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Category Archives: book lists
Lists of favorite and popular books.
15 Self-Help Journals to Help You Find Happiness
Whether your New Year's resolution is to focus more on YOU or to finally (for real this time) make an effort to find the joy, it can be hard to jump in and get started. Making self-help goals are great for your mental health, but it can certainly be a struggle to figure out where to even begin.
Thankfully those that have come before us have realized this, too…and have given the reading and writing lovers among us a variety of self-help journals to help us list and doodle our way to happiness. If you're on a mission to better your life in 2019, check out these 15 self-help journals that will help you find happiness.
One Question a Day: A Five-Year Journal – A Personal Time Capsule of Questions and Answers: A simple guided journal that offers one question per day, to be answered on the same day for five years in a row.
The Mindfulness Journal: Daily Practices, Writing Prompts and Reflections for Living in the Present Moment: With The Mindfulness Journal, you can build a stress-reducing habit that makes you appreciate every single day.
52 Lists for Happiness: Weekly Journal and Inspiration for Positivity, Balance and Joy: 52 Lists for Happiness will inspire existing fans and new journal readers to cultivate their own uniquely happy and fulfilling lives through the power of lists!
Cheaper Than Therapy: A Guided Journal: Journal about your childhood, your recurring dreams, and what your relationship was like with your parents.
This Time Next Year: 365 Days of Exploration: Over the course of a year, this prompt-a-day journal will lead you to discover what makes you tick and how you can use that knowledge for greater happiness and success.
I Am Here Now: A Creative Mindfulness Guide and Journal: I Am Here Now inspires readers to explore the world with greater curiosity and find moments of mindfulness in everyday life, while unleashing your creativity along the way.
The Inspirational Journal Book: Self Help Book with Inspiration, Quotes, Positive Affirmations and Motivational Exercises: This inspirational journal book suggest various ways to stay motivated some of which include reading inspirational and motivational quotes, listening to certain types of music, coloring mandalas, using positive reaffirmations and so on.
Practice You: A Journal: Practice You is a portable sacred sanctuary to record our flashes of insight, find our ground, create and clarify our goals, and bear witness to our own evolution.
Let That Shit Go: A Journal for Leaving Your Bullshit Behind and Creating a Happy Life: With Let That Sh*t Go, you'll find moments of profanity-laced catharsis and joy through journaling activities and inspirations that are positive as f*ck.
Start Where You Are: A Journal for Self-Exploration: Start Where You Are is an interactive journal designed to help readers nurture their creativity, mindfulness, and self-motivation.
Good Days Start with Gratitude Journal: Cultivate an Attitude of Gratitude: Good Days Start With Gratitude is a 52 week guide to cultivate an attitude of gratitude! It is a self exploration journal designed to focus on being thankful for what we have, the big things in life, as well as the simple joys.
Claim Your Power: A 40-Day Journey to Dissolve the Hidden Blocks That Keep You Stuck and Finally Thrive in Your Life's Unique Purpose: Identify and dissolve whatever's holding you back, break free from trauma and victimhood, and transform your life. Not only will you change your life for the better, but in doing so, you'll improve the lives of the people you love.
Present Not Perfect: A Journal for Slowing Down, Letting Go, and Loving Who You Are: A beautifully illustrated guided journal that helps women slow down and enjoy life rather than pushing for perfection.
Zen as Fuck: A Journal for Practicing the Mindful Art of Not Giving a Shit: Journal your way through positive affirmations and cathartic-as-f*ck activities on your liberating journey toward something pretty close to happiness.
How to Be Happy (or at Least Less Sad): A Creative Workbook: Through a series of supportive, surprising, and engaging prompts, this journal helps readers see things in a new light, and rediscover simple pleasures and everyday joy…or at least feel a little less sad.
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Tagged as bee happy, book lists
13 Books to Read on a Snowy Day
There's nothing like curling up with a good book on a snowy day…even better is a book that totally immerses you in a winter world from the comfort of your own home!
These 13 books do just that. From snowy countrysides to magical far-off places, these 13 books are perfect for reading on a snowy, blistery winter night.
The Snowman, Jo Nesbø
When dozens of women show up murdered on the day of a first snow fall, investigator Harry Hole is put on the case. As his investigation deepens, something else emerges: he is becoming a pawn in an increasingly terrifying game whose rules are devised—and constantly revised—by the killer. This one is long, but worth it in the end.
The Road, Cormac McCarthy
A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape, save the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food—and each other. A heartbreaking story of love and survival.
The Girl with Glass Feet, Ali Shaw
Strange things are happening on the remote and snowbound archipelago of St. Hauda's Land. Magical winged creatures flit around the icy bogland, albino animals hide themselves in the snow-glazed woods, and Ida Maclaird is slowly turning into glass. Ida is an outsider in these parts who has only visited the islands once before. A visitor to this land before, she has returned in search of a cure.
Chocolat and The Girl With No Shadow, Joanne Harris
The delicious story about Vianne Rocher and her chocolate shop begins with Chocolat and continues with The Girl With No Shadow. Two whimsical, romantic books that will warm your heart and soul (and make you hungry for some delicious hot cocoa!).
Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden
In Memoirs of a Geisha, we enter a world where appearances are paramount; where a girl's virginity is auctioned to the highest bidder; where women are trained to beguile the most powerful men; and where love is scorned as illusion. It is a unique and triumphant work of fiction—at once romantic, erotic, suspenseful—and completely unforgettable.
The Book Thief, Markus Zusak
By her brother's graveside, Liesel's life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger's Handbook, left behind there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her accordion-playing foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor's wife's library, wherever there are books to be found.
Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
A family of ladies, including talented tomboy and author-to-be Jo, tragically frail Beth, beautiful Meg, and romantic, spoiled Amy, unite in their devotion to each other and their struggles to survive in New England during the Civil War.
The Harry Potter Series, J.K. Rowling
No real description needed here! This entire series is always a fun one to re-read in the winter (or anytime, really!).
The Snow Child, Eowyn Ivey
Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart – he breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she crumbling from loneliness and despair. In a moment of levity during the season's first snowfall, they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone – but they glimpse a young, blonde-haired girl running through the trees. What they eventually learn about this girl they call Faina will transform all of them.
The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. Beautiful winter scenes pepper this book with a magical landscape, and the rich, seductive prose, makes this spell-casting novel a feast for all the senses.
Snow Falling on Cedars, David Guterson
San Piedro Island, north of Puget Sound, is a place so isolated that no one who lives there can afford to make enemies. But in 1954 a local fisherman is found suspiciously drowned, and a Japanese American named Kabuo Miyamoto is charged with his murder. In the course of the ensuing trial, it becomes clear that what is at stake is more than a man's guilt. Gripping, tragic, and densely atmospheric, Snow Falling on Cedars is a masterpiece of suspense that will leave you shaken and changed.
The Golden Compass, Philip Pullman
Can one small girl make a difference in such great and terrible endeavors? This is Lyra: a savage, a schemer, a liar, and as fierce and true a champion as Roger or Asriel could want–but what Lyra doesn't know is that to help one of them will be to betray the other. The first in a magical series of books that will stay with you long after you're done.
Tagged as bee happy, book lists, winter
December 7, 2018 · 8:49 am
15 Multicultural Christmas Books for Kids
Sure we've all read The Polar Express and How the Grinch Stole Christmas a hundred times…but there are a ton of other amazing Christmas books out there for kids, many of which teach children about celebrations around the world.
From a feminist take on the three wise men to stories about those who celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah, here are 15 multicultural Christmas books to add to your family reading list!
Light the Lights!: A Story about Celebrating Hanukkah & Christmas
A delightful picture book captures the warmth of family tradition as Emma and her family celebrate two holidays–Hanukkah, a time to light the menorah and play dreidl games, and Christmas, a time to sing carols and open presents.
The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story
A particularly irate latke is the star of The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming, but many other holiday icons appear and even speak: flashing colored lights, cane-shaped candy, a pine tree. Santa Claus is briefly discussed as well. The ending is happy, at least for some!
Grace at Christmas
Grace loves Christmas – acting out the nativity story, opening presents, celebrating with Ma, Nana and Paw-Paw. But this Christmas Nana announces they will have visitors from Trinidad. Grace is horrified! She does NOT want to share the day with another little girl she doesn't even know. But after some wise words from Nana, Grace's generous spirit shines through.
Yoon and the Christmas Mitten
When Yoon's teacher lends her a book about Santa Claus, Yoon can't wait to show it to her parents. To Yoon's disappointment, though, her mother responds, "We are not a Christmas family." As Christmas Eve approaches, Yoon learns more and more about this exciting holiday. But no matter how hard she tries to convince her parents to sing Christmas songs or put up Christmas stockings, they always say no. A determined Yoon soon realizes that she must use her own "Shining Wisdom" to persuade her parents that they can indeed be a Christmas family.
Too Many Tamales
This is the story of a treasure thought to be lost in a batch of tamales; of a desperate and funny attempt by Maria and her cousins to eat their way out of trouble; and the warm way a family pulls together to make it a perfect Christmas after all.
Tree of Cranes
As a young Japanese boy recovers from a bad chill, his mother busily folds origami paper into delicate silver cranes in preparation for the boy's very first Christmas.
La Noche Buena: A Christmas Story
Nina is visiting her grandmother in Miami for Christmas. Usually she spends it in snowy New England with her mother and her family, but this year is different. She isn't certain what to make of a hot and humid holiday, until she learns the traditions of her father's side of the family from her Cuban grandmother.
