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The Answer to Your Question by Paulette Alden
The Answer to Your Question was a surprise. When I requested it from NetGalley, I wasn't at all sure about what it was about, and after reading it, I'm not sure I could have been prepared for this one.
Calm and kind, Inga could never have imagined opening the door to policemen wanting to know where her son Ben was. Or that he is the suspect in the murders of four young women. She is stunned and disbelieving, but she hasn't heard from Ben in quite a while and has no idea where he is.
The story switches pov from Inga to Jean, a young woman who works shelving books at Inga's library. Inga took a risk in hiring the young woman, and Jean feels a great loyalty as a result.
Jean is far from her Appalachian home and alone, as her husband is in Viet Nam. When the sixteen-year-old discovers that she is pregnant, she is initially horrified and intends to end the pregnancy. She turns to Inga in her crisis, but Inga is too preoccupied with the manhunt of her son to be much help.
Nevertheless, the friendship continues to develop, Jean decides not to end her pregnancy and then is notified that her husband has been killed in Viet Nam. Inga, too, faces another crisis when she must travel to Minnesota because her beloved father is dying.
Is Ben guilty? Inga originally refuses to believe it, but circumstances give her doubts. Jean believes him guilty, but has no fear of him.
A fascinating glimpse into a mother's desire to believe the best of her son, her fear for his safety, and her own questions about his guilt or innocence.
While there is a section that is less believable and that perhaps goes on a little too long, I found this book riveting, and not at all what I might have expected from beginning to end. So many layers, like peeling an onion...
Is there an answer to the question? Yes. No.
NetGalley/Radiator Press.
Fiction. 2013. Print version: 250 pages.
Delia's Shadow and Ill-Gotten Gains
Delia's Shadow by Jaime Lee Moyer is a ghost story and a murder mystery combo. Set in San Francisco in 1915, Delia Martin has recently returned to her home after years away in New York.
In the 1906 earthquake that devastated San Francisco, Delia lost her parents and gained the questionable gift of seeing ghosts. Not a particularly good exchange, to put it mildly. In hopes of leaving the ghosts behind, Delia takes a teaching position in New York. For a while, the move was a success, but when a stubborn ghost appears and continues to haunt her dreams, Delia feels required to return to her home city and her best friend, Sadie.
Sadie is about to be married to Jack, member of the police force who is currently involved in a murder investigation with his best friend and superior officer Gabe. The two are hunting a serial killer who bears a sinister resemblance to the killer Gabe's father hunted 30 years ago.
Of course, Delia's persistent ghost has a direct connection and will be instrumental in the investigation.
The setting is a major part of the story, and San Francisco will always be a city of interest for many reasons. The main characters are all likable, but my favorite is the psychic Theodora, who in my opinion deserves her owns series. If you are willing to accept ghosts, then psychics are also reasonable, and Dora's character is both flamboyant and wise.
On the downside, once again we have grisly murders and torture with more detail than necessary.
I expect we will hear more from Moyer about Delia, Gabe, Sadie, and Jack...and hopefully, more about Theodora.
NetGalley/Macmillan-Tor/Forge
Mystery/Supernatural. Sept. 17, 2013. Print version: 337 pages.
Ill-Gotten Gains by Australian author Ilsa Evans is the second in the Nell Forrest mystery series.
The little Australian town of Majic is preparing an event celebrating the 150th anniversary of the town's founding. Nell's youngest daughter Quin has a school assignment to find a previously unknown fact about Petar Majic, the Croatian immigrant who founded the town, and when Nell takes her to visit Petar's crypt--a small act of vandalism results in a big surprise.
Nell reports the information to Sam, the head of the historical society. That night Sam calls sounding very excited and wants to see Nell in person to tell her the news. The next day, Sam is dead. Heart attack or murder?
When another member of the historical society is discovered in what looks like a suicide scenario, events take another turn.
Nell is the author of The Middle-Age Spread newspaper column; she has five daughters and a rather messy personal life. Each chapter begins with a comment about Nell's column, and throughout the narrative Nell has personal thoughts that she imagines as newspaper headlines.
Nell, her sister Petra, and her new friend Deb (who happens to be the sister of the woman Nell's husband left her for -if you are a grammar purist, reword syntax to include for whom) instigate their own investigation and discover some strange twists of fate that within 150 years have self-corrected some terrible misdeeds.
While the historic mystery is serious, the current mystery has plenty of humorous moments. I enjoyed both the mystery and the characters.
NetGalley/Momentum Books
Mystery. Sept. 2013. Print version: 234 pages.
Posted by jenclair at 7:30 AM 1 comment:
The 7th Woman by Frederique Molay
The 7th Woman by Frederique Molay (translation by Anne Trager) is a police procedural featuring Nico Sirsky, head of the Criminal Investigation Division in Paris, a likable protagonist faced with a series of brutal murders. The murderer has a personal grievance against Nico and creates clues that lead to individuals close to Nico, red herrings that take time to untangle and that misdirect investigators.
The novel moves quickly; it has to because the killer intends to murder 7 women in 7 days. The fast pace works well, even if the 7/7 concept doesn't feel quite reasonable. Nico, however, is an engaging character with an ulcer from the stress of his job, a depressed ex-wife, a teen-age son, and a good relationship with his sister.
My quibbles: murders do not have to be gruesome to be effective and love interests need time to develop. Have I mentioned those qualifications before? I thought so.
Translations are interesting. If you can't read the original language, it is impossible to be sure about language and style, but I've read several translations by Anne Trager, (one that I still need to review), and the styles are very different--which leads me to believe that Ms. Trager has given me an accurate sense of the individual author's style.
Note: Winner of France's prestigious Prix du Quai des Orfèvres prize for best crime fiction, named Best Crime Fiction Novel of the Year.
NetGalley/LeFrench Book
Crime/Police Procedural. 2012. Print version: 225 pages.
Cold by Stella Cameron
Cold (an Alex Duggins mystery). After her divorce, Alex Duggins returns to the small town in the Cotswolds where she grew up. While she is out walking her dog early one morning, she discovers a body in the snow. The victim was killed by a dart like the ones in her pub, and Alex is a master at the game. Then another man is murdered, and the Vicar is pushed down the stairs and remains in a coma. A suspect, even if not a very likely one, Alex begins some investigating on her own.
Aided by her childhood friend Tony, Alex begins inquiring into the past in an attempt to find a motive for the murder. Secrets begin to surface and more than one party begins to have a reason to want the victim out of their lives.
A fast-paced mystery with some interesting characters. This is my first book by Cameron, but she is a prolific writer. She must turn out a book or two a year.
NetGalley/Purple Papaya
Mystery. 2013. Print version: 238 pages.
The Cheesemaker's House by Jane Cable
The Cheesemaker's House is a ghost story. When Alice Hart's husband leaves her for another woman, she moves to the cottage they had bought in Yorkshire to attempt a fresh start.
The cottage was built in 1726 and once belonged to a woman, the village cheesemaker. Alice begins putting her energies into refurbishing the old cottage. She hires Richard to do much of the work, especially on the barn which Alice plans to turn into a holiday rental.
She also develops a friendship with an elderly neighbor, and the owners of the village coffee shop, especially Owen, the rather shy co-owner.
In addition to being a former pharmacist, Owen is also the villager charmer. In folk tradition, a charmer was a healer, who took no pay for his or her healing sessions and often used specific herbal concoctions along with laying of hands and Bible verses. Since charmers did not diagnose and took no fees, they were not accounted witches, but folk healers. The tradition in England lasted into the 1970's according to one source.
When Jane begins hearing crying in the middle of the night and seeing Owen when Owen was elsewhere, things begin to get a little curious.
This is not a typical ghost story, and there are several elements in the story that I enjoyed, but the solving of the mystery of the doppelganger gets a little lost in the genealogy.
NetGalley/Troubadour Publishing, LTD/Matador
Mystery/Supernatural. 2013. Print version: 229 pages.
A Study in Silks by Emma Jane Holloway
A Study in Silks
A fun combination of steampunk and murder mystery. Evelina Cooper is the niece of Sherlock Holmes, and she possesses a talent that could mean her death-- she can animate mechanical objects. Victorian England, in this alternate history, is ruled by Steam Barons who are influential, callous, and greedy and whose goal is to consolidate their already immense power by any means necessary. Magic is a threat to their control, and "witches" are condemned to death.
When a housemaid is murdered, Evelina notes a magical signature and finds herself wanting to solve the murder and protect Imogene, her best friend.
Some sections are a little slow, but overall the book reads quickly. Sherlock Holmes plays a relatively small role, but his influence on methods of detection helps guide Evelina's investigation.
A little romance--Evelina is courted by two suitors, both handsome, but with completely different backgrounds. Strangely, the secondary romance of Imogene and Bucky is much more entertaining. These two secondary characters, turned out to be my favorites for several reasons.
A Study in Silks is the author's debut novel, and while she does wrap up the mystery of the housemaid's murder in the conclusion, she also leaves room for more in this series.
A light and entertaining read.
NetGalley/Random House, Del Ray Spectra.
Mystery/Historical Fiction. Sept. 24, 2013. Print Version: 560 pages. ISBN-10: 0345537181
Posted by jenclair at 10:07 AM No comments:
Labels: mystery, pastiche, sherlock holmes, steam punk
Charming by Elliot James
Charming is an urban fantasy adventure featuring John Charming, a protagonist with a couple of twists.
Book Description: He comes from a line of Charmings -- an illustrious family of dragon slayers, witch-finders and killers dating back to before the fall of Rome. Trained by a modern day version of the Knights Templar, monster hunters who have updated their methods from chainmail and crossbows to kevlar and shotguns, he was one of the best. That is-- until he became the abomination the Knights were sworn to hunt.
That was a lifetime ago. Now, he tends bar under an assumed name in rural Virginia and leads a peaceful, quiet life. One that shouldn't change just because a vampire and a blonde walked into his bar... Right?
While this one will have a more specific audience than some books, it is a pastiche of dark comedy, paranormal, urban fantasy, and adventure story. I enjoyed the humor. :)
Mythic monsters, vampires, Valkyries, Knights Templar...
NetGalley/Orbit Books, Hachette Book Group.
Urban Fantasy. Sept. 24, 2013.
The 228 Legacy by Jennifer J. Chow
The 228 Legacy is set in the 1980's, one of several books I've read lately in the 70's or 80's. In this case, the story focuses on three members of a family of Taiwanese descent: Silk, the grandmother, born in Taiwan; Lisa, the daughter, born in America; and Lisa's daughter, Abbey.
Learning about things I didn't know is one of my chief pleasures in reading. Not that what I learn is always pleasant, but sometimes it is important. In this case, I had never heard of the 228 Massacre in Taiwan, a terrible event in which the Kuomintang killed between 10,000-30,000 civilians on the small island on February 28, 1947. Other estimates go as high as 150,000 based on the number of missing household members. Intellectuals were targeted; doctors, lawyers, students (including high school and middle school students) disappeared or were murdered and left in the streets.
This atrocity doesn't deserve to be left in the dark, remembered only by survivors, so I'm glad I read the book for that knowledge alone.
Back to the book. The 228 Massacre continues its effect through Silk, Lisa, and Abbey, although Lisa and Abby are unaware of this terrifying time in Silk's life. Silk never mentions it, nor does she discuss her husband, Lisa's father. However, Silk never hides her deep antipathy for the Chinese.
The story is told through four voices: Silk, Lisa, Abby, and Jack, an elderly Chinese man who has recently lost his wife.
Unfortunately, the narratives of these four individuals failed to work as well as I hoped. The voices didn't quite ring true for me. The dialogue was a bit stiff and didn't always seem to suit the circumstances of the individuals. Abbey, for example, is only ten-years-old, but she is too articulate, too wise, too competent and calm (in one particular situation) for her age. The incident at the party should have caused more fear and outrage in both Abby and Lisa.
The plot is not about the 1947 massacre, but about how the tragedy influences the survivors and their descendants. Silk has a fear of academic success and stresses the importance of manual labor, discouraging first Lisa's school achievements and then Abbey's. She cannot forget that her husband and other intellectuals were among the thousands who were murdered.
There are so many threads here: the care of the elderly, bullying, child abuse, the effect of secrets, the influence of the past, aging and illness.... The resolutions of the problems seem too facile, too pat.
The book was worthwhile because of the information about Taiwan, but it could have been much more, perhaps, if the focus had been tightened. Nevertheless, I think many readers will enjoy this book.
NetGalley/Martin Sisters Publishing
Contemporary Lit. 2013. Print version: 320 pages.
Witchstruck by Victoria Lamb
Witchstruck is a YA novel that combines historical fiction with the supernatural. The setting is Woodstock where Elizabeth I was imprisoned after being released from the Tower of London. At this time, Catholicism was the only acceptable religion and Protestants converted (with or without sincerity) or faced charges of heresy which equated with treason. Some 300 protestants were burned at the stake, and Bloody Mary became even more unpopular when she married King Philip of Spain.
Elizabeth and her supporters were a threat to Mary who greatly resented Elizabeth because of her mother Ann Boleyn. Elizabeth remained under suspicion of treason even at Woodstock, and everything about her life was closely monitored.
Elizabeth, denied her ladies-in-waiting, is attended by the fictional Meg Lytton, a young witch being trained by her Aunt Jane. Elizabeth hopes that Jane will be able to give her some clue to her future. Will she ever be queen? Will the charge of treason result in her beheading? Elizabeth needs all the help she can muster.
Finding Meg a trustworthy retainer, Elizabeth gives Meg some personal tasks involving messages to the local inn where some of Elizabeth's supporters gathered. Meg's powers begin to increase, but she is in a precarious position herself, especially since the local and very powerful witch hunter Marcus Dent wants to marry her. Not the safest situation for a young witch.
Loyalty and betrayals. Some excellent historical facts and a fast-paced story that involves both the danger to Elizabeth and to Meg. Oh, and a handsome young Spaniard who will soon become a priest....
NetGalley/Harlequin Teen
Historical fiction/Supernatural. Sept. 24, 2013. Print version: 363 pages.
Posted by jenclair at 10:30 AM 1 comment:
Omens by Kelley Armstrong
Omens provides me with a new author and a new series. I was pretty much swept away by this one, not wanting to put it down, eager to follow the plot and the characters.
Book description: Twenty-four-year-old Olivia Taylor Jones has the perfect life. The only daughter of a wealthy, prominent Chicago family, she has an Ivy League education, pursues volunteerism and philanthropy, and is engaged to a handsome young tech firm CEO with political ambitions.
But Olivia's world is shattered when she learns that she's adopted. Her real parents? Todd and Pamela Larsen, notorious serial killers serving a life sentence. When the news brings a maelstrom of unwanted publicity to her adopted family and fiancé, Olivia decides to find out the truth about the Larsens....
Olivia is bright and self-possessed; she makes decisions and follows through without dithering. She makes mistakes, but it doesn't alter her self-confidence or her determination. Despite the terrible revelation of her parentage, Olivia doesn't become a whiner. I found her a likable and interesting character.
At first, her intention is just to get out of the limelight, but once she ends up in Cainesville, Olivia has time to assess her situation and decides to inquire a little further into the lives of her biological parents. She begins working with her mother's former lawyer, and the two develop an antagonistic relationship initially, as Gabriel Walsh makes his personal finances his first priority.
The association remains push/pull, but the two manage to get along most of the time as they try to unravel how the murders came about.
This was a fast and compulsive read, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
An ARC from Kathleen Zrelak with Goldberg MacDuffie Communications and Dutton.
Mystery/Supernatural. Aug. 20, 2013. 486 pages.
Disenchanted & Co by Lynn Viehl and Some Thoughts
Thoughts: When I read Disenchanted & Co., Part 1, I had already downloaded Part 2, so I was aware that it was not a stand alone. When I finished Part 1, I had the same thoughts I've had quite often lately: why write a relatively short novel with a cliffhanger instead of a longer novel that completes the story.
Of course, one reason might be that by dividing one book into parts and selling each of them separately could result in financial benefits. I don't mind trilogies or series, especially in fantasy, but I do expect to get enough satisfaction out of each one to make it worthwhile. David Weber, George R. R. Martin and Robin Hobb excel at this. Each novel is a meal in itself, not simply an appetizer.
The recent tendency, however, seems to be to create a trilogy or series of short novels for either financial reasons or because the author (editor, publisher?) has decided that readers dislike long books.
The interesting thing about Disenchanted & Co., however, is that the novel is being released in two ebooks, but it looks as if the entire novel will be published (containing both Parts 1 & 2) will be published in Jan., 2014.
Rather equivalent to someone like Dickens (and other Victorian novelists) having his novels published in serial form in weekly installments. Dickens allowed public reaction to his installments to influence the future of his novels.
Is this a possibility for Lynn Viehl? If so, the final version to be published early next year may be heavily edited and a better novel.
Disenchanted & Co., Part 1:
Her Ladyship's Curse
O.K. Review:
Plot: Kit Kittinger is a young woman who has established her own business in a male-dominated society. Kit is a sort of psychic investigator who is hired by individuals who seek to remove curses and solve other magical problems. What Kit does, at least in her own estimation, is discover the actual cause of the problem and put it right. Kit does not believe in magic.
When called on by Lady Diana and asked to dispel the curse that is actually causing hateful words to be carved on her body, Kit finds herself involved in a conspiracy that threatens not only her life, but that of the entire city, and perhaps more.
Good: A steampunk fantasy that does not depend solely on steampunk elements, but has an interesting plot and interesting characters. Kit is a plucky and witty young woman who has a somewhat mysterious background and a group of friends from all layers of a very segmented society.
Dredmore is an ambiguous personality, and the anagram of his name stood out immediately.
His relationship with Kit may be a bit overdone and is certainly a familiar trope. Actually, this may be intentional as most of the characters are over the top, including the Madam with a Heart of Gold.
Not so Good (at least for me): The alternative history doesn't serve any real purpose and is initially a bit confusing. (I first thought they were in Australia)
I did not care for Kit's willingness to surrender her high-minded stubborness and so easily accept the Gothic ravishment. (bodice ripper!) Nor did I really like her swaying from one opinion to another with Dredmore so quickly and frequently.
His Lordship Possessed
