Walking the Dog
Howard
Nemerov
Two universes mosey down the
street
Connected by love and a leash
and nothing else.
Mostly I look at lamplight
through the leaves
While he mooches along with
tail up and snout down,
Getting a secret knowledge
through the nose
Almost entirely hidden from my
sight.
We stand while he's enraptured
by a bush
Till I can't stand our standing
any more
And haul him off; for our
relationship
Is patience balancing to this
side tug
And that side drag; a pair of
symbionts
Contented not to think each
other's thoughts.
What else we have in common's
what he taught,
Our interest in shit. We know its every state
From steaming fresh through
stink to nature's way
Of sluicing it to dust that
blows away.
We move along the street
inspecting it.
His sense of it is keener far
than mine,
And only when he finds the
place precise
He signifies by sniffing
urgently
And circles thrice about, and
squats, and shits,
Whereon we both with dignity
walk home
And just to show who's master I
write the poem.
“Zen is really
just a reminder to stay alive and to be awake. We tend to daydream all the
time, speculating about the future and dwelling on the past. Zen practice is
about appreciating your life in this moment. If you are truly aware of five
minutes a day, then you are doing pretty well. We are beset by both the future
and the past, and there is no reality apart from the here and now.”
“And as I surveyed
the clutter of his study I was pleased to see that he was a man after my own
heart. All of his money appeared to have been spent on either books or shelves
to hold them.” Ross King
Everyone tries to
make his life a work of art. We want love to last and we know that it does not
last; even if, by some miracle, it were to last a whole lifetime, it would
still be incomplete. Perhaps, in this insatiable need for perpetuation, we
should better understand human suffering, if we knew that it was eternal. It
appears that great minds are, sometimes, less horrified by suffering than by
the fact that it does not endure. In default of inexhaustible happiness,
eternal suffering would at least give us a destiny. But we do not even have
that consolation, and our worst agonies come to an end one day. One morning,
after many dark nights of despair, an irrepressible longing to live will
announce to us the fact that all is finished and that suffering has no more
meaning than happiness.” Albert Camus
I think I would would have really liked this guy had I known him.........
Man Who Created the Pink Plastic Lawn Flamingo Dies
Lucy Perkins
If you've got a plastic pink flamingo on your lawn, give it a pat on the back. The man who designed the lawn art, Donald Featherstone, has died. He was 79.
A trained sculptor with a background in classical art, Featherstone created the now-ubiquitous pink flamingo in 1957, based on a photo he saw in National Geographic. The flamingo ornament was one of hundreds of items he made for the Union Products plastics company in Leominster, Mass. The AP reports that Featherstone spent 43 years with the company, "rising to the position of president before his retirement in 1999."
Featherstone gave an interview to the Leominster Champion in 2006 and talked about how he got his start: " 'A friend of mine worked at the Worcester Art museum. He got a call from Union Products asking if they knew anyone who could sculpt and design plastic items. They were making flat plastic ornaments at first and were looking to go three dimensional,' he recalled.
"[Featherstone] took the job after, 'a great fear of starving to death. My friend said plastic places will prostitute my work and I'd make no money, but it was worth a try.'
"The first items Union Products had him work on were a girl with a water can and a dog with a boy.
" 'Then they asked me to work on a duck, so I went to buy a real duck to study. I named him Charlie. When I had the plastic duck done, set him free in Cogshall Park. They then asked me to do a flamingo,' he said.
" 'You can't go locally and buy a flamingo, so I got some books, and one that had some good shots was National Geographic. I made the silhouette, then put on the clay and that's how it all got started.' "
Donald Featherstone told the Leominster Champion: "I loved what I did, it's all happy things. You have to figure, my creations were not things people needed in life, we had to make them want them. Things I did made people happy, and that's what life is all about."
Summer Evening ~ Edward Hopper
“Life isn’t long enough for love
and art.” W. Somerset Maugham, Moon and
Sixpence
“I wish I could
show you, when you are lonely or in darkness, the astonishing light of your own
being.” Hafiz of Shiraz
“Editors can be stupid at times.
They just ignore that author’s intention. I always try to read unabridged
editions, so much is lost with cut versions of classic literature, even movies
don’t make sense when they are edited too much. I love the longueurs of a book
even if they seem pointless because you can get a peek into the author’s mind,
a glimpse of their creative soul. I mean, how would people like it if editors
came along and said to an artist, ‘Whoops, you left just a tad too much space
around that lily pad there, lets crop that a bit, shall we?’. Monet would be
ripping his hair out.” E.A. Bucchianeri
There is
also this benefit in brag that the speaker is unconsciously expressing his own
ideal. Humor him by all means draw it all out and hold him to it.
300 quotes from Emerson
To
view more Emerson quotes or read a life background on Emerson please visit the
books blog spot. We update the blog bi-monthly emersonsaidit.blogspot.com
“The way to change
others’ minds is with affection, and not anger.”
“Other people are not medicine.”
What Love is…..
What
does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten
to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to
hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like. Saint
Augustine
36 Best Audiobooks
for Your Road Trip and Beyond
BY RACHEL SMALTER
HALL
We at Book Riot
heart audiobooks just as much as we heart adventure. Here are 36 of the best
audiobooks we’ve been listening to lately — from brand-new to backlist, romance
to history. Enjoy them on your next road trip or wherever you get your
listening fix.