The Trees of the Dancing Goats
Trisha loves the eight days of Hanukkah, when her mother stays home from work, her Babushka makes delicious potato latkes, and her Grampa carves wonderful animals out of wood as gifts for Trisha and her brother. In the middle of her family's preparation for the festival of lights, Trisha visits her closest neighbors, expecting to find them decorating their house for Christmas. Instead they are all bedridden with scarlet fever. Based on a long cherished childhood memory, this story celebrates the miracle of true friendship.
The Snowy Day
No book has captured the magic and sense of possibility of the first snowfall better than The Snow Day. Universal in its appeal, the story has become a favorite of millions, as it reveals a child's wonder at a new world, and the hope of capturing and keeping that wonder forever. The adventures of a little boy in the city on a very snowy day.
Three Wise Women
Three wise women follow a bright star to find a very special newborn baby in a stable, where each of them is able in her own way to give the child a gift, in a feminist adaptation of the Nativity story.
N is for Navidad
From the angel hung above the door to the zapatos (shoes) filled with grass for the wise men's camels, each letter in this festive alphabet introduces children to a Spanish word, and each colorful page takes them through another joyous aspect of the 22 days of the traditional holiday.
The Legend of Old Befana
This is a delightful reading of the favorite Italian Christmas story about an eccentric old woman and her never-ending search for the Baby King.
The Spider's Gift: A Ukrainian Christmas Story
Although Katrusya's family cannot afford to celebrate Christmas, they cut a small pine tree in the forest, decorate it with buttons, and when baby spiders hatch in its branches, they especially enjoy the silvery webs that appear.
Coyote Christmas: A Lakota Story
On Christmas Eve, Coyote wants to find some people to trick out of a hot meal. Sneaky Coyote is known in the Native American tradition as the Trickster. He knows that there's one character people can't refuse on Christmas Eve: Santa Claus! Using straw for a jolly belly and wool for his Santa's beard, the Trickster fools a family into welcoming him to their Christmas meal. But just when he thinks he's gotten away with his ruse, he's foiled by a strange occurrence. Could it be a Christmas miracle?
Join children on a Christmas sleigh ride around the world as they discover traditions from Mexico, Sweden, the Philippines, Poland, Italy, Kenya, and the United States. Festive illustrations show the customs and foods that each country has to offer. Music and lyrics are also included.
Tagged as book lists, christmas
November 9, 2018 · 10:45 am
One Book a Month: Reading All Year Long
Hard to believe, but it's about the time to start thinking of those New Year's resolutions. If your resolution involves wanting to read more, this list is a great place to start!
There's no need to dive in to reading one book a week, you can start simply with just one book a month…and what better way to look forward to the next book than to read something in the spirit of the season?
Gathered and arranged specifically to put you in the festive mood from January through December, this list of 12 books encompasses a little something for everyone…some classics, some new releases, some graphic novels and even some short stories.
A Year of Living Kindly: Choices That Will Change Your Life and the World Around You, Donna Cameron
In A Year of Living Kindly, author Donna Cameron shares her experience committing to 365 days of practicing kindness. This is a great read for establishing a fresh start or a life goal come New Year's.
Persuasion, Jane Austen
Even if you've read Persuasion before, it's certainly worth a re-read. A beautiful love story that's probably one of Austen's most reliable, the intimate romance between Anne Elliot and Frederick Wentworth will absolutely put you in the mood for Valentine's Day.
In the Woods, Tana French
As dusk approaches a small Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984, mothers begin to call their children home. But on this warm evening, three children do not return from the dark and silent woods. When the police arrive, they find only one of the children gripping a tree trunk in terror, wearing blood-filled sneakers, and unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours. Filled with atmospheric beauty, In the Woods will take you straight into the heart of Ireland.
A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There, Aldo Leopold
Written with an unparalleled understanding of the ways of nature, A Sand County Almanac takes readers into the heart of Wisconsin, exploring the flaura and fauna that makes this state such a beauty in the heart of the spring (there are stunning illustrations, too!).
What To Do When I'm Gone: A Mother's Wisdom to Her Daughter, Suzy Hopkins and Hallie Bateman
What to Do When I'm Gone is the illustrated instruction manual for getting through life without one's mom. It's also a poignant look at loss, love, and taking things one moment at a time. During the month of Mother's Day, this book will certainly make you more appreciative of the woman you love!
Small Great Things, Jodi Picoult
With incredible empathy, intelligence, and candor, Jodi Picoult tackles race, privilege, prejudice, justice and compassion in her page-turning book, Small Great Things. A great book for a summer read, this novel will also open your heart and encourage discussion (this would also be a great read for a summer book club).
The Good Girl, Mary Kubica
And speaking of summer reads, The Good Girl makes for an awesome beach read if you're more of the thriller type. A stalker has been tracking Mia for days…and after a series of terrifying events, no one could have predicted the emotional entanglements that cause Mia's family to shatter to pieces.
A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson
We all like to think we're the nature type, but truth be told, not all of us are cut out for it. If you're one who enjoys "glamping" rather than sleeping among the leaves, you'll get a kick out of A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. A true account of his hike along the Appalachian Trail, this book will make you laugh out loud and appreciate, even more, the comfort of a bed and air conditioning!
A Thousand Days in Venice, Marlena de Blasi
As summer turns to fall, warm your heart (and your belly!) with A Thousand Days in Venice. A true story about falling in love with a man and a city, this book brings you straight into the heart of Italy, complete with delicious recipes you can make at home to help you savor every page.
Nocturnes, John Connolly
This haunting book of short stories will certainly get you in the Halloween spirit! With stories of various lengths, Nocturnes is great for reading before bed…if you're brave enough…
The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well, Meik Wiking
You know hygge when you feel it. It is when you are cuddled up on a sofa with a loved one, or sharing comfort food with your closest friends. It is those crisp blue mornings when the light through your window is just right. With helpful hints, tips and recipes to help you better achieve a sense of hygge, this little book is a quick, yet super informative read for embracing a more comfortable and cozy lifestyle.
Letters from Father Christmas, J.R.R. Tolkien
Every December an envelope bearing a stamp from the North Pole would arrive for J.R.R. Tolkien's children. Inside would be a letter in a strange, spidery handwriting and a beautiful colored drawing or painting. The letters were from Father Christmas. Collected here in this beautiful book, Letters from Father Christmas is a wonderful read that the whole family will enjoy.
16 Creepy AF Paranormal Books
A few weeks ago, I shared a collection of 18 Creepy AF True Crime Books…and today, here's the other half of that awesome collection – 16 Creepy AF Paranormal Books…just in time for Halloween!
From ghosts to goblins, UFO's to yettis, this collection of paranormal books dares to explain the unexplainable. Including ghost anthologies, as well as fiction and non-fiction books in the paranormal realm, this book collection is a great one to add to your list this fall!
The Demonologist: The Extraordinary Career of Ed & Lorraine Warren: The Demonologist reveals the grave religious process behind supernatural events and how it can happen to you.
This House is Haunted: The Investigation of the Enfield Poltergeist: In 1977, normal life ended for the Harper family. It began with a bang on the walls of their council house in Enfield. Then furniture started moving of its own accord…
Fringeology: How I Tried to Explain Away the Unexplainable…and Couldn't: Steve Volk investigates what happens in the brains of people undergoing religious experiences, learns how to control his own dreams, and goes hunting for specters in his family's old haunted house.
On Monsters: An Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears: Stephen Asma's On Monsters is a wide-ranging cultural and conceptual history of monsters–how they have evolved over time, what functions they have served for us, and what shapes they are likely to take in the future.
Unbelievable: Investigations into Ghosts, Poltergeists, Telepathy, and Other Unseen Phenomena: Stacy Horn explores science's remarkable first attempts to prove—or disprove—the existence of the paranormal.
American Monsters: A History of Monster Lore, Legends and Sightings in America: Bigfoot, the chupacabra, and thunderbirds aren't just figments of our overactive imaginations—according to thousands of eyewitnesses, they exist, in every corner of the United States. This book examines a hidden menagerie of America's homegrown beasts.
Cops' True Stories of the Paranormal: Ghosts, UFOS and Other Stories: Best selling author of over 50 books, retired cop Loren W. Christensen asked men and women in uniform—police officers, sheriff deputies, SWAT, command, correction officers, and MPs—to convey their experiences with the paranormal.
Roald Dahl's Book of Ghost Stories: Who better to investigate the literary spirit world than that supreme connoisseur of the unexpected, Roald Dahl?
Ghost Stories of an Antiquary: Renowned for their wit, erudition and suspense, these stories are each masterfully constructed and represent a high achievement in the ghost genre.
Bag of Bones: As Mike is drawn into a lover's struggle, he is drawn into the mystery of the site of ghostly visitations and escalating terrors. What are the forces that have been unleashed here—and what do they want of Mike Noonan?
Dark Matter: Jack is not alone. Something walks there in the dark…
This House is Haunted: Eliza realizes that if she and a group of children are to survive a houses' violent attentions, she must first uncover the hall's long-buried secrets and confront the demons of its past…
Her Fearful Symmetry: Audrey Niffenegger weaves a captivating story in Her Fearful Symmetry about love and identity, about secrets and sisterhood, and about the tenacity of life–even after death.