The cliffhanger from Part 1 is resolved, but the plot behind Lady Diana's "curse" is a deeper and more complicated situation, involving much more than the Walsh family.
Kit must do some research into her own history. Once she determines who the villain really is, she must try to prevent a devastating event that threatens the entire country.
NetGalley/Pocket Star/Simon & Schuster
Steampunk Fantasy. Part 2, Oct. 2013. Complete book, Jan. 28, 2014.
Four YA Novels and Some Thoughts
Paradigm by Helen Stringer. A YA novel featuring sixteen-year-old Sam, who is traveling across The Wilds in an America that is struggling after the third collapse. Unaware that there is anything special about him, Sam is simply trying to survive with enough to purchase food and gas for his ancient GTO. When his friend Nathan and circumstances force him to visit Century City, Sam discovers that he was part of a scientific experiment gone wrong, that there has been an ongoing search for others like him, and that if he is caught life as he knows it will be destroyed.
Although this YA novel has fewer simplistic descriptions (green eyes--mossy, emerald, etc.) that are common in many recent YA novels I've read, Sam does have one green and one blue eye, a trope I've seen in 3 recent YA novels. It was fine the first time, but the description gets old quickly. In its favor, the rest of the physical descriptions in the novel are sketchy enough to allow the reader to visualize without the glowing, sparkling, breathlessness that typify many YA books.
I disliked the extreme violence and the evil Carolyn Bast's over-the-top wickedness. I did like Alma, (and without her convenient arrival when needed, Sam would have died early on), but Alma is not really developed as a character.
NetGalley/Mediadrome Press
YA/Science Fiction. 2013. Print Version: 396 pages.
Skulk by Rosie Best. Meg Banks becomes a shape-shifter by default. While painting graffitti on the wall surrounding her private school, Meg is startled when an injured fox darts by and falls. As Meg goes to check on the fox, she watches it transform into a naked man who hands her a stone before he dies.
Without realizing that the shape-shifter has passed on his ability to transform, Meg hides the stone. Later, Meg is attacked after leaving a club and in her fear, she transforms into a fox.
Meg finds herself as the newest member of a the skulk, a group of foxes. Only six members of any shape-shifter group are allowed, and the one nearest to a dying shape-shifter becomes the next in line. Meg has more to learn about shifting, the skulk, and the importance of the gem stones.
The Good: Not much, really, but I liked the use of group names for the animals: a skulk of foxes, a conspiracy of crows, a rabble of butterflies, and a horde of rats. It was a nice change from werewolf shifting.
The Bad: The first part of the novel dragged over the "poor little rich girl" stuff. The body count is high and doesn't even really seem to effect Meg. Every once in a while, she thinks about it and vows revenge, but nothing in her behavior indicates that the deaths have bothered her too much. Not much character development.
NetGalley/Angry Robot
YA/Fantasy. Oct. 1, 2013.
Deceived by Julie Ann Lindsey is the story of Elle, a young woman haunted by a recurring dream. She and her father move so often that she never feels that she belongs anywhere, but she has convinced her father to let her attend a boarding school for her senior year. But a rumor of a stalker and a serial killer puts the campus on edge. Does the stalker have one victim in mind?
Not very realistic, but a fast read in spite of some sections that seem mostly for the purpose of lengthening the book. The love interest is breathtakingly handsome. Of course. He is also a U.S. Marshall and a veteran of Afghanistan at twenty-two. Maybe a bit too mature for a high school girl?
NetGalley/F+W/Adams Media
YA/Suspense. September 18, 2013. Print version: 320 pages.
The Delphi Deception by Chris Everheart is the follow-up to The League of Delphi. Zach continues his attempts to rescue Ashley, and his new ally is the treacherous Katie, who informed on Ashley in the first place.
What else? There is more information about Larry and a surprise twist about Zach. And there you have it.
If you liked the first one, you will probably like this one as well. I wasn't impressed with the first one and should have left this one alone.
NetGalley/PR by the Book
YA/Mystery. Oct. 1, 2013.
Am I being too critical in expecting decent writing and good characterization in YA books? Or content suitable for the specific age group? Or thoughtful themes and clear, consistent voice from characters? Or decent dialogue?
There are a good many good YA writers out there, but there are more mediocre books than excellent ones.
The Wayward Pines Series, 1 and 2
A little bit mystery, a little bit horror, a little bit sci fi, and a lot of suspense. Hard to fit the Wayward Pines series into a genre. Is the story credible? No. But engrossing? Oh, yeah.
I received the second in the series from NetGalley and finished it in short order, practically in one sitting. On finishing, I headed directly to the computer to order the first in the series from Amazon and was reading it on my Kindle the same day.
Although I read the second book first, I will review them in order.
Pines by Blake Crouch opens in a strange and bewildering way that leaves the reader in the same place as Ethan Burke, the FBI agent who awakes after an accident in the town of Wayward Pines--a bit befuddled and certainly perplexed.
from Booklist: Ethan Burke is on his way to the small town of Wayward Pines to find two fellow federal agents who have gone missing. He has a bad car accident on the edge of town, waking up in the hospital and not at all sure of what is going on. The psychiatrist on staff tells him that he has suffered a brain injury and warns him not to leave, but he takes off anyway. The town sheriff is less than helpful, and, with no ID or money, Burke can't reach his superior or his wife, and he starts fearing for his sanity (reminiscent of Dennis Lehane's Shutter Island)....
Reading the novel feels as if you've entered the Twilight Zone, or if you watched Twin Peaks, you may realize that Blake Crouch took that television series as an inspiration. At any rate, you will want to know just what is going on in this apparently idyllic little town of Wayward Pines. You will have to ignore some failures in logic concerning the townspeople's behavior at times, but that doesn't make events any less frightening.
NetGalley/Thomas & Mercer
Thriller, and more. 2012. Print version: 320 pages.
Wayward takes up where Pines left off. It is the second in the planned trilogy; the third should be published in 2014.
More information on the town and the inhabitants is revealed, but the feeling of tension never lets up. Solving a recent murder becomes a priority for Ethan Burke, but what he discovers shocks him deeply.
It is difficult to give much information without spoilers, but once again, the suspense is dramatic.
The ending was a disappointment because of its abruptness, but I will certainly be sure to get next book in this trilogy.
Sept. 17, 2013. Print version: 322 pages.
The Bellwether Revivals Benjamin Wood
The Bellwether Revivals begins at the end. I'm not particularly fond of this method, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. In this case, I think it slowed down my interest in the book for a while; I prefer wondering about what is going to happen and making silent predictions. After reading a couple of chapters, I put it down, read one or two other books, and then returned to it. I'm glad I did.
Oscar Lowe is from a working class background, he didn't finish school, and he works as a caregiver in a nursing home, but Oscar is intelligent and has a sort of autodidact education in progress. Iris, Eden, and their friends are a close-knit group who attended the same boarding school: wealthy, intelligent, and privileged Cambridge students.
Well-written with flowing prose, Wood manages to build tension from the very beginning. Even if he had not already given away the ending in the Prelude (appropriately named as so much of the novel focuses on music), the tension and foreboding are felt from Oscar's first meeting with Iris and her brother Eden.
The comparison to The Secret History is justified, but instead of feeling antipathy for all of the characters (I didn't like anyone in TSH), I did like most of the characters in Wood's novel--to varying degrees. None of the characters are without human failings, but that is true to life. Some of the secondary characters are not developed, they are there to help round out the group of friends, but don't have real depth.
The two secondary characters I found most interesting are Dr. Paulsen (a former Cambridge don, now in a nursing home) and Dr. Crest (a psychologist with a stage 4 brain tumor). Though very different in temperament, both have an important influence on Oscar and on the plot
Eden, the star in the firmament of his friends and family, also has a lack of development, but the reason for that is clear. We have to wonder what is really going on with Eden; he is something of an enigma even to his own family. Charismatic, egotistical, condescending, but compelling, Eden stands at a remove even from everyone. Although Oscar finds him a little threatening and unnerving, he is also drawn in by Eden. When Eden is not around, Oscar appreciates his absence, but also feels the loss of something intangible.
Benjamin Wood has written a remarkable debut novel. Not one that is completely "likable," but one that is intriguing and that refuses to let you off the hook.
Fiction. Originally publ. in 2012; reprint May 2013. Print version 428 pages.
The Broken Rules of Ten by Gay Hendricks and Tinker Lindsay
The Broken Rules of Ten is a prequel to the Tenzing Norbu series. I really liked the first two in this series about Tenzing Norbu, the former Buddhist monk, who came to the U.S., joined the LAPD, and then left the police department to become a private investigator.
This novella reveals more of the background of Ten, his divided life between his alcoholic mother in Paris and his Buddhist monk father in Dharamshala. The training of novice monks is an interesting feature, and so is the adolescent Ten's advance into puberty.
The plot is less interesting than the insight into Ten's training, friendships, and shaky relationship with his father.
Anyone who has enjoyed the Tenzing Norbu series will probably enjoy this short read. Ten is a unique character in the mystery genre, and I look forward to the next in the series of the grown-up Ten.
NetGalley/Hay House
Two More Mysteries
I can never seem to get enough of mysteries. Even when I'm busy following a nonfiction bent, as I am right now with the SOE in WWII, I include mystery novels even in the midst of a huge nonfiction tome.
Nonfiction requires more thought and a slower pace, but mysteries...I just gobble them up.
I'm glad to discover a new author in Warren Easley and a new (to me) series of J.A. Jance. I've read several of her Joanna Brady books, but this is the first of read in the Ali Reynolds series. Both Matter of Doubt and Deadly Stakes were fast, entertaining reads.
Matters of Doubt by Warren C. Easley is a debut novel and the beginning of a new series.
Cal Claxton, a former big-time DA, decided to leave the high-powered world of L.A. and simplify his life in a small town in Oregon. The downturn in the economy is felt everywhere, and Cal's finances are suffering as well.
When a tattooed and pierced young man shows up at his office seeking help in finding out who killed his mother, Cal turns him down saying that he is a lawyer, not an investigator. But the kid has ridden his bicycle from all the way from Portland, and Cal is impressed enough to do a little research. What he finds changes his mind.
I was a little doubtful for the first few pages, but after that the story really picked up. I liked the characters, especially Picasso, who developed quite nicely. I'll certainly be interested in reading the next book featuring Cal Claxton.
NetGalley/Poisoned Pen Press
Mystery/Crime. Sept. 3, 2013. Print version: 250 pages.
Deadly Stakes by J.A. Jance follows former reporter Ali Reynolds in her latest adventure. A teenage boy discovers the dying Gemma Ralston on a lonely road. He calls 911, but leaves the scene in fear. There are reasons for this, including the fact that he'd ditched school and brought a shovel to the scene.
When Gemma's ex-husband and his girlfriend Lynn are arrested for the murder, Ali is asked to do some investigating. Ali finds herself looking into a case that may or may not be related, trying to protect A.J., the young man who discovered Gemma's body, and eventually, trying to save herself.
NetGalley/Touchstone
Compound Fractures by Stephen White
Compound Fractures is the final installment of the Dr. Alan Gregory series. I looked forward to this one, but have to admit I found much of the book so tinged with bitterness that I have to wonder what was going on when White wrote it.
I missed the previous book, Line of Fire which set up the action in this one; however, the one before that, The Last Lie, didn't please me much either. Since I had enjoyed so many of the books in this series, I hate to have it end on a sour note.
Betrayals. Characters that you previously liked behave badly. Very badly. When a series is as long as this one (twenty books), it comes as an unpleasant surprise to have them change so drastically.
An ARC from Dutton.
Mystery. August 20, 2013. 438 pages.
Between Silk and Cyanide: A Codemaker's War, 1941-1945 by Leo Marks
Between Silk and Cyanide was a fascinating look into the codebreaking department of the SOE (Special Operations Executive WWII).
Leo Marks (his father owned 84 Charing Cross Road, the antiquarian bookshop made famous by Helene Hanff) was twenty-two when he entered SOE as a cryptographer.
His unconventional and singular approach to coding led him to confront his superiors and eventually, to change much about the codes given to agents. Undoubtedly brilliant, Marks also has a smugness and self-indulgence in his writing that can be irritating, but his concern for the agents is genuine, and he was willing to stand his ground in order to provide the agents the best codes and as much support as possible.
His initial change was the use of poem codes. First he exposed how easy it would be for the Germans to break a code using a traditional poem, then he began having agents write their own poems or gave them one of his own original poems for the purpose. His own poems were often crude and bawdy. His most famous and touching poem, however, was given to Violet Szabo, one of the most highly regarded and tragic SOE agents:
The life that I have
Is all that I have
And the life that I have
Is yours.
The love that I have
Of the life that I have
Is yours and yours and yours.
A sleep I shall have
A rest I shall have
Yet death will be but a pause.
For the peace of my years
In the long green grass
Will be yours and yours and yours.
The title is an interesting point, Between Silk and Cyanide. Marks spend much time and effort getting codes transferred to silk which could be easily concealed clothing lining. First he had to battle to get his idea approved, then find financial aid, the silk itself, and a means of photographing the codes. The idea was that after use, each code could be torn or cut from the silk. The silk one-time pads prevented some agents from resorting to the cyanide pills they carried in case of capture.
Just one other way in which Marks contributed was in the area of indecipherables. Prior to his efforts, agents were asked to resend any message that was indecipherable, a terrible risk for the agent, and a loss of time for any action needed. Marks went to the decoding department and spoke to the women impressing on them the importance of somehow deciphering the original message. The agent may live or die by their efforts.
Thereafter, the women sometimes made thousands of efforts to decipher one indecipherable message, reducing the number of indecipherables by approximately 80%.
The book is over 600 pages long, and there is no way to cover all of the interesting information it contains: the Dutch situation, the famous agents, Marks' efforts to make inroads with the Free French, the one-time pads, his concern not only about deciphering indecipherables, but about reducing the number of them...on and on.
Young Marks was a genius, and his innovations made a huge difference in the safety of those operatives behind enemy lines. His sometimes irritating wit was easy to overlook because of his dedication to the agents in the field.
Nonfiction. 2000. 624 pages.
The Red Queen Dies by Frankie Y. Bailey
The Red Queen Dies is a futuristic crime novel, set only a few years in the future, in 2019. This doesn't really seem far enough in the future to account for all of science fiction elements. The novel is the first in a new series.
Hannah McCabe, the biracial police detective, makes an interesting protagonist. When two young women are murdered, Hannah catches the cases. Then an older woman is murdered, her death doesn't exactly match the pattern of the previous two, but there are plenty of similarities. Two big differences: age and celebrity. The two younger women were attractive young women, but had nothing outstanding in their lives to attract attention. The third woman, however, was a famous Broadway actress known as the Red Queen for her red hair and her association with Alice in Wonderland.
In addition to the investigation into these three deaths, there is a kind of sub-rosa mystery going on, something elusive; the reader gets a few hints, but not until the end is the idea definitive.
Hannah McCabe makes a good protagonist, and I enjoyed the relationship she has with her father. The tension between Hannah and her brother---not so much---but perhaps the next in the series will make the brother's inclusion more relevant. In TRQD, the relationship feels more of a distraction, but seems to be setting up an easier relationship that will be more helpful in future novels.
I look forward to more books featuring Hannah McCabe.
NetGalley/St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books
Mystery. Sept. 10, 2013. Print version: 304 pages.
The Bones of Paris by Laurie R. King
The Bones of Paris continues the adventures of Harris Stuyvesant that King (usually known for her Mary Russell series) began with Touchstone in 2008. Harris has a plum assignment in Paris (1929) searching for a missing girl and expecting, initially, to find her with a lover. He has reason to suspect this as he has has a brief acquaintance with Phillpa Crosby. Eventually, however, Harris discovers some disturbing photographs, and his suspicions grow darker and not only concerning his case.
I've had a run of books about Paris lately, and this one fills the bill on Paris during the Jazz Age. Harris knows and consults with Sylvia Beach, speaks with Cole Porter, enjoys the company of KiKi de Montparnasse, suspects Man Rey, admires Lee Miller, avoids Hemingway, etc. The expat community in Paris during the twenties was close-knit and gossip-filled; the Lost Generation enjoying intellectual, social, and sexual freedoms flocked together. Harris is concerned about a certain morbid quality he discovers among the artistic community and is shocked by the performances of the Grand-Guigol. I'd never heard of the Grand-Guigol...interesting.
Sarah and Bennet Grey also make appearances in The Bones of Paris; aside from receiving a letter from Harris, Bennet doesn't appear until late in the novel. A shame because I find him an interesting character, but I suspect King plans on giving him more time eventually.
Although I found the solution too fantastic, I enjoyed the novel and the unique, if fictitious, perspective of expat life in the twenties that Harris Stuyvesant provides.
NetGalley/Random House, Bantam Dell
Mystery/Historical Fiction. Sept. 10, 2013. Print version: 432 pages.
In the Courtyard of the Kabbalist by Ruchama King Feurman
In the Courtyard of the Kabbalist is one of my favorite books so far this year. Beautifully written with a story that slowly unfolds and reveals wonderful characters who will stay with you for a long time.
The characters are so richly portrayed that I fell in to the story at once. This is a novel of individuals, of relationships, of prejudice, of insight and of reflection, of wisdom and understanding.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, this is one of my favorite books this year, and I've hated having to wait until closer to publication to review it. On the other hand, I've had a difficult time trying to decide how to review this novel.
This quote does a good job of summarizing it for me:
"Her characters jump off the page and into the hearts of her audience
….charming, spiritual tale." — Library Journal
I don't think I can say it any better.
NetGalley/NYRB LIT
Literary fiction. Sept. 17, 2013.
The Broken Rules of Ten by Gay Hendricks and Tinke...
Between Silk and Cyanide: A Codemaker's War, 1941-...
In the Courtyard of the Kabbalist by Ruchama King ...
Nancy Wake by Russel Braddon
Night Train to Memphis by Elizabeth Peters
Noah's Rainy Day by Sandra Brannan
The Land of Dreams by Vidar Sundstol
The Wishing Thread by Lisa Van Allen
The League of Delphi by Chris Everheart
The Salinger Contract by Adam Langer