Fiction
Big
Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, read by Caroline Lee
What begins as a
lighthearted satire about suburban Australian parenting gets very dark and very
twisty, very fast. The pace is quick, the characters are compelling, and
Caroline Lee gives a knockout performance. — Rachel Smalter Hall
The Good Lord Bird by James McBride, read by
Michael Boatman
Historical fiction
about the odd couple that is ten-year-old Little Onion — a cross-dressing freed
slave from the Kansas Territory — and John Brown — the infamous abolitionist —
just begs to be performed out loud. Michael Boatman brings this hysterical and
heartbreaking winner of the National Book Award to life. — Rachel Smalter Hall
The
Known World by Edward P. Jones, read by Kevin Free
This devastating
book may not be ideal for a road trip situation. But still, I felt a palpable
summer atmosphere in this story of a fictional Virginia district at the height
of slavery, whose most remarkable slave-owner is a free black man. Listen to
this when you’re by yourself on a summer night. — Kristel Autencio
Stone Mattress by Margaret Atwood, read by
Rob Delaney et al.
Atwood’s recent
short story collection flew a little under the radar, so if you missed this in
print, do yourself a favor and listen to the audiobook. Comedian Rob Delaney is
just one of the many outstanding performers to take on these dark little
stories that are hilarious, biting, and wonderfully strange. — Rachel Smalter
Hall
Mystery
Bird
Box by Josh Malerman, read by Cassandra Campbell
If you need an
audiobook that will help you drive all night without falling asleep, go with
this. Bird Box is terrifying, and the audio only magnifies this experience by
keeping the pace moving slowly even though you want it to move more quickly. —
Jessica Woodbury
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng,
read by Cassandra Campbell
A haunting,
slow-build of a novel that I’ve been absolutely loving. The narration is also
wonderfully done. — Nikki Steele
Pleasantville by Attica Locke, read by J.D.
Jackson
Locke is a great
writer for fans of Grisham and Lehane, who like their plots with extra twists
and full of thrills. Set in the thick of black politics in Houston, it’s full
of intrigue, betrayals, shady backroom deals, and courtroom showdowns. —
Jessica Woodbury
The Whites by Richard Price writing as Harry
Brandt, read by Ari Fliakos
Price is one of
the best crime writers there is, and Ari Fliakos slips between the narration
and the rhythms of blue collar cop talk seamlessly. The plot keeps moving, the
character studies are riveting, and there’s not a single false step until the
big climax. — Jessica Woodbury
Destiny’s
Captive by Beverly Jenkins, read by Thomas Penny
This fun listen is
easy to follow even without the previous books in the series. Noah Yates is an
Afro-Spanish merchant and shipowner from California who has a bit of a run in
with a lady pirate in the Caribbean, who is also just a touch of a Cuban
Revolutionary. The two butt heads (and swords) and have a heck of a good time.
— Jessica Pryde
Landline by Rainbow Rowell, read by Rebecca
Lowman
Georgie McCool has
a deal to produce her dream TV show, but she’ll have to miss Christmas with her
husband to meet her deadline. Her marriage is looking rocky when she discovers
a time-traveling telephone that can dial the past. Bring on the 90s pop-culture
references and a strong female lead who kicks ass and takes names. — Rachel
Smalter Hall
Suddenly
One Summer by Julie James, read by Karen White
James is an
auto-buy, and I know I can count on her audiobooks, which are performed
flawlessly by Karen White. A divorce lawyer agrees to take on her neighbor’s
sister case. He’s a cocky journalist and she’s skeptical about love. They share
James’ trademark mutually denied attraction and irritation with each other.
It’s terrific. — Jessica Tripler
A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray,
read by Tavia Gilbert
YA Dimensional
Science Fiction at its most interesting. In a relatively quick pace, a girl
jumps dimensions to find her father’s murderer… any maybe find true love. The
prose is fantastic, but for me the audiobook narrator really makes this novel.
— Jessica Pryde
Science Fiction
The
Girl With All the Gifts by M. R. Carey, read by Finty Williams
A zombie road
adventure, a meditation on the meaning of personhood, a clash of scientific,
military and humanistic worldviews brought to life by superbly drawn characters,
especially a very unusual little girl trying to make sense of it all. Finty
Williams has a lovely, smooth delivery that clearly distinguishes the
characters. — Jessica Tripler
The Humans by Matt Haig, read by Mark Meadows
The narrator is an
alien who has assumed human form and listening to his observations about
humanity would be enough, but then there’s a really good, funny, and
heartwarming story in there, too. — Cassandra Neace
Lock
In by John Scalzi, read by Wil Wheaton or by Amber Benson
It’s a smart,
futuristic, techno thriller that does very interesting things with gender, like
ignoring it almost completely. The publisher produced two versions, one read by
Wil Wheaton and the other by Amber Benson. — Cassandra Neace
The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi, read by
Almarie Guerra
A near-future
dystopia that takes place in the American Southwest where water is a scarce
commodity — doesn’t seem all that unreasonable, does it California? Against
this too-close-for-comfort backdrop is a familiar detective / mystery novel
with corruption and crime at the center. Almarie Guerra’s smooth delivery
almost makes you forget this isn’t a real thing that’s happened…yet. — Rachel
Manwill
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, read by the author
Gaiman reads many
of his own audiobooks and The Graveyard Book is among my favorites of his. This
one is especially good if your road trip includes children. — Chris Arnone
His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman,
read by the author
The entire His
Dark Materials trilogy is read by a full voice cast. Pullman reads the
narration while actors read the parts. The production value is quite high and
these are great reads. — Chris Arnone
Throne
of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed, read by Phil Gigante
This rollicking
adventure is about a group of magic users in a kingdom called Dhamsawaat who
are called to save the city from an evil ghul. There are some genuinely scary
parts, but I was mostly listening to this with a big grin on my face. — Kristel
Autencio
The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma, read by
Georgia King and Sandy Rustin
Told from dueling
perspectives, the audiobook utilizes two narrators to emphasize the two
protagonists – one a ballerina with a dark secret, the other a delinquent
locked in a juvenile facility – and it works incredibly well. The two narrators
keep the story grounded in what’s actually happening, as the story quickly
moves into the surreal. — Rachel Manwill
Memoir &
Biography
As You
Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes,
read by the author
Not only is
listening to Cary Elwes like having your insides rubbed down by a velvet glove;
this also features cameos from Billy Crystal, Robin Wright, and more. Everyone
who made this cult film is clearly still in love with it and their anecdotes
are full of infectious warmth. — Rachel Weber
Not My Father’s Son by Alan Cumming, read by
the author
Actor Alan
Cumming’s memoir about the strained relationship with his abusive father is the
kind of story I’d be interested in, whether the author was famous or not.