Eight Ghosts: Eight authors were given after hours freedom at their chosen English heritage site. Immersed in the history, atmosphere and rumors of hauntings, they channeled their darker imaginings into a series of extraordinary new ghost stories.
Anya's Ghost: Of all the things Anya expected to find at the bottom of an old well, a new friend was not one of them. Especially not a new friend who's been dead for a century.
The Man in the Picture: The Man in the Picture is a haunting tale of loss, love, and the very basest fear of our beings.
Tagged as book lists, fiction books, halloween, nonfiction books
18 Creepy AF True Crime Books
When it comes to guilty pleasures of the literary kind, there's nothing I like better than a good true-crime thriller.
Be it murder, mayhem, corruption or conspiracy, I'm all about those haunting stories that keep us up at night.
If you're in the mood for something similar, check out this list of amazing true-crime books that will leave you itching for more…
My Story, Elizabeth Smart
On June 5, 2002, 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart was taken from her home in the middle of the night by a religious fanatic. Elizabeth was chained up, raped and hidden from view until her rescue nearly one year later. This book recounts her amazing story of survival in her own words.
The Stranger Beside Me: Ted Bundy: The Shocking Inside Story, Ann Rule
Ann Rule was a writer working on the biggest story of her life, tracking down a brutal mass-murderer. Little did she know that Ted Bundy, one of her closest friends, was the savage slayer she was hunting.
Finding Me: A Decade of Darkness, a Life Reclaimed, Michelle Knight
For more than a decade, Knight was kept hostage in a basement in Cleveland, Ohio. Kept in captivity with two other women, Knight and her fellow captors endured horrible torture and pain. Their escape in 2013 made headlines around the world and Knight's account will leave you shook.
In Cold Blood, Truman Capote
In November of 1959 in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered by a shotgun to the face. There was no motive and there were no clues. As Capote tries to reconstruct the murder and the investigation that led to finding the killers, he generates great suspense and astonishing empathy, making this book a true classic.
Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders, Vincent Bugliosi
Prosecuting attorney in the Manson trial, Vincent Bugliosi, held a unique insider's position in one of the most baffling and horrifying cases of the 20th century: the murders carried out by Charles Manson and his followers. This book recounts the story of these famous and haunting crimes.
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed America, Erik Larson
In this engrossing book, Larson intertwines the true tale of the Chicago World's Fair with the cunning serial killer who used the fair to lure victims to their death. A true must-read, especially if you're from the Chicago area!
Columbine, Dave Cullen
What really happened on April 20, 1999, the day two troubled teens decided to bring a whole arson of weapons into their school? Cullen, who was a reporter on the Columbine shooting for years, puts together an amazing account by combining first-hand interviews, insights from psychologists and the killers' own words and drawings into a book that you'll want to finish in one nail-biting sitting.
I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer, Michelle McNamara
Written at the time of her sudden death, this book offers an atmospheric snapshot of a moment in American history that sent chills down the spines of the entire west coast. A book that may have helped lead to the capture of "the Golden State Killer", this page-turner is made all the more bittersweet in that McNamara couldn't see the subject of her study captured.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, John Berendt
Filled with sublime and seductive language, this book is an engaging portrait of a Southern city torn. On the morning of May 2, 1981, shots rang out in Savannah's grandest mansion. Was it murder or self-defense? Berendt journeys to find out…
Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery, Robert Kolker
Award-winning investigative reporter Robert Kolker delivers a humanizing account of the true-life search for a serial killer still at large on Long Island and presents the first detailed look at the shadow world of online escorts, where making a living is easier than ever, and the dangers remain all too real.
The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective, Kate Summerscale
In June of 1860 three-year-old Saville Kent was found at the bottom of an outdoor privy with his throat slit. The crime horrified all England and led to a national obsession with detection, ironically destroying, in the process, the career of perhaps the greatest detective in the land. This is the dramatic story of the real-life murder that inspired the birth of modern detective fiction.
People Who Eat Darkness: The True Story of a Young Woman Who Vanished from the Streets of Tokyo-and the Evil that Swallowed Her Up, Richard Lloyd Parry
Lucie Blackman – tall, blonde, and 21 years old – stepped out into the vastness of Tokyo in the summer of 2000, then disappeared forever. The following winter, her dismembered remains were found buried in a seaside cave. With a little something for everyone, this book is a non-fiction thriller, a courtroom drama and the biography of both a victim and a killer.
American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land, Monica Hesse
The arsons started on a cold November midnight and didn't stop for months. Night after night, the people of Accomack County waited to see which building would burn down next, regarding each other at first with compassion, and later suspicion. The culprit, and the path that led to these crimes, is a story of twenty-first century America.
The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple, Jeff Guinn
This is the story of preacher Jim Jones, the man responsible for the Jonestown Massacre – the largest murder-suicide in American history. Through FBI files, research and interviews, Guinn tries to piece together what led Jones to this tragedy at Jonestown.
My Dark Places, James Ellroy
In 1958 Jean Ellroy was murdered, her body dumped on a roadway in a seedy L.A. suburb. Her killer was never found, and the police dismissed her as a casualty of a cheap Saturday night. James Ellroy was ten when his mother died, and he spent the next thirty-six years running from her ghost and attempting to exorcize it through crime fiction. In 1994, Ellroy quit running. He went back to L.A., to find out the truth about his mother–and himself.
The Midnight Assassin: Panic, Scandal, and the Hunt for America's First Serial Killer, Skip Hollandsworth
In the late 1800s, the city of Austin, Texas was on the cusp of emerging from an isolated western outpost into a truly cosmopolitan metropolis. But beginning in December 1884, Austin was terrorized by someone equally as vicious and, in some ways, far more diabolical than London's infamous Jack the Ripper. For almost exactly one year, the Midnight Assassin crisscrossed the entire city, striking on moonlit nights, using axes, knives, and long steel rods to rip apart women from every race and class. With vivid historical detail, Hollandsworth brings this terrifying saga to life.
The Road Out of Hell: Sanford Clark and the True Story of the Wineville Murders, Anthony Flacco
From 1926 to 1928, Gordon Stewart Northcott committed at least 20 murders on a chicken ranch outside of Los Angeles. His nephew, Sanford Clark, was held captive there from the age of 13 to 15, and was the sole surviving victim of the killing spree. Here, acclaimed crime writer Anthony Flacco―using never-before-heard information from Sanford's son, Jerry Clark―tells the real story behind the case that riveted the nation. This book was also the inspiration for Clint Eastwood's movie, The Changling.
The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder, Charles Graeber
When nurse Charlie Cullen was arrested in 2003, journalists were quick to dub him "The Angel of Death." But Cullen was neither a mercy killer nor a simple monster. He was a son, a husband, a father, a best friend, and a valued caregiver. He was also implicated in the deaths of as many as 400 people, and may be the most prolific serial killer in American history.
Tagged as bee happy, book lists, historical books, nonfiction books
Around the World in 18 Cookbooks
Whether you're craving traditional Indian food or your missing the delicious street food of Israel or Thailand, the next best thing to getting up and getting on a plane is to take a few steps to your kitchen.
With this collection of amazing cookbooks from far-away places, you can easily re-create your regional favorites from the comfort of your own home.
Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way, by Francis Mallmann
The Brazilian Kitchen, by Leticia Moreinos Schwartz
Every Grain of Rice: Simple Chinese Home Cooking, by Fuchsia Dunlop
Scandinavian Comfort Food: Embracing the Art of Hygge, by Trine Hahnemann
Teff Love: Adventures in Vegan Ethiopian Cooking, by Kittee Berns
Mastering the Art of French Cooking, by Julia Child (I mean, duh)
Ikaria: Lessons on Food, Life and Longevity from the Greek Island Where People Forget to Die, by Diane Kochilas
The Nordic Cookbook, by Magnus Nilsson
Jerusalem: A Cookbook, by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi
Vegan Richa's Indian Kitchen: Traditional and Creative Recipes for the Home Cook, by Richa Hingle
Cooking with Nonna: Celebrate food and Family with Over 100 Classic Recipes From Italian Grandmothers, by Rossella Rago
Mastering the Art of Japanese Home Cooking, by Masaharu Morimoto
Mexico: The Cookbook, by Margarita Carrillo Arronte
Arabesque: A Taste of Morocco, Turkey and Lebanon, by Claudia Roden
Peru: The Cookbook, by Gaston Acurid
Kachka: A Return to Russian Cooking, by Bonnie Frumkin Morales
Charcuteria: The Soul of Spain, by Jeffrey Weiss
Simple Thai Food: Classic Recipes from the Thai Home Kitchen, by Leela Punyaratabandhu


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Image: Cathryn Virginia/Motherboard
The FBI Created a Fake FedEx Website to Unmask a Cybercriminal
In an attempt to identify someone tricking a company into handing over cash, the FBI created a fake FedEx website, as well as deployed booby-trapped Word documents to reveal fraudsters' IP addresses.
by Joseph Cox
November 26, 2018, 1:00pm
The FBI has started deploying its own hacking techniques to identify financially-driven cybercriminals, according to court documents unearthed by Motherboard. The news signals an expansion of the FBI's use of tools usually reserved for cases such as child pornography and bomb threats. But it also ushers in a potential normalization of this technologically-driven approach, as criminal suspects continually cover up their digital trail and law enforcement have to turn to more novel solutions.
