An ounce of application is worth a ton of abstraction. 

Booker

The Children’s Book by A.S.Byatt

Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2009

675 pages

Borrowed from the library.

There is no way to read this book quickly, it is just too dense and rich.  I want to read it again, right now, but have had to return it to my library as many people wish to read it.  I will have to have my own copy.

Hiding in the basement of the half-built Victoria and Albert museum is a young ragamuffin so enthralled by the objects he sees in those great halls that he must draw them.  This is Phillip.  Two boys, Julian, who’s father works there, and his friend Tom, see this strange boy.  There is a chase and Phillip is found out.  He is brought before Julian’s father and Tom’s mother, Olive Wellwood, a famous children’s author.  So begins The Children’s Book.

This  is a magnificent confection, a multi-tiered wedding cake of a novel.  A.S. Byatt writes the densest, most tangled sentences I know of, and I love every one of them.  Taking place at the turn of the Twentieth Century and covering the time through World War One, The Children’s Book is a saga involving multiple families with multiple children, all intertwined.  There are different kinds of family dynamics, many kinds relationships and no way to write a synopsis of what happens.  There is no simple plot line, no single character to love or hate.   The story is a fabulous mingling of fairytales, summer parties, plays, puppets, pottery, politics, sex, the Paris Exposition of 1900, the Arts and Crafts movement,  the Back to Nature movement,  women’s suffrage, anarchists,  socialists,  aristocrats, education, labor and the European Royal families.  There’s more, so much more that some reviewers just can’t make sense of this book.

Mostly,  it’s a novel about the stories families tell each other and about memory, but, oh, there is really no simple way to describe it.  Here’s some bits about family:

Everyone, old and young, now gathered for a kind of sumptuous picnic.  As happens at such gatherings, where those whose lives are shaped, fortunately or unfortunately, are surrounded by those whose lives are almost entirely to come, the elders began asking the young what they meant to do with their lives, and to project futures for them. From page 56.

A family, and a human being inside a family, put together a picture of their past in voluntary and involuntary ways, carefully constructed, arbitrarily dictated.  A mother remembers one particular summer gathering on a lawn, with iced lemonade in a jug, and everyone smiling — as she puts in the album the one photograph where everyone is smiling, and keeps the scowling faces of the unsuccessful snapshots hidden in a box.  A child remembers one scramble over the Downs, or zigzag trot through the woods, one of many, many forgotten ones, and shapes his identity around it.  “I remember when I saw the yaffle.” And the memory changes when he is twelve, and fourteen, and twenty, and forty, and eighty, and prehaps never at any of those points representing precisely anything that really happened.  Odd things persist for inexplicable reasons.  A pair of shoes that never quite fitted.  A party dress in which a girl always felt awkward, though the photographs were pretty enough.  One violent quarrel of many arising from the unjust division of a cake, or the desperately disappointing decision not to go to the seaside.  There are things, also, that are memories as essential and structural  as bones in toes and fingers.  A red leather belt.  A dark pantry full of obscene and lovely jars.  From page 329.

And about puppetry and the theater:

An illusion is a complicated thing, and an audience is a complicated creature.  Both need to be brought from flyaway parts to a smooth, composite whole.  The world inside the box, a world made of silk, satin, china mouldings, wires, hinges, painted backcloths, moving lights and musical notes, must come alive with its own laws of movement, its own rules of story.  And the watchers, wide-eyed and greedy, distracted and supercilious, preoccupied, uncomfortable, tense, must become one, as a shoal of fishes with huge eyes and flickering fins becomes one, wheeling this way and that in response to messages of hunger, fear or delight.  August’s flute was heard, and some were ready to listen and some were not.  The curtains opened on a child’s bedroom.  He sat against his pillows.  His nurse, in comfortable grey, bustled about him, and her shadow loomed over him on the white wall.  From page 80.

And about women’s lives:

“I want to think.  Just as much as Charles does, but no one cares what I want to think about, as they do with him, whether they are for or against what he thinks is important.”

“I want to think, too, ” said Florence, slowly.  “I want a life of my own, that I choose.  I want to be someone, not someone’s wife.  But I don’t know much about the someone I want to be.”

“Nor do I.  Dorothy does.  She’s got a vocation.  She’s got her future all planned out, general science exams, medical exams, surgical exams, a place in a hospital.  It’s like an iron corset, I think, but she seems to need it.  I think she is prepared to give up on the marriage thing.  I don’t know that I would be.  It would seem unnatural.  But surely so does not thinking.

“Some women do both.” From page 495.

And a beautiful bit about walking on the seashore:

You have to think about walking on pebbles.  Every time you put your feet down, the pebble impress themselves, hard and recalcitrant, through the soles of your shoes.  They slide treacherously in front of you, to your side, you bow and recover yourself, you lean your body forward in the wind, which is usually fierce onto the shore, which takes your hair back over your head, which goes in and through the spiralling channels of you ears, feeling for your brain.  Tom like the pebbles.  They were fragments of huge boulders from the cliffs at the edge of England, boulders which had been soft chalk and hard flint, and were now rounded by water throwing them up and grinding them together.  They are all the same and none of them exactly the same, Tom thought, pleased with this idea, like human beings — was it innumerable as stars, or innumerable as sands, and where did it come from?  It didn’t matter… From page 585.

I could just keep quoting.  I am in awe of the amount of research and work A.S. Byatt put into this novel.  I honor her love of the tale.  I have only read her short stories.  Now I must read everything she has written, and wait for the next novel.

Here is a wonderful article about The Children’s Book from the New York Times.

A Pitcher by Palissy 1520-1590

Other reviews:

book i done read

Boston Bibliophile

Eve’s Alexandria

Savidge Reads

The Indextrious Reader

things mean a lot

Did I miss your review?  Leave a comment.

The Booker Prize (now called the Man Booker Prize) is awarded in Britain every year to what is judged the best full-length work of fiction. Try to answer these questions about the prizewinning novels and their authors. Need help? Use Credo Reference.

1. What was the title of Thomas Keneally’s prizewinning 1982 book which was filmed in 1993 with the slightly different title of “Schindler’s List”?

2. J. M. Coetzee has won the Booker Prize twice. Was he born in Australia, the USA or South Africa?

3. How many authors are normally chosen for the Booker Prize shortlist: four, six or eight?

4. Which British writer won the Booker Prize in 1978 with “The Sea, the Sea”?

5. After being nominated for the Booker Prize three times, Ian McEwan finally won it in 1998 with which book?

6. Which Canadian writer was shortlisted for the Booker Prize several times before winning it in 2000 for “The Blind Assassin”?

7. Name the novel which won the Booker Prize for Ruth Prawer Jhabvala in 1975 and which she adapted into a film in 1983 with James Ivory.

8. Which Australian novelist has won Booker Prizes twice with “Oscar and Lucinda” and “The True History of the Kelly Gang”?

9. On 14 October 2008, Indian author Aravind Adiga won the Booker Prize with his first novel. What was its title?

10. In 1969, who was the first winner of the Booker Prize with “Something to Answer For”?

Find the answers here.

Image from http://www.thisishoop.com/mbptrophy

here’s the books so far no order

1.A winter book by Tove Jansson (finland)

2.The siege by Ismail Kadare (albania)

3.Artic chill by Arnaldur Indridason (iceland)

4.Cafe europa by Slavenka Drakulic (croatia)

5.The witches of portobello by Paulo Coellol(brazil)

6.The harmony silk factory by Tash Aw (malaysia)

7.The unnamed by Joshua Ferris(U.S)

8.The women and the ape by Peter Hoeg (denmark)

9.Blueprint for a prophet by Carl Gibeily (lebanon)

10.Zlatas diary by Zlata flipovic (bosnia)

11.Popular music by Mikael Niemi (sweden)

12.The bad girl by Mario Vargas Llosa(peru)

13.My life as a fake by Peter Carey (australia)

14.Autonauts of the cosmoroute by julio cortazar (argentine)

15.Potiki by Patricia Grace (new zealand)

16.2666 by Roberto Bolano (chile)

17.An African in Greenland by Tete -michel Kpomassie (togo)

18.Fado by andrzej stasiuk (poland)

19.Penguin lost by Andrey Kurkov (ukraine)

20.The passport by Herta Muller (romania)

21.Divisadero by Michael ondaatje (canda)

22.Senselessness by H.C Mayo (el salvador)

22.The carpenters pencil by Manuel Rivas (spain)

23.The intergation J.M.G Le Clezio (france)

24.Snow by Orhan Pamuk (turkey)

25.Intimate stranger by Bryten Brytenbach 9south africa)

26.Dream story by Arthur Schnitzler (austria)

27.Tranquility by Attila Bartis (hungray)

28.Wonder by Hugo Claus (beligum)

29.The eagles throne by Carlos Fuentes (mexico)

30.From the diary of a snail by Gunter Grass (germany)

31.The leopard by Tomasi Di Lampedusa (italy)

32.Tales from firozsha baag by Rohinton Mistry(india)

33.My fathers war by Adriaan Van Dis (netherlands)

34.Balzac and the little chinese seamstress by Dai Sijie(china)

35.The boat by Nam Le (vietnam)

36.The master and margarita(russia)

37.Collected stories by Gabiel Garcia Marquez (colombia)

38.Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga(zimbabwe)

39.The blind owl by Sadeq Hedayat (iran)

40.The Dalkey archive by Flann O Brien(ireland)

41.Tales of freedom by Ben Okri(nigeria)

thats it so far need 11 more hope to get them by end of january

The Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Dudley Vernon Steynor

Service conducted by  The Revd Canon Cavell Cavell-Northam

EULOGY

Dudley was born on 16 October 1909 in Malvern where he grew up with his two brothers and sister in a large family home enjoying the freedom of the Malvern Hills.  Kite flying, model aeroplanes, motor cycles and motor cars were just some of the hobbies pursued by the family.

His interest in music developed at an early age as the family were very close to Vernon Warner the young protégé pianist.

Dudley was in one of the first intakes at Stowe school and a contemporary of David Niven, Sir Nicholas Winton and Geoffrey de Haviland .  In later years he bumped into David Niven at Heathrow Airport. David recognised him immediately, which says a great deal about the Steynor profile.

On leaving Stowe he studied the piano in London at the Academy of Music   living in Kew with his brother Martyn.  Together they joined the Hounslow Flying club and learned to fly.

Following his studies at the London Academy of Music he was advised to continue studying in Europe and chose Berlin where he studied at the Edwin Fischer School, only returning due to the imminent possibility of War.

His wish to assist the war effort as a pilot was initially thwarted by poor eyesight.  Having spent some months on the ground as a Link Trainer Instructor, and following a weekend party at the house of Jumbo Edwards his Commanding Officer and pre war Olympic Gold Medal Rower, a further medical in London was arranged. This medical was with the Chief Medical officer of the RAF.  He proceeded to test his eyesight by initially requesting him to read the chart with his good eye and then, without changing the chart and while looking the other way, asked him to read it again!  Dudley passed.