Rather than a “this is my whole life” memoir, Cumming takes a very specific
moment in his adult life to examine his childhood and he does it so very
powerfully. Plus, his spectacular Scottish accent is a delight to listen to,
even as his experience is so excruciating. — Rachel Manwill
Paris
Letters by Janice MacLeod, read by Tavia Gilbert
Janice MacLeod was
on her way up the corporate ladder when she realized she wasn’t sure what she
was climbing for. She saved up her money, quit her job, and moved to Europe.
MacLeod shares just enough of the gritty details that you can imagine doing the
same. — Jesse Doogan
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, read by Edward
Herrmann
Louis Zamperin
goes from running track in the Olympics, to surviving on a raft as sharks and
Japanese bombers surround him, to being a prisoner of war, and then back to
life in the U.S. Plus the audio is narrated by Edward Herrmann (Richard from
Gilmore Girls in my mind), who is wonderful. — Valerie Michael
Humor
Carsick by John Waters, read by the author
Because why not
experience the most ridiculous road trip of all time while you’re on a road
trip? John Waters splits his book into two: a fictional trip narrating the best
possible outcome and the worst; and his actual trip, which is also fun but not
nearly as insane. — Jessica Pryde
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris, read
by the author
The master of
satire delivers short stories about his early life. — S. Zainab Williams
Self-Inflicted
Wounds by Aisha Tyler, read by the author
HILARITY ensues.
This woman is not afraid to bare all about her most embarrassing moments. — S.
Zainab Williams
Yes Please by Amy Poehler, read by the author
This book is so
many different things along with being a celebrity memoir that I feel
comfortable recommending it to just about anyone. It’s funny and heartfelt and
just a joy. — Jessica Woodbury
History
Dead
Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson, read by Scott Brick
I knew absolutely
nothing about the Lusitania other than that it was a passenger liner sunk by a
German submarine in the early years of WWI. Erik Larson examines this fateful
cruise with the precise research and engaging narrative that he brings to any
of his subjects. The audio version is as good a choice for history buffs as it
is for mystery lovers, because the tension builds like a good, old-fashioned
thriller. — Rachel Manwill
Games Without Rules: The Often-Interrupted
History of Afghanistan by Tamim Ansary, read by the author
A comprehensive
(and depressing) presentation of Afghan history and how superpowers both near
and far have interfered in it for profit or power. — Rachel Cordasco
The
Last Gunfight: The Real Story of the Shootout at the O.K. Corral and How It
Changed the American Westby Jeff Guinn, read by Stephen Hoye
If you’re
interested in Wyatt Earp and the history of the American frontier, this one’s
for you. — Rachel Cordasco
Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy by Karen
Abbott, read by Karen White
A profile of four
white women on the different sides of the Civil War and how their gender
colored their participation. The narration moves at a steady clip, and Karen
White’s narration adds a lot of verve to the story. — Kristel Autencio
Science
The
Birth of the Pill by Jonathan Eig, read by Gayle Hendrix
A captivating look
at how and why the birth control pill was created and the cultural context in
which it was born. So many fascinating insights into the characters behind it,
with just the right amount of science to give the story appropriate depth. —
Rachel Manwill
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of
Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee, read by Stephen Hoye
This is one of my
favorite nonfiction books of all time. It is meticulously researched,
empathetic, fascinating, and just truly masterful. This audiobook is long but
worthwhile. I have read it in print and listened to it and I am just constantly
awed by its quality and depth. — Valerie Michael
Modern
Romance by Aziz Ansari, read by the author
Comedian Aziz
Ansari teams up with sociologist Eric Klinenberg to tackle love and romance in
the digital age. I love the mix of serious statistical research and Flo Rida
analogies, and Ansari gives the audiobook a little extra flavor with ad libs
and asides you won’t find in the print. — Rachel Smalter Hall
What If? Serious
Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe, read by
Wil Wheaton
A fun romp with
short, self-contained chapters to dip in and out of. Munroe answers such
questions as “If a bullet with the density of a neutron star were fired from a
handgun (ignoring the how) at the Earth’s surface, would the Earth be
destroyed?” — Nikki Steele
About Rachel
Smalter Hall
Rachel Smalter
Hall is a public librarian turned Book Riot operations staff. She’s lived in
Iowa, Minnesota, Vermont, Rome, and now Lawrence, Kansas, where she can be
found drinking PBR with her co-ed book club. Follow her on Twitter: @bananasuit
Good words to have................