The two 2017 search warrant applications discovered by Motherboard both deal with a scam where cybercriminals trick a victim company into sending a large amount of funds to the scammers, who are pretending to be someone the company can trust. The search warrants show that, in an attempt to catch these cybercriminals, the FBI set up a fake FedEx website in one case and also created rigged Word documents, both of which were designed reveal the IP address of the fraudsters. The cases were unsealed in October.
"What kinds of criminals mask their location, and for what kinds of crimes? Child pornography, yes; violent threats, yes; but also organized-crime rings engaged in cybercrime. A business email compromise scam, like those at issue in these warrants, falls squarely in that camp," Riana Pfefferkorn, associate director of surveillance and cybersecurity at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society, told Motherboard in an online chat after reviewing the documents.
Got a tip? You can contact Joseph Cox securely on Signal on +44 20 8133 5190, OTR chat on jfcox@jabber.ccc.de, or email joseph.cox@vice.com.
The first case centers around Gorbel, a cranes and ergonomic lifting manufacturing company headquartered in Fishers, New York, according to court records. Here, the cybercriminals used a long, potentially confusing and official looking email address to pose as the company's CEO Brian Reh, and emailed the accounts team asking for payment for a new vendor. The fraudsters provided a W9 form of a particular company, and the finance department mailed a check for over $82,000. Gorbel noticed the fraudulent transaction, and brought in the FBI in July. Shortly after, Gorbel received other emails pretending to be Reh, asking for another transfer. This time, the finance department and FBI were ready.
The FBI created a fake FedEx website and sent that to the target, in the hope it would capture the hacker's IP address, according to court records. The FBI even concocted a fake "Access Denied, This website does not allow proxy connections" page in order to entice the cybercriminal to connect from an identifiable address. (GoDaddy has since repossessed the domain, and the domain did briefly resolve to an IP address in Rochester, New York, where the FBI Special Agent writing the application is based, according to online records).
It is not clear if the FBI sought permission from FedEx to digitally impersonate the company. FedEx did not respond to a request for comment, and the FBI did not provide a response to questions around the specific incident.
Notably, only one other domain has previously resolved to the same IP address as the fake FedEx page; a domain that eludes to a law firm. The site only existed for a short time, is offline at the time of writing, and seems to have a very small digital fingerprint. It appears this law firm domain may also be connected to the FBI.
Caption: A section of one of the warrant applications describing the fake FedEx website. Image: Motherboard.
That FedEx unmasking attempt was not successful, it seems—the cybercriminal checked the link from six different IP addresses, some including proxies—and the FBI moved on to use a network investigative technique, or NIT, instead. NIT is an umbrella term the FBI uses for a variety of hacking approaches. Previous cases have used a Tor Browser exploit to break into a target's computer and force it to connect to an FBI server, revealing the target's real IP address. Other NITs have been somewhat less technically sophisticated, and included booby-trapped video or Word files that once opened also 'phone home' to the FBI.
This new NIT falls into that latter category. The FBI attempted to locate the cybercriminals with a Word document containing an image that would connect to the FBI server and reveal the target's IP address, according to court records. The image was a screenshot of a FedEx tracking portal for a sent payment, the court records add.
In the second case found by Motherboard, in August 2017, a business in the Western District of New York received an email claiming to be from Invermar, a Chilean seafood vendor and one of the company's suppliers, according to court records. This email, posing as a known employee of Invermar, asked the victim to send funds to a new bank account. Whereas the legitimate Invermar domain ends with a .cl suffix, the hackers used one ending in .us. The business the hackers targeted apparently didn't notice the different suffix, and over the course of September and October wire transferred around $1.2 million to the cybercriminals, with the victim eventually able to recover $300,000 (the court documents don't specify how exactly, although a charge back seems likely).
The court documents do not name the victim company, but earlier this year Wegmans Food Market filed a lawsuit against Invermar for a similar scam, claimed similar damages, and the suit was filed in the same district as the FBI office writing the warrant application found by Motherboard.
To determine where this criminal was located, the FBI also decided to deploy a NIT.
"The FBI will provide an email attachment to the victim which will be used to pose as a form to be filled out by the TARGET USER for future payment from the VICTIM," one court record reads. The NIT required the target to exit "protected mode," a setting in Microsoft Word that stops documents from connecting to the internet. The warrant application says the government does not believe it needs a warrant to send a target an embedded image, but out of an abundance of caution, added to the fact that the target will need to deliberately exit protected mode, the FBI applied for one anyway.
Caption: A section of one of the warrant applications explaining that the target will need to disable protected mode for the NIT to function. Image: Motherboard.
Both NITs were designed to only obtain a target's IP address and User Agent String, according to the warrant applications. A User Agent String can reveal what operating system a target is using. Although signed by two different FBI Special Agents, both of the NIT warrant applications come out of the Cyber Squad, Buffalo Division, in Rochester, New York.
We don't know how successful either of these NITs were in identifying the suspects. In the Gorbel case, the Justice Department asked for multiple extensions to keep the search warrant application sealed, right up to at least March of this year. Both warrants were returned as executed, according to court records.
"The use of a Network Investigative Technique is lawful and effective," an FBI spokesperson told Motherboard in an email. "They are only employed when necessary, against some of the worst offenders. The technique is time and resource intensive and is not a viable option for most investigations."
Previously, the FBI has deployed NITs on a large, and sometimes indiscriminate scale. When the Bureau targeted dark web hosting provider Freedom Hosting, its NIT also impacted users of a privacy-focused email service not suspected of a crime. In these new warrant applications the FBI emphasises that only the intended target should encounter the NIT.
"The FBI anticipates the target user, and only the target user, will receive the email and attachment after logging in and checking emails," one of the applications reads. "The general public will be protected from any violation of privacy through careful and direct deployment of the NIT to the specific target email," another document adds.
Pfefferkorn, the cybersecurity and surveillance expert, said "This shows that the government has learned from the Freedom Hosting case, where the NIT deployed from a website the government had taken over was not carefully targeted enough and ended up infecting the browsers of innocent people."
This sort of law enforcement hacking is likely to become more common. At the end of 2016, the Justice Department amended Rule 41, one of the rules around search warrants. The change meant that US judges could sign warrants to search computers outside of their district, and in particular, if law enforcement did not know where the suspect was ultimately located—exactly the issue with these two cases.
"Now that Rule 41 has been amended, we can expect to see NIT warrants being used in the investigation of a range of crimes, not just the child pornography Tor Hidden Service busts that pre-dated the amendment," Pfefferkorn said.
Subscribe to our new cybersecurity podcast, CYBER.
Tagged:TechMotherboardHackingprivacyFedExemail scamnetwork investigative techniqueNetwork Investigative TechniquesmaliciousNITcybercriminal

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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BETIXON LANDS IN LITHUANIA WITH UNICLUB CONTENT DEAL
10 June – Mobile-first games studio Betixon has launched its innovative portfolio of content in the regulated Lithuanian market, thanks to a new deal with Uniclub.lt.
Uniclub is the leading online gaming brand in Lithuania, offering sports betting and a wealth of casino games from some of the biggest names in the industry.
The new deal builds on year of growth for Betixon, as it continues to make inroads into new regulated markets, such as Greece and Portugal, through strategic partnerships with leading brands.
Betixon says it sees exciting growth potential in the Lithuanian market, which saw a 47.1% jump in online gaming revenue last year.
The young company has made a splash in the online gaming space with games that mingle creative imagination with innovation and technical excellence. Now, Uniclub.it customers can enjoy top Betixon titles like Boots of Luck, Age of Halvar and Reign of Zeus.
Betixon's growth has been underpinned by its agility as a company, as it works to ensure regulatory compliance with the new markets it enters.
Lior Cohen, Co-founder and CTO of Betixon said: Lithuania is a growth market and we're thrilled to be a part of it. For us, it's important to continually increase our distribution, simply because we believe in our games. We believe they offer something really new and exciting to the gaming space. It's an honour to be launching in Lithuania with the biggest and best in the market, Uniclub.
Martynas Matulevicius, CEO at Uniclub said: "We believe Betixon's games offer something a little different, something more imaginative. They're visually stunning, and they take the humble slot and weave magic and fantasy and storytelling into it. That's why we know our players are going to love these games too."
Betixon Certified for Portugal BETIXON LANDS MILESTONE DEAL WITH NOVIBET TO LAUNCH GAMES IN NEW GREEK MARK...


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UC Merced Professor Arias Wins Guggenheim Fellowship
By Michelle Morgante, UC Merced
UC Merced Professor Arturo Arias, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Chair
Arturo Arias, a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation professor in the Humanities at UC Merced, has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for his ground-breaking study of contemporary indigenous novels from Guatemala and Mexico.
Arias was one of 173 American and Canadian fellows announced Wednesday by the Board of Trustees of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.
"This fellowship represents a unique honor for any scholar because it recognizes the exceptional value, not just of a single project, but of an entire professional trajectory," Arias said.
"It also validates the areas of investigation that I have either opened or helped significantly to develop — Central American-American studies, Central American cultural studies and Meso-American indigenous studies — all of which were largely invisible in U.S. academia during the early decades of my career."
Arias is working on the third volume of his collection "Recovering Lost Footprints: Contemporary Indigenous Narratives," exploring contemporary novels and short stories from Guatemala and Mexico. The works, which are published in the original language with a Spanish translation, "offer unique (and bilingual) insights into possible responses to current expressions of colonialism," he said.