Some months later Dudley bumped into the Chief Medical Officer, thanked him, and asked if he realised that in fact his eyesight in one eye was really quite poor.  He replied that he knew people who could see perfectly and were quite lethal in the air and some people, like  Dudley, who might not have perfect eyesight but were  excellent pilots. As one who spent his time on the ground he would prefer people like Dudley above him!

The outcome of this was a posting to Booker Airfield as an Instructor in charge of B Flight where he spent the rest of the war. Here he met Ann who was assisting the war effort by helping with the tea wagon along with two of the sisters of King Zog of Albania who was living in exile at Parmoor here in Frieth.  Dudley and Ann were married in 1942.

On being de-mobbed Dudley decided that a career as a concert pianist was no longer an option and proceeded to devote his energies to designing and developing various ideas.  The first of these was the Verdik Petrol Economiser which made significant improvements to the petrol consumption of the cars of the day, and was widely acclaimed by the motoring press.

There followed  a humane rat trap which he designed at the request of his uncle in Birmingham who owned a hardware shop and it was the mesh of this trap that led to his next significant development.

A famous burns’ surgeon was staying with the Hon Mrs James in Lane End and on seeing one of the traps announced this was just the mesh needed to make guards to protect children from the horrendous burns suffered as a result of accidents with electric fires.  Dudley came up with a suitable design and as a result was kept busy for a few years supplying the electricity companies and then gas companies with guards to fit to all their various models. It was not long however before the manufacturers started incorporating guards at the manufacturing stage bringing this market to a close.   Guards for open fires were a further development and these carried on selling for a number of years.

Dudley and Ann started their married life at The Cottage, Lane End next to the old Chapel on Moor Common.  William was born here in 1948.

In 1951 they moved to Colliers Corner on the day of the birth of their daughter Linden who Dudley delivered in the absence of the midwife who had not yet arrived.  Dudley always said he was not phased by this as he had been in the Boy Scouts!!!

The family was completed by the arrival of James in 1956.

Although continuing throughout his working life with his inventions he decided that with a growing family to support he needed a more stable income. This led to his ownership of Goodchild’s Garage in Lane End and then a Daf Dealership.  Soon Dafs could be seen wherever you looked!

Among his many and varied interests steam always held a fascination. The purchase of an Avelling & Porter Steamroller gave the local community a much loved landmark as he kept it next to the road outside his house.

In 1964 he was tempted back to flying when William started gliding at Booker, now Wycombe Air Park. Dudley was soon recognised as an excellent pilot and instructor and he continued enjoying his gliding in retirement up to the age of 84.

In early 1981 disaster struck. There were extensive power cuts across the area as a result of a heavy snow fall. Dudley had taken Ann out to get a hot meal when the power was restored. The resultant surge caused a fire in Colliers Corner and they returned to find five fire crews doing their best to get it under control. They had lost nearly everything they owned.

Undaunted, a mobile home was bought and placed at the bottom of the garden for them to live in. The initial clearing of the site was carried out by two young men who were keen to earn some money between their training sessions at Marlow Rowing Club. A number of local tradesmen were engaged to rebuild the house and by the spring of 1982 they were able to return. As a thank you for all the hard work Dudley took the two rowers gliding. In the years that followed he watched with great interest the developing career of one of those rowers, Sir Steve Redgrave.

Following the death of his wife Ann in 1996 he returned to his music and at the grand age of 87 produced two CDs of his favourite piano pieces.

Latterly he kept himself fit by doing at least 10 minutes a day on his exercise bike and completing fiendish Soduko puzzles until only a few months before his death.

His 100^th birthday was a milestone he wanted to achieve. He thoroughly enjoyed his day which many here I am sure will remember as it brought Lane End to a standstill!

Now I’ve told y’all that I’m a challenge addict. And A Novel Challenge is going to be the death of me! These are all the challenges I’ve heard about that are starting next year and look wonderful, but if some new ones suddenly show up, I’m not going to rule them out. And in my defense, I usually end up finishing all my reading challenges! So, um, don’t judge me! lol

To jump to a specific challenge:
Art History Challenge 2010
The Colorful Reading Challenge 2010
The Complete Booker Challenge 2010
The Flashback Challenge
Horns and Halos Reading Challenge
Rainbow Connection Reading Challenge
Read the Book See the Movie Challenge
Reading Through the Seasons 2010
Science Book Challenge 2010
The Terry Pratchett Challenge 2010
What’s in a Name? 3 Challenge

The Terry Pratchett Challenge 2010
Marg of Reading Adventures is hosting the Terry Pratchett Challenge 2010. It began on December 1st and runs until November 30, 2010, and Marg is offering participants a variety of levels. I’m planning on becoming a member of Granny Weatherwax’s Coven by reading 9-10 books; I’ve been meaning to get into the Discworld series and another trilogy was recommended to me. Thanks to this handy chart I learned which books are about the witches and Death, the two characters I’m interested in, so here are the books I’ll be reading from:

• the Witches of Discworld: Equal Rites, Wyrd Sisters, Witches Abroad, Lords & Ladies, Maskerade, and/or Carpe Jugulum
• Death of Discworld: Mort, Reaper Man, Soul Music, Hog Father, and/or Thief of Time
• the Bromeliad Trilogy: Truckers, Diggers, and/or Wings

The Flashback Challenge
Aarti is hosting the Flashback Challenge, which is about rereading books and runs during all of 2010. I’m going for the literati level, which has me rereading at least seven books. These are the ones I’m rereading for sure; I hope to reread more than seven during the year, starting w/ books I enjoyed in elementary school, then high school, and finally ‘adulthood’:

• The Moorchild by Eloise McGraw: one of my very favourite books in elementary school, it’s about a changeling living in a small village in historical England.
• Matilda by Roald Dahl: do I need to explain why I loved this as a kid? A book loving little girl who develops telekinesis…what’s not to love?!
• Mansfield Park by Jane Austen: I loved all of Austen in middle/high school, and this is the one I’ve reread the least amount of times.
• The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera: a book I loved my junior year of high school…but I was kind of a pretentious little twit as a 15 year-old (I think it’s a hazard of being a debater, lol…we weren’t the nerdy kind, more like beatniks or something…we wore lots of black and had philosophical arguments to back up our world weariness). So I wonder if I’ll enjoy it as much now!
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: I can’t remember if I read this for the first time at then end of high school or the beginning of college…but either way, I think I’m about due for a reread! I have a Daisy outfit for Halloween all ready to go.
• Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier: another one that I can’t remember precisely when I read it, but I’ve read it at least twice and loved it (the movie rocks too)…I’m due for a visit back to Manderley.
• Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susan Clarke: I definitely read this in college! And loved it. Victorian England, the faeries, footnotes…it’s perfect for me.
• The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins: I’m a huge Collins fan, and everyone reviewing this has made me want to revisit it! I read it for the first time one or two years ago.

Reading Through the Seasons 2010
Book Dragon’s Lair is hosting the second round of the Reading Through the Seasons challenge. It runs all year, and participants need to read four books, each one with a different season in the title. My choices:

• Solomon Spring by Michelle Black: this is a mystery series slash Western…I’m determined to attempt to appreciate this genre, being a Texan and living in Colorado. And since this has a mystery element, and is set in the late 1800s and Colorado, I’m really hoping I’ll enjoy it.
• Towards Another Summer by Janet Frome: I’ve heard great things about this slim Kiwi novel, and I had it checked out from the library but couldn’t get to it. So it’s definitely on my radar for next year!
• The Autumn of the Patriarch by Gabriel Garcia Marquez: a fictional take on a dictator crumbling.
• The Circus in Winter by Cathy Day: a collection of interlinked short stories set in wintering place of a midwestern circus over a series of years…or What You Call Winter by Nalini Jones: another short story collection, this one set in a Catholic town in India.

Horns and Halos Reading Challenge
Aimee of My Fluttering Heart is hosting the Horns and Halos Reading Challenge. Participants will read books with angels and/or demons throughout 2010. I can pick the number of books I want to read, but I have to pick a level based on whether I’ll be reading more angelic or demonic books (isn’t this fun?). I read two books about angels this year, and I enjoyed seeing how the authors handled them, so I’m curious to read more! I’m committing to four books, and I have a pretty even balance of angel/demon books, so right now I”ll be at the Garden of Eden. But those levels can change depending on where your reading goes, so we’ll see if I end up in Heaven or Hell!
Pool:

• The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman: I reread The Golden Compass last year with the intention of rereading the whole trilogy. But then I got distracted!
• Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan Howard: Johannes sold his soul to the devil years ago, and now he’s on a quest to get it back! This book has such a wonderful title and cover, I just couldn’t resist.
• Faust by Goethe: seeing the above book reminded me that I’ve never read the most famous ‘I sold my soul to the devil’ story! I’ve actually never read Goethe, but I’m hoping to read The Sorrows of Young Werther before the end of this month.
• The Nameless Day by Sara Douglass: this is the first in a trilogy that sounds like medieval urban fantasy-it’s set in an alternate 1300s Europe where angels and demons mess with the course of events.
• Murder Mysteries by Neil Gaiman: “Murder Mysteries” is one of my very favourite Gaiman short stories (you can find it in Smoke and Mirrors), and so I’ve been curious about this graphic novel adaptation for awhile. It features angels and is set in heaven.
• Alabaster by Caitlin Kiernan: this came up when I was searching my library’s catalogue, and it was just too delicious sounding to resist. It’s set in the backwoods of modern-day Georgia and is a collection of five connected stories about teenage albino Dancy Flammerion, who “talks to angels and slays demons.” Seriously: Southern gothic with a supernatural element? You know I’m there!

What’s in a Name? 3 Challenge
The wonderful Annie (and how could you help being wonderful with a mother like Debi?) has passed the torch on to Beth F for the third round of this challenge. It lasts all year and asks readers to read books whose titles have words that match up with six categories: food, body of water, title (i.e. Lady), plant, place name, and musical term. I made a big list of authors I want to read more of, checked out the titles that my library has available, and matched up ones that fit the categories. So here’s my pool, and you’ll probably see authors repeat themselves…
Food

• Sugar and Other Stories by AS Byatt: I’ve been working my way through Byatt’s books, and this short story collection is one of the ones I have left.
• Black Juice by Margo Lanagan: I loved Tender Morsels last year, got this one and read the first few stories before having to return it to the library. So I’d like to finish it at some point. And juice is a food!
• After the Banquet by Yukio Mishima: I don’t know much about this one…I think it’s about a Japanese woman who has to choose between duty and freedom (you know, the old story). But Mishima’s writing is so gorgeous, I want to read more of it! And banquets have food.

Body of Water

• The Guilty River by Wilkie Collins: I lurve Collins. And a river is a body of water!
• Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie: one of the Rushdie books I haven’t read yet; it’s compared to Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland and all that fun stuff.
• Medicine River by Thomas King: I loved Green Grass, Running Water, so I want to read more King asap!
• An Ocean of Air by Gabrielle Walker: I really enjoyed Walker’s book about geology, so I’m excited to read her thoughts in air.