Esoteric \es-uh-TAIR-ik\ designed for or understood by
the specially initiated alone. b requiring or exhibiting knowledge that is
restricted to a small group; broadly : difficult to understand. 2 a: limited to
a small circle b:Private, confidential 3: of special, rare, or unusual
interest. The opposite of esoteric is
exoteric, which means "suitable to be imparted to the public."
According to one account, those who were deemed worthy to attend Aristotle's
learned discussions were known as his "esoterics," his confidants,
while those who merely attended his popular evening lectures were called his
"exoterics." Since material that is geared toward a target audience
is often not as easily comprehensible to outside observers, esoteric acquired
an extended meaning of "difficult to understand." Both esoteric and
exoteric started appearing in English in the mid-1600s; esoteric traces back to
ancient Greek by way of the Late Latin esotericus. The Greek esōterikos is
based on the comparative form of esō, which means "within."
I’m trying to teach myself Spanish and this is
what I learned today……..
Aviso: Notice
Example sentence: Aviso: cerrado el lunes
Sentence meaning: Notice: Closed Mondays
From Richard II
(King Richard speaks)
Visit our Shakespeare Blog at the address below
http://shakespeareinamericanenglish.blogspot.com/
No matter where; of
comfort no man speak:
Let’s talk of graves, of
worms, and epitaphs;
Make dust our paper and
with rainy eyes
Write sorrow on the
bosom of the earth,
Let’s choose executors
and talk of wills:
And yet not so, for what
can we bequeath
Save our deposed bodies
to the ground?
Our lands, our lives and
all are Bolingbroke’s,
And nothing can we call
our own but death
And that small model of
the barren earth
Which serves as paste
and cover to our bones.
For God’s sake, let us
sit upon the ground
And tell sad stories of
the death of kings;
How some have been
deposed; some slain in war,
Some haunted by the
ghosts they have deposed;
Some poison’d by their
wives: some sleeping kill’d;
All murder’d: for within
the hollow crown
That rounds the mortal
temples of a king
Keeps Death his court
and there the antic sits,
Scoffing his state and
grinning at his pomp,
Allowing him a breath, a
little scene,
To monarchize, be fear’d
and kill with looks,
Infusing him with self
and vain conceit,
As if this flesh which
walls about our life,
Were brass impregnable,
and humor’d thus
Comes at the last and
with a little pin
Bores through his castle
wall, and farewell king!
Cover your heads and
mock not flesh and blood
With solemn reverence:
throw away respect,
Tradition, form and
ceremonious duty,
For you have but mistook
me all this while:
I live with bread like
you, feel want,
Taste grief, need
friends: subjected thus,
How can you say to me, I
am a king?
Basic Income
Guarantee: Is it Feasible? Who Supports It?
By Nicole Sallak
Anderson
ehumandawn.blogspot
I have found that
most of the big supporters of UBI are millennials and younger. This isn’t
surprising, as they have the most to lose if we do nothing about the rising
costs of being alive in the US, and the least to lose if we do change our
economic policies from scarcity to abundance.
Millennials have come of age in a terrible job market combined with huge
student debt. Many of them live at home, because they lack the basic income
needed to launch an adult life. Their
earnings-to-debt ratios define them as a group.
They will also be
the ones to watch the job market automate completely—more than 40% of them will
be replaced by robots before the age of retirement. Our future depends on this
group of individuals, yet they need more than a lucky break if they’re going to
enter their mid-life as secure adults. It’s no wonder that they support UBI,
regardless of political background. From conservatives to liberals, our
twenty-somethings are searching for new ways to build the world they’ll inherit.
Universal Basic Income, combined with technology, is not simply appealing, but
necessary.
Yet how feasible is UBI? Readers on Reddit
pointed out that my suggested $30K per US adult would be twice our current
budget! Yes, they’re correct. I purposefully did NOT look at the current
economic system when coming up with that number. Instead, I looked at how much
a person would need to afford shelter, food and health care, in the majority of
market spaces in the US. Why would I do this? Because we can never evolve out
of our situation if we remain focused on CAN’T. We must use our imaginations
and find a way to overcome it. So I started with what we need, and from there
we shall create a world where our needs are met.
The US Government
poverty guideline for a single household for 2015 is $11,770. This guideline is
used for determining whether or not you qualify for SNAP, welfare, Head Start
and a host of other programs. The point of UBI is to rid ourselves of having to
qualify or prove that we lack our basic needs. Instead, our needs are covered
and we can turn our efforts towards bettering our lives beyond that, if we so
choose.
Some recommended a
UBI of $12K, with an increase of $4K a year per child, but that means you still
need government help to get that roof over your head and see the doctor, and
eat, as well as leaving us in the strange situation where having a ton of kids
in order to increase your income is desirable. Yes, $30K is twice that, but
actually it turns out I wasn’t far off. Numbeo.com puts the minimum monthly
income to survive in the US at $2,642.30, or $31704, after taxes. (this actually includes clothing, utilities,
transportation, etc.)
Thus, if this is
what’s needed, then the next step is to see how to implement it. It’s obvious
that currently we don’t collect enough money to redistribute it in this
way. In order for us to truly take care
of one another, we need a new story about money. The entire economic system may
need an overhaul, and this is what scares most people.
It’s not just the
1% who fear the overhaul. It’s anyone who owns a home, pension plan or 401K. If
we’re going to make UBI possible, it will require rethinking housing, land
ownership, and money.
