I’ve inadvertently been focusing on various sculptures and statues around town for the past few weeks of Foto Vrijdag entries, so I figured this week I’d intentionally continue the theme with one of the most famous statues here in town. It’s Thinker on The Rock, by Welsh artist Barry Flanagan. There are other versions in cities in the US. We got our version in 2002. He sits facing Neude square, at the end/beginning of Voorstraat. Really, how can you not love this symbol of a free thinker!

Bias in treatment recommendations is a problem health care in general. The focus on my research looks specifically at the biases in mental health care. In this field we find literature that suggests certain disorders are viewed as more “psychological” in nature and others are viewed as more “biological” in nature, and to some degree, there is evidence for this distinction (for example, see Ahn et al., 2009). However, this thinking can be problematic for two reasons: (1) mental health clients with a disorder that is viewed as more psychological in nature than biological in nature are seen to be more at fault for having their illness (Miresco & Kirmayer, 2006); and (2) holding someone accountable for his or her illness is associated with recommending psychotherapy for treatment rather than medication (Miresco & Kirmayer, 2006; Ahn et al., 2009). Perhaps this seems logical, if the cause is psychological then psychotherapy should be the best treatment choice, and when the cause is biological then medication should be the best treatment. However, this implies dualistic thinking. That is, when considering that psychological symptoms are best treated by medication it implies that there is a separation between the psychological and the biological self. Dualism assumes that our mind is non-material and therefore separate from our physical beings. The current paradigm in psychology rejects this notion and teaches materialism. According to the materialist paradigm our mind and body are both made of matter and therefore are not to be treated as separate parts of the person that need to be treated different. This is confirmed from our knowledge that changing our cognition can change the physical aspects of our brains, and also that medication can change our cognition. Additionally, we know that psychotherapy and medication both affect the brain (Kandel, 1998). Therefore, the bias that distinguishes psychological and biological causes of disorders can negatively affect the way we view individuals with mental illness and the treatment that is recommended for them.

In the current literature we see that when people are held responsible for the cause of their illness, whether it is a physical or mental illness, they are stigmatized (i.e. Crisafulli, von Holle, & Bulik, 2008). My current research seeks to understand whether the treatment choice of clinicians (and opinions of laypeople) differs when the client is clearly to blame for the causes of his/her mental disorder compared to when the client is not at blame for the causes of his/her mental disorder. One prediction of my research is that explicitly ascribing blame to the client will influence treatment choices such that those at blame are more likely be prescribed psychotherapy over medication for treatment.

To fully understand the influences of attitudes and biases in clinical decision making it is imperative to examine the biases themselves, the nature of the biases, and how they affect decision making and client care. Researching what biases exist in mental health care is important to further understand how these biases develop and the impact they might have in the mental health field. It is also imperative to look for ways to reduce biases in practice, either by awareness, training, or use of decision making aids.

References

Ahn, W., Proctor, C., & Flanagan, E.H. (2009). Mental Health Clinicians’ Beliefs About the Biological, Psychological and Environmental Bases of Mental Disorders. Cognitive Science (33), 147-182.

Crisafulli, M. A., Von Holle, A., & Bulik, C. M. (2008). Attitudes toward anorexia nervosa: The impact of framing on blame and stigma. International Journal of Eating Disorders 41(4), 333-339.

Kandel, E. R. (1998). A new intellectual framework for psychiatry. American Journal of Psychiatry (155), 457-469.

Miresco, M. J. & Kirmayer, L. J. (2006). The persistence of mind-brain dualism in psychiatric reasoning about clinical scenarios. American Journal of Psychiatry (163), 913-918.

Zumba dance workout moves SU

Claire Xi Chen, beat blogger

If you prefer a dance party blended with zesty Latino rhythms and calming world music to a solo competition between your iPod and a pounding heart, Zumba may be the answer. If staring at the calorie burn rate on the display of a treadmill does not perk you up, why not switch to a party style?

Zumba is the new cardio craze. If Shakira’s sexy hips have not demonstrated it well enough, the dynamic atmosphere of a typical Zumba class should convince you. The workout has spread fast from Columbia, where the dance form was originated, to the Syracuse University campus.