Title

• My Lady’s Money by Wilkie Collins: apparently, Collins’ titles coincide well with the themes of this challenge!
• The General in His Labyrinth by Gabriel Garcia Marquez: I’ve had a bit of an intellectual crush on Simon Bolivar for awhile now, so I’m curious to ‘meet’ him in fiction.
• Diana: the Goddess who Hunts Alone by Carlos Fuentes: a semi-autobiographical nostalgic look at a doomed love affair.
• Empress by Shan Sa: this is set in the 7th century-how fun is that?!
• Lord Byron’s Novel by John Crowley: this is a pastiche, and based on Little Big, I think Crowley’s up to the task!
• The Captain and the Enemy by Graham Greene: Greene’s last novel, about a lonely boarding school boy who meets a secretive stranger and is taken to London to be raised by him.

Plant

• Among Flowers by Jamaica Kincaid: a travelogue about a bunch of botanists who hiked the Himalayas.
• The Drowning Tree by Carol Goodman: another gothic literary thriller set in academia. This has been on my TBR shelves for awhile…except I lost it! But I found it again, and I was so excited.
• Shadows on the Grass by Isak Dinesen: the companion volume to Out of Africa.

Place Name

• An Anthropologist on Mars by Oliver Sacks: need I provide a reason for reading books written by my future husband?
• Claudine in Paris by Colette: the second in her Claudine quartet; I very much enjoyed the first one.
• Istanbul by Orhan Pamuk: a book all about a city that’s in my top 5 of places to visit.
• Chicago by Alaa Al Aswany: a novel about post 9/11 Egyptian-American relations in Chicago.
• The Spies of Warsaw by Alan Furst: another historical spy novel by Furst, whose Night Soldiers I adored.

Music Term

• War Dances by Sherman Alexie: I’m not sure if dancing is technically a music term, but it ought to be. This is a short story collection, with poems interspersed.
• An Equal Music by Vikram Seth: a love story about Western musicians.
• The Assassin’s Song by MG Vassanji: a book about a man torn between East and West, old traditions and new knowledge.
• Music of a Life by Andrei Makine: about a Russian musician in the 30s and 40s.
• After the Dance by Edwidge Danticat: a travelogue in which Danticat visits her native Haiti during Carnival.

The Science Book Challenge 2010
Jeff is hosting the third round of the Science Book Challenge, one of my favourite challenges! He has a great intro page (just follow my link), but essentially participants read three nonfiction science books during 2010 related to the theme “Nature & Science.” You gotta admit, that’s a pretty broad theme! Last year, I put together a huge list of science books that looked wonderful, and of course I didn’t get to read them all, so I’m recycling most of them for this year. I have added some new ones, especially under the animals and plants sections. This year, I committed to reading one science book a month, so twelve in total, and I’d like to renew that pledge for 2010. That’s why I need lots of options!

Animals

• Eye of the Albatross by Carl Safina: I loved his The Voyage of the Turtle, and I’m reading Song for the Blue Ocean this month, so is it any surprise that I want to read more of his work?
• Carnivorous Nights: On the Trail of the Tasmanian Tiger by Margaret Mittelbach and Michael Crewdson: this account of a “conservationist road trip through Tasmania” made it on the list thanks to Jeane’s glowing review.
• The Ghost with Trembling Wings: Science, Wishful Thinking and the Search for Lost Species by Scott Weidensaul: another selection based on Jeane’s review (this will quickly become a theme of this section). This one looks at various endangered and extinct species (not just birds!).
• Hope Is the Thing With Feathers: A Personal Chronicle of Vanished Birds by Christopher Cokonos: another of Jeane’s contributions, this one is all about extinct birds, specifically those of North America.
• The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw: One Woman’s Fight to Save the World’s Most Beautiful Bird by Bruce Barkott: apparently endangered and extinct birds are a new theme for me! This one was recommended by Nancy Pearl, and the cover is soooooooo pretty.
• A Primate’s Memoir: A Neuroscientist’s Unconventional Life Among the Baboons by Robert Sapolsky: another book discovered at Jeane’s blog, but at least this one is about monkeys and not birds! And culture shock, since Sapolsky was in East Africa.
• Silence of the Songbirds: How We Are Losing the World’s Songbirds and What We Can Do to Save Them by Bridget Stuchbury: and we’re back to endangered birds, lol. Nancy reviewed this one and it sounds sad but interesting. Also, the cover is another gorgeous one!
• The Hedgehog’s Dilemma: A Tale of Obsession, Nostalgia, and the World’s Most Charming Mammal by Hugh Warwick: speaking of cuties, I’ve always thought hedgehog’s were pretty adorable as well. Warwick is a ‘British environmental writer.’
• Queen Must Die: and Other Affairs of Bees and Men by William Longgood or Sweetness and Light: The Mysterious History of the Honeybee by Hattie Ellis: I’m not sure if either of these have a lot of science in them, but bees seem interesting, so I figured I could at least check them out from the library and see!
• Cousteau’s Great White Shark by Jean-Michel Cousteau: I’ve always wanted to read some Cousteau (when I was in elementary school, I wanted to become an oceanographer), and I’m really curious about great whites! I feel bad for sharks, they get such bad publicity.
• Paddy by R.D. Lawrence: Lawrence decribes his attempt to raise a baby beaver in the wild. Beavers! Seriously: how can I resist?
• Fishes by Louis Roule: I kept a 30 gallon fresh water aquarium in elementary school (I bought it with my First Communion money), and I LOVED learning about fish. So it’ll be neat to visit my old childhood interests.
• The Aye-Aye and I by Gerald Durrell: earlier this year, I watched the BBC adaptation of Durrell’s memoirs, My Family and Other Animals. It was a wonderful movie: I laughed so hard I cried on many occasions, and at the same time it was gorgeous to watch. So you should go rent it. Anyway, it made me want to read one of Durell’s books, and in this one he goes to Madagascar to try to capture and save a rare mammal. We’ll see if I enjoy his conservation style.

Plants

• Oak: The Frame of Civilization by William Bryant Logan: Now if I love trees that much, does it surprise you that I’m including another book about them on here? This one is about my very favourite tree of all-the oak.
• The Wild Trees by Richard Preston: I’ve actually been wanting to read this since Preston appeared on The Colbert Report (true story: Stephen Colbert came to my college as the graduation speaker when I was a junior, so I have an extra amount of affection for him): it’s about the redwoods and the people who explore them.
• Wicked Plants by Amy Stewart and Briony Morrow-Cribbs: I’ve seen some great blogger reviews of this book. It’s about everyday poisonous plants, and it’s illustrated!
• The Trees in My Forest by Bernd Heinrich: I’m hoping this book by a zoologist about his love of his 300 acres of Vermont forest will inspire me to explore my own Coloraod forest a bit more.
• Oranges by John McPhee: I didn’t enjoy McPhee’s books on geology (I only read Basin and Range-gave up halfway through the second one), but I want to give him another chance. And I’m curious to learn more about oranges!
• In the Company of Mushrooms by Elio Schaechter: ok, so they’re fungi and not plants, but doesn’t this sound fun?! Schaechter is a naturalist who has written a pop natural history book covering every aspect of mushrooms.

Chemicals

• The Carbon Age: How Life’s Core Element Has Become Civilization’s Greatest Threat by Eric Roston: I’m determined to read some pop chemistry books this year, and since this one’s all about carbon, it’s like pop organic chemistry! That’s extra science points right there. I picked this based on the Ars Hermeneutica book note.
• Oxygen: The Molecule that Made the World by Rick Lane: recommended by the lovely Rebecca, who shares in my quest for pop chemistry books.
• Hydrogen: the Essential Element by John Rigden: continuing the element-title theme, Rebecca recommended this one as well. I admit to being less interested in hydrogen than the other elements, but this book is about how scientists studied hydrogen for two centuries, and I always enjoy a good history of scientific thought.
• The 13th Element: The Sordid Tale of Murder, Fire, and Phosphorus by John Emsley: did you see that title?! And here’s the first sentence of the description: “Discovered by alchemists, prescribed by apothecaries, exploited by nineteenth-century industrialists, and abused by twentieth-century combatants, phosphorus is one of nature’s deadliest- and most fascinating- creations. Now award-winning author John Emsley combines his gift for storytelling with his scientific expertise to present an enthralling account of this eerily luminescent element. ” Of course it’s on the list!

Skies

• An Ocean of Air: Why the Wind Blows and Other Mysteries of the Atmosphere by Gabrielle Walker: I really enjoyed her other book, so this one has to be on the list as well!
• The Stars by H.A. Rey: a YA book aimed at people who want to look into the night sky and know what they’re looking at! That would be me.
• Just Six Numbers: The Deep Forces That Shape The Universe by Martin Rees: a summary of cosmology, which means “the study of the physical universe considered as a totality of phenomena in time and space”.
• Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe’s Hidden Dimensions by Lisa Randall: a physics book that looks at string theory, particle physics, and cosmology.

General Nature-y Stuff

• The Boilerplate Rhino: Nature in the Eye of the Beholder by David Quammen: this is a selection of Quammen’s columns for Outside magazine. I so enjoyed reading a collection of columns from a different science writer (Death By Black Hole) that the format really appeals to me. According to the Ars Hermeneutica book note, this one should be good.
• Cats’ Paws and Catapults: Mechanical Worlds of Nature and People by Steven Vogel: this is an exploration of biotechnology, both nature- and man-made. I found it in the Ars Hermeneutica book note.
• How to Dunk a Doughnut: the Science of Everyday Life by Len Fisher: there are nine chapters, and each focuses on the science behind an everyday event. Seems like a neat general overview.
• The Golden Ratio: The Story of Phi, the World’s Most Astonishing Number by Mario Livio: this is another well-reviewed math book. Not to mention, I’ll seem extra-smart when I start talking about ‘phi’and other people say ‘don’t you mean pi?’ and I respond with a whole discourse on the golden ratio.

The Art History Reading Challenge 2010
The Art History Challenge surprised me with some of my favourite reads this year, so I was happy to see that’s back for another round in 2010. The host has changed to NomadReader but the blog remains the same. There have been a few changes to the rules too: you can pick a participation level varying from 3 to 12 books, either fiction or nonfiction. I’m starting at the Fascinated level, which requires six books throughout the year, but I might end up at the Utterly Enchanted one: I have quite a yummy pool to select from! There’s a token novel, which I listed first, and the rest are nonfiction.