Approximately 30%
of our income each month goes towards paying for housing. Land ownership has
made this the most volatile of costs, for as the housing market rises and
falls, so do rents and the cost of living, making it very difficult for wages
to keep up. While health care http://www.wsj.com/news/interactive/IVCostsprint
and food costs do vary from state to state, it’s housing that really drives the
cost of living in any area.
For example, the minimum hourly wage needed to
afford a two-bedroom apartment in California is $26.02, but in Illinois the
amount is $16.78. The reasons for the inflation are many, however most people
find that they can’t make enough, even in Illinois, to afford shelter. UBI
would help close this gap and make housing a given, rather than the most
stressful part of paying the bills.
In lieu of UBI, there are movements to create
affordable housing in the US. Tiny Home projects, like the Emerald Village, aim
to help get low income folks into a home. This idea really isn’t new, the
housing projects of the 70’s and 80’s attempted to do just this. Yet many low income
housing projects turned into high-crime high-rises, rather than clean, safe
housing. There are many reasons for this, but at its heart is the land
ownership issue—how can the government create affordable housing for the
struggling yet still guarantee that the housing market doesn’t tank? UBI helps
in that the government stays out of the housing market and supply and demand
take over. Tiny, affordable houses
http://smallhousesociety.net can be
purchased by those who desire them, and McMansions can still spring up right
next door.
The Venus Project
also tries to overcome these issues by combining technology with the idea of
inexpensive, affordable, sustainable communities in order to grant shelter,
food and health care to all. Once again,
the story of money must change in order for these ideas to be liberated.
Liberation from
the story of money is what we really seek. Since land ownership began, humanity
has fallen into to classes—land lords and serfs. We’ve used our brilliant minds
to create a system where some thrive while most barely get by. It surprises me
that we haven’t moved on yet, that still so many suffer. What is the point of
consciousness, if not to figure out the puzzle of abundance? Why chain
ourselves to scarcity, when it just isn’t necessary?
In their book,
Abundance: The Future is Better Than You Think, authors Peter Diamandis and
Steven Kotler focus the bottom billion people—our brothers and sisters in the
Third World who live on less than $2 a day. Ironically, with advances is
technology, these bottom billion are now considered the rising billion. They
aren’t mired in the world of Wall Street finance, minimum wage wars and debt,
like the working poor of America. Instead, they barely get by at all. Yet in
this huge poverty vacuum, there is space for 3D printed houses, solar powered
electricity, waterless toilets, Lab-On-A-Chip medical technology and cheap
smartphones. Combined with microfinance and technophilanthropy, the bottom
billion might just have a fighting chance.
Thus it seems that
the technical advancement of the Third World will eventually grant them a
guaranteed basic income. The two really do go hand-in-hand.
Wouldn’t it be
ironic if America becomes the nation left behind?
Authors who
followed in their fathers' footsteps
1) Charles Dickens and Charles Dickens Jr.
Charles Dickens is
a tough act to follow. The famous British novelist is best known for "A
Tale of Two Cities," "Oliver Twist," "David
Copperfield" and other classics. When it came time for some fatherly
advice, Dickens pushed his son away from writing and toward a career in
business. That didn't work out, however and Dickens Jr. ended up as a writer —
a writer of dictionaries. He's best known for "Dickens' Dictionary of
London."
2) H.G. Wells and Anthony West
Anthony West is
the child of not one writer, but two. His father, science fiction legend H.G.
Wells, had an affair with novelist Rebecca West — the result was Anthony, born
in 1914.
Wells' books
"The Time Machine," "The War of the Worlds" and others have
fascinated readers for more than a century. Meanwhile, West's most well-known
book is a biography of his father.
3) Kingsley Amis and Martin Amis
Kingsley Amis was
one of the most well-known British writers of the 20th century; his son Martin
is another. Kingsley (technically, Sir Kingsley) kicked off his career with
"Lucky Jim" in 1954 and wrote more than 20 books before his death in
1995.
Martin hit it big
with "Money" in 1984 and hasn't stopped answering the question
"How do you live up to your father's legacy?" in interviews since.
4) Stephen King and Joseph Hillman King
Stephen King has written over 50 novels and
sold 350 million copies worldwide
Who wants to be
measured against Stephen King? Not his son Joseph. When Joseph started his own
writing career, he used the pen name Joe Hill to escape comparisons to his
famous father.
His work sparked
rumors that the two might be related — they both know how to write a good
thriller. The physical resemblance is also difficult to deny. Joseph's cover
was officially blown in 2007.
"I really
wanted to allow myself to rise and fall on my own merits," Joseph told the
Associated Press at the time. "One of the good things about it was that it
let me make my mistakes in private."
5) The Waugh Family
The Waugh family's
literary legacy stretches on and on. Arthur Waugh kicked things off in the late
1800s, writing poetry and a biography of Alfred Lord Tennyson. His two sons
Evelyn and Alec reached even greater fame with their respective novels,
"Brideshead Revisited" and "Island in the Sun."
Novelist Auberon
Waugh, Evelyn's son, took the baton from there and has since passed it on to
his own son, Alexander. In 2007, Alexander wrote "Fathers and Sons,"
a biography of his family stretching back five generations.
6) Roald Dahl and Tessa Dahl
Roald Dahl's books
have charmed children and adults alike since "James and the Giant
Peach" caught on in 1961. "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"
came next, with "The Witches," "The BFG" and
"Matilda" becoming instant classics as well.
His daughter,
however, didn't have such a fairy tale childhood. Tessa's novel "Working
for Love" presents a barely fictionalized account of the many tragedies
that struck the Dahl family when she was growing up. She has gone on to write
several successful children's books.