“Zumba dance creates a party atmosphere where you move to great music while dancing your way to a more toned and sculpted body,” said Milka Rodriguez, the Zumba Dance class instructor from the Late Night at the Gym program at SU. “You are here to join the party, make friends, and have fun.”

The music is the magic. It keeps the workout vibe going. In a Zumba dance, your body movements flow out naturally with the rhythm. While the movements are easy to follow, it is the attitude that makes the difference rather than any particular dance steps. The fact that you are actively moving gets you all the bonus points in a workout.

So stop dragging yourself to the gym day after day and start dancing like no one is watching. The two-hour weekly Zumba party is scheduled on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. in the Flanagan Gymnasium.

k

Claire Xi Chen is a biology major doing her graduate studies at SU. She grew up in Tianjin, China. Here in the U.S., she finds the multicultural dynamics quite nurturing. Writing has always been one of Claire’s greatest passions.

I write, therefore I read.

In honour of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers’ Day June 23rd (which I first heard about on http://www.alanbaxteronline.com/), the below is all about books I’ve read lately – in alphabetical order by author. Almost all are brilliant – and the others are successful I am sticking to people that I think are alive, and as a control I’ve put in C.S. Lewis (Narnia), J.K.Rowlings (Harry Potter), and Stephanie Meyer (Twilight) because most people have a familiarity with one or all of those. No spoilers, except some info (as limited as possible) in ratings warnings.

Australian authors get an asterisk, and members of ROR (a writing group with an abnormal amount of talent, found online at http://www.ripping-ozzie-reads.com/) get two.

I will also take requests to review other books – as long as they’re YA fantasy, and available in my library. Make requests at my blog.

CASSANDRA CLARE

City of Bones

City of Ashes

City of Glass

ie the Mortal Instruments series

(Also the infamous Lord of the Rings Secret Diaries – mature content – as Cassandra Claire.)

Free sample: Clary shook her head. “Don’t stop there. I suppose there are also, what, vampires and werewolves and zombies?”

“Of course there are,” Jace informed her. “Although you mostly find zombies farther South, where the voudun priests are.”

“What about mummies? Do they only hang around Egypt?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. No-one believes in mummies.”

“They don’t?”

“Of course not.”

Review: I read the three books in three days – many people have. They are extremely addictive. Funny, with well-drawn characters and an involving story. Mild cliffhangers at the end of books one and two (a plot line is left dangling in the foreground, but the main characters don’t get stabbed in the final paragraph or anything like that). Clare is a master of vivid description.

The second-biggest plot is an extremely angsty love triangle (which some people will find sickening in one or more aspects). It’s written very very well – and the main character does at least try to do the right thing – but angst is still too big a plot line for my liking. On the other hand, every aspect of the relationship/s has a strong bearing on the main plot, and every character is going to stick with me (unfortunately, a lot of the non-love-triangle characters are left relatively undeveloped except for promising hints). The love plotlines really reminded me of what it was like to be a teenager in love but trying to not be selfish or stupid – they are seriously well-written (sooooo much better than a certain Bella). The main character does sometimes make stupid decisions, and although the plotting has been done very well over the three books some of it is a bit transparent (I guessed or figured out several things before the characters did). Other parts are so clever they made me gasp.

Rating: M (seriously scary violence, including an attempted rape by a demon – brief but creepy), adult themes including homosexuality and incest (no sex happens on-screen at any time). Bad things do happen, including death/s of good people.

Recommended for: age 10 and up, including adults.

EOIN COLFER

Artemis Fowl

Six books in the series so far.

Free sample: Nguyen brought the cup trembling to his lips.

“Don’t be alarmed, Mister Xuan,” smiled Artemis. “The weapons will not be used on you.”

Nguyen didn’t seem reassured.

“No,” continued Artemis. “Butler could kill you a hundred different ways without the use of his armoury. Though I’m sure one would be quite sufficient.”