• The Flanders Panel by Arturo Perez-Reverte: I’ve had mixed luck with Perez-Reverte in the past, but I’m hoping I enjoy this one! It’s a thriller combining a painting and art, chess, history, and murder.
• The Lives of Artists by Giorgio Vasari: a participant in last year’s challenge reviewed this; Vasari was sixteenth century Italian artist who also wrote gossipy biographies of classic Italian artists. Doesn’t that sound irresistable?
• The Museum Vault by Marc Antoin Matheiu: a graphic book set in the Louvre. This one might actually be fiction too; it’s difficult to tell from the description.
• Master Pieces by Thomas Hoving: this is a book but also a game based on something Hoving played with his fellow curators, trying to identify works of art based on tiny details. I’m not sure what its format is like, but I do love the cover.
• Scandals, Vandals, and da Vincisby Harvey Rachlin: Rachlin gives the backstory on 26 famous canvases.
• The Rescue Artist by Edward Dolnick: a look at when The Scream was stolen and the primary detective who helped get it back.
• Street Sketchbook by Tristan Manco: excerpts from the sketchbooks of 60 graffiti artists.
• Treasures of Islam by Bernard O’Kane: almost all of the books on my list are West-centric, so I was happy to see a book focused on art from a different culture. (And if you have any recommendations for other non-West art history books, share away!)
• Visual Shock by Michael Kammen: Kammen looks at various art controversies in American histoyr.
• -isms by Stephen Little: an introduction to the different ’schools’ of art.
• The Fine Art of Advertising by Barry Hoffman: another book about American art, in this case the advertising aspect of it!
• The Holland Park Circle by Caroline Dakers: Victorian artists! Living together in London!
• Art: the Critic’s Choice by Marina Vaizey: a survey of art history via ten art critics introducing their own specialties.
• The Animated Alphabet by Huges Demeude: I love alphabet books, so I’m curious about this look at them.
• Frida by Hayden Herrera or Finding Frida Kahlo by Barabara Levine: I know that I want to read a book about Frida, and these sound the best of the many my library has!

The Read the Book See the Movie Challenge
CB’s hosting his first challenge! Of course I knew I’d participate, and he’s selected a great theme, which is pretty obvious from the name. Read all the details, including the fun level names, in his intro post. I ran into a problem thinking about my list for this challenge…I’ve seen some great movies based on books I’ve yet to read (My Family and Other Animals is at the top of that list) and read some books that have interesting-sounding movies based on them (Remains of the Day, anyone?, but I can’t think of many book-movie pairs that I haven’t read/seen. So for now, I’m sticking with the Matinee level, which only requires one book/movie: 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff. But if y’all have favourite book/movie combos, feel free to suggest away. Perhaps I’ll upgrade my participation!

The Colorful Reading Challenge 2010
Rebecca of Lost in Books is hosting the second round of the Colorful Reading Challenge. The goal is to read nine books with nine different colours in the title, and participants have all of 2010 to do it. I’ve chosen nine plus two alternates:

• The Orange Tree by Carlos Fuentes: a collection of five novellas, which are apparently ‘bawdy.’
• Journey of the Pink Dolphins by Sy Montgomery: a combo travelogue/science book that sounds like the same style as another Montgomery book I loved The Spell of the Tiger.
• Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley: the first in a mystery series set in 40s LA.
• Red Spikes by Margo Lanagan: another collection of fantasy short stories.
• Red Gold by Alan Furst: set in occupied France.
• Sister Pelagia and the White Bulldog by Boris Akunin: the first in a historical mystery series set in the late 1800s. or White Teeth by Zadie Smith: Smith’s debut novel, centered around two unlikely friends in post WWII England. (or the one above)
• Yellow Moon by Jewell Parker Rhodes: another New Orleans voodoo book: I loved the other one of hers that I read!
• Green Mountain, White Cloud by Francois Cheng: a story set in 1600s China.
• Silver Lies by Ann Parker: another 1800s American West mystery.

Alt:

• Imperial Life in the Emerald City by Rajiv Chandrasekaran: a book about the Green Zone in Baghdad by the Washington Post bureau chief that covers the first year or so of the post-Hussein war.

Rainbow Connection Reading Challenge
Sue Fitz is hosting her first challenge, the Rainbow Connection Reading Challenge. It runs from January 1st to June 30th of next year, and involves reading books based on those ol’ rainbow letters: ROY G. BIV. I’m choosing the double-run, so I’ll be doing one based on titles and one based on author last names. And all the books I chose are by authors of colour.
Title:

• Raisin in the Sun (A) by Lorraine Hansberry: I’ve been wanting to read more plays, and this is a classic!
• October Suite by Maxine Clair: a book about a young teacher in 1950 Kansas.
• Years with Laura Diaz (The) by Carlos Fuentes: a look at a century of Mexican history through the eyes of one woman.
• Grass Dancer (The) by Susan Power: a Sioux novel set in North Dakota.
• Bonesetter’s Daughter (The) by Amy Tan: I’ve always felt a bit anti-Amy Tan, but I’ve never actually read a book by her. Which is rather embarrassing. So I think I owe it to her to give her a shot!
• Ines of My Soul by Isabel Allende: a novel abotu Spaniards and native Chileans during the age of conquistadors.
• Visitation of Spirits (A) by Randall Kenan: a generational saga set in North Carolina.

Author:

• Raboteau, Emily: The Professor’s Daughter: a book about a young college woman’s coming-of-age.
• Olivas, Daniel: Assumptions and Other Stories: obviously a short story collection, set amongst the Latino community of Southern California.
• Yoshimoto, Banana: Goodbye, Tsugumi: a young woman comes of age in Japan.
• Garcia, Cristina: A Handbook to Luck: it follows three teens in the 60s; a Cuban guy living in California, a girl in the slums of San Salvador, and a privileged girl in Tehran.
• Butler, Octavia: Dawn: the first in a sci-fi series also known as Lilith’s Brood.
• Ishiguro, Kazuo: When We Were Orphans: set in the first half of the twentieth century about an orphan who travels back to Shanghai, city of his birth, to find out his past.
• Vassanji, MG: The In-Between World of Vikram Lall: set in post-independence Kenya, it psans decade of change by following one man.

The Complete Booker Challenge 2010
There’s a Complete Booker Challenge that runs throughout 2010 and allows you to enjoy some Booker novels at various levels of participation. I’m going for the Winners Circle, which has me reading at least six winners (I’ve already read nine in the past without intending to read them, so it seems I have a taste for those Bookers). I’ve got a pool of nine that look good:

• The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga: a debut novel set in India.
• Amsterdam by Ian McEwan: I’ve read and enjoyed several McEwan books-like his others, this focuses on friendships and how mistakes can change them.
• The Famished Road by Ben Okri: narrated by a spirit child in Nigeria.
• The Bone People by Keri Holme: a book set in New Zealand about Maori culture.
• Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner: so many bloggers have recommend this one to me at some point! It’s about an author who goes to a hotel in Switzerland to try to recover.
• The Ghost Road by Pat Barker: it’s set during WWI, which appeals to me a lot.
• Sacred Hunger by Barry Unsworth: a book about British involvement in the slave trade.
• Heat and Dust by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala: set in 20s Colonial India, and I enjoyed the short story of hers I read earlier this year.
• In a Free State by V.S. Naipul: I have no clue what this is about, but I am curious about Naipul!
]]> http://chubbyfingers.wordpress.com/2009/12/11/bookers-crunchy-quick-mix-3/ Sat, 12 Dec 2009 01:56:48 +0000 smuve415 http://chubbyfingers.wordpress.com/2009/12/11/bookers-crunchy-quick-mix-3/



So we’ve been away for a while – and we sincerely apologize for that. Everyone in the camp has been very busy, which i guess is a good thing. So here I had a little bit of time to knock this quick mix out. Enjoy!

Booker Crunchy Quick Mix #3

DJ Dan – I Don’t Care (Hot Mouth Remix)
Toth – Public Mind (Original Mix)
Young Fathers – Straight Back On It (Tom Maddicott Remix)
Acid Junkies – Chica Sexy (Original Mix)
Clubzound – Pac Man (Dirty Dutch Remix)
Moonbootica – The Ease (Dada Life Remix)
Maurizio Gubellini – Insane (Vocal Mix)
Will Bailey – Hustlin And Scratchin (Gigi Barocco Remix)
Yolanda Be Cool – Holy Cow (DJ Beware and Motorpitch Remix)
]]> http://b33rag.wordpress.com/2009/12/07/rtqtrqtr/ Mon, 07 Dec 2009 23:33:45 +0000 RedZoe http://b33rag.wordpress.com/2009/12/07/rtqtrqtr/



At the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, students with little income could work at the school to pay their way; Washington worked as a janitor for tuition. Hampton was founded to train teachers, as education was seen as a critical need by the black community. Eager, bright, consistent would describe Washington as he was favored by colleagues and professors. The boy who arrived with just fifty cents in his pocket, graduates with administrative responsibilities of the institute. The President of Hampton,  General Samuel Armstrong. founded his institution in 1868 with the mission to provide  moral training and a practical, industrial education for southern blacks. Washington embodied Armstrong’s interests and is ultimately recommended to head the newly created Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.

]]> http://aconservativeedge.com/2009/11/30/did-google-al-gore-ithm-deep-six-climategate-scandal/ Mon, 30 Nov 2009 04:13:17 +0000 aconservativeedge http://aconservativeedge.com/2009/11/30/did-google-al-gore-ithm-deep-six-climategate-scandal/

What is going on at Google? I only ask because last night when I typed “Global Warming” into Google News the top item was Christopher Booker’s superb analysis of the Climategate scandal.

It’s still the most-read article of the Telegraph’s entire online operation – 430 comments and counting – yet mysteriously when you try the same search now it doesn’t even feature. Instead, the top-featured item is a blogger pushing Al Gore’s AGW agenda. Perhaps there’s nothing sinister in this. Perhaps some Google-savvy reader can enlighten me…..

UPDATE: Richard North has some interesting thoughts on this. He too suspects some sort of skullduggery.



]]> http://blaborgen.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/climategate/ Mon, 30 Nov 2009 02:24:45 +0000 Thomas L http://blaborgen.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/climategate/

Nej, jag kan ju inte hålla mig från att kommentera denna händelse. Låt oss ta hjälp av Christopher Booker för att förklara vad det rör sig om:

A week after my colleague James Delingpole, on his Telegraph blog, coined the term “Climategate” to describe the scandal revealed by the leaked emails from the University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit, Google was showing that the word now appears across the internet more than nine million times. But in all these acres of electronic coverage, one hugely relevant point about these thousands of documents has largely been missed.

The reason why even the Guardian’s George Monbiot has expressed total shock and dismay at the picture revealed by the documents is that their authors are not just any old bunch of academics. Their importance cannot be overestimated, What we are looking at here is the small group of scientists who have for years been more influential in driving the worldwide alarm over global warming than any others, not least through the role they play at the heart of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Booker sammanfattar allt med:

Our hopelessly compromised scientific establishment cannot be allowed to get away with a whitewash of what has become the greatest scientific scandal of our age.

Neil Hamilton gör ett inlägg i debatten här, och jag tycker denna del måste citeras här också:

The truth about CO2 is that it is not a pollutant. It’s the lifeblood of the planet. It stimulates plant growth and the water given off in transpiration neutralises the greenhouse effect of the gas. Why don’t we hear more of this? There is no money to be made from a non-crisis.

Också värda att läsa om Climategate är bland andra Ingemar Nordin och Lennart Bengtsson. 

Själv så får jag väl erkänna att jag inte är alltför förvånad över att den här skandale inträffade. När man lyssnar på debatten, eller deltar i den själv, och får epitet som “förnekare” kastat i ansiktet så förstår man rätt så mycket av den kultur som råder inom dessa kretsar. Låt oss hoppas att tillräckligt många politiker och journalister faktiskt vaknar upp ur sin dröm och att vi inte förstör hela vår ekonomi på grund av en vetenskap som inte hittills har bevisats. Jag håller mina tummar för att Köpenhamnsmötet misslyckas å det grövsta.