In 2007, Tessa's
daughter Sophie continued the family tell-all trend with her own
semi-autobiographical novel, "Playing with the Grown-Ups."
I've never read Pedestal but we should all support the arts......
The Pedestal
Magazine.Com
Hi,
I hope that you enjoy Pedestal 76, including
speculative poetry, an interview with Chris Saade, and a wide range of book
reviews. Please see as well the information regarding Douglas Cole's Western
Dream.
Consider
advertising in the Pedestal newsletter, currently received by over 26,000
readers worldwide.
Thank you for your continued support and
interest.
All my best,
John Amen
Poetry: Edited by
Marge Simon and Bruce Boston. Work by Diana Smith Bolton, Ken Poyner, Ross
Wilcox, Stephen Toskar, Mack W. Mani, Rose Blackthorn, Andrew Pidoux, Steven
Ratiner, Christina Zawadiwsky, Charles Gramlich, Frederick Pollack, Richard
Bruns, John Philip Johnson, Linda Rodriguez, Fred R. Kane, Gary Singh, Daniel
Ausema, Dane Cervine, and Gabrielle Bates.
Interview with
Chris Saade.
Reviews by Cindy Hochman, Ann Wehrman, George
Wallace, Paul Sohar, Richard Allen Taylor, CL Bledsoe, Lynn Levin, and Nathan
Leslie.
Art by Jim
Painter.
Western Dream by
Douglas Cole
“Western Dream
will intoxicate the reader." -Leah Maines, Publisher, Finishing Line Press
“Cole’s poetry
hints at a fire hidden in the everyday.” -Sarah Webb, editor of Crosstimbers
“…a keen
understanding of the rough edges of society.”-Elizabeth McKenzie, editor of the
Chicago Quarterly Review
Half the lies they tell about me aren't true.”
THE BOOK OF FUNNY, ODD AND INTERESTING THINGS THAT PEOPLE
SAY
Compiled by
John William Tuohy
Gastricly Speaking
(Coupons)
May be combined with other offers. . . . Not valid with any other offer."
"Ham
and Cheese - $2.50. Cheese and Ham - $2.90."
"Our
whipped butter is made with margarine."
"7
ounces of choice sirloin steak, boiled to your likeness and smothered with
golden fried onion rings."
"We
dare you Burger for two. A Whole Loaf of
Crunchy French Bread running end to end with Broiled Hamburger topped with
melted Yellow American Cheese, Lettuce, and Tomato. Accompanied by a mound of
French Fried Potatoes, Red Pepper Relish, Ketchup, and Pickle Wedges. Delivered
to your Table by Two Waitresses on a stretcher."
"Open
seven days a week. Closed Sundays."
"Parking
for drive-through customers only."
"We
are Handicapped - Friendly. For example, if you are blind, we will read the
menu
for
you."
"Eat
Here - Get Gas" -- A sign at a gas station.
"Hot
drinks to take out or sit in."
"You
can't beat our meat!"
"Our
Infamous Steaks"
"Now
Hiring / Sausage Biscuits / $1"
Now
Hiring/ Two French Dips/ Foe two dollars
"Is
there any meat in the veggie rolls?"
"Do
you get rice with your fried rice?"
"What's
the difference between the 1/4 pounder and the 1/3 pounder?"
"How
many pieces are in the eight piece chicken deal?"
"How
much is the $1.99 popcorn chicken?"
"Is
the honey mustard sauce sweet?"
"Is
the spicy chicken just spicy or is it hot and spicy?"
"Does
your ice cream contain dairy products?"
"Don't
you guys have them 99 cent Whoppers?" -- Asked of a Taco Bell cashier.
"I'd
like a large Pepsi pizza”
In 1962, six year old John Tuohy, his two
brothers and two sisters entered
Connecticut’s foster care system and were prompltyl spilit apart. Over the next
ten years, John would live in more then ten foster homes, group homes and state
schools, from his native Waterbury to Ansonia, New Haven, West Haven, Deep
River and Hartford. In the end, a decade later, the state returned him to the
same home and the same parents they had taken him from. As tragic as is funny
complelling story will make you cry and laugh as you journey with this child to
overcome the obsticales of the foster care system and find his dreams.
http://www.amazon.com/No-Time-Say-Goodbye-Memoir/dp/0692361294/
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
John William Tuohy is a writer
who lives in Washington DC. He holds an MFA in writing from Lindenwood
University. He is the author of numerous non-fiction on the history of
organized crime including the ground break biography of bootlegger Roger Tuohy
"When Capone's Mob Murdered Touhy" and "Guns and Glamour: A
History of Organized Crime in Chicago."
His non-fiction crime short stories have appeared in The New Criminologist, American Mafia and other publications. John won the City of Chicago's Celtic Playfest for his work The Hannigan's of Beverly, and his short story fiction work, Karma Finds Franny Glass, appeared in AdmitTwo Magazine in October of 2008.
His play, Cyberdate.Com, was chosen for a public performance at the Actors Chapel in Manhattan in February of 2007 as part of the groups Reading Series for New York project. In June of 2008, the play won the Virginia Theater of The First Amendment Award for best new play.
His non-fiction crime short stories have appeared in The New Criminologist, American Mafia and other publications. John won the City of Chicago's Celtic Playfest for his work The Hannigan's of Beverly, and his short story fiction work, Karma Finds Franny Glass, appeared in AdmitTwo Magazine in October of 2008.