These are smart, interesting books. One reason is that they’re spy books – but definitely fantasy. (Fairies are real, they live mainly underground, and they have really awesome high-tech equipment – including strap-on wings.) Artemis is an interesting character (12-year old genius), and a sympathetic one – as are all the others. He’s meant to be a criminal mastermind (and he is), but he’s a decent kid, too. High adventure – but without compromising on intelligent writing.

Rating: G

Recommendation: 7 and up

BERNARD CORNWELL

The Last Kingdom series

Many other books

This guy knows his historical information, and never ever bores you by shoving in bits of research he’s particularly proud of (as so many do). Great, involving, sensory style; meaningful and exciting plots; well-drawn characters who deserve to be cared about (even when they are, technically, selfish pricks). I read the first book on my honeymoon and had to read the second and third IMMEDIATELY. (Luckily my husband had the same reaction.)

Rating: M to R (realistic violence, sex including unpleasant sex/rape) – depends on the series

Recommended for: 14 (depending on the kid) to adult (entertaining and involving without compromising on depth or intelligence)

*JOHN FLANAGAN

Ranger’s Apprentice series

Strangely compelling. Like Horowitz (below), I just don’t consider Flanagan a good author. Yet I keep reading. Flanagan’s books make me feel like I’m getting my buttons pressed, one after the other (including cliffhanger endings). I did eventually stop reading. But he pushes those buttons very well – smallest kid around gets picked for special task; best friends fight (for the first time) over a girl; etc.

Rating: G

Age recommendation: 6 and up

**RICHARD HARLAND

Worldshaker

Many other books (various genres and age but he’s fond of young adult steampunk)

Richard Harland is a fascinating individual. This book has been compared to the work of Philip Pullman and Philip Reeve, but Harland brings a satirical wit to the table that is unique. It is very funny.

His world is fully-realised and original, with vivid characters and an interesting story. His diagrams of the juggernaut are a highlight, but the book never gets bogged down in over-complicated details.

Free sample: Gillabeth took Antrobus over to the slides. . . “No flapping, no waving,” she ordered. “You know how Grandmother likes to see you slide.”

Antrobus came sliding down, arms fixed at his sides like a wooden doll. There was no way of telling whether he enjoyed or hated the experience.

“Now again,” said Gillabeth.

Rating: M (gory violence, bad stuff happens to good people)

Recommendation: 8 and up, definitely including adults.

ANTHONY HOROWITZ

StormHunter

This is the beginning of a long and wildly successful series. (Not actually speculative fiction, sorry – spy genre.) It’s interesting to me that the good guy’s bosses are highly unpleasant and evil people. Horowitz’s style sucks, some plot twists are predictable, and his characters are cardboard cut-outs.

It was terribly fun to read. Terribly, terribly fun. I laughed out loud (with pleasure) at some of the ridiculous scenes. It’s described by the author as “adolescent fantasy” and it’s the best example I’ve read. (I confess I won’t be reading more, despite how enjoyable it was.)

Free sample [Our twelve-year old hero, Alex, is being attacked by two men on quad bikes. He has already managed to dispatch one guy AND steal his quadbike. Now he's on his way to dispatching the other - who, like the first but unlike Alex, has a gun]: The quads were getting closer and closer, moving faster all the time. The man couldn’t shoot him now, not without losing control. Far below, the waves glittered silver, breaking against the rocks. The edge of the cliff flashed by. The noise of the other quad filled Alex’s ears. The wind rushed into him, hammering at his chest and face. It was like the old-fashioned game of chicken. . .”

Rating: PG (unrealistic violence, including death)

Age recommendation: age 7 to 17

BRIAN JACQUES

Redwall series

Each book is about heroic animals (badgers, mice, moles) fighting bad animals (weasels, wildcats, etc). The animals do talk – there are no humans – but the battles are absolutely serious, violent, and deadly. This contrasts bizarrely with how incredibly jolly the good guys ALWAYS are with one another. The series quickly gets repetitive (if you liked Martin the Warrior you’ll like Lord Brocktree – they are almost identical, except with the characters from the first book played by their own relatives in the second book). The worst part for me was the world’s most annoying accents – and plenty of them. I enjoyed the fact that the bad guys were actually unpleasant to the extent of often handily killing one another – it’s nice to have a genuine BAD guy every once in a while (plus it adds plausibility to the good guys’ victories).