The Guggenheim fellowship will allow Arias to complete the third volume, which, in contrast to the first two, features authors who are not Maya but Zapoteco, Nahua, P'urhepecha Rarámuri and Wixárika. Volumes 1 and 2 were published in 2017 and 2018, respectively.
"Recovering Lost Footprints, Vol. 1" by Arturo Arias
Arias was born in Guatemala in 1950, and his early life was marked by the overthrow of democracy in 1954 and the ensuing military dictatorships and civil rebellions. He began his academic career as a scholar of Central American literature but, over the years, his focus shifted in important ways.
"For example, the absence of any recognition of Central America in what we now call Latinx literature led me to explore the cultural production of a group I call 'Central American-Americans,'" he said.
In the 1990s, controversy arose over testimony from Nobel Peace Prize recipient Rigoberta Menchu, with some challenging the Guatemalan activist's veracity. In his 2000 work "The Rigoberta Menchu Controversy," Arias assembled documents and accounts giving perspective to the debate and the surrounding "culture wars" of the era.
This experience, he recalled, "led me to shift my focus toward indigenous studies. This initiative became linked to the increasing visibility of Native American and indigenous studies in the U.S. and other parts of the world, which eventually led to the foundation of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association (NAISA)."
This work led the State University of New York Press to invite Arias to be editor of its Trans-Indigenous Decolonial Critiques Series in 2017.
"The absence of any recognition of Central America in what we now call Latinx literature led me to explore the cultural production of a group I call 'Central American-Americans."
Arturo Arias
Professor, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Chair
Last fall, Arias was named Visiting Research Scholar in the Program in Latin American Studies at Princeton University. His other honors include being named the Tomas Rivera Regents Professor in Spanish Language and Literature at The University of Texas at Austin in 2013 and a distinguished visiting professor at several universities across the United States and in New Zealand, Spain, Mexico and Brazil.
Arturo has received important awards for his narrative fiction, among them the Casa de las Americas Award for his novel "Itzam Na" (1982), the Anna Seghers Scholarship for "Jaguar en llamas" (1990), and the Miguel Angel Asturias National Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature (2008) in Guatemala.
Arias' other published works include "Taking their Word: Literature and the Signs of Central America" (2007); "Critical Edition of Miguel Angel Asturias's 'Mulata'" (2000); "The Identity of the Word: Guatemalan Literature in Light of the New Century" (1998); and "Ceremonial Gestures: Central American Fiction 1960-1990" (1998).
Arias joins the 95th class of fellows to be recognized by the foundation. The honorees were chosen through a peer-review process from among almost 3,000 applicants.
"It's exceptionally encouraging to be able to share such positive news at this terribly challenging time," foundation President Edward Hirsch said in a statement. "The artists, writers, scholars and scientific researchers supported by the fellowship will help us understand and learn from what we are enduring individually and collectively, and it is an honor for the foundation to help them do their essential work."
Since its establishment in 1925, the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation has granted more than $375 million in fellowships to over 18,000 individuals. Created by Simon and Olga Guggenheim in memory of their son, the foundation has sought to "further the development of scholars and artists by assisting them to engage in research in any field of knowledge and creation in any of the arts, under the freest possible conditions."
UC Merced Moves Into Top 100 National Universities Ranked by U.S. News & World Report
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'From the Valley, For the Valley': Local Students Start Training at UCSF to Become Physicians for the Region
The San Joaquin Valley has a shortage of doctors, but students such as Kyle Shen ('18) aim to change that by attending a tailored track at UCSF...
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For the second year in a row, UC Merced is being recognized as one of the top universities in the country, according to the Princeton Review's...
Literatures & Languages


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Match starts in 2 hrs 9 mins
Dudley Nourse
Sisanda Magala
Tabraiz Shamsi
Andile Phehlukwayo
Dewald Brevis
Afif Hossain
Mahedi Hasan
Mahmudullah
Mushfiqur Rahim
Mustafizur Rahman
Shoriful Islam
Taskin Ahmed
Arthur Dudley Nourse
November 12, 1910, Durban, Natal
August 14, 1981, Durban, Natal, (aged 70y 275d)
Right arm bowler
AW Nourse
(father)
Arthur Dudley Nourse, who died at his home in Durban on August 14, was destined to outstrip even the deeds of his father, A. W. 'Dave' Nourse, although the war cost him many Test appearances. The first of his 34 Test matches was at Trent Bridge in 1935, and the last at The Oval in 1951. In that time he scored 2960 runs, with nine centuries (seven against England), at the rare average of 53.81, and established a reputation as a fighting batsman, defensive when need be but ever ready to punch the ball with all the strength of his beefy forearms.
His most renowned innings was 208 in the Nottingham Test of 1951. Coming into the match (at the age of 40) with his broken right thumb pinned, he batted for nine hours, gritting his teeth against the pain, and not only registering South Africa's first double-century against England, but captaining South Africa to their first Test victory for 16 years.
And yet his finest innings from a technical point of view was his 115 at Old Trafford four years earlier, on his second tour of England, when he was vice-captain. On a spiteful pitch, with the ball rearing from a length, he hit 13 fours and two sixes before being yorked by Edrich.
Nourse's first tour of England, in 1935, brought him little Test success, though he scored a century in each innings against Surrey in May, followed immediately by 148 against Oxford, compelling 'Plum' Warner to utter the squelcher: 'A Nourse, a Nourse, my kingdom for a Nourse." An unbeaten 160 against Warwickshire in August helped him towards an aggregate for the tour of 1681 (av. 41). Back home, Nourse did well against the 1935-36 Australians, making 91 in the first Test and 231 in the second, still a Test record for the city of Johannesburg. The innings lasted no more than 289 minutes, contained 36 boundaries, and was the highest for South Africa in any Test at the time -- and yet was over-shadowed somewhat by Stan McCabe's glorious 189 not out on the last day, when Wade appealed successfully in the stormy gloom in the interests of his fieldsmen.
Such was the international calendar in those days that it was just on three years before South Africa's next Test match, and Nourse, having made runs galore for Natal, partook of the high scoring in the home series against England, making centuries in the Cape Town Test and in the final match, the 'timeless Test' at Durban.
During war service in the Middle East, he smote nine sixes off nine balls (including all six in an over) in a match in Alexandria; but, having lost his peak years to the war, he had also lost some of his health and his slimness. Gradually he found his form again, and England in 1947 saw a redoubtable Nourse. His stand of 319 with Melville in the opening Test, at Trent Bridge, remains the second-highest in South Africa's Test history, and a further century flashed from his bat -- in a losing cause -- in the third Test, at Old Trafford. He renewed acquaintances with Edgbaston with an unbeaten 205 against Warwickshire, and in The Oval Test he was given out bowled for 97 only after an umpires' consultation. His 621 runs (av. 69) topped the Springbok averages, and only the phenomenal figures of Edrich and Compton exceeded his on the English side.
A year later his form still held as he captained against England in a losing series, making centuries in the Cape Town and Johannesburg Tests and leading the averages of both sides with 76.57. A year later he scored consistently in the four defeats by Australia, reaching three figures at Cape Town. And at last, in the 1951 series in England, he led his country to a victory, his 208 at Nottingham receiving the necessary support from the bowlers. The rest of the tour was anticlimax, England winning three of the other four Tests. Nourse's ninth century, however, placed him on a pinnacle, still unmatched today, eleven years into South Africa's isolation.
In all first-class cricket in South Africa or for his country overseas Dudley Nourse made six double-centuries, to occupy second place to his father, who made seven. Altogether the son, of whom the father was so proud, scored 12,472 runs at the outstanding average of 51.37, with 41 centuries, unequalled by any Springbok apart from Graeme Pollock among those who have not played domestic cricket in England or Australia. Dudley Nourse did not tour Australia, but had 'connections'. When he was born, on November 12, 1910, his father had just made 201 not out against South Australia at Adelaide; the new-born was named after Australia's Governor-General. At 14 young Dudley was headed for Australia with members of the family when his mother became ill and the journey was cancelled. Fate thus preserved for South African cricket one of its firmest and most admirable pillars.
Nourse's autobiography, Cricket in the Blood, was published in 1949, and after retirement from the field he served as a national selector and as a popular tour manager.
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Test 34 62 7 2960 231 53.81 9 14 6 12 0
FC 175 269 27 12472 260* 51.53 41 54 135 0
Test 34 2 20 9 0 - - - 2.69 - 0 0 0
FC 175 246 124 0 - - - 3.02 - 0 0 0
England vs South Africa at Nottingham - June 15 - 18, 1935
England vs South Africa at The Oval - August 16 - 18, 1951
Let us now praise Dudley Nourse
The South African batsman's superior Test numbers may have slipped under the radar because of his team's poor record in the few years either side of the Second World War
06-Sep-2014Stuart Wark
No-balled out of the game
The sorry tale of South Africa fast bowler Geoff Griffin, who was no-balled out of Test cricket at Lord's in 1960... but not before he had taken a hat-trick
09-Aug-2012Martin Williamson
A meeting of past and present
South Africa's all-time side helps dismantle the divide and isolation built between eras
18-Dec-2009Telford Vice


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A Field Trip to Heidelberg with Pekka Kuusisto
One violinist, one festival, and one orchestra. What do these three have in common?