text:
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Trump's V-P pick has mostly strong immigration record in Congress and as Indiana governor
Fri, Jul 15th 2016 @ 11:30 am EDT by Roy Beck
In 90 votes and co-sponsorships during 12 years in Congress (2003-12), Indiana Gov. Mike Pence earned a Career B+ Grade from NumbersUSA.
That means he usually voted against increases in immigration that would drive American wages down through a looser labor market and that would force more rapid population growth on local communities.
He nearly always voted for extra controls to reduce illegal immigration.
And he made several attempts to reduce overall legal immigration.
Except for one category (H-1B visas), the record shows Pence was a stalwart in the battle for immigration policies that serve the interests of our national community.
IMMIGRATION REDUCTION, E-VERIFY, BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP
Pence was a minor player in the effort to end chain migration. But he was continuously involved in trying to eliminate the visa lottery.
He was a consistent supporter of mandating E-Verify to keep tourists and illegal migrants out of U.S. jobs.
Pence showed leadership throughout his time in the U.S. House of Representatives in trying to halt the practice of automatic citizenship for births to tourists and illegal migrants.
SOLID ANTI-AMNESTY, EXCEPT . . .
Pence's congressional record is much better than many of us remember because we tend to think first of something that was not a congressional action and, thus, doesn't show up in our NumbersUSA scoring -- the infamous Pence "touch-back amnesty." During the George Bush amnesty frenzy of 2006 and 2007, Pence floated the idea of what he thought would be a giant compromise breakthrough in which all illegal aliens would be invited to return to their home countries with most of them rewarded with an opportunity to immediately return to the United States with lifetime work permits and the chance to be a U.S. citizen.
The public blowback was immediate and fierce. Pence never submitted legislation, but the negative reaction from grassroots Republicans was so great it knocked him from a national pedestal of previous adulation. He may have learned something from the experience, as he compiled a strong Career A-Grade anti-amnesty record, including a 2010 vote against the Dream Act amnesty.
As governor, he said a bit ambiguously in 2014:
"I just always believe that we should not reward people with citizenship whose first act in this country was a violation of the law, and I continue to hold that view. But there's plenty of room here for compassion and there's plenty of room here for crafting a solution that will deal with this in the long term."
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2014/08/22/indiana-gov-mike-pence-on-iraq-immigration-and-2016/
Pence has been outspoken in his condemnation of Pres. Obama's executive amnesties and praised the Supreme Court ruling that resulted in the blocking of those amnesties. Indiana was one of the 26 states that had brought the lawsuit.
EARLY SUPPORT FOR FOREIGN TECH WORKERS
Pence's Career immigration report card shows him with an A+ in four categories, an A in four categories and an A-minus in the "Challenge Status Quo" category (a much better grade than most get in that category).
But in the category of "reduce unnecessary worker visas," Pence's six actions earned him an F-minus grade. His support for big expansions in the H-1B visas for high tech workers are causing watchdogs among American tech workers to be wary of Trump's vice-presidential choice. One positive sign is that Pence stopped promoting H-1B visas during his final four years in Congress. However, we have yet to find a statement from Pence indicating he understands the reality of the tech job market or how immigration policy should relate to the fact that nearly 60 million working-age Americans don't work.
REFUGEES AND INTERIOR ENFORCEMENT
As governor, Pence ordered state agencies to suspend the relocation of any more Syrian refugees to Indiana until he received assurances from the federal government that proper security measures have been taken.
He was active throughout his congressional career in fighting fraud in the asylum program.
Pence took 21 actions in Congress to deny rewards for illegal immigration, and 25 actions to strengthen border security.
His boldest work may have been in the area of interior enforcement. His 35 actions were especially strong in the area of assisting local governments in immigration enforcement.
Read Pence's full immigration record for yourself at https://www.numbersusa.com/content/my/congress/952/gradescoresheet/.
ROY BECK is President & Founder of NumbersUSA
Updated: Fri, Jul 29th 2016 @ 11:35am EDT
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Those who need to refer to NumbersUSA with a short, descriptive modifier should call it an "immigration-reduction organization."
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


