's confessor – who aid him in finding out the truth.
This was a nicely complex book and I enjoyed not only the mystery plot but the travel element as well. I've never been to Spain, so the descriptions of the settings were some of my favorite parts, irrespective of the rest of the story.
The characters were generally complex and multifaceted. Manuel, the cop, and the priest were the ones I thought were the most multidimensional and complex people, though many of the other secondary characters, such as the family's nanny, also seemed to have rich personalities.
There were many points of conflict – between Manuel and his husband's family, between more progressive ideals and traditional Catholic practices, between the newer social order and the ancient traditions of nobility. There were also rivalries and intrigues between the family members as well, dark secrets and infighting. Alvaro was right – his family is toxic and he did well to keep Manuel from them. It would be exhausting to have to deal with a family like that.
I listened to this on audio book, so I have no idea how to spell some of the names, like the name of the cop friend, or the name of Alvaro's family home. In any case, I think I would have preferred to eyeball read this one. I had picked up the audio book because it was a daily deal on Audible, but I didn't care for the narrator. He did all right but I didn't think he did a great job differentiating between characters. I had a hard time telling when it was supposed to be Manuel speaking and the cop, for example. His reading of women's voices was pretty awful, though at least he didn't make them sound like vapid cows like some male narrators do.
I loved the last line of the book SO MUCH. It is one of my favorite last lines ever now.