When it comes to the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Heidelberger Frühling and Pekka Kuusisto, the answer is: a lot! Not only do all three possess a vivid sense of curiosity and open-mindedness, as well as a willingness to experiment and take risks; they also have a strong desire to transcend boundaries, in music and beyond. Above all, they are ready to raise – and tackle – questions relevant to today's world and the future.
It is no wonder, then, that strong partnerships bring these three protagonists together: the Mahler Chamber Orchestra has been orchestra-in-residence at Heidelberger Frühling since 2018, and Pekka Kuusisto – one of the MCO's Artistic Partners – is set to appear with the MCO in Heidelberg in the festival's 2020 edition.
Heidelberger Frühling's main concert venue, the Kongresshaus Stadthalle, will be closed for renovations in 2020 and 2021. How will the festival deal with the creative challenge of looking beyond the Stadthalle for its concerts? Where can it go? How can it integrate the different aspects of the festival into the city, in effect turning the city into a concert hall? And how can the strengths of the MCO's partnership with Pekka Kuusisto come into play?
These questions called for a field trip to Heidelberg by Pekka Kuusisto and the MCO's Maggie Coe (Director of Artistic Planning) and Daniela Pasdzierny (Planning Manager). In the beginning of August, they met with Heidelberger Frühling's Michael Gassmann (Head of Artistic Planning) and Bianca Weid (Concert Management) to visit different venues in Heidelberg, among them churches, university lecture halls, a punk/rock club, a centre for dance projects, an old wine cellar, and a former swimming pool. Each one offers its own unique possibilities to present Heidelberger Frühling in new ways throughout the city.
Throughout the day, the implications of moving between places – an intrinsic component of the MCO's nomadic identity – were present in everyone's minds as the group went from one venue to the next. In many ways, the activities on this day closely mirrored the nature of the MCO's work since the orchestra's beginnings: moving agilely between different cultures, musical genres, and geographical terrain ranging from venues, to cities, and to continents. The members of the group were repeatedly inspired by the possibilities offered by each venue, not just acoustically but also historically, that could be woven into the fabric of the concerts in 2020 and the orchestra's residency.
After a day of inspiration by the possibilities hidden all over Heidelberg, it was clear that this would only be the beginning. In the upcoming months, ideas will continue to be gathered and developed. Stay tuned!
Photos: Daniela Pasdzierny / studio visuell


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Archive for the 'procrastinating' Tag
People procrastinate more on abstract than concrete matters
Filed under: science, social sciences | Tags: New Guinea, penis gourd, procrastinating, procrastination, Psychological Science, psychology, Sean McCrea, University of Konstanz
I've been putting off writting this blog post for a while. Anyway, as reported in The Economist, a team of psychologists lead by Sean McCrea of the University of Konstanz, in Germany, conducted a series of experiments whose results indicate that people procrastinate more when asked to think abstractly than they do when asked to think in more concrete terms.
As the team report in Psychological Science, in all three studies, those who were presented with concrete tasks and information responded more promptly than did those who were asked to think in an abstract way. Moreover, almost all the students who had been prompted to think in concrete terms completed their tasks by the deadline while up to 56% of students asked to think in abstract terms failed to respond at all.
Check the article for details on how the several experiments were conducted.
The Economist story reminded me of another one on procrastination that I'd read in Slate last spring. The author of that piece argues that we need to examine procrastination across different cultures to see what trends, if any, pop out and laments that not enough such research has been done among, for instance, the indiginous people of New Guinea.
Did perhaps just one anthropologist ever think to ask a penis-gourd-wearer if he wakes up some days and thinks he's going to make a new penis gourd, but instead this happens and that happens, and making the new gourd just gets put off, along with everything else that he's supposed to be doing, until he feels terrible and the only option seems to be to move to a place where no one notices that his gourd is outmoded?
Anyway, the Slate article indicated that Japanese respondants to a survey reported higher levels of procrastination than did Americans; New Zealanders reported less procrastination than did people from the States.


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Huntington Beach Martial Arts USA has a 1,700 square foot training area with professional, caring instructors to help you reach your highest potential. Whether it is learning self-defense, getting in the best shape of your life, building confidence, or just training in ancient traditions, we have it all! No attitudes. Just check the ego at the door and come to learn.
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We teach what works! We offer a comprehensive character development and leadership training program which includes Hapkido submission and Joint manipulation, acrobatic training, and traditional weapons training.
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BPO firm Conduent sues Cognizant for contract breach
The NYSE-listed company-helmed by former Infosys executive Ashok Vemuri -seeks to recover damages of over $150 million through the litigation filed on April 12Surabhi Agarwal | ET Bureau | Updated: April 21, 2017, 11:53 IST
Conduent Inc, a BPO company carved out of printing giant Xerox, has filed a lawsuit against outsourcing major Cognizant Technology Solutions alleging breach of contract and fraud action in a court in the state of New York.
The NYSE-listed company-helmed by former Infosys executive Ashok Vemuri - seeks to recover damages of over $150 million through the litigation filed on April 12. The 45-page lawsuit was reviewed by ET and points to a decade-long working relationship between the two companies.
"Conduent brings this breach of contract and fraud action to recover its damages proximately caused by Cognizant," the BPO firm stated.
The dispute pertains to a project by the state of New York which sought to replace its electronic processing system for Medicaid claims, termed the New York Medicaid Management Information System (NYMMIS).
The request for proposal, or RFP, for the project was issued in June 2013.
"Cognizant's chronic and gross mismanagement, failure to perform, and neglect to follow even the most rudimentary software development processes belie an organisation that claims the highest levels of professional certifications," Conduent said in its lawsuit.
A representative for Cognizant said, "Conduent's claims have no merit, and Cognizant will vigorously defend the case and counterclaim for damages", in an emailed reply to queries from ET.
The IT outsourcing firm -which has its main development centres in Chennai -was hired by Conduent as a subcontractor on one of its projects. "The lawsuit is the result of an ongoing contractual dispute between the two companies stemming from that project, including Conduent's failure to pay Cognizant for much of the work that it performed," the Cognizant spokesperson wrote.
Cognizant has served as a technology partner with Conduent on global IT services and BPO solutions projects for over ten years.
The lawsuit claims that Conduent and Cognizant executed a master outsourcing services agreement with an effective date of October 24, 2012 and that according to the terms of that agreement, Cognizant has been paid in excess of $680 million. Under the master agreement, a series of work contracts were executed.
A spokesperson for Conduent said the company "will not comment on pending litigation". The emailed reply to ET's queries confirmed filing of the lawsuit "on April 12, 2017 in the State of NY (New York) seeking damages in excess of $150 million against Cognizant Business Services Corporation for breach of contract."
An IT analyst with a large consultancy firm said that cases of business litigation are common in the US where the defence is also very aggressive. "I think it is part of any business and not unusual to have customers suing vendors for not meeting contractual terms," said the analyst, requesting anonymity since the issue pertains to a legal suit.
"If the amount is large, then that means the vendor may have to provide disclosure on what's the real probability of the claim coming through and if the vendor is also going to vociferously defend its position," he said.
This is not the only case where a customer has sued an Indian software services provider in recent times. In March, HCL Technologies was sued for $100 million by its client MillerCoors for alleged breach of contract. The Chicago headquartered brewer claimed that the Indian IT company failed to meet project deadlines and staff the project in a suit filed in a federal court in Illinois on March 13.
India's largest software services firm Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) was also sued in 2013 by US district Orange County. The litigation was over replacement to the County's automated property tax system that initially was to have been completed in 2010 but was not delivered. The company finally settled the suit for $26 million in 2016.
After its separation from Xerox, Conduent claims that it has become the world's largest pure-play BPO firm with approximately $6.7 billion in annual revenue.
Tags : Corporate, Cognizant, lawsuit, Conduent, BPO
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WebBooster is the advertising-oriented software which capabilities can be used by swindlers to obtain money from advertising. The promotional programs are divided on two camps: browser hijackers and adware. The one distinction therebetween is that the hijackers give more attention to redirections and adware can display ads on your desktop. The most frequent method of infection for those programs is to play a worthy tool. One of the big parts of the job for advertising program's designers is to describe all functions the least clear, to delude you. Indication of recent doings of your mates on Twitter, better detection of bargains and sells, quick search and other useless functions – that's what those tools offer. Actually, they don't care about what they declared and simply flood customer with advertising.
Lots of the people will be wandering that WebBooster is not dangerous for your computer. WebBooster cannot even be regarded as a virus, as it doesn't meddle with the work of programs, it does not destroy information and doesn't deal direct damage to the system. Advertisement utilities completely rely on their victims, giving them the opportunity to spoil their laptops. Showing ads, adware initiates a flow of users to definite web-pages and gets money for its makers. Advertising and boosting services, afforded by adware, are low-cost, and attract thousands of rustlers. This vicious circle is really hard to break and WebBooster will do its work until all customers will get a negative experience with adware or hijackers, and cease to install such programs.
After penetrating the PC and installation adware, the only thing that concerns adware is the promotional activity. The powerful flow of ads starts to take over desktop and browsers, making web-surfing completely impossible. Even if you managed to close the ads, WebBooster begins to act even more irritating, covering the whole web-sites. The obvious response on the emergence of big ad is to close it, but any click on it launches new tab or begins the download. Hijackers can distribute less ads than adware, but with hijacker you may not even get to the needed web-site, because of redirections. You can delete ads only by deleting WebBooster from your system ASAP.