My Idea "The Main Plot" - Vincent Mancini is the Godfather and is now in his 50's. Mancini is bored of the 21st Century Cosa Nostra and realises the other Five Families bosses are old and arent aware of how the Feds work. Mancini has connection's from Sicily and Palermo also Britian and American's. Mancini has a meeting with the Five Heads making a new rule that British, American and Italian can all join to make it more succesful and a larger business. By this new rule Mancini can hire more people into the corleone family. A few years later Mancini has all Caporegime's, Underbosses, Consigliere's and Bosses targeted. Mancini has all of the top heads killed and replaces them with the most trusted and respected crew members. "Skipping Court Scene" . Mancini later sends ally requests with the Five Families. Vincent eventually nominates The Corleone family to be called "Family of all Families". The Chicago Outfit and other families are now called "Under Families" which would be hired as extra muscle and would be covers. The Five Families soon take America over by 15 years which makes Vincent about in his mid 80's or early 80s. The Five Families soon form ally requests to the Sicilian Mafia and The Russian Mafia plus other top families in Europe through this success the first "Europe Commission" is made and the American's, Italians and Europe Families soon become great allys and strong business partners making Vincent Mancini bigger than Lucky Luciano and Al Capone put together. Mancini outruns the Police and Feds. - - - This is just a plot and an Idea.