His play, Cyberdate.Com, was chosen for a public performance at the Actors Chapel in Manhattan in February of 2007 as part of the groups Reading Series for New York project. In June of 2008, the play won the Virginia Theater of The First Amendment Award for best new play.
Contact
John:
MYWRITERSSITE.BLOGSPOT.COM
JWTUOHY95@GMAIL.COM
JWTUOHY95@GMAIL.COM
BLOGLAPEDIA’S
BLOGS
ARCHITECTURE
Architecture
for the blog of it
http://architecturefortheblogofit.blogspot.com/
THE ARTS
Art
for the Blog of It
http://artfortheblogofit.blogspot.com/
Art
for the Pop of it
http://artforthepopofit.blogspot.com/
Photography
for the blog of it
http://photographyfortheblogofit.blogspot.com/
Music
for the Blog of it
http://musicfortheblogofit.blogspot.com/
Sculpture
this and Sculpture that
http://sculpturethisandsculpturethat.blogspot.com/
The
art of War (Propaganda art through the ages)
http://theartofwarcleverhuh.blogspot.com/
Album
Art (Photographic arts)
http://albumartsocheesyitsgood.blogspot.com/
Pulp
Fiction Trash (The art of Pulp Fiction covers)
http://pulpfictiontrash.blogspot.com/
Admit
it, you want to Read this Book (The art of Pulp Fiction covers)
http://goaheadadmitityouwanttoread.blogspot.com/
FILM
The
Godfather Trilogy BlogSpot
http://thegodfathertrilogyblogspot.blogspot.com/
On
the Waterfront: The Making of a great American Film
http://onthewaterfrontthefilm.blogspot.com/
FOOD
Absolutely
blogalicious
http://absolutelyblogalicious.blogspot.com/
The
Wee Book of Irish Recipes (Book support site)
http://theweeblogofirishrecipes.blogspot.com/
Good
chowda (New England foods)
http://goodchowda.blogspot.com/
Old
New England Recipes (Book support site)
http://oldnewenglandrecipes.blogspot.com/
And
I Love Clams (New England foods)
http://andiloveclams.blogspot.com/
In
Praise of the Rhode Island Wiener (New England foods)
http://inpraiseoftherhodeislandwiener.blogspot.com/
Wicked
Cool New England Recipes (New England foods)
http://whickedcoolnewenglandrecipes.blogspot.com
Old
New England Recipes (New England foods)
http://oldnewenglandrecipes.blogspot.com
FOSTER CARE
Foster Care new and Updates
Aging out of the system
Murder, Death and Abuse in the
Foster Care system
Angel and Saints in the Foster
Care System
The Foster Children’s Blogs
Foster Care Legislation
The Foster Children’s Bill of
Right
Foster Kids own Story
The Adventures of Foster Kid.
HEALTH
Me
vs. Diabetes (Diabetes education site)
http://mevsdiabetes-bloglapedia.blogspot.com/
HISTORY
The
Quotable Helen Keller
http://thequotablehelenkeller.blogspot.com/
Teddy
Roosevelt's Letters to his children (Book support site)
http://teddyrooseveltsletterstohischildren.blogspot.com/
The
Quotable Machiavelli (Book support site)
http://thequotablemachiavelli.blogspot.com/
HUMOR
Whatever
you do, don't laugh
http://whateveryoudodontlaugh.blogspot.com/
The
Quotable Grouch Marx
http://thequotablegrouchmarx.blogspot.com/
IRISH-AMERICANA
A
Big Blog of Irish Literature
http://abigblogofirishliterature.blogspot.com/
The
Wee Blog of Irish Jokes (Book support blog)
http://theweeblogofirishjokes.blogspot.com/
The
Wee Blog of Irish Recipes
http://theweeblogofirishrecipes.blogspot.com/
The
Irish American Gangster
http://irishamericangangsters.blogspot.com
The
Irish in their Own Words
http://theirishintheirownwords.blogspot.com/
When
Washington Was Irish
http://whenwashingtonwasirish.blogspot.com/
The
Wee Book of Irish Recipes (Book support site)
http://theweeblogofirishrecipes.blogspot.com/
LITERATURE
Following
Fitzgerald
http://followingfitzgerald.blogspot.com/
Shakespeare
http://shakespeareinamericanenglish.blogspot.com/
The
Blogable Robert Frost
http://theblogablerobertfrost.blogspot.com/
Charles
Dickens
http://charlesdickensfan.blogspot.com/
The
Beat Poets of the Forever Generation
http://thebeatspoetsoftheforevergenera.blogspot.com/
Holden
Caulfield Blog Spot
http://holdencaulfieldblogspot.blogspot.com/
The
Quotable Oscar Wilde
http://thequotableoscarwilde.blogspot.com/
NEW ENGLAND BLOGS
The
Quotable Thoreau
http://thequotablethenrydavidthoreau.blogspot.com/
Old
New England Recipes
http://oldnewenglandrecipes.blogspot.com
Wicked
Cool New England Recipes
http://whickedcoolnewenglandrecipes.blogspot.com
Emerson
http://emersonsaidit.blogspot.com/
The
New England Mafia
http://thenewenglandmafia.blogspot.com/
And
I Love Clams
http://andiloveclams.blogspot.com/
In
Praise of the Rhode Island Wiener
http://inpraiseoftherhodeislandwiener.blogspot.com/
Watch
Hill
http://watchhillwesterly.blogspot.com/
York
Beach
http://yorkbeachfortheblogofit.blogspot.com/
The
Connecticut History Blog
http://connecticuthistory.blogspot.com/
The
Connecticut Irish
http://theconnecticutirish.blogspot.com/
Good
chowda
http://goodchowda.blogspot.com/
NOSTALGIA
God,
How I hated the 70s
http://godhowihatedthe70s.blogspot.com/
Child
of the Sixties Forever
http://childofthesixtiesforeverandever.blogspot.com/
The
Kennedy’s in the 60’s
http://thekennedysinthe60s.blogspot.com/
Music
of the Sixties Forever
http://musicofthesixtiesforever.blogspot.com/
Elvis
and Nixon at the White House (Book support site)
http://elvisandnixonatthewhitehouse.blogspot.com/
Beatles
Fan Forever
http://beatlesfanforever.blogspot.com/
Year
One, 1955
http://yearone1955.blogspot.com/
Robert
Kennedy in His Own Words
The
1980s were fun
http://the1980swereokayactually.blogspot.com/
The
1990s. The last decade.