]]> http://readingreadingreading.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/the-reluctant-fundamentalist/ Fri, 27 Nov 2009 23:33:42 +0000 alison http://readingreadingreading.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/the-reluctant-fundamentalist/

Shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2007, Mohsin Hamid’s second book The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a tale told by a young Pakistani to an unnamed, unspeaking, unknown American; about his journey from the American dream to political fundamentalism in Pakistan.

Changez is a Princeton graduate who wins a job at a prestigious management consultancy.  For a time, he lives the high life in New York, with an expenses account and a tentative romance with an upper-class American girl, Erica. Then someone flies a plane into a building.  Changez becomes an outsider in his adopted city. Erica is drawing away from him into deep depression.  America attacks Afghanistan. Changez becomes obsessed with following the news from home, and can’t find meaning in his job any more. Erica disappears.  Changez resigns, and leaves New York for his home in Lahore.

As this story unwinds, the tension slowly and imperceptibly increases as darkness falls around the cafe in which Changez and his American listener are sitting. Hamid is leading the reader somewhere, just as he leads his American listener back to his hotel, along a dark street where menacing shadows are drawing closer to the pair.  The story ends with a threat of violence which suddenly reveals what Changez has become and exactly why the American has been so interested in his story.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist is one of the best books I’ve read this year. The story seems simple but  Mohsin Hamid builds it towards a stunning and terrifying climax that left me holding my breath for the last few pages.  It is also a clear and nuanced analysis of the tensions between Islamic countries and the West as they are experienced by ordinary people. It’s a short book at only 184 pages – Mohsin Hamid has said ‘I’d rather people read my book twice than only half-way through’, and I would defintely read it again.  Highly recommended.

Further reading: ‘Why do they hate us‘ – Mohsin Hamid, Washington Post

The Reluctant Fundamentalist
Mohsin Hamid
Hamish Hamilton, 2007

]]> http://liliannattel.wordpress.com/2009/11/26/what-im-reading/ Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:14:26 +0000 Lilian Nattel http://liliannattel.wordpress.com/2009/11/26/what-im-reading/



These are next on my list, a collection of prize winning novels delivered to me by Random House, which publishes my books in Canada. (In the U.S. it’s Scribner, Headline Review in UK, Bertelsmann in Germany, Mouria and Meulenhoff in Holland, Longanesi in Italy, Matar in Israel, Ulpius-haz in Hungary.)

Thank you Randy!

]]> http://americannationaluniversity.wordpress.com/2009/11/19/booker-washingtons-tireless-work-in-the-u-s-for-socio-economic-development-for-black-americans/ Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:04:20 +0000 harry5599 http://americannationaluniversity.wordpress.com/2009/11/19/booker-washingtons-tireless-work-in-the-u-s-for-socio-economic-development-for-black-americans/ http://carolinafaggion.wordpress.com/2009/11/19/novo-parceiro-agencia-ello-model-management/ Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:06:44 +0000 carolinafaggion http://carolinafaggion.wordpress.com/2009/11/19/novo-parceiro-agencia-ello-model-management/



A agência Ello é a mais nova parceira do Espaço de Moda. As modelos lindas que vocês veêm publicadas nos editoriais exclusivos daqui , são agênciadas por eles.

A Ello conta com uma estrutura eficaz e uma equipe selecionada por profissionais experientes na área de comercial e fashion , pronta para atender as demandas e inovações desse segmento. Tato Argentato é o booker que nos atende, sempre muito profissional e simpático, nos auxília na escolha das modelos que melhor se encaixam em nosso perfil. Quando precisar de modelos, ligue para ele!

No  site da agência , vocês poderão ver o casting maravilhoso que eles tem por lá, 



]]> http://theonelinereviews.wordpress.com/2009/11/12/the-little-stranger-sarah-waters/ Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:48:43 +0000 1linereview http://theonelinereviews.wordpress.com/2009/11/12/the-little-stranger-sarah-waters/

Dark old mansion + anxious young woman + 1940s + snow + romance + ghosts + death = I’d take this novel over a cupcake.

]]> http://carnagechronicles.wordpress.com/2009/11/12/second-to-none-the-thoughts-of-p-l-espantoso-7/ Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:02:09 +0000 Carnage Chronicles http://carnagechronicles.wordpress.com/2009/11/12/second-to-none-the-thoughts-of-p-l-espantoso-7/ http://madmoizelanonyme.wordpress.com/2009/11/04/une-vra-de-vra-femme-son-booker-et-jean-charest/ Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:51:55 +0000 stiquejsuisanonyme http://madmoizelanonyme.wordpress.com/2009/11/04/une-vra-de-vra-femme-son-booker-et-jean-charest/

À l’ordre du jour: je dois me trouver un booker. Je n’ai pas d’album, pas encore beaucoup de chansons de sorties ( quoi que les prochains mois risquent d’être surchargés de ma personne dans vos iPod ) mais je veux un booker. Parce qu’avoir un booker c’est cool. Et que pleins de dudes veulent me faire des sets sur leur show ( j’parles comme une vrai p’tite emcee ) et que moi j’suis comme ” Oui OK parce que la salle est cool pis que je vais gosser le patron pour avoir des conso gratuites ” ou ” Fuck off gros lard t’es trop laid pour que je me montre en public ( ou même backstage ) en ta compagnie ” pis que mon booker, lui, aurait définitivement de meilleures arguments que moi. Pis aussi parce que mon booker va pouvoir me booker des soirées spectacles où je pourrais genre… lire mes œuvres devant des mordus de littérature pis parler de ma vie en demandant l’opinion du public sur mes problèmes personnelles pis les faire payer pour jouer au psychologue avec moi.

Mon booker va pouvoir demander que j’aie une loge pis du torche-cul rose. Pis il va définitivement demander plus cher que moi quand on va me demander d’être sur un show pis que l’organisateur va être cute, parce que mon booker sera hétérosexuel et pleins de tattoos pour bien faire comprendre au monde qu’il est hétérosexuel. Le soir, je vais appeller mon booker pour lui raconter ma journée. Et mon booker va me dire ” OK, tayeule pis va écrire une toune “. Mon booker va me mettre sur plein de shows avec des artistes trop cool et moi je vais faire comme si ça ne m’impressionnait pas et je vais dire à Céline Dion qu’elle est tout juste assez big pour que je fasses sa première partie. Anyway, assez parlé de mon booker, parlons de moi plutôt.

Cette semaine j’ai dominé un homme. J’ai bien gonflé mon chest pour l’intimider, j’ai monté mon menton et j’ai ouvert les yeux comme Jean-Luc Mongrain quand il est fâché.

Je vous jure mesdames que pour l’estime de soit, il n’y a pas mieux! Les hommes ont une fâcheuse tendance à ” tripper ” sur les femmes fortes et décidée… Bon je sais que je vais frustrée quelques féministes qui se battent depuis des années pour obtenir cette admiration des hommes envers celles qui ont de l’ambition et qui savent tout faire avec tout, mais pour vrai, ça me déçoit un peu! Je suis du genre femme décidée, qui sait ce qu’elle veut et qui a de l’ambition à revendre, et pleins de beaux projets et tout… mais j’ai quand même envie de revenir chez moi le soir et de pouvoir me plaindre un peu! C’est dans notre nature féminine! Le gars répare le lavabo, la fille pleure en écoutant Place Melrose! Qu’est-ce que NOUS, femmes allons devenir si on fait fuir les hommes en se plaignant d’avoir des grosses fesses dans nos vieux jeans parce que messieurs attendent de nous que l’on s’hymne soit-même? Bien sûre c’est beaucoup moins de travail pour l’homme qui n’a plus à faire d’effort dans ses relations de couple pour faire sentir sa chérie ” femme “, puisqu’il lui laisse le contrat de le faire elle-même, mais avons nous en plus besoin d’inverser les rôles et de réconforter nos hommes lorsqu’ils écoutent Sophie Paquin? Moi, j’ai envie d’un homme qui répare le char quand on reste en ” stract ” sur l’autoroute pendant que je survole la clé USB bien au chaud dans l’auto en essayant de déceler le nombre de fois qu’il sacre en silence parce que le joint du moteur de l’ailleront arrière touche à l’huile du rotoploplo. J’ai envie d’un homme qui va m’offrir des fleures et un souper aux chandelles parce qu’il va avoir remarqué que j’ai encerclé une certaine date sur mon calendrier en craignant que ce soit celle de mes SPM’s. J’ai envie d’un homme qui ne comprendra pas trop pourquoi je pleures en écoutant One Tree Hill mais qui va dont me trouver cute et fermer sa yeule même s’il a trop envie de switcher au hockey. Bref, j’ai envie de pouvoir continuer à être une petite fille cute et sweet avec mon chum et non de jouer à la maman et de devoir l’envoyer dans sa chambre et le consoler quand MOI j’ai envie d’écouter le hockey. ” Dans mon livre à moé ” la femme restera femme pis l’homme va continuer à avoir du poil dans la face.

Ainsi, en replaçant Monsieur X à sa place en lui lançant ses quatre vérités par la tête, j’ai eu l’impression de pouvoir reprendre mon rôle respectif. Il a eu comme premier réflex de baisser la tête et de courber le dos en regardant le sol puis s’est redressi, ma regardé dans les yeux et a fait la plus belle p’tite face cute de gars ” EN TABARNAK ” de se faire rassir par une fille. Et j’insiste sur le ” En tabarnak ” parce qu’un gars juste ” frustré ” c’est fif pis ça parle de ses émotions.
Par contre comme je le disais un peu plus haut, c’était bien pour mon estime. Monsieur X semblait croire que je n’avais ni personnalité, ni caractère parce que je suis douce et délicate avec lui ( sauf dans mes SPM, mais les hommes ne croient plus au fameux regain d’hormones de la semaine rouge, ils croient juste qu’on est folles pis qu’on se sert de ça comme excuse pour expliquer le fait qu’on est euh… ben.. folles. ) et que j’agis comme une fille devrait agir. Comme ça, j’ai assouvi ses fantasmes d’être avec une femme forte, je lui ai presque fait croire qu’il portait un soutient-gorge et que j’avais une pomme d’Adam et je lui ai fait réalisé qu’il n’était pas du tout à l’aise avec ma brassière et mon G puisque de toute façon, il n’a même pas de boules. Tout est bien qui fini bien, quoi que Monsieur X ne m’intéresse plus du tout depuis que je l’ai dominé d’un simple regard méchant. D’ailleurs, maintenant je suis avec un homme qui ressemble à un Jock pis qui a du poil sur le chest ( hehehehe… le dude qui se rase le poil de torse…you know whuuuut i mean??? ). Pis il est cute. Pis il fait de la musique. Pis… il ne prend pas de cours de natation. C’est tout nouveau. C’est l’homme de ma vie depuis peu. Pis… attendez moi, j’dois lâcher un call à Herby Moreau pour lui demander de faire un article sur nous dans le Star Système avec moi assise sur ses genoux avec ma main sur sa joue et un regard amoureux! Well, done!