text:
Back to the Golden State Warriors Newsfeed
Warriors Sound Podcast: Kris Weems
Official Site of the Warriors | June 23, 2020
Related Topics: Golden State Warriors, Kris Weems, Mike Montgomery, Santa Cruz Warriors, NBA G League
Santa Cruz Warriors head coach Kris Weems talks about his experiences within the Warriors organization over the years in both Golden State and with the NBA G League team.
His college playing days at Stanford featured four consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament as he played from 1995 to 1999 with the Cardinal under former Warriors head coach Mike Montgomery.
Averaging 10 points per game during his entire college career, his memories of tournament games with Stanford including a Final Four, plus his time playing alongside Warriors assistant coach Jarron Collins are part of the conversation.
A native of Kansas City, Weems played professional basketball in Tel Aviv after his time at Stanford and has also served as both the Director of Athletics and boys basketball head coach at Menlo School in Atherton.
See full article at Official Site of the Warriors


Rescue workers have retrieved the body of one of two mountain climbers who froze to death on the Eiger this week after being trapped by a storm.
It was the first tragedy this year on the 3,970 metre high Eiger – a mountain regarded as one of Switzerland's most dangerous and whose name, some people think, means "ogre".
Poor weather thwarted the recovery of the body of the other man, who had attempted with his friend to scale the peak's notorious north face, one of the most challenging in the Alps.
The two mountaineers, who have not been named, were found frozen to death, not on the treacherous north face, but on a ridgeline leading back towards a mountain hut and the Jungfraujoch railway station, a popular tourist attraction.
Both climbers were recruits on vacation from the Swiss army's mountain training centre based in Andermatt. By all accounts they were experienced and well prepared. They had almost certainly reached the summit before becoming trapped.
"But did something happen to them already on the way up the north face?" wondered Christian Brawand, president of canton Bern's mountain rescue service that was involved in the effort.
"I don't think the Eiger is much more dangerous than other mountains, but like all over the Alps, the situation can change very quickly," he told swissinfo. "These two young climbers made the proper planning. We just don't know what happened. We may never get answers."
What is known is that the two men, aged 22 and 21, had set out Sunday morning. The weather had been clear that morning with cold temperatures and wind.
Ueli Steck, a Swiss mountaineer who holds the speed record for climbing the north face and knows the mountain well, said the conditions that day were good enough that he, too, would have started the climb. But weather reports did show a storm was moving in.
The two climbers were tackling the face's original route, the 1,800-metre Heckmair Route, a steep and exposed line climbed by the German-Austrian team which made the first successful ascent in 1938. People in the village below said they saw lights that evening near the spot known as the Flatiron - probably the climbers making camp.
Relatives began to worry when the men did not call to check in that night. The next day they reported them missing. Word reached a mountain rescue station in Grindelwald late on Monday night, but by this time the weather had deteriorated, making a helicopter rescue impossible.
"We just couldn't reach them," Marc Ziegler, head of the Grindelwald rescue station, told swissinfo. "That is unusual but the conditions made it not possible."
The men probably did the best thing they could have in such a situation and hunkered down in a snow cave or behind rocks out of the wind. They survived the night.
Early on Tuesday morning, the father of one of the climbers briefly reached his son on his mobile.
"He said they had cold fingers and feet but they sounded optimistic," Ziegler said. Rescuers had time to learn where the climbers were before the signal went dead.
The rescue could then begin in earnest. But the temperature had dropped to –22 degrees with wind gusts up to 80km/h. As much as a metre of new snow choked the way to the stranded climbers.
"To go just ten metres people needed a half an hour," Ziegler said.
The effort was called off later that afternoon in worsening weather. By early Wednesday morning four helicopters, including one from the Swiss army with infrared imaging capabilities, were able to fly toward the ridge and spotted the men. A doctor and a police officer dangled beneath one helicopter from a cable and were able to get within five metres of them.
From what they could see, it was clear the climbers had frozen to death.
The Eiger has been the scene of a number of horrific dramas, which have struck the public imagination because the north face sits within easy view of villages below, allowing people to watch tragedies unfold.
To date more than 60 people have died on the mountain, which can be dangerous because of loose rock and storms that gather in an instant.
Climbers have died within feet of windows cut through the rock during the building of the railway that runs through the mountain. Some corpses have been left to dangle for weeks as the terrain is often too difficult for rescuers to retrieve bodies quickly. The death of two British climbers who fell in 2000 was caught on film.
"The dangerous part about the Eiger isn't the north face," Steck told swissinfo. "There you are moving slowly, securely. It's when you get to the parts where you can walk more quickly that you will make a mistake."
Janine Patitucci, a professional mountain sports photographer from Lucerne, used nearly the same decent as the ill-fated climbers after her climb up the peak a few years ago. She said the route the climbers may have been trying to go down can be worse than the way up.
"It's just so exposed," she said. "In a storm it would have been terrifying."
Rescuers were hoping the weather would improve on Friday to allow them to retrieve the other body but high winds thwarted those efforts.
In the meantime, friends, family and colleagues are grappling with what went wrong.
"He had always talked about the mountains as 'his' mountains," the father of one of the men said. "Now the mountains have kept him."
After Pakistan's K2, few other peaks are shrouded in such a macabre mythos as the north face of the Eiger.
The mountain, which from some angles looks like a mini Mount Everest, was first climbed in August 1858 by a Swiss guide and an Irish client who used the far easier west flank to reach the top.
As 20th century mountaineers began to set their sights on more challenging routes up peaks, Germans were the first to focus their efforts on the Eiger's far more daunting north face.
It is an 1,800-metre-high wall, with vertical sections of rock and ice that rain debris down on climbers.
The first people to die on the face were Max Sedlmayer and Karl Mehringer who perished in 1935.
In 1936 a climbing party of four was wiped out after an avalanche knocked them off the wall. One climber fell to his death; another was killed when he smashed into the rock face. A third, roped to the other two, died after the rope pulled him tight against the wall and asphyxiated him.
The fourth climber, Toni Kurz, was uninjured but left dangling on the mountain for two days.
Rescuers could get within feet of him but his fingers were so badly frozen he was unable to manipulate his gear to lower himself a few feet to reach help. "I can't go on," he said and died.
Eiger claims two more victims Mar 27, 2009 - 08:25 Rescue workers have retrieved the body of one of two mountain climbers who froze to death on the Eiger this week after being trapped by a storm. It was the first tragedy this year on the 3,970 metre high Eiger – a mountain regarded as one of Switzerland's most dangerous and whose name, some people think, means "ogre". Poor weather thwarted the recovery of the body of the other man, who had attempted with his friend to scale the peak's notorious north face, one of the most challenging in the Alps. The two mountaineers, who have not been named, were found frozen to death, not on the treacherous north face, but on a ridgeline leading back towards a mountain hut and the Jungfraujoch railway station, a popular tourist attraction. Both climbers were recruits on vacation from the Swiss army's mountain training centre based in Andermatt. By all accounts they were experienced and well prepared. They had almost certainly reached the summit before becoming trapped. "But did something happen to them already on the way up the north face?" wondered Christian Brawand, president of canton Bern's mountain rescue service that was involved in the effort. "I don't think the Eiger is much more dangerous than other mountains, but like all over the Alps, the situation can change very quickly," he told swissinfo. "These two young climbers made the proper planning. We just don't know what happened. We may never get answers." Fighting to survive What is known is that the two men, aged 22 and 21, had set out Sunday morning. The weather had been clear that morning with cold temperatures and wind. Ueli Steck, a Swiss mountaineer who holds the speed record for climbing the north face and knows the mountain well, said the conditions that day were good enough that he, too, would have started the climb. But weather reports did show a storm was moving in. The two climbers were tackling the face's original route, the 1,800-metre Heckmair Route, a steep and exposed line climbed by the German-Austrian team which made the first successful ascent in 1938. People in the village below said they saw lights that evening near the spot known as the Flatiron - probably the climbers making camp. Relatives began to worry when the men did not call to check in that night. The next day they reported them missing. Word reached a mountain rescue station in Grindelwald late on Monday night, but by this time the weather had deteriorated, making a helicopter rescue impossible. "We just couldn't reach them," Marc Ziegler, head of the Grindelwald rescue station, told swissinfo. "That is unusual but the conditions made it not possible." The men probably did the best thing they could have in such a situation and hunkered down in a snow cave or behind rocks out of the wind. They survived the night. Contact lost Early on Tuesday morning, the father of one of the climbers briefly reached his son on his mobile. "He said they had cold fingers and feet but they sounded optimistic," Ziegler said. Rescuers had time to learn where the climbers were before the signal went dead. The rescue could then begin in earnest. But the temperature had dropped to –22 degrees with wind gusts up to 80km/h. As much as a metre of new snow choked the way to the stranded climbers. "To go just ten metres people needed a half an hour," Ziegler said. The effort was called off later that afternoon in worsening weather. By early Wednesday morning four helicopters, including one from the Swiss army with infrared imaging capabilities, were able to fly toward the ridge and spotted the men. A doctor and a police officer dangled beneath one helicopter from a cable and were able to get within five metres of them. From what they could see, it was clear the climbers had frozen to death. Death toll rises The Eiger has been the scene of a number of horrific dramas, which have struck the public imagination because the north face sits within easy view of villages below, allowing people to watch tragedies unfold. To date more than 60 people have died on the mountain, which can be dangerous because of loose rock and storms that gather in an instant. Climbers have died within feet of windows cut through the rock during the building of the railway that runs through the mountain. Some corpses have been left to dangle for weeks as the terrain is often too difficult for rescuers to retrieve bodies quickly. The death of two British climbers who fell in 2000 was caught on film. "The dangerous part about the Eiger isn't the north face," Steck told swissinfo. "There you are moving slowly, securely. It's when you get to the parts where you can walk more quickly that you will make a mistake." Janine Patitucci, a professional mountain sports photographer from Lucerne, used nearly the same decent as the ill-fated climbers after her climb up the peak a few years ago. She said the route the climbers may have been trying to go down can be worse than the way up. "It's just so exposed," she said. "In a storm it would have been terrifying." Rescuers were hoping the weather would improve on Friday to allow them to retrieve the other body but high winds thwarted those efforts. In the meantime, friends, family and colleagues are grappling with what went wrong. "He had always talked about the mountains as 'his' mountains," the father of one of the men said. "Now the mountains have kept him." swissinfo, Tim Neville Macabre mountain After Pakistan's K2, few other peaks are shrouded in such a macabre mythos as the north face of the Eiger. The mountain, which from some angles looks like a mini Mount Everest, was first climbed in August 1858 by a Swiss guide and an Irish client who used the far easier west flank to reach the top. As 20th century mountaineers began to set their sights on more challenging routes up peaks, Germans were the first to focus their efforts on the Eiger's far more daunting north face. It is an 1,800-metre-high wall, with vertical sections of rock and ice that rain debris down on climbers. The first people to die on the face were Max Sedlmayer and Karl Mehringer who perished in 1935. In 1936 a climbing party of four was wiped out after an avalanche knocked them off the wall. One climber fell to his death; another was killed when he smashed into the rock face. A third, roped to the other two, died after the rope pulled him tight against the wall and asphyxiated him. The fourth climber, Toni Kurz, was uninjured but left dangling on the mountain for two days. Rescuers could get within feet of him but his fingers were so badly frozen he was unable to manipulate his gear to lower himself a few feet to reach help. "I can't go on," he said and died.
The Matterhorn is one of the world's most famous mountains and every year more than 1,200 people are plucked from peril as they try to conquer it.