It's not very hard to uninstall WebBooster, but for some people it might become a problem. The seasoned PC operators might know how to execute the manual removal, but if you are not completely sure - simply use our instructions. Instructions will ensure the easy and fast removal of the hijacker, with no harmful effects and sudden issues. If you discovered the unwanted software just after the contamination, you will simply need to remove it, because after a week there will be lots of malicious programs. Any piece of advertising may hide a link on a virus or trashy software that will slow your system. If adware operates on your PC for a week or more - manual deletion, most likely, will be useless and you'll have to use the nice antivirus. Such program is called Spyhunter, and it can help you to completely clear the PC from malware in 5 minutes.
Choose WebBooster and press button "Remove from Opera"
90% of all hijackers on the Internet are pretty simple to uninstall, because they are not too complex. The main complexity isn't the quality of viruses but their number. According to this, you must understand not just how to uninstall malicious programs, but firstly, how to avoid them. Here's a list of advices and if you'll abide them, the results will be impressive.
All propositions in the Web that promise you outstanding profit should be carefully revised before you are getting involved in it. Most of them are harmless, created to boost the web-page on which they are placed, but some of them lead to real fraud schemes that might make you face the financial losses.
E-mails are very frequently used to distribute harmful programs. You must be aware of any e-mails with attachments, or the ones that were sent from suspicious addresses.
The installation of any programs, and particularly the "cracked" ones, should be closely checked. During installation, users receive lots of worthy info such as installation folder, the EULA and more. Some these programs use a method called "Partner setup" or "recommended setting", when in addition to the desired software you get a few useless ones. Such manner of installation is completely undesired, because you can't be sure about the added programs.
These directions are not hard to abide, but they all are allowing you to prevent the infection by malware. Even if the implementation of the tips is causing you uneasiness - you have to understand: it is much easier to avoid infection than to experience its consequences. Let your system be secure and clean, and if you face some difficulties - simply comment this article.


text:
Priyanka Chopra signs multimillion dollar deal with Amazon Prime
MUMBAI: Actor and producer Priyanka Chopra is on road to bringing more desi representation to global television. As per a Variety report, she has signed a 'two-year multimillion-dollar first-look television deal' with Amazon.
ALSO READ: When Priyanka Chopra Jonas spoke about nepotism
"As both an actor and producer, I have always dreamt of an open canvas of creative talent coming together from all over the world to create great content irrespective of language and geography. This has always been the DNA of my production house Purple Pebble Pictures, and is the foundation of this exciting new endeavor with Amazon," Priyanka wrote in an Instagram post.
A post shared by Priyanka Chopra Jonas (@priyankachopra) on Jun 30, 2020 at 3:37pm PDT
"And as a storyteller, my quest is to constantly push myself to explore new ideas that not only entertain, but most importantly, open minds and perspectives. Looking back on my 20 year career, nearly 60 films later, I hope that I'm on my way to achieving that," she added in her post.
Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke told Variety, "Priyanka and I bonded over a shared passion for diverse global storytelling. Priyanka is drawn to exciting original content and characters that can resonate globally. She's a powerhouse producer, and we are thrilled to collaborate with her for years to come."
Currently, Priyanka already has two Amazon projects she is working on. One is reality dance show Sangeet, which she is producing with her singer husband Nick Jonas. It is inspired by their own wedding sangeet and will see families of the bride and groom compete against each other for the winning trophy. The other project is Anthony and Joe Russo's Citadel, a spy drama in which she will star with Richard Madden of Game of Thrones and Bodyguard.
As the deal is a global one, Priyanka will get to make content in both English and Hindi languages. "My quest really is to be able to tell female stories, work with creators from around the world and create a cross-pollination of storytelling. Amazon is such a great partner to do that because their reach and outlook is so global. My Amazon television deal is a global deal, so I can do Hindi language, I can do English language, I can do whatever language I want," she said.
ALSO READ: Priyanka Chopra, Nick Jonas demand action against racism
CREDITS: HINDUSTANTIMES
Tags Priyanka ChopraAmazon PrimeAmazon StudiosJennifer SalkeBajirao MastaniThe Sky Is PinkMujhse Shaadi KarogiDil Dhadakne DoTellyChakkar


Fiona Wilton, our Chair, welcomed about 60 members to our meeting in the Pavilion at Speech House where we could see the exciting development of a new wedding venue to replace the marque. Completion is expected in the spring.
Paul Williamson, from Hillside Brewery, gave short presentation on the new General Data Protection Regulations due to come into force in May 2018. Paul reminded members that anyone who keeps a database of any type should acquaint themselves with the regulations. For most people the greatest impact will be ensuring that they have evidence that users have "signed-up" to receive a newsletter. Download the presentation.
Alison Breton, from Forest Hills Golf Club, spoke in her capacity as the Chair of the Trustee Board for the Dean Heritage Centre. Alison described some of the challenges that the museum faces and also some of the changes being made. Free parking has just been introduced, the refurbished cafe has opened under new management and a discount scheme for residents will be introduced shortly.
Ella Beard, the co-ordinator from Coleford TIC, described the work of the TIC and how they help visitors and local tourism businesses. The TIC is funded by Coleford Town Council, staffed by volunteers and has helped 13,000 visitors since in opened in March 2016. The TIC can stock your leaflets, advertise events, talk with enthusiasm about attractions and stock locally-made goods. They do not book accommodation. In addition the staff answer whatever queries they can about the whole of our area, not just Coleford or the Forest. Download the presentation.
Finally Maureen McAllister (Executive Director) and Tim Davies (Marketing and Communications Manager) gave an update on the Association's activities and plans for 2018.
Many thanks to Peter, Gill and staff at The Speech House for hosting this meeting.


"Ik houd van deze stad!"
City, chic vibes for my short trip to Amsterdam.
Plaid is so in right now and jumpsuits have never left so why not put the two together to create this amazing piece?!
As we transition into Autumn after that short -but yet so sweet Summer, we find ourselves scrambling for that cosy, cardigan we quickly chucked into the Narnia of our wardrobes when we saw that hot Sun shine through. But let's be honest, in the UK we stay ready because the weather simply cannot be trusted.
And if you're like me, and did a big last minute summer haul you probably didn't get to release all the items you bought before the rain came back. Sad.
But how about we just wear them anyway?
Putting basic tees under slip dresses and jumpsuits isn't a new trend but a very smart, cool one and perfect for this time of year.
Especially in Amsterdam, where the weather fell more on the chilled side so this outfit worked out just great for me, and saved me from an unnecessary cold. I initially paired them with my black ankle boots from PrettyLittleThing, but the cobbled paventments of 'Dam yelled, "HELL NO!". So I was forced to change into my trainers, however i'm not complaining as the walking I did out there was a lot. My bunion is grateful.
Loose fit means easy movement, however was very loose around the back zip which was a tad bit annoying.
I would say get a size down just to fit correctly in all the right places.
Also great for tall people as the trousers could accommodate longer legs…or maybe i'm just short?
Wanna switch it up? Why not try these?


text:
Home Budgets/Taxes	Mitt Romney's Overly Optimistic Tax Plan
Mitt Romney's Overly Optimistic Tax Plan
written by Benjamin Domenech October 13, 2012
[First posted at Ricochet.]
The other day on Coffee & Markets we interviewed Curtis Dubay of the Heritage Foundation on his critiques of the Tax Policy Center's framing of Mitt Romney's tax plan. The podcast is here. I agree thoroughly with Dubay's criticism of the TPC's approach – the assumptions it makes are designed to place Romney's plan in the worst possible light, and it's hard to make the case that's not intentional.
But in another area, Romney's tax plan strikes me as trying to have its cake and eat it too, particularly in the wake of his remarks about a deductions cap. As the WSJ notes, "only households that earned less than $45,000 a year averaged less than $17,000 in deductions" – so Romney would be putting in place a cap at that amount necessarily going to raise the tax burden of many Americans who are in the middle class, one that will assuredly NOT be offset by his elimination of cap gains/dividends. Romney later pegged the amounts differently in the debate, so it's clear he's still thinking this through (feel free to expand this to all areas of policy), but let's assume it happens. If it does, Romney will be penalizing upper middle class people who live like he does, and rewarding those who are less charitable.
Tax policy experts like to talk as if populations at the same level of adjusted gross income have similar returns, but this is of course not the case – you can easily have somebody at $100,000 AGI with $50,000 in deductions and another who has only $20,000. Under Romney's plan, someone with $50,000 is going to feel significantly pinched by the tax man under a new limit compared to the guy with only $20,000 in deductions. In other words, it's better to live like Joe Biden under this new system.
I asked a tax policy expert to crunch the numbers on a typical household with an individual filer and deduction amounts. Consider them an evangelical suburbanite at the $100,000 level who has a mortgage, tithes, and has some annual medical expenses. Here's what comes back:
If you make $100,000, have a new $300,000 mortgage @ 4 percent, tithe 15 percent, pay $5,000 in state/local taxes, and have $7,500 in qualified medical expenses, you would pay $12,100 in federal income taxes on AGI of $60,500 w/ deductions of $39,500 (assume 20 percent effective rate). Under the Romney plan, you'd pay $13,280 (new effective rate would be 16 percent on AGI of $83,000), an increase of nearly 10 percent.