Dernier sujet ardent de la semaine ( Bonne et heureuse semaine, Always! ), le monde est crissement cave. Coup de marketing, j’ai décidée d’annoncer en primeur sur facebook que j’étais enceinte de trois jours. Comme… moi, y’a trois jours, j’ai fais l’amour avec le cousin du voisin de l’oncle du Colonel Sanders, trois jours plus tard, POUF! Je suis enceinte et bedonnante. Réaction suscitée? ILS Y ONT CRU!!!! J’étais totalement stupéfaite de voir qu’autant de personnes ont buffé leur cours de bio au secondaire. J’veux bien croire en la technologie de ” Première réponse ” mais là… COME ON!!!!!!!! Touuuut y est passé! ” Félicitation! ” ” De qui? ” ” Ben voyons je ne savais pas que tu avais un chum ” ” Comment tu te sens? “… Bref, le quotient moyen des répondants de la demande d’interaction que j’ai lancé était dangereusement bas! On s’en và où? On me reproche de bien m’exprimer, on croit au fait qu’une femme puisse être enceinte de trois jours pis personne n’a encore compris que Jean Charest est un personnage à même titre qu’Homer Simpson et qu’il ne faut pas voter pour lui aux élections! Je me sens presque discrédité dans mon rôle de femme intelligente, alors je vais boire un vodka/redbull, j’vais me vernir les ongles en écoutant Virginie et ensuite je sors au Millenium habillée comme les 761 autres filles dans la place en sentant que je me démarque trop avec mes bijoux Caroline Néron et le Lady Gaga que j’ai dans mon iPod! Bonne soirée!

Ps: Je sais que probablement plusieurs de mes lecteurs font parti de la catégorie « On est cave mais on le sait pas » mais laissez-moi s.v.p vous avisez de ne PAS cliquer sur ce genre de publicité où la compagnie n’a même pas pris le temps d’insérer le bon déterminant dans son annonce ( UNE vieux truc???? )…



]]> http://boredbookseller.wordpress.com/2009/11/02/are-you-ready-for-my-review-of-wolf-hall-more-importantly-am-i/ Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:57:46 +0000 brilliantstella http://boredbookseller.wordpress.com/2009/11/02/are-you-ready-for-my-review-of-wolf-hall-more-importantly-am-i/

A few weeks ago, I finished Hilary Mantel’s Booker-winning Wolf Hall. First I’ll give you my impressions leading up to reading it. Then, I’ll tell you how I felt after reading it. And last, I’ll give me review. It’s like eating the bun of a cheeseburger before you eat the meat.

I had been waiting for weeks, checking the release date, making sure they hadn’t moved it up, reading all the excerpts and reviews I could from UK websites, etc. I even listened to her speak about the book at the LRB bookshop along with Sarah Dunant. I don’t even know why I was so excited about this book. It’s not even a time period I particularly care for, the Tudors are overdone, out of the oven and into the bin, really. But it was promised to be a different treatment, a {brace yourself} revisionist history of Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and Thomas More. Probably the desire for something I couldn’t have put me over the edge, more than anything else. So I bought it, hardcover, no freebies this time.

After finishing the book, I have continued to think about it. It’s brilliant subtlety, it’s overt play with perspective, pronouns and language. It is always the curse of a good book. You have to find something that’s really good, but completely different, or else you’ll meld them together in your mind. But you find that nothing is quite that good, so you read something pretty bad to lower your standards, so you can be impressed when you read another great one. So I’ve been slowly meandering through the New York Review of Books and Maisie Dobbs (see my previous post). Not that either of these are bad, they are different and entertaining or informative, while Wolf Hall was brilliant.

Hilary Mantel had quite a task in front of her. Just about everyone of adult reading age knows the story of Henry VIII, six wives, no male heirs, schism with the Roman Catholic Church, the founding of the Anglican religion, etc. But really, instead of rehashing all that, she makes her focus Thomas Cromwell. From my very small bit of memory about Cromwell, I always remembered him as Henry’s watchdog, without much sense, good at being told what to do, and split up the church and helped a misogynist to find a woman of male child-bearing capabilities.

But this Cromwell is a family man, loyal first to Cardinal Wolsley (even after Wolsley loses favor with the king), and then right at Henry’s side. He has travelled extensively into Europe and trained in many professions, and though continuously reminded of his low birth, he is always trusted and feared by those above and below him. He is a businessman and a lawyer, he loves his family, those he loses and those who remain. He is a human, smart and wily, but sad and concerned.

Wolf Hall is more than just a character study of Thomas Cromwell, however. It touches and shares some of the more humanistic aspects of Henry, Anne Boleyn, and Thomas More.  The reason Henry wants to be divorced from Katherine of Aragon is because he is in love with Anne Boleyn. They act like young lovers in public and they both get flustered around one another. Anne, however, is not portrayed as this passive little sparrow, who was swept up by the king and then left after she was unable to bear a male child. For Mantel, Boleyn and her family engineered all of this, set it up, played the cards right, and luckily, the king fell in love with her.

Mantel does not quibble about character flaws, she is upfront about who people are, no postmodern ambiguity here. Throughout the book, one comes to hate Thomas More.  He attempted to institute an English Inquisition, and personally tortures heretics throughout the book. His downfall comes when he refuses to sign the Act of Supremacy, which states the Henry VIII is the supreme head of the Church of England. He hates Cromwell and is jealous of his skillful maneuvering.  I suppose More has always been admired for his ideals, his staunch adherence to church dogma, and was willing to give his life for his beliefs. But in Wolf Hall he is damned.

So there’s the characters, what’s the story you ask? Well, it’s history as you know it. We are skipped from Cromwell’s childhood to a point in life where he has already become a trusted advisor of Cardinal Wolsley’s. Wolsley loses favor, lots of others vie for position, Henry has fallen in love, the Pope refuses divorce, Cromwell gets it for him, etc., etc.

Really, for me, the part of the novel that makes it all worth it is the last paragraph or so.  Just to set it up, Cromwell is setting up the king’s itinerary.

“From Bronham-we are now in early September-toward Winchester. Then Bishop’s Waltham, Alton, Alton to Farnham. He plots it out, across country. The object is to get the king back to Windsor for early October. He has his sketch map across the page, England in a drizzle of ink; his calendar, quickly jotted, running down it. ‘I seem to have four, five days in hand. Ah well. Who says I never get a holiday?’ Before ‘Bronham’, he makes a dot in the margin, and draws a long arrow across the page. ‘Now here, before we go to Winchester, we have time to spare, and what I think is, Rafe, we shall visit the Seymours.’ He writes it down. Early September. Five days. Wolf Hall.”

All that. 500+ pages. And the name of the book that foreshadows what we already know is to come. Henry’s marriage to Jane Seymour. Brilliant. Mantel shows us that the actions of humans are sometimes planned out and sometimes not. That history is human actions, decisions, choices made and unmade. And that people are more than abstract terms of monarcy, government, religion, love, greed, and naviete. You should read it. Really.

]]> http://chubbyfingers.wordpress.com/2009/10/26/chubby-fingers-blaqwest-october-2009-mix/ Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:21:16 +0000 BlaQwest http://chubbyfingers.wordpress.com/2009/10/26/chubby-fingers-blaqwest-october-2009-mix/



Wow!  I’m actually posting my October Mix and it’s still October!  In fact, it’s not even Halloween.  Ok, Halloween is later this week but still, I’m proud of myself.  I’ve put a few new CF tracks in the mix as well.   Hope you enjoy!

Chubby Fingers – BlaQwest October 2009 Mix

http://www.mediafire.com/?dmyqf2mnjjm

Tracklist:

1. D-M.E.N.T – Bear Garden (Freak Saw Remix)          
2. Alex Kidd – Heavy Bass (Original Mix)             
3. Herve – Who Da Champ (original)          
4. 666 – Devil (FIGURE is it halloween yet Remix)           
5. Florence And The Machine – Drumming Song (Jack Beats Remix)      
6. Claude VonStroke – Vocal Chords          
7. Chubby Fingers – White Lines (Original Mix)             
8. Oliver Leigh – Plett Beatz (Original Mix)          
9. Schenk & Glitch-Boy – Step Back (Original Mix)             
10. Nitro Deluxe – Let’s Get Brutal (Chubby Fingers Refix)         
11. Bit Thief – Apple Pie (Kid Komas Remix)          
12. Jackinori – Bad boi J’Taime             
13. Alex Kidd – Baddest DJ           
14. Detboi – Get Low          
15. Whis This – Ass Back           
16. Chubby Fingers – Westside (In Progress Mix)             
17. Black Noise – Jackin My Fresh Feat. Lex One (Original Mix)          
18. Juiceboxxx – 100 MPH (AC Slater Remix)           
19. Chubby Fingers – Stroke It

]]> http://johnleemedia.wordpress.com/2009/10/26/how-to-and-not-to-pitch-tv-reporters-producers-bookers/ Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:26:33 +0000 johnleemedia http://johnleemedia.wordpress.com/2009/10/26/how-to-and-not-to-pitch-tv-reporters-producers-bookers/

here’s the results of Media Ping’s informal survey…

How to (and not to) Pitch

TV Reporters, Producers & Bookers

by

TV Reporters, Producers & Bookers

Please note that the opinions expressed in this informal survey are solely the opinions of the TV professionals and not of their stations or networks.

—————————————

ABC “Good Morning America” producer

THE PITCH–CONCEPT

What you look for in a pitch for TV coverage? The best pitches are those that tie in to news events/seasons/holidays- for example- a child psychologist who can comment on the balloon boy incident- a doctor who can comment on the availability of the H1N1 vaccine- a financial expert who can comment on the DOW hitting 10k .

Or not even as time sensitive- but tying pitches in to topical/seasonal events are always the most effective.

Also- the NEWEST, THE BEST, THE MOST INNOVATIVE- SUPERLATIVES are always good in pitches.

What mistakes do publicists make in pitching stories?

1)      Pitching the wrong producer/reporter- find out what their niche is and pitch the right person. It is a waste of time otherwise for everyone.

2)      Not separating their clients from the rest of the pack. I get so many pitches for plastic surgeons- for example- (even though I don’t do even those stories anymore!) and they all seem the same. Find out what your client’s specialty is and focus on that- what really makes them special.

3)      Not Staying on top of the pitch and the producer- it may be the right story for that moment- but could be down the line- keep in touch with the producer/reporter/booker and develop a relationship so they can go to you later if they are looking for something.

4)      Spelling the reporter/producer/booker’s name wrong!

THE APPROACH

Best way to pitch you or your station? EMAILS are the best way at GMA- forget phone calls- I don’t even answer my phone if I don’t recognize the caller’s #.

Best time to pitch (time day, day of week, how much lead-time needed)?

FOR EMAILS- it doesn’t matter.  Earlier in the day is better- FORGET Friday afternoons! You would be surprised.

EXECUTION

When you accept a pitch, how can publicists ensure you get a good story or live shot?

Publicists should be diligent and ask the producer/booker what elements they need- how they envision the segment and what elements it will involve- and then be able to supply all of those elements as needed.

It is essential if they are pitching a service a client may provide that they package the story- if it is a doctor who performs a certain procedure, for example—the publicist should be able to provide a “real” person the doctor has worked on- who can be the focus of the story- and a location to shoot it.