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Upton, Apartment, Two Bath - convenient location.
Two Bed Apartment - Impressive and lofty.
It is a Two Bed affordable Apartment for rent in Upton.
One Bed Apartment - Millhaus At Upton has a total of 89 units.
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Two Bed Apartment - Come home to more at Halstead Westborough.
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text:
Nurses on the 2016 Australia Day Honours List
Extracting information from gg.gov.au/australia-day-2016-honours-lists, below are the Nurses named on the 2016 Australia Day Honours List.
Source: https://www.itsanhonour.gov.au
Professor Mari Angela Botti AM
Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia
For significant service to nursing, and to medical education, as an academic and author, and to pain management research.
Deakin University:
Alfred Deakin Professor in Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Health, since 2012.
Epworth Chair of Nursing, since 2004 and Professor, School of Nursing and Midwifery, since 1998.
Coordinator, Bachelor of Nursing (Clinical Honours), since 2005.
Chair, Human Research Ethics Committee, current.
Executive Member, Quality and Patient Safety Strategic Research Centre, current.
Lecturer, School of Nursing, La Trobe University, 1988-1998 and Senior Tutor, 1986- 1988 and Sessional Clinical Teacher, 1985-1986.
Epworth Healthcare:
Chair in Nursing, Epworth/Deakin Centre for Clinical Nursing Research, Epworth HealthCare, since 2004 and Member, Human Research and Ethics Committee (HREC) and Chair, HREC Low Risk Sub-Committee.
Director, Alfred/Deakin Nursing Research Centre, Alfred Health, 1998-2010 and Deputy Chair, Human Research Ethics Committee and Board Member, Alfred Medical Research and Education Precinct (AMREP) and Member, Nursing Advisory Committee.
Member, Victorian Quality Council, 2004-2008.
Member, Victorian Policy Advisory Committee on Clinical Practice and Technology, 2005- 2006.
Member, External Review of Applications for DHS Public Health Research Projects, 2002-2003.
External Assessor, Research Project Grants Proposals, National Health and Medical Research Council (NHRMC) and Australian Research Council (ARC), since 2000.
Has published over 83 articles in refereed journals and 5 book chapters .
Professional Organisations include:
Member, Australian College of Nursing, since 1979.
Member, Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand, since 1992.
Member, Australian Pain Society, since 1992.
Member, International Association for the Study of Pain, since 2001.
Member, Health Services Research Association, Australia and New Zealand (HSRAANZ), since 2007.
Nursing roles include:
RN/Clinical Nurse Specialist, Coronary Care Unit, Royal Melbourne Hospital, 1984-1992 and Student/Clinical Nurse, Coronary Care Unit, 1981 and Clinical Nurse, Medical/Surgical/Intensive Care Unit, 1978-1980.
Student/Midwife, St Thomas' and Guys Hospitals, London, UK, 1982-1984.
Paula Jean Penfold AM
Toowong, Queensland
For significant service to the community through support for people with Muscular Dystrophy, to child health ethical standards, and to medical research.
Founding and active member, Muscular Dystrophy Association of Queensland, since 1978.
Member, Human Research Ethics Committee, Queensland Children's Health Services, Brisbane Royal Children's Hospital, since 1980.
Senior Clinical Nurse and Research Assistant, Greenslopes Hospital, 'for many years'.
Researched and co-authored several articles for theNeuroendocrine Research Unit, Greenslopes Hospital, 1991.
Management Consultant, Paula J Penfold and Associates, current.
Associate Fellow, Australasian College of Health Service Management, since 2013.
Kym Robina Stuart AM
Kedron, Queensland
For significant service to nursing through a range of voluntary roles throughout the developing world, particularly in Asia and the Pacific.
Volunteer Perioperative Nurse Surgical Assistant, Asia/Pacific Region, Open Heart International (formerly Operation Open Heart), since 1992.
Has attended 50 aid trips to a range of developing countries including: Mongolia, Vietnam, Vanuatu, Myanmar, and the Solomon Islands, Cambodia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Nepal and Rwanda.
Head, Operating Theatres, during all 20 trips to Papua New Guinea.
Fundraiser for, and collector of, various surgical instruments, equipment, clothes and books.
Professional service includes:
Clinical Nurse, Paediatric Cardiac Operating Theatre, Queensland Paediatric Cardiac Service, Lady Cilento Children's Hospital, (formerly at Mater Children's Hospital), since 2008.
Surgeon Assistant, and Nurse Specialist, Cardiac Operating Theatres, Sydney Adventist Hospital, 1990-2005 and was involved in the establishment of the Operation Open Heart project.
Awards and recognition includes:
Recipient, Cross of Medical Service Medal, Order of Logohu, Papua New Guinea, 2008, 'for services to public health and the community through participation in Operation Open Heart.
Recipient, Paul Harris Award, Rotary International, 2007, 'for contribution to international aid work'.
Kathleen Ellen Bright OAM
Medal (OAM) of the Order of Australia in the General Division
Moss Vale, New South Wales
For service to women, and to nursing.
Country Women's Association of New South Wales:
State Vice-President, 2010-2012.
Group President, Wollondilly Group, 2003-2006.
Group Representative to State Executive, 2006-2009.
President, Moss Vale Branch, 2010-2012, 2002-2006.
Member, since 2002 and Member, Kiama Branch, 'for many years'. Other community:
Vice-President, United Hospitals Auxiliary, Moss Vale Branch, since 2001.
Assistant Director of Nursing and Manager of Surgery, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, 1992-1996.
Director of Nursing, Campbelltown Private Hospital, 1989-1991.
Director of Nursing and Area Advisor in Nursing, Liverpool Hospital, 1977-1989.
Fellow, Australian College of Nursing (formerly Royal College of Nursing Australia and New South Wales College of Nursing), current.
Fellow, The Institute of Nursing Administration of New South Wales and ACT.
Associate Fellow, Australian College of Health Services Administrators.
Narelle Gai Martin OAM
Kirribilli, New South Wales
For service to nursing, particularly palliative care for children.
Nursing Manager, 'Bear Cottage' Children's Hospice, (affiliated with the Sydney Children's
Hospital Network) since 2008; Registered Nurse, 2001 – 2008.
Registered Nurse, Children's Hospital at Westmead, 1982 – 2001. Member, New South Wales Nurses and Midwives Association, since 2003.
Mark Cameron McDonald ASM
Ambulance Service Medal (ASM)
Stones Corner, Queensland
Mr McDonald commenced his career with the former Queensland Ambulance Transport Brigade, now the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS), in Gatton as an Honorary Officer in January 1977 and has diligently served the community at locations throughout Queensland for more than 37 years. His unfailing commitment and dedication to excellence in patient care, education, training and continuous professional development has earned him the respect of the community, and his peers, as a role model in the field of the practise of paramedicine. He has contributed in a distinctive way to the development of the QAS during his career, including high level contribution to the introduction of the original Associate Diploma of Ambulance Studies, service planning, clinical education and student paramedic progression. He has continually demonstrated determination, resourcefulness, consideration and passion in the roles he has undertaken. As a critical care paramedic, registered nurse, educator, mentor and coach, Mr McDonald epitomises the best qualities and characteristics of what is expected of a professional ambulance paramedic, contributing valuably to the QAS, peer development and the Queensland community.
Captain K
Australian Army
Distinguished Service Medal DSM)
For distinguished leadership in warlike operations as the Nursing Officer and Health Planner on Operation OKRA.
Captain K displayed outstanding leadership and dedication to duty as a Nursing Officer. She accepted, planned and executed the most difficult of medical responses and support tasks in extremely austere environments professionally and without fault. She directly contributed to the operational effects of the Special Operations Task Group. Her leadership is of the highest order and in keeping with the traditions of the Australian Army and the Australian Defence Force.
Captain Katrina Anne Kelly
Commendation for Distinguished Service
For distinguished performance of duties in warlike operations as the Nursing Officer to the United Kingdom-led mentoring mission to the Afghan National Army Officer Academy at Qargha, Kabul Afghanistan on Operations SLIPPER and HIGHROAD from July 2014 to January 2015.
Captain Kelly displayed exceptional professionalism and dedication to duty while providing immediate health support to Australian and Coalition Forces. Her level-headed actions following an insider attack at the Marshal Fahim National Defence University had a force multiplying effect which aided the critical treatment and extraction of fourteen casualties. Captain Kelly selflessly provided mental health and welfare support at Qargha which was above and beyond the scope of her prescribed duties and greatly assisted the wellbeing of Australian personnel.
Although not on the honours list, there is certainly another nurse worthy of a mention amongst this company:
Anne Carey
National Finalist (representing Western Australian)
Australian of the Year 2016
A nurse, midwife and medical warrior, Anne Carey has spent her life helping others – even when it has been at great personal risk. Anne has provided health care for remote communities in hospitals and clinics across Papua New Guinea, Northern Territory and Western Australian. As an Australian Red Cross aid worker in some of the world's hotspots including Sudan, Kenya and most recently Sierra Leone, Anne leaves an impact on everyone she meets. During her time in Sudan, Anne and her colleagues came under attack, but while others left, they courageously stayed put to help the local residents. In Sierra Leone, she spent three assignments battling on the frontline against the deadly Ebola virus and was amongst the first volunteers to assist. Every day, she was taped into a personal protection suit, and while she may have looked inhuman in her all-white sterilised suit, thick rubber gloves and perspex goggles, Anne extended humanity with a simple touch and professional care that helped people understand they were not alone. Despite the death, fear and despair felt during the Ebola outbreak, Anne was a beacon of hope and continues the desperate fight to save the lives of people most in need.
Source: www.australianoftheyear.org.au/honour-roll/?view=fullView&recipientID=1379
Please let me know if I missed any nurses or midwives. I'm happy to correct any oversights (not fully caffeinated yet).
Similarly, if you know of an online article that elaborates on the info above and/or has a photo of any of the Nurses on the 2016 Australia Day Honours List please let me know via the comments section below – I'd be happy to add a link to the article(s).
That'll do for now..
Paul McNamara, 26 January 2016
This entry was posted in Blog and tagged 2016, Australia Day, honours, nurse, nurses, nursing on 26 January 2016 by Paul McNamara.
← Once Up, Twice Down (not as depressing as it sounds) The Last 40-Odd Weeks →
1 thought on "Nurses on the 2016 Australia Day Honours List"
Dr Rhonda Wilson RN Rural Mental Health Nurse 26 January 2016 at 20:14
Reblogged this on Rhonda Wilson MHN and commented:
Fabulous compilation of nursing honours for Australia Day.