I'm very skeptical a Romney administration would be able to pull off a new tax law with these very broad rules (a fixed deduction cap and a relative rate drop) that doesn't raise anybody's total amount of taxes or their relative burden (the promises Romney has repeatedly made on the trail). In this, I think the critiques from the left are largely correct: I think it's mathematically impossible to protect everyone from a tax increase, and ultimately, the largest number of people who see a tax increase under this approach are likely to be in the middle and upper middle class.
But the rich would likely shift their activity as well. As Bloomberg points out today, the disincentives for charitable giving under such an approach would be significant for large dollar funders:
For every percentage-point increase in the expense of giving to charity, contributions shrink by 1 percent, according to a 2011 paper that Bakija co-wrote. With Romney's proposed 20 percent rate cut, because people couldn't deduct as much, the price of giving for people in the top tax bracket would rise by 10.8 percent. That suggests an equivalent drop in donations even before considering the estate tax repeal and limits on deductions… Last week, he floated an idea to cap all itemized deductions at $17,000… Almost all U.S. taxpayers in the top 1 percent itemize deductions, and that group deducts an average of $173,670 a year… About 78 percent deduct more than $50,000. Anyone with donations exceeding the cap would have no tax incentive to make charitable contributions, Bakija said.
Conservatives excoriated Obama for considering cutting back on the incentive to make charitable donations – indeed, it's a point of pride among conservatives that the right is far more generous than the left with their personal funds (largely, again, because of tithing). Favoring less government should lead to favoring more private philanthropy and generosity. But you can design a plan because you intend for it to work or you can design a plan to help you get elected. Most politicians choose the latter, for obvious reasons.
This piece is adapted from The Transom, Ben Domenech's daily installment of news and analysis.
Mitt Romney's Overly Optimistic Tax Plan was last modified: October 12th, 2012 by Benjamin Domenech
ben domenechCurtis DubayHeritage FoundationMitt RomneyTaxes
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I've been interested in the music of the British composer Alan Bush for over 15 years now, ever since I found (and bought) this signed letter in the specialist music bookshop May & May Ltd.
This letter sparked my interest in a composer about whom I knew nothing - even though I was familiar with a fair amount of English music from the late 19th and first half of the 20th century - particularly the music of Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Holst, Delius, Walton and Bax.
The music of Alan Bush (b. 1900) plainly requires, for a successful approach, those careful and repeated hearings made possible by gramophone records, or, at the least, by public performances of tolerable frequency. It must be owned that, up to the present. Bush has been very insufficiently served in both these regards. Of course this circumstance may be remedied at any moment, as it ought to be, but meanwhile the problem of access remains needlessly severe. Yet perceptive music-lovers enabled to hear even one performance of a work so boldly individual as Bush's Dialectic for String Quartet can scarcely fail to be struck by the outstanding force of its intellectual power. The music is conceived with a virility of purpose fully realised in the address. The very urgency of the argument requires tension in its delivery, but this tension is always under drastic control, and never slips in the direction of emotional oratory. An interesting point for the listener is that this refusal to misuse emotion does not involve the smallest loss of variety in Bush's pages. The effect is rather as if different sections or stages of the argument demand a corresponding change of voice, yet such changes are invariably consistent with the whole. So far as the reader finds himself afforded any option in the matter, the Dialectic is certainly a first choice in trying to measure Bush's style at its true strength. The main problem in listening is likely to devolve much less upon the nature of the musical language, which is not only extremely direct but very clearly employed, than upon a swift assimilation of such potent subject-matter. It is more than possible, indeed, that a first or second hearing may not reward the listener as quickly as he desires, but there are good grounds for suggesting that any such experience will arise almost entirely from conciseness of Bush's material.
The Symphony in C demonstrates vividly, as those who have had a chance to judge may endorse, that this composer's powers are equal to sustaining invention upon a very big scale. He is one of the relatively few who have mastered the secret of "going on" when dealing with a large structure; that is to say, he is nowhere thrown back upon the device of skilful joinery to conceal an untoward transition. The day has long been overdue for a revival of this Symphony, and also for a hearing of the Piano Concerto (with baritone solo and male-voice chorus in the last movement) which, through no fault of their own, remains a closed book even to those who would rightly value performances.
Another piece of information that caught my attention was that Alan Bush's music was banned by the BBC for a period during the Second World War - from March 1941 until 22nd June 1941. The ban was put in effect because Bush was a signatory to The People's Convention.
Action on these points was taken by local and regional committees, through public meetings and publication of leaflets and newsheets.
The Convention folded at the end of 1941 - it's objectives became overshadowed by events and, to some extent, irrelevant after the invasion of the Soviet Union by Germany on 22nd June 1941.
Ralph Vaughan Williams spoke out against Alan Bush's ban in a strongly worded letter to the Director General of the BBC.
Alan Bush died in 1995; the following obituary gives a concise summary of his life. For more information on his life or work I cannot hope to compete with the superb web site of the Alan Bush Musical Trust.
Alan Bush, composer and Professor of Composition at the Royal Academy of Music, 1925-78, died on October 31 aged 94. He was born on December 22, 1900.
Of all the 'isms' that can be hung around the neck of a composer none has been more oppressive than the label of Marxism. Alan Bush had joined the Communist Party in 1934 and probably knew as much about Marxism as anyone in Britain. Philosophy, beside music, had been a lifetime's study. But he innocently accepted Marxism's corruption by the oppressive regimes of Eastern Europe. And by his choice of radical texts and titles, so easily mocked, he perhaps drew attention away from the high quality of the music itself. Despite the evident enthusiasm for his work of critics as severe as Hans Keller or fellow composers such as Michael Tippett and William Alwyn, the wider audience of 'the people', for whom as a Marxist he wrote, was rarely given the chance to experience his music. An opera such as his Wat Tyler of 1951, though eminently English in its appeal, was given its first stage performance in Leipzig in East Germany.
Alan Bush was born in London. His outstanding gifts as a pianist took him to the Royal Academy of Music, where he studied composition with Frederick Corder, and the piano with Tobias Matthay.
Many composers come to music through the piano, but touch it only in the privacy of their workroom; Bush, like Bartok and Britten, relished his skill he even seemed to enjoy a daily workout of studies and scales. His Opus 1 and his earliest published composition was a set of three pieces for two pianos, followed in the same year by his Piano Sonata in B minor. Several chamber works followed, culminating in what some still regard as his finest abstract piece, Dialectic for String Quartet, completed in 1929 but not performed until 1935.
In 1929 he enrolled as a student in the philosophy department of Berlin University, where in two years he mastered not only the German language, but also developed the analytical skill which could delight or dismay his students. But his fingers were still active he gave a demanding solo recital at the Berlin Singakademie in 1931.
On his return to England, Bush threw himself into organising and conducting popular choral concerts. In 1936 he took a leading part in the foundation, and as its first president, in the running of the Workers Music Association. In 1938 when his Piano Concerto with a rousing choral finale was premiered by the BBC, the conductor, the highly traditionalist Adrian Boult, cut short the applause by playing the national anthem.
During the war Bush served as a private in the Royal Army Medical Corps, but this did not save him from having his works banned by the BBC in the early part of the war because of his communist sympathies. (This was at the time when the Nazi-Soviet Pact had not yet been shattered by the German invasion of Russia.) When Bush pointed out to a BBC official that the works of enemy composers such as Richard Strauss had not suffered the same fate, he was told that Strauss was not being paid by the BBC.
After the war Bush began to simplify his style in an attempt to reach out to a wider audience. Many of his choral works were set to radical texts, but none is more touching than his Christmas Cantata, The Winter Journey (1946), for soloists, chorus and chamber ensemble.
Bush's first symphony was completed in 1940, the second, a commission from the City of Nottingham in 1949, and his third, with a choral finale dedicated to the memory of Byron, in 1960. There is also a fine violin concerto and other works for string as well as full orchestra.
But Bush's major contribution was as an opera composer, with his wife Nancy (nee Head) as librettist. His first full opera, Wat Tyler, was one of four prize winners in the competition arranged by the Arts Council for the Festival of Britain in 1951. It was broadcast in a recorded performance from East Berlin in 1952 and first staged in 1953 in Leipzig where it had 14 performances. It was done in Rostock in 1955, but it was not until 1974 that it had its first professional production in England, at Sadler's Wells.
Bush received three more commissions from Leipzig, but only one of these, The Men of Blackmoor, was ever staged in England where it received a production by the Oxford University Opera Club in 1961 (it had been first produced at Weimar in 1956). The Ferryman's Daughter (1964) was for schools; The Sugar Reapers was done in Leipzig in 1966; and Joe Hill (The Man Who Never Died) was staged in Berlin in 1970.
As a teacher he was firm in conviction, consistent in style, clear and logical in thought, direct in expression, and warm in feeling, as generations of students who passed through his hands would attest. Bush had an ear for lyric beauty, and a feel for drama that make his operas powerful experiences. But he had to contend with an apathetic music establishment, as well as hostility to his passionately held beliefs. In the post war years, when he might have benefited from the great expansion of musical life, the rise of a radical avant-garde kept out Bush and his like, still committed to a more traditional aesthetic.
If it was hard to find information about Bush, it was next to impossible to find any available recordings of his music. It must have been a couple of years until I managed to hear a couple of performances on the radio. This situation is now improving - there are a few CDs now available of his music, particularly of the chamber music, piano works and songs. I have yet to hear performances of any of the symphonies or operas.