http://1990sthelastdecade.blogspot.com/
ORGANIZED CRIME
The
Russian Mafia
http://russianmafiagangster.blogspot.com/
The
American Jewish Gangster
http://theamericanjewishgangster.blogspot.com/
The
Mob in Hollywood
http://themobinhollywood.blogspot.com/
We
Only Kill Each Other
http://weonlykilleachother.blogspot.com/
Early
Gangsters of New York City
http://earlygangstersofnewyorkcity.blogspot.com/
Al
Capone: Biography of a self-made Man
http://alcaponethebiographyofaselfmademan.blogspot.com/
The
Life and World of Al Capone
http://thelifeandworldofalcapone.blogspot.com/
The
Salerno Report
http://salernoreportmafiaandurderjohnkennedy.blogspot.com/
Guns
and Glamour
http://gunsandglamourthechicagomobahistory.blogspot.com/
The
St. Valentine’s Day Massacre
http://thesaintvalentinesdaymassacre.blogspot.com/
Mob
Testimony
http://mobtestimony.blogspot.com/
Recipes
we would Die For
http://recipeswewoulddiefor.blogspot.com/
The
Prohibition in Pictures
http://theprohibitioninpictures.blogspot.com/
The
Mob in Pictures
http://themobinpictures.blogspot.com/
The
Mob in Vegas
http://themobinvegasinpictures.blogspot.com/
The
Irish American Gangster
http://irishamericangangsters.blogspot.com
Roger
Touhy Gangster
http://rogertouhygangsters.blogspot.com/
Chicago’s
Mob Bosses
http://chicagosmobbossesfromaccardoto.blogspot.com/
Chicago
Gang Land: It Happened Here
http://chicagoganglandithappenedhere.blogspot.com/
Whacked:
One Hundred years of Murder in Gangland
http://whackedonehundredyearsmurderand.blogspot.com/
The
Mob Across America
http://themobacrossamerica.blogspot.com/
Mob
Cops, Lawyers and Front Men
http://mobcopslawyersandinformantsand.blogspot.com/
Shooting
the Mob: Dutch Schultz
http://shootingthemobdutchschultz.blogspot.com/
Bugsy&
His Flamingo: The Testimony of Virginia Hill
http://bugsyandvirginiahill.blogspot.com/
After
Valachi. Hearings before the US Senate on Organized Crime
http://aftervalachi.blogspot.com/
Mob
Buster: Report of Special Agent Virgil Peterson to the Kefauver Committee (Book
support site)
http://virgilpetersonmobbuster.blogspot.com/
The
US Government’s Timeline of Organized Crime (Book support site)
http://timelineoforganizedcrime.blogspot.com/
The
Kefauver Organized Crime Hearings (Book support site)
http://thekefauverorganizedcrimehearings.blogspot.com/
Joe
Valachi's testimony on the Mafia (Book support site)
http://joevalachistestimonyonthemafia.blogspot.com/
Mobsters
in the News
http://mobstersinthenews.blogspot.com/
Shooting
the Mob: Dead Mobsters (Book support site)
http://deadmobsters.blogspot.com/
The
Stolen Years Full Text (Roger Touhy)
http://thestolenyearsfulltext.blogspot.com/
Mobsters
in Black and White
http://mobstersinblackandwhite.blogspot.com/
Mafia
Gangsters, Wiseguys and Goodfellas
http://mafiagangsterswiseguysandgoodfellas.blogspot.com/
Whacked:
One Hundred Years of Murder and Mayhem in the Chicago Mob (Book support site)
http://whackedonehundredyearsmurderand.blogspot.com/
Gangland
Gaslight: The Killing of Rosy Rosenthal (Book support site)
http://ganglandgaslightrosyrosenthal.blogspot.com/
The
Best of the Mob Files Series (Book support site)
http://thebestofthemobfilesseries.blogspot.com/
PHILOSOPHY
It’s
All Greek Mythology to me
http://itsallgreekmythologytome.blogspot.com/
PSYCHOLOGY
Psychologically
Relevant
http://psychologicallyrelevant.blogspot.com/
SNOBBERY
The
Rarifieid Tribe
http://therarifiedtribe.blogspot.com/
Perfect
Behavior
http://perfectbehavior.blogspot.com/
TRAVEL
The
Upscale Traveler
http://theupscaletraveler.blogspot.com/
TRIVIA
The
Mish Mosh Blog
http://theupscaletraveler.blogspot.com/
WASHINGTON DC
DC
Behind the Monuments
http://dcbehindthemonuments.blogspot.com/
Washington
Oddities
http://washingtonoddities.blogspot.com/
When
Washington Was Irish
http://whenwashingtonwasirish.blogspot.com/