What are the mistakes publicists must avoid?

Calling at all– calling too much- or emailing too many different pitches.

If a publicist gets their client booked on a show- they should wait at least 6 months before they should pitch that same person- unless they have a deal with the show for a regular appearance.

TV TODAY

What are some of the changes in the TV industry that publicists should be aware of in developing ideas for TV coverage?

Everyone is getting cheaper- The more elements the publicity can provide for a segment/story the better- as in video, graphics, web support- I I ask for video all of the time now from my sources so I don’t have to hire as many crews to shoot the story..

HORROR STORIES

Any horror stories with ideas your been pitched (not by me of course!) that you could share?

The WORST—the week after 9/11— NO ONE was getting pitched because all of the attention was of course on the WTC attack and the terrorists—but I got a pitch from a company repping a spa- saying now was the time to do a story on their massage therapists because everyone was so stressed out and needed massages to relax.. tasteless!! I NEVER did another story with that PR firm after that..

—————————————————-

Mike Taibbi, NBC national news correspondent

THE PITCH–CONCEPT

What you look for in a pitch for TV coverage? I look for something that’s timely, new (unreported elsewhere) and available with normal resources (that is, with day of air camera crew and no complex or expensive travel). 

What mistakes do publicists make in pitching stories? mistake #1 is pitching the wrong story (a story that has no chance of being pursued) or pitching the right story to the wrong person at a given news organization or at the wrong time (too close or too far from deadline).

THE APPROACH

Best way to pitch you or your station? as i work for network news the pitches i’d be most likely to pick up are those with high news value (the story’s already in the headlines, but you have an angle that advances the story in some significant way) or with evergreen value and a broader national application, but with unique elements to offer

Best time to pitch (time day, day of week, how much lead-time needed)? if it’s a story connected to current headlines and would thus be a day-of-air shoot, then as early in the day as possible…which means you should have an updated contacts file of cellphone #s and email addresses of reporters/producers/editors.   if an extended deadline ‘futures’ type story, then just near enough in time so the tip doesn’t get ‘filed’ (i.e., lost).

EXECUTION

When you accept a pitch, how can publicists ensure you get a good story or live shot? there are never guarantees given by news organizations… a plane crash, earthquake or ‘macaca’ moment on the campaign trail will blow up any rundown… but you have a better chance at attracting a live wrap by the correspondent if you can offer front row camera position for an event still unfolding, or a key person as a possible live guest/interview subject, or some significant information/documentation that hasn’t been reported elsewhere.

What are the mistakes publicists must avoid?

–  don’t try to produce or edit or in any way control the reporter’s script/copy/storyline.

–  don’t offer elements you can’t in fact provide.

–  don’t say you’ll call back or confirm some aspect of the fact-gathering and then fail to do so.

–  don’t lie or misrepresent or overstate you’re client’s position/interest/history etc. (though there’s no obligation of course to tell a reporter the whole story or answer every question fully).

–  don’t forget to wear a watch, and to consult it regularly.  reporters are always on deadline and are always juggling a number of tasks throughout the day.

Please note that the opinions expressed in this informal survey are solely the opinions of the TV professionals and not of their stations or networks.

———————————————-

Meteorologist, local NYC affiliate station

1–I look for something exciting, lots of elements, movement, color. An art museum can be interesting if you add a few elements to it to make it come alive.

2–Mistakes in pitching…The biggest mistake is when people pitch me and they have no idea what we do or what I do. Know everything you can about the people you are pitching to, at least the basics, like people, show time, what the host does that you are pitching to, watch the show/DVR before you pitch it. I have had people pitch me to come with “Good Morning America at 7am” when our show is the local show at 5am. The host/talent doesn’t have time to explain what they do, so you need to know as much as you can about them and they style of the show. Make sure you have lots of information and many elements.

3–Send lots of information, lots of opportunity for different elements in the show. We are on every 7 minutes for two hours, if you researched that and knew that, present lots of elements. If you don’t have enough elements for 2 hours, then pitch the idea of coming in for one hit to a live shot that we are doing somewhere else or when we are on the news set. Don’t over hype it, don’t insult one’s intelligence. Make a professional packet and send it along, follow up with a phone call, email, or voice message.

4–Tuesday through Thursday after 9am is the best time to pitch, at least two weeks notice is best. Always under promise and present more.

5– Whoever pitches the live shot, needs to be at the live shot or have an assistant that is present at all the conversations attend the live shot. Make sure if you can’t be there, make sure the person there can call the shots. Things change at live shots. Make sure you have plenty of elements, too many is much better than too few.

6– Publicists must avoid over promising and under delivering. Better to do the opposite. Do not have any bad surprises for when the talent arrives on the day of the live shot like one of the elements not being able to make it. If that happens we tend not to trust you with another live shot. I doubt we will work with you. If you know ahead of time that something has gone wrong, let us know ahead of time as soon as possible. We will work with you to fill that hole. Don’t keep it a secret and then spring it on us at the live shot. You’re future live shot with us will be over. Honesty always is the best policy. You want future business for future clients.

7–Changes are that budgets are smaller and you may have to work harder to get crews to come and you will have to work harder in preparing your presentation and you will have to do a lot of work at the live shot. Resources are getting smaller for stations so you will have to come up with more for them.

8– Horror stories, I have a few and it results in our never working with the client or the PR firm that represents them again. To this day we have never worked with a certain traveling kids show, and I never will. This was a situation where they did all of the things you should not do. Over promised, undelivered, and then were very arrogant about it. Elements were missing that they promised. All sorts of surprises when we got to the live shot that was not good. We were actually going to leave The Theater at The Garden and do the live shots from the street it was so bad. They left us with so few elements to work with that we could barely fill a half hour let alone 2 hours. The people who put the show together were so arrogant and rude that we will never do a show with them again and you don’t want that. They had the attitude that we were so lucky to have them wake-up and do what they thought was enough of a show for us. I even took the time to call the head of the company that produced the show, they just didn’t get it.

Please note that the opinions expressed in this informal survey are solely the opinions of the TV professionals and not of their stations or networks.

———————————————

MARK JOYELLA—TV correspondent and blogger at (www.localnewser.com)

PITCH CONCEPT

What do I look for? A story I can reasonably turn that very day.  I rarely have the luxury of planning shoots days in advance, so I’m looking for something that I can run on immediately, something the bosses will think is worth covering, and something that I can demonstrate has a local tie.  (If it’s a new medical procedure, I’m going to want a local hospital where we can shoot, a local doctor who can talk on camera, and even a patient)

Mistakes PRs make? Trying to hard to drive the story.  You have to remember the medium.  It’s local news.  If a reporter can’t sell the story to his/her boss as a news story, it doesn’t matter what YOU think the “angle” should be.  Yes, no company has ever offered a deal like this to consumers before, but why does the reporter care?  Connect it to news:  a company’s making a historic offer to consumers hurting from the economy.  Now, the pitch has a tie (peg) to real news that stations may be looking for a fresh story on.

APPROACH

Best way to pitch? I like email, because I’m never at my desk and my desk phone’s a complete waste.  My cell phone’s really best used for immediate things, not pitches.  You stand such a good chance of catching me about to do a liveshot at noon, or standing in a news conference or at a crime scene.  I still check my email from the field, and if I like the pitch, and need a story, you bet I’ll call you.

BEST TIME? I’m always looking for fresh story ideas first thing in the morning.  I have an editorial meeting where I’m required to show up with some good pitches, and an email waiting in the a.m.–especially one that’s only in MY email, not EVERY reporter in the newsroom’s email–AND–one that I know I can turn that day–well odds are, I’ll bring it up in the meeting.  But again, the more local ties (doctor, patient, business owner, college student, whatever) the better.

EXECUTION

Ensuring a good story? Know what kind of stories I do, and what I need to make a good one.  First, remember that a reporter loves no story as much as an exclusive.  Give a story to just one reporter–one you trust–and that reporter will work HARD to make it good.  Also know that the more you have ready for the reporter to choose from (interview subjects, video opportunities, etc.) the better.  But beware, the reporter won’t want it all, and may have his/her own ideas of how to tell the story.

Mistakes? Don’t oversell.  Don’t mislead.  Don’t promise a “dramatic” announcement at a news conference, only to tell me something less than interesting.  (watch the news at night–would your announcement fit in that show or not?)  Don’t imply you’re bringing ME a story, when you’re really offering it to EVERYBODY.  And don’t take it personally if I get pulled off your story to cover a house fire, shooting, dog in a storm drain, or who knows what else.  It happens every day, and stories get changed and killed over and over.  I hate it as much as you do, and it wasn’t my idea.

TV TODAY

Budgets are tighter than ever, stations have endured rounds of layoffs, and the margins are gone.  As a result, reporters are working harder than ever.  They don’t have the luxury to invest a lot of time in stories–some may do more than one story a day.  The easier you make it, the better chance of selling your story.  [And remember... when you get a reporter's attention, and they say, "great, when can I do it?"  if you say, "let me call and check," that's disappointing.  Reporters always want to hear, "how about now?"]

HORROR STORIES

I’ve gotten news releases/letters that suggested a story would be great for my “readers,” when I work at a television station (do they even bother to know who I am?) and I’ve had PRs try–hard–to inject themselves into my work when I cover their story.  If you stand next to me, tell me what questions to ask, try and coach interviews while I’m talking to them, and then follow me around asking me “what’s your angle?” I’m not going to want to work with you ever again.

Check out reporters and know their work.  Find ones you like and feel are professional.  Offer them a real story–with some shred of news value–and a way to turn the story quickly.  Pick your best people, and have them ready to be interviewed that very day.  Remember that this is television, and we want a logical location to shoot video (i.e., not your corporate conference room, but rather, the factory, or whatever it is we’re talking about).  Watch the news, and be ready to pitch on the fly.  If a local story breaks, think of your business and if there’s an angle there.  Pitch it the next day.  Local news loves to stick with a good story.  If you can bring a new, local angle, you have an excellent chance of getting coverage.  But don’t wait.  If flu vaccine ships on Tuesday and local stations are all over it.  Call that day and say, hey, our clinic has shipments if you’d like to see people getting shots and talk to one of our doctors.

If a government report comes out saying home sales are rebounding, email reporters and say, hey, this local construction company has a great angle on new home construction.  We’ve got a house being built in this neighborhood…lots of visual work being done, and we can get you the president of the company to meet you at the lot and talk about the rebound.  If you’d like to go live from the house, we’ll keep the workers on the job for you.

That’s the kind of PR I’d respond to.

Please note that the opinions expressed in this informal survey are solely the opinions of the TV professionals and not of their stations or networks.

———————————————

WNBC reporter

The biggest mistake publicists make in pitching a story is stressing the visual elements…”we have balloons and clowns and cheering kids…”

We are interested in the STORY.  You need to stress how it effects people; why our audience will care about it; and what real people will be available to discuss how they have been impacted.  For example, recently, Suffolk county legislators were voting on a ban of a certain kind of crib.  Their PR people stressed that two families whose newborns died in these cribs would be available.  Their presence changed what would have been an ordinary legislative vote into a compelling story.