Free sample: Dotti wiped her lips ruefully on an embroidered napkin. “I bally well wish we could, I’ve never tasted honeyed oatmeal like that in m’life. I say, Rogg, how the dickens d’you make it taste so jolly good, wot?”

Rogg chuckled at Dotti’s momentary lapse from molespeech. “Hurr hurr young miz, oi chops in lot of. . .” [let's just stop it here, or I'll bally punch meself, wot wot?"]

Rating: M (violence)

Recommended for: 8 to adult (if you like that sort of thing)

**MARGO LANAGAN

Black Juice

Red Spikes

Tender Morsels

. . . and many others.

I haven’t actually read all of these, because they’re all collections of unrelated short stories. Margo Lanagan is hard to pin down because she writes such a wide variety of work. She is very literary, which in my mind means stunningly beautiful writing, intelligent plots, and deep characters. Her work has such an intense emotional impact that I plan a restful evening AFTER reading it. But when she writes for a younger audience it’s much lighter.

Rating: G to R

Recommended for: 15 to adult (more for adults)

DEREK LANDY

Skulduggery Pleasant

Skulduggery Pleasant: Playing with Fire

Skulduggery Pleasant: The Faceless Ones (first cliffhanger-ish end)

The opening line of the whole series is: “Gordon Edgley’s sudden death came as a shock to everyone – not least himself.” This humour/horror series is enormous fun from beginning to end (not that we’ve reached the end yet). There are interesting and complex characters throughout, and their secrets are still being gradually revealed. Very very funny.

Rating: PG/M (horror violence, but not hard-core unless you’ve never read horror before)

Recommended for: age 8 and up, including adults (for fun)

C.S. LEWIS

Narnia series (seven books in total)

I love every book in this series. Original world (though it doesn’t feel original any more, because there are so many imitators – and it bears some resemblance to Middle Earth, since Lewis and Tolkien were friends), though some people find it limited (I find it cosy). Interesting, realistic characters (main characters shift throughout). The arc from first book to last book works well despite the fact they were written out of order, and The Horse and his Boy is fascinating to me because it looks at the same world from a completely different angle. Some people have argued that Lewis is sexist or racist because of the way women are treated (particularly in a battle), and people with dark skin are usually evil. I disagree with the racism – the dark-skinned Calormenes are simply an enemy country, with good and bad citizens (but predominantly bad because hey, they’re the enemy). The roles of women do show that Lewis is a man of his time, but it has a chivalric (rather than patronising) feeling that suits the medieval-ish world (eg women shoot arrows rather than fighting in the melee). Great, exciting plots.

Rating: G (with – arguably – religious themes)

Recommended for: age 5 and up, including adults (particularly Christians, who have a whole other level to examine – it should be noted that Lewis did not intend them to be thinly-veiled Bible stories, but an exploration of how Jesus would appear and behave in Lewis’ world. The Jesus-esque character doesn’t ruin the stories, which is the main thing).

STEPHANIE MEYER

Twilight (I only read the first one)

Excellent writing style, good characterisation of the hero (for sympathy – it irks many readers that she has no flaws whatsoever). Almost no plot (other than romance) for hundreds of pages, which annoyed me (there’s about 100 pages of action at the end). The whole basis of the romance seemed to be physical (rather than anything to do with the personality/lack thereof of either party), which also annoyed me.

MUCH angst. Much talking about angst. Probably would have been better at half the length.

Rating: PG (sexual symbolism) to M/MA later in the series (on-screen sex). Mild violence.

Recommended for: emos. (ooh, the claws come out!)

Approximate quote: “Ooh, you’re ever so pretty. It’s so hot that you want to eat me! I’d rather DIE than be single, wouldn’t you? Oh that’s right, you are dead. . . Let’s have babies!”

