Welcome

Welcome
John William Tuohy lives in Washington DC

The happy people of the world are constantly evaluating and then improving themselves.

The happy people of the world are constantly evaluating and then improving themselves. 

The unhappiest people are usually judging and evaluating others.   

We are shaped by our thought and not the other way around. 

We become what we allow ourselves to think


Das Leben ist eine Fremdsprache. Alle Menschen sprechen es falsch aus.


“Das Leben ist eine Fremdsprache. Alle Menschen sprechen es falsch aus.”

Translation: ”Life is a foreign language. All human beings mispronounce it.”


Zen: Stay alive and to be awake.










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.






 BE CREATIVE JUST FOR THE HELL OF IT............................










“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. 

Contact John:
MYWRITERSSITE.BLOGSPOT.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/