Kathy was born and raised in San Jose. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and her Master of Business Administration degree from the University of California, Berkeley. She attended seminary at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, from which she received her Master of Divinity degree in 2001. Prior to taking on the role of Interim Rector, Kathy served as Assisting Priest at Church of the Resurrection, and as both Associate and Interim Rector at St. Timothy's, Danville.
Kathy lives in Danville with her husband, Tom. They have four adult children, all of whom live in the Bay Area. She is an avid Bruins fan, and in her free time enjoys reading, watching and playing sports, and flying airplanes.


A huge helping of Hapa high-fives to everyone who made our festival extra special this year. A special thanks to all our gorgeous volunteers and organizing committee, super-cool sponsors, attending speakers&presenters, media friends and of course, our attendees!
If you haven't had a chance to yet, do sign up for our mailing list so you don't miss any future festivities.
We can't wait to see you in 2015!
Congratulations to our inaugural award winners: Fred Wah, Ann Makosinski, and Kip Fulbeck (L-R).
Photo by Jordan Yerman of the Vancouver Observer. Awards by Eclipse Awards.
Older PostSunday Sept 28 - Last Day of the Festival!


Prior to despatch your Edibel Icing Photo Cake Topper(s) has been pre dried in a food dehydraytor.
You will have had you Photo Cake Topper(s) delivered in a grip seal bag to keep that dryness.
If you still find that your Photo Cake Topper will not come away from the backing then read our instructions below.
Please understand there is NO single correct answer to this problem, since the climate conditions and humidity of each part of the country or even the world is different or changes seasonally.
After printing, we have dried you cake topper(s), and placed them in a grip seal bag to keep the dryness.
You should not remove your topper(s) from the bag until you are ready to use them.
In some cases you may still find that the frosting sheets will NOT easily release from the paper after the normal drying period, or come apart in small pieces.
Placing finished Frosting Sheet into a VERY COLD FREEZER will allow easy removal after about 10 to 15 seconds, (NOT LONGER), providing the freezer is a DRY freezer and not a WET freezer. (This really works the best). You should remove the sheet immediately.
Use a blower type Hair dryer (or any other hot air supply) on the reverse side of the backing sheet on high hot for 30-40 seconds. This method is very reliable and should solve your release problems.
Place in a warm dry oven at a low temperature, for about 1-2 minutes, or lay the sheet on a warm pan for a minute or two.
It also works well if left in an Air-Conditioned area for a short time.
Remember, the only reason the frosting sheets will not easily come off the backing sheet, is that the Frosting Sheet is still wet.
THEY WILL RELEASE WHEN THEY ARE DRY.
If you have a shop-bought cake or the icing on your cake has dried or formed a crust, a little moisture will help the icing sheet attach to the icing and blend in. Dampen the cake icing using a pastry-brush or a fine mist/spray, but don't over-wet it. DO NOT WET THE ICING SHEET - this may cause the colours in the image to run.
Hold the icing topper gently at the edges and place the middle onto the cake first. If any bubbles or wrinkles appear gently pat them out with DRY fingers.
If you accidentally tear the icing - DON'T PANIC! Just rub very gently with a dry finger and it will merge back together and the tear will disappear after an hour or so.
After a few hours your picture will blend into the icing and look like it has been painted onto the icing. The time this takes and the results will vary depending on how dry your icing is.
If you have used a very dry topping, or if you need to serve the cake straight away then pipe some icing around the image to hide any visible edges.


text:
package org.apache.flink.runtime.minicluster;

import org.apache.flink.configuration.Configuration;
import org.apache.flink.runtime.blob.BlobServer;
import org.apache.flink.runtime.dispatcher.DispatcherGateway;
import org.apache.flink.runtime.dispatcher.MemoryArchivedExecutionGraphStore;
import org.apache.flink.runtime.entrypoint.component.DispatcherResourceManagerComponent;
import org.apache.flink.runtime.entrypoint.component.SessionDispatcherResourceManagerComponentFactory;
import org.apache.flink.runtime.heartbeat.HeartbeatServices;
import org.apache.flink.runtime.highavailability.HighAvailabilityServices;
import org.apache.flink.runtime.metrics.MetricRegistry;
import org.apache.flink.runtime.rpc.FatalErrorHandler;
import org.apache.flink.runtime.webmonitor.retriever.MetricQueryServiceRetriever;

import javax.annotation.Nonnull;
import javax.annotation.Nullable;

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Collection;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.concurrent.CompletableFuture;
import java.util.concurrent.Executor;
import java.util.function.Supplier;

/**
 * {@link MiniCluster} extension which allows to set a custom {@link HighAvailabilityServices}.
 */
public class TestingMiniCluster extends MiniCluster {

	private final int numberDispatcherResourceManagerComponents;

	private final boolean localCommunication;

	@Nullable
	private final Supplier<HighAvailabilityServices> highAvailabilityServicesSupplier;

	public TestingMiniCluster(
			TestingMiniClusterConfiguration miniClusterConfiguration,
			@Nullable Supplier<HighAvailabilityServices> highAvailabilityServicesSupplier) {
		super(miniClusterConfiguration);
		this.numberDispatcherResourceManagerComponents = miniClusterConfiguration.getNumberDispatcherResourceManagerComponents();
		this.highAvailabilityServicesSupplier = highAvailabilityServicesSupplier;
		this.localCommunication = miniClusterConfiguration.isLocalCommunication();
	}

	public TestingMiniCluster(TestingMiniClusterConfiguration miniClusterConfiguration) {
		this(miniClusterConfiguration, null);
	}

	@Nonnull
	@Override
	public Collection<DispatcherResourceManagerComponent<?>> getDispatcherResourceManagerComponents() {
		return super.getDispatcherResourceManagerComponents();
	}

	@Nonnull
	@Override
	public CompletableFuture<Void> terminateTaskExecutor(int index) {
		return super.terminateTaskExecutor(index);
	}

	@Override
	public void startTaskExecutor() throws Exception {
		super.startTaskExecutor();
	}

	@Override
	protected boolean useLocalCommunication() {
		return localCommunication;
	}

	@Override
	protected HighAvailabilityServices createHighAvailabilityServices(Configuration configuration, Executor executor) throws Exception {
		if (highAvailabilityServicesSupplier != null) {
			return highAvailabilityServicesSupplier.get();
		} else {
			return super.createHighAvailabilityServices(configuration, executor);
		}
	}

	@Override
	protected Collection<? extends DispatcherResourceManagerComponent<?>> createDispatcherResourceManagerComponents(
			Configuration configuration,
			RpcServiceFactory rpcServiceFactory,
			HighAvailabilityServices haServices,
			BlobServer blobServer,
			HeartbeatServices heartbeatServices,
			MetricRegistry metricRegistry,
			MetricQueryServiceRetriever metricQueryServiceRetriever,
			FatalErrorHandler fatalErrorHandler) throws Exception {
		SessionDispatcherResourceManagerComponentFactory dispatcherResourceManagerComponentFactory = createTestingDispatcherResourceManagerComponentFactory();

		final List<DispatcherResourceManagerComponent<?>> result = new ArrayList<>(numberDispatcherResourceManagerComponents);

		for (int i = 0; i < numberDispatcherResourceManagerComponents; i++) {
			result.add(
				dispatcherResourceManagerComponentFactory.create(
					configuration,
					rpcServiceFactory.createRpcService(),
					haServices,
					blobServer,
					heartbeatServices,
					metricRegistry,
					new MemoryArchivedExecutionGraphStore(),
					metricQueryServiceRetriever,
					fatalErrorHandler));
		}

		return result;
	}

	@Override
	public CompletableFuture<DispatcherGateway> getDispatcherGatewayFuture() {
		return super.getDispatcherGatewayFuture();
	}

	private SessionDispatcherResourceManagerComponentFactory createTestingDispatcherResourceManagerComponentFactory() {
		return new SessionDispatcherResourceManagerComponentFactory(
			SessionDispatcherWithUUIDFactory.INSTANCE,
			StandaloneResourceManagerWithUUIDFactory.INSTANCE);
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


From the List below, please find the song you would like to request, Copy and Paste into your Rotary 4KIDS Radiothon donation.
BRUNO MARS – UPTOWN FUNK!
HEART – WHAT ABOUT LOVE?
WHAM! – WAKE ME UP BEFORE YOU GO GO!