You must have more than experts (lawyers, doctors, researchers) to make a story work-  you need real people–(patients, parents, crime victims) whose personal stories can make your story relevant to our viewers.

Perfect case in point–the American Airpower Museum in Farmingdale.  We return time and again to this museum to cover events—not because the museum is unique (what museum isn’t); but, because those who run the museum create events that feature real people who took part in historic events and can talk about them and detail their personal involvement…

In all, visual elements are important; but visual elements without a compelling story won’t be enough to bring us to your event.

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Kaitlyn Ross–reporter Capital News 9

THE PITCH–CONCEPT

What you look for in a pitch for TV coverage? For TV Coverage there NEEDS to be a visual element. No matter how great your event is- if it’s just a bunch of people sitting in a room, you’ll have a tough time getting a camera there. Also- it should be timely. This may go without saying, but don’t hold a press conference for something that’s going to happen a month from now. We’re looking for immediacy, and a “day-of” hook. ·

What mistakes do publicists make in pitching stories? *** The biggest mistake I see is trying to tell us how to do our jobs. I never want a pre-written quote from a mouthpiece. I want the actual interview, in person, with the questions I want to ask.

THE APPROACH

Best way to pitch you or your station? An email followed up by a phone call. ·

Best time to pitch (time day, day of week, how much lead-time needed)? Best time at our station is between 8 and 9 in the morning. It’s before the morning meeting, but everyone is already in. If it’s a big event give the initial pitch with at least a week of lead time and then a reminder that day if you really want coverage.

EXECUTION
When you accept a pitch, how can publicists ensure you get a good story or live shot? Provide the REAL people. If it’s a hearing on dairy farmers, I want to speak with the farmer, NOT the politician that’s sponsoring it. Give us the people who are going to be impacted and make it relevant to the day’s news. Also- know your audience. If it’s a political story- try and contact the political reporter at the station. If it’s a lighter story- keep your eye out for the stations morning reporter (Me ) Who might be more willing to go for it. ·

What are the mistakes publicists must avoid? Again, I would say trying to do our jobs or being too pushy. All journalists understand you have an agenda to get through- and that’s why we’re both there- but we’ll pick the hook ourselves.

TV TODAY

what are some of the changes in the TV industry that publicists should be aware of in developing ideas for TV coverage?  I think just realizing that we need something we can see- make it interesting, make it real.

———————————————

Sports Anchor, New York market

THE PITCH–CONCEPT

What you look for in a pitch for TV coverage?
The main thing is enough advance notice.  Sometimes we get calls for
stories in the afternoon that are happening the next morning!  We need
some time to make things happen.  But the stories need to be visual and
newsworthy.

What mistakes do publicists make in pitching stories?
Sometimes not enough notice.  Also, they’ll call the news dept AND the
sports dept.  A couple of times I have shown up to an event and found
our news crew there, bc the PR person called us both and never told us
the other was coming.

THE APPROACH

Best way to pitch you or your station?
Be courteous, direct, and make sure if you’re pitching an event,
that the people who are there are ready and prepared to be interviewed
by the reporter.

Best time to pitch?
One week is fine.  One day is too short.

EXECUTION

When you accept a pitch, how can publicists ensure you get a good
story or live shot?
Greet the reporter…tell the chain of events as to how the event
will take place, and line up the interviews for the reporter.

What are the mistakes publicists must avoid?
Constantly trying to make the reporter interview someone for the publicists’ benefit.

TV TODAY

Things just must be visual.

Longtime News Manager at NYC Local affiliate

We are looking for stories with a human look, a human twist that will touch people, that people can relate to.

If a charity is pitching a story, then we want to talk to someone helped by that charity, say a victim of a disease or an injustice who can tell the audience how this organization had made a difference in his or her life.

The one thing I’s really emphasize to a publicist is NEVER OVERSELL.  Good stories will sell themselves.  You don’t want to get a reporter out to do a story and here her say, “This is not exactly the story we were told about.”

If we are coming out for a live remote, we want to know what our access is going to be, who we are going to talk with and are there any limitations and are all the story elements in line.   We want to know that if we come out to do your story we are not going to be interfered with, have to compete with people shooting with their camcorders, or transmitting video by cell phone.

Emotions, the human element are still key.  There still is a WOW factor, even in the news.  And don’t be afraid to pick a target demographic for your story—every story doesn’t have to appeal to every segment of our audience.

Make sure we have all the elements needed for the story, including any video, b-roll you can provide.  Remember that in the current climate, we have less people working to fill the same amount of news hours.

Please note that the opinions expressed in this informal survey are solely the opinions of the TV professionals and not of their stations or networks.

John Lee Media

Public & Media Relations, Communications, Media Projects

johnlee@johnleemedia.com

]]> http://adubato.wordpress.com/2009/10/23/king-booker-meets-cryme-tyme-friday-october-23-2009/ Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:17:42 +0000 adubato http://adubato.wordpress.com/2009/10/23/king-booker-meets-cryme-tyme-friday-october-23-2009/

Here is a great clip of King Booker, aka Booker T, meeting the tag team Cryme Tyme.

]]> http://wrestlingdvd.wordpress.com/2009/10/22/wrestling-booker-verwirren-fans-und-wrestler/ Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:46:33 +0000 WRESTLINGDVD~! http://wrestlingdvd.wordpress.com/2009/10/22/wrestling-booker-verwirren-fans-und-wrestler/

Es ist wahrlich keine neue Erkenntnis, dass die Booker in WWE und TNA jede Menge unsinnige Sachen machen, die kein Mensch verstehen oder nachvollziehen kann.

Einen neuen Höhepunkt erreichte man in der letzten beiden Tagen.

In der vergangenen Woche hatte es bei SMACKDOWN Qualifikations-Matches gegeben, bei denen die Vertreter für das RAW vs. SMACKDOWN Match bei BRAGGING RIGHTS ermittelt wurden.

Am Ende der Tapings standen Chris Jericho, Kane, Cryme Tyme, Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre und Eric Escobar als “Team Smackdown” fest.

Doch dann drehte Vince McMahon mal wieder am Rad. Als das Team bei RAW am vergangenen Montag gemeinsam im Ring stand und sich Triple H über die Gegner lustig gemacht hatte, fiel Vince plötzlich auf, dass dieses Team Scheisse ist. Er gab den Befehl, das Team nochmal abzuändern und das Smackdown Creative Team um Michael Hayes solle gefälligst mit einer anderen Lösung rüberkommen.

Mit anderen Worten, SMACKDOWN musste nochmal komplett umgeschrieben werden, 24 Stunden vor den Tapings. Sowas erfreut das Creative Team, zumal Vince in der Vorwoche mit dem Team einverstanden war.

Man bookte bei den Tapings am Dienstag ein 4 vs. 5 Match zwischen Drew McIntyre & JTG (Shad war nicht vor Ort) & Eric Escobar & Dolph Ziggler vs. Matt Hardy & Fit Finlay & Hart Dynasty & R-Truth. Matt Hardy pinnte JTG und nun werden Hardy & Finlay & Hart Dynasty & R-Truth zusammen mit den Kapitänen Chris Jericho & Kane das Smackdown Team bilden.

Man muss sich nicht wundern, wenn die Fans Newcomern wie Drew McIntyre oder Eric Escobar keine Chance geben, denn die letzten Jahre haben gezeigt, dass man als Fans keine Emotionen in neue Leue investieren muss, da sie sowieso nicht richtig gepusht werden. Besonders leid kann einem Dolph Ziggler tun, der nach seinen geplatzten IC Title Träumen nun plötzlich auf der falschen Seite stand und deswegen nicht beim PPV antreten kann.

Aber auch bei TNA waren die Tapings am Dienstag und Mittwoch ziemlich chaotisch. Ist es Zufall, dass es die 1. Tapings waren, bei denen Ed Ferrara offiziell als Booker neben Vince Russo arbeitete?? Selbst einige Wrestler waren verwirrt, denn plötzlich wurde die Main Event Mafia aufgelöst, Kurt Angle ist ein Babyface und auch Mick Foley darf nun wieder bejubelt werden. Alles etwas seltsam.

Hinter den Kulissen krachte es am gestern gewaltig. Chris Sabin hatte sich in einem Match der Machine Guns vs. Team 3D verletzt, als er nach einer Aktion von Bubba unglücklich auf seinem Kopf / Nacken landete. Sabin lag leblos im Ring und es gab die Befürchtungen, dass etwas schlimmes passiert war. Das Match wurde aber trotzdem nicht abgebrochen oder verkürzt, was Kevin Nash zur Weißglut trieb. Er polterte hinter den Kulissen und ließ sich nur schwer beruhigen. Zum Glück hatte sich Sabin “nur” den Nacken gestaucht und es konnte Entwarnung gegeben werden.

]]> http://sequesterednooks.wordpress.com/2009/10/20/offshore/ Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:55:03 +0000 mystrygirl87 http://sequesterednooks.wordpress.com/2009/10/20/offshore/

If the tide was low the two of them watched the gleams on the foreshore, at half tide they heard the water chuckling, waiting to lift the boats, at flood tide they saw the river as a powerful god, bearded with the white foam of detergents, calling home the twenty-seven lost rivers of London, sighing as the night declined.

Penelope Fitzgerald actually won the Booker prize in 1979 for Offshore, but it doesn’t seem to get as much buzz as some of her other novels like The Bookshop or The Blue Flower. The book has an autobiographical tie in that Fitzgerald lived on Battersea Reach herself for a period in the 1960s.

Offshore describes life in a down-and-out houseboat community on the Thames. No one can quite understand why the inhabitants put up with the inaccessibility and inconveniences–not their friends, not their families, not their spouses, not even they themselves. Richard, with his naval background and meticulous personality, is the unofficial leader. Kindly Maurice works the night trade, while Willis paints detailed ships. And Nenna, whose husband refuses to join her on board, ends up being taken care of by her older daughter while the other runs amok like a river rat. With nothing to turn to but each other, together they all struggle against the elements and whatever else life throws at them.

I’m not sure I can quite describe why I like Fitzgerald’s work. She’s a quiet writer, who seems to focus on subtlety and detail. For example, Nenna articulates her dependence on a male presence by the fact that the is unable to fold a map right, while her husband shows distance by not knowing how to give gifts. On the grand scale not a lot happens in the book, no melodrama unless it’s understated, but the little things that do occur are actually meaningful to the characters. It seems true to life somehow.

As has been my experience with her other work it took me a little while to get into it and adjust to the setting and the situations. By the end of the book however, only 141 pages later, I felt attached to all the characters and sorry to see them go; it really felt like a leave-taking, though a bit ambiguous. I wanted to know what happened in the next chapter of their lives, to see how they continued to cope. There is a sense of acquiescence to fate, but not surrender. Overall, I think this Sunday Times quote on the back cover summed up the tone: “It has a sense of battles barely lost, of happiness at any rate brushed by the fingers as it passes by.”

Offshore is my book for the Alive or Not award winner category of the 9 for ‘09 Challenge. Fitzgerald passed away in 2000 at the age of 83.

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