*GARTH NIX

Sabriel

Lirael

Abhorsen

I love Garth Nix and want to have his babies (by which I mean his books). Sabriel is possibly the best book ever written, and although Lirael and Abhorsen feel like one book split into Part One (with good resolution of the main emotional conflict, but including only the leadup to the main physical conflict – not a true cliffhanger, but not one to be read on its own) and Part Two – they are also extremely good (and don’t skip Lirael just because it’s the middle of a trilogy – you will miss the coolest coming-of-age tale ever).

Rating: M for scary supernatural gore and plenty of death (not limited to naughty people).

Age recommendation: Twelve and up – but if you’re an adult, you should definitely read it. It isn’t dumbed down or irrelevant in any way. Even the romance is mature (not in rating, but in emotional depth and maturity).

Keys to the Kingdom series

If I hadn’t read Sabriel etc, I would have been more impressed. This series is a quest-per-book series, where there’s a magical item to be attained, and every climax involves getting said magical item. This makes it a little dull for my taste. On the other hand, the world is original and interesting, and the characters and their problems are good. There’s also over-arching plot lines that draw you through the series. I don’t really recommend it, though – not for adults (even though I’m drawn in enough to be faithfully reading every book as it comes out). There’s just not enough depth to it – I feel like Nix is pushing buttons of tension rather than drawing us into a new reality where we really care what happens. Oh, and each one ends on a major cliffhanger.

Rating: G

Age recommendation: 8 to 12

The Seventh Tower

Very good – not as good as Sabriel etc, but clearly written by the same person (not in any repetitive way, but in the emotional depth and originality). I’ve only read the first three (of perhaps seven), and I’ve chosen to put it out of my mind until it ends (cliffhangers BUG me).

Rating: PG (possibly M) violence

Age range: 12 to adult. Worth reading as an adult.

As far as I know, only the first three books are out.

**MARIANNE DE PIERRES (who, incidentally, read one of my novel openings in a competition and stopped me at the con to tell me how fabulous I am)

Nylon Angel etc

Gritty futuristic world, shining with imagination. She has a tough main character (this is the beginning of a series) with a serious and interesting problem. I enjoyed it, and would have read on except this was definitely a world where rape was common, and I just can’t handle that.

Rating: M (violence, rape in past and probably future)

Recommended for: 14 and up, including adults.

PHILIP PULLMAN

Northern Lights (Golden Compass in North America)

Subtle Knife

The Amber Spyglass

Free sample: Lyra stopped beside the master’s chair and flicked the biggest glass gently with a fingernail. The sound rang clearly through the Hall.

“You’re not taking this seriously,” whispered her daemon. “Behave yourself.”

Review: Philip Pullman is a grumpy and egotistical man, an angrily fanatic atheist – and a true master of storytelling. This story sprawls a bit in all the lies and schemes going on, but it sprawls because it’s so magnificent and epic. It wasn’t until book three that I realised Pullman didn’t just hate the church but hated God – that’s when his convictions leaked into the story the most clearly (the book was written as an answer to Milton). But I was still impressed by the originality of what he did with the character of God.

Rating: PG (violence, symbolic sex, religious theme)

Recommendation: age 7 and up, definitely including adults

Ruby in the Smoke

Shadow in the North

The Tiger in the Well

The Tin Princess

There’s not a hint of preachiness in this series. Each book is a truly fun, original adventure tale set in 19th-century England. the Tiger in the Well has a particularly interesting plot (it’s improved if you read the books in order, but you don’t have to).

Rating: PG (sex)

Recommendation: 10 and up, definitely including adults.

PHILIP REEVE

Larklight

Starcross

Mothstorm

(these are illustrated in an intricate steampunk style by David Wyatt)

These are the first books, in my mind, to overtake Narnia as being the best books ever written for children. They are the funniest books on this list. For this quote, I opened the first book at random (because I was that confident): “I returned the locket to my jacket pocket, though privately I felt that Jack and his friends would not have tried to steal it. They were too busy dividing up the mounds of loot which they had stolen from those Martian ships they’d raided. I do not know quite who it was who started the rumour that crime does not pay, but I can assure you they were wrong. It pays very well. . .”

These are tales of high adventure – space pirates feature – in a brilliantly-realised alternate history/future (sort of Victorian times, but in space).