Stunning luxury south facing villa overlooking Sierra Blanca and the mediterranean see. Spacious and open plan salon furnished to a high standard. Large ensuit bedrooms on ground and first floor. Relaxation suite with calm atmosphere, sauna, top functional gym with Tantui equipment and cinema room with surround system on the lower level. 24hours security. Short distance to Marbella centre and Puerto Banus. Entrance level: 2 bedrooms with bathrooms en-suite 1st floor: 3 bedrooms all with bathrooms en-suite, master bedroom with direct access to terrace with amazing views, sun lounges and jacuzzi.


Why Aging Before Aging age? What does measured Blood Pressure represent exactly? Complex Medical Theory helpful?
- Realization that a lot of things we accepted without going deeper to understand Why and How?
Deeply curious about life, well-being, manifesting potentials, health, and the universe.
In spite of challenges, poor performances, illnesses, determine to learn daily life cultivation towards total wellbeing.
This video course is for creating greater awareness of our built in belief system, in what way we should re-examine and challenge such unconscious belief system.
Through discussion of a few topics in this video course, we begin to see a new perspective, particularly concerning how we understand our body system, mind, emotion and our health.
This awareness creation will lead us to explore further to learn the ancient system for better well being for ourselves and our loved ones.
In spite of challenges, poor performances, illnesses, determine to learn daily life cultivation towards total well being.
Why Aging Before Aging age?
How Western Medicine treats aging?
What if you lay on bed playing Facebook all day lone, every day?
How Ancient Wisdom explains aging before aging age?
What does measured Blood Pressure represent exactly?
How does Yellow Emperor explain heart pumping?
Complex medical theory really useful?
Qi Blood concept used in "Why aging before the Aging age?"
Where do we get energy from for our body?
What is energy in the human body?
Does what you eat affect your athletic performance?
How many calories do I burn sleeping?
Brain needs 20% energy & is 85% water : implication of stroke, dementia etc.
Holistic Framework for Healthy Mind, Body and Emotions.


text:
AR Podcasts
AR Videos
Activist's Corner
Print Back Issues
Send Us News Stories
Monthly Recurring
Humble Eskimo Lolly Gives Tourist a Bad Taste
New Zealand Herald (Auckland), April 21, 2009
It's as much a staple of New Zealand sweet confectionary as pineapple lumps and spearmint leaves, but the marshmallow Eskimo has been deemed offensive to native Canadians and may require a makeover.
Canadian tourist Seeka Lee Veevee Parsons, 21, an Inuit of the Nunavut Territory in Canada, was shocked when she found the lollies for sale last week, saying they are an insult to her people.
The word Eskimo was unacceptable in her country and carried with it negative racial connotations, she told the Taranaki Daily News.
The correct term was Inuit, Ms Parsons said.
"I was taken aback. When I was a little girl white kids in the community used to tease me about it in a bad way. It's just not the correct term."
She intends sending packets of the iconic confectionary to the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and her grandfather, a Inuit tribal elder in the Nunavut Territory.
Not only has the name of the lolly aroused painful memories, she believes the shape is an unfair stereotype of her people.
"We are much more of a people than that image. We have deep ties to the land and an ancient culture and I think we should be recognised as that and not just a marshmallow figure."
A spokesman for Cadbury/Pascall, which makes the sweets, said the product had been in the market for many years and it was never their intention to offend anyone.
He was unable to say whether the lolly shape and name would be changed now they had been made aware it had caused offence.
Topics: Australia/New Zealand, Canada, Indians, Racial Sensitivity
< Modern European Fascism
Questions Abound About Mexico's Response to the Crisis >
What Foreign-Language Study Tells Us About Our Country
The Democrat Primary Is Too White
'1917' and the Suicide of the West
Roger Scruton, RIP
'I Can't Believe They Let Me Out'
'I Don't Hate All White People'
The contents of this website are copyright © 1990-2020 New Century Foundation.


text:
Four Black Legends Unite For a Celebration of a Lifetime in the One Night in Miami Trailer
Watch the Trailer For Regina King's One Night in Miami
19 November 2020 by Mekishana Pierre
In some parallel universe, the events of Regina King's One Night in Miami really went down. In this universe, we'll only have this fictional telling of how Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Jim Brown, and Sam Cooke got together; but lucky us, it looks like a pretty damn good one!
One Night in Miami tells the story of Feb. 25, 1964, the night after Cassius Clay (soon to be Muhammad Ali and played by Eli Goree) celebrated his victory against Sonny Liston for the heavyweight title with Civil Rights activist Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), c), and soul singer Sam Cooke (played by Leslie Odom Jr. in what might be the most perfect casting decision ever). The four unite to celebrate, share their struggles as such prominent public figures, and look for answers on how to uplift Black people with their varied platforms. The film is King's feature directorial debut, based on the Kemp Powers play of the same name and is graced with a screenplay also written by Kemp. Not to jinx anything, but this feels like it could be another Oscar-winner for the Watchman actress! Watch the enthralling trailer ahead, and check out some photos from the film before One Night in Miami premieres in select theatres on Christmas Day and on Amazon Prime Video on Jan. 15.
ChristmasOne Night In MiamiAmazon Prime VideoLeslie Odom Jr.StreamingRace And CultureMoviesRegina KingMovie Trailers
WandaVision: Here's the Exact Time Disney+ Drops New Episodes
by Megan duBois 5 days ago


Elliott Smith died six years ago today. I remember the exact moment when I found out. I was in college, in the computer labs upstairs in the student centre. It must have been a Wednesday, like today, because I was getting ready to go next door to the Campus Radio studio and do my show….


Application Description: We invite you into the world of Theater Emory, revealing the work we make, and the people who make it. The app gives you access to premium content, including enhanced digital programs, and a free, regularly-updated content stream of events and behind-the-scenes insight.
Under review Review for public distribution complete. Discussion of transfer details to begin.


What is Cosequin® DS Maximum Strength Plus MSM?
What is Cosequin® DS Maximum Strength Plus MSM & Omega-3s?
• Specially formulated and designed for dogs under 25 lbs.
What is Cosequin® for Cats?
▼Source: Among retail brands. Survey conducted among small animal veterinarians who recommended oral joint health supplements.


text:
VINNY APPICE, RUDY SARZO, JIMMY BAIN Featured On WILL WALLNER/VIVIEN VAIN Debut
Los Angeles-based hard rock artists Will Wallner (guitar) and Vivien Vain (vocals) are putting the finishing touches on their debut album featuring an all-star lineup of guest musicians. The duo have written and recorded several songs and are in the process of recording the final tracks for their debut release. Half of the songs feature Carmine Appice (BLUE MURDER, KING KOBRA) and half feature Vinny Appice (BLACK SABBATH, DIO, HEAVEN & HELL). Bassist Tony Franklin (BLUE MURDER, THE FIRM) plays alongside Carmine, reuniting the duo who played together in the critically acclaimed BLUE MURDER. Vinny performs with bassist Jimmy Bain (RAINBOW, DIO) with whom he had previously played in the classic lineup of DIO. Rudy Sarzo (OZZY OSBOURNE, QUIET RIOT, DIO) also plays on several tracks with Vinny. Guest musician Tony Carey (RAINBOW) also plays on two tracks with Jimmy Bain, reuniting the two musicians who previously performed on RITCHIE BLACKMORE'S RAINBOW "Rising". Mixing the album is industry pro Gary Tole, who, in addition to working with BON JOVI and METALLICA, has worked with David Lee Roth and Joe Lynn Turner.
The forthcoming CD will include a song from Will Wallner's previous project with keyboardist Derek Sherinian (DREAM THEATER, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION). The track was produced by Derek and features Brian Tichy (WHITESNAKE, PRIDE & GLORY) on drums with Tony Franklin.
For more information, go to www.wallnervain.com.
SUM 41 Cancels Paris Concert After Explosive Device Is Detonated Near Venue
BILLY SHEEHAN Signs With METAL BLADE For Release Of New TALAS Studio Album
Watch MEGADETH Rehearse For European Tour
RATT's STEPHEN PEARCY: 'We Are Going Into The Studio To Dabble In A Few Things This Year'
ACE FREHLEY's Former Girlfriend Denied Restraining Order Against Original KISS Guitarist


text:
Helena Lehtinen (born 1952) is a Finnish contemporary jeweller and teacher.

Lehtinen was born in Lahti and spent her childhood in Nastola, Finland. After studying silversmithing in Lahti University of Applied Science from 1973 to 1977 she travelled to Norway and Germany where she became familiar with works of the Swiss jeweller Otto Kûnzli which made profound impact on her later choices.

Together with Tarja Tuupanen and Eija Mustonen she formed Hibernate group in 1999. In 2000 she graduated with the designer degree from Lahti Polytechnic. She was teaching in Konstfack, Stockholm as a senior lecturer from 2004 to 2006 and facilitated courses at the South Carelia Polytechnics, Lappeenranta and at the Goldsmith School, Lahti. In 2013 she received an international Herbert Hoffman Prize and Finnish Jewellery Art Association awarded her Jewellery Artist of the Year in 2015.

Helena Lehtinen was exhibiting extensively all her live and her work is in public collections of Design Museum Helsinki, Danner Foundation, Munich (on permanent loan to Die Neue Sammlung - The International Design Museum, Munich, Germany) and Gallery Marzee in the Netherlands.

Her jewellery is being described as diverse and surprising. "In her oeuvre we find traces of Minimalism, although her works are never simpler cold. (…) Lehtinen's oeuvre is characterised by her pieces, but never boring, compositions which we are able to witness in her series."  She gets her inspiration from small everyday objects and works with wood, metals and recyclable materials.

She considers jewellery to be an art piece that can be interpreted and given meaning by the owner. Lehtinen also believes that media play an important role in promoting design, and jewellery design in particular, amongst general public.

References

Sources
 Helena Lehtinen
 Archived copy
 From the Coolest Corner – Nordic Jewellery, editor Widar Halén, p. 92

Finnish designers
1952 births
Living people
Women jewellers

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


We all think about retirement and what we hope ours will look like. For some, it means more time with family. For others, it means traveling the world. And for others, its more time for a favorite hobby. Whatever your retirement dream is, we're here to help you achieve it and solve any problems that stand in the way.