Rating: G

Recommendation: 6 to adult. If you don’t laugh within three pages, you are probably dead.

Mortal Engines

Predator’s Gold

Infernal Devices

A Darkling Plain

Another brilliantly-realised world, but a much darker one. The characterisation is a particular strength – the pain of one of the characters still breaks my heart. There is a LOT of violence, and bad things definitely do happen.

Rating: M (violence)

Age Recommendation: 12 to adult.

Free sample: He remembered dying. He remembered a girl’s scarred face gazing down at him as he lay in wet grass. . . What was her name? His mouth remembered.

“H. . .”

“It’s alive!” said a voice.

“HES. . .”

“Again, please. Quickly.”

“Charging. . .”

“HESTER. . .”

“Stand clear!”

And then another lash of electricity scoured away even those last strands of memory. . .

J.K. ROWLINGS

Harry Potter series

 This is funny and imaginitive, and gets increasingly scary (sometimes to a worrying extent for parents, including possession and mind control of a good character). Has been criticised for being evil due to (a) popularity (b) people who believe all fantasy is evil (c) misinformation spread online, mainly by the Christian community. Characterisation is a bit stereotyped (eg Hermione is the “good/nerd girl” and Ron is the “dorky friend/source’o'humour”), but the biggest fault is that the hero suffers from angst. It IS realistic that a teenage boy orphaned by an evil wizard (and then blamed for everything bad that ever happens) would start whining about it – but no-one wants to actually READ that. (It might have been okay in summary  – “and then Harry walked off with Ron, whining all the way. Then he saw a pretty butterfly and got over himself” – but by the end many fans were hoping Harry would die.)

Rating: PG to M (horror violence, possession) depending on the book.

Recommended for: 10 (depending on the kid) to adult

PAUL STEWART

Edge Chronicles

Seriously cool, wondrous world illustrated in grotesque beauty by Chris Riddell. Everything about this series is great. It does tend to sprawl a bit in terms of overall plot, but only because there are several quite different stories told in the same world (which makes the world 3-D, in my opinion).

Rating: G

Age recommendation: 7 to adult.

Free sample: The spindlebug paused for a moment at the foot of the sweeping staircase and looked up. The skin, as transluscent as the high arched windows above, revealed blood pumping through veins, six hearts beating – and last night’s supper slowly digesting in a see-through belly.

SUMMARY

Best book for your kid: Larklight by Philip Reeve (but beware some of his other books)

Best book for your teenager: Sabriel by Garth Nix

Best book for a reluctant reader: Ranger’s Apprentice (John Flanagan) or StormHunter (Anthony Horowitz)

Best short story writer: Margo Lanagan (my favourite is the well-known Singing My Sister Down)

PS thanks to Ben for corrections

RIP, Bojar.

——–

The Springfield Kennel Club will provide the money to the Police Department to purchase and train a new  police dog to replace Bojar, a 7-year-old German Shepherd who died earlier this month of cancer.

Susan K. Cohen, director of public relations for the club, said she contacted the office of Commissioner William J. Fitchet with the offer, and had also spoken with officer George T. Flanagan, the handler for Bojar, who will receive the new dog.

“He was moved,” Cohen said Tuesday.

The cost of purchasing and training a new dog suitable for police work can be at least $5,000 and as high as $6,500, said Springfield Police Sgt. John M. Delaney, aide to Commissioner Fitchet

The department is most appreciative of the club’s generosity, he said.

Cohen said the offer is a natural fit for the club, which has worked closely with the police K-9 officers since the unit was formed.

Officers and their dogs regularly work with club members with training and demonstrations for the public. Club members were aquatinted with and fond of Bojar, who served with the Springfield police since 2002.

The kennel club supports police dogs as an example of properly trained working dogs, she said.

“They do things human officers can’t do,” she said.

In addition to purchasing a new dog, the Springfield Kennel Club is interested in starting a charitable fund where people can donate money that would aid the police in paying for costs associated with the dogs.

“It’s for the upkeep of the dogs,” she said. Police dogs, like all pets, require food, medicine, and veterinary care, she said.

“It’s a good chunk of change,” she said. “If people make the donations, that would be great.”

Delaney called the special fund a great idea.

He did not have the cost associated with the K-9 program at hand, but said money for care of the animals comes out of the department’s budget.

The Police Department has eight other K-9 teams. The dogs are in service daily to search for drugs, track criminals and aid in crowd control.

Delaney said it would likely take several weeks to find the right dog and have it properly trained for police work. The dog and Flanagan would have to spend some time together getting used to each other, he said.

This will be the second dog the club has helped purchase. In 2001, the club donated $3,800 toward the purchase of a German Shepherd named Hammer.

Cohen said the Springfield Kennel Club, which is affiliated with the American Kennel Club, is one of the oldest dog clubs in the country. For more information on the club, its Web page is www.springfieldkennelclub.org .

How to help
• Donations to the Springfield Kennel Club’s police K-9 fund may be made in care of Treasurer Dorothy C. Saletnik, Springfield Kennel Club, P.O. Box 637, Ludlow, Ma., 01056.

Link/pic

Autores: Andreu Martín y Jaume Ribera

Título: No te laves las manos, Flanagan

Editorial: Anaya

Colección: Espacio Abierto

Serie: Flanagan

Lo primero que me lamó la atención cuando cogí el primer libro de esta serie era que no era de un autor, si no de dos. A parte de estos libros, sólo me había leído algún otro con esta cualidad, pero la verdad nunca he notado mucho la diferencia.

Como todos los libros de Flanagan, este me ha encantado y estoy dispuesta a cogerme el siguiente. El libro es muy interesante, y como siempre te deja con alguna duda que resolver, siempre tienes más ganas de leer.

Se lo recomendaría a quien le gustara la intriga, es decir, que cada vez se planteen más dudas y se resuelvan al final todas a la vez.

Lo único que me ha gustado menos de este libro es el final, ¡pero me ha encantado de todas maneras!

The boys at HARD Lifestyle have invaded “Toontown”. That’s right they are now animated! Watch for this and MANY more animations coming soon. Full length Cartoons and animated skits will be debuted right here on the blog so stay tuned!

More Videos here
http://www.hardlifestyle.com/hard-tv.html

Go HARD or Go HOME!!!

Os seguidores da serie protagonizada por Flanagan, o detective adolescente, están de en hora boa. Na última semana de febreiro, coincidindo coa aparición da edición orixinal en catalán, chegará as librarías a tradución galega de Isabel Soto de Flanagan Flash-Back, novela na que Andreu Martín e Jaume Ribera recuperan o personaxe de Clara Longo, a primeira moza do famoso detective. Xerais leva publicadas dentro da colección «Fóra de Xogo» sete títulos deste serie: Flanagan de luxe (Xerais 1994, 7ª edición), Alfagan é Flanagan (Xerais 1996, 3ª edición), Flanagan Blues Band (Xerais 1996, 2ª edición), Flanagan 007 (Xerais 1998, 2ª edición), Flanagan, só Flanagan (Xerais 2000), Eu tampouco me chamo Flanagan (Xerais 2006) e Flanagan Flash-Back (Xerais 2009).

Xusto a primeiros de setembro, coincidindo co cumio de Xefes de Estado que se celebra en Barcelona, uns días antes de que Nines lle prepare a festa do seu dezaoito aniversario, Flanagan sabe polo seu amigo Charche que a policía detivo a Clara Longo, a que fora a súa primeira moza, unha heavi lindísima da que nada sabía dende facía catro anos. A pesar de que os rillotes do Komando Destrutor lle pediran que seguise á profesora Xema Obiols, unha oportunidade estupenda para estrear a súa moto nova de segunda man, Flanagan non poderá evitar buscar o rastro de Clara, que recoñece coma unha das mozas máis importantes da súa biografía sentimental. Movido por estas saudades inexplicables, Flanagan atopará esa pista na tenda de Todo a Un Euro, propiedade de Simón Bericart e Margot Longo, unha tapadeira para vender xoias roubadas. Mais a súa perplexidade aumentará cando coñece que a tía de Clara é asasinada. Flanagan, entón, deberá enfrontarse a resolver un dos seus casos máis complexos e perigosos.

Book: The Unknown Terrorist
Author: Richard Flanagan
Publisher: Picador
Year: 2006

Having recently seen an Australian Story documentary about Richard Flanagan and, to my shame, knowing nothing about him, I set about to remedy this lacuna in my knowldege of Australian literature and read ‘The Unknown Terrorist’.

Had I not been given the impression that Flanagan was (perhaps is) a sometime enfant terrible of the Australian (world, discuss?) literary scene, my expectations of this novel might have been different. In that case, I’d merely have accepted ‘The Unknown Terrorist’ as a pulp crime thriller (in the ilk of Michael Connelly) and taken it for what it is. Unfortunately, Flanagan’s pedigree (Rhodes scholar no less) combined with the opening passages of the book, which quote Nietzsche, lead one to expect much, much more than this novel delivers.

Flanagan was obviously inspired by the circumstances of Mamdouh Habib and David Hicks, the Australians who were famously imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay, and their trial by media in Australia, while not by court in the USA.

The plot is far fetched although not totally beyond the realms of believability, but the characters are superficial and, as a reader, I did not really care for the protagonist, the Doll. Was it Flanagan’s intention that the reader should meander through the book with a sense of being slightly detached from the action? Perhaps that’s the genius of it, but if it was, it was a genius largely wasted on me as a reader.

On the whole an acceptable read, but not something I’d breathlessly compel friends to commit to. Despite that, I’m seeking out other novels by Flanagan in the hope I’ll come to understand what the fuss is all about.

Due to a horrendous lack of foresight, quite uncharacteristic we are told, Stephen Harper has led his party to the brink of disaster.

Following their latest convention, we were left with the impression that danger lurked from within, notably among the various interest groups comprised of socio-cons and theocons. It turns out in fact that, if events unfold predictably, Harper’s ego (and possibly a lack of experience and political maturity) would be the cause of the party’s demise.

So come December 8, if his government falls, what then? “Without him, his party is an unlikely combination of Reform Party leftovers, Harris refugees and Red Tory desperates. They don’t matter or even exist without Mr. Harper,” writes Scott Reid.

If he falls, they fall … unless, that is, somebody else steps in to pick up the pieces. Much is indeed at stake.

By tiny incremental steps, the united Conservative party has worked hard to make moderate Canadians more comfortable with its presence, and to dispel the idea that Stephen Harper seeks to create some sort of oppressive theocracy with a “secret agenda.” – Link

In those circumstances, Stephen Harper has much to fear. In the weeks ahead, we shouldn’t be surprised to see him much maligned and ostracized in an effort to further cleanse the image of the party. We will be led to believe that the buck stops with Stephen Harper. Indeed, ever so subtly, the massaging has started:

[...] Mr. Harper did not run in October’s election on a promise to cancel general funding for political parties. Many voters will take the lesson that he really did have a secret agenda — an agenda to screw the Liberal party and the Bloc Quebecois, through a surprise legislative change. – Link

“[T]o screw the Liberal party and the Bloc Québécois” is not a political agenda. It’s a tactic. Whatever the reason Harper introduced the plan to slash public funding of political parties at this particular point in time, ultimately that is just a means to an end. There is a reason he felt that he needed to kneecap ALL opposition in Parliament. Sensible legislation that benefits ALL Canadians does not require dictatorial powers. While Harper may have been working towards a certain vision of Canada, it is still unrealistic to lay the whole project on the shoulders of just that one man, however obsessed he may have been about it.

So questions should remain after the fall of Stephen Harper, if indeed it comes to that. His fall would not by any means lead to the end of “the hidden agenda.” It would therefore not be wise to let our guard down for whatever that agenda is, one thing is certain: it is not something that would have been acceptable to the majority of Canadians if Harper felt that he had to go to such lengths to implement it.

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Update: I just came across this letter & am sticking it here as I believe it is related to the above post. [Via Bastard Logic]

I was looking for my ancestor Robert Johnson on ancestry.com, hoping for some new records or documents to add to my collection.

My search returned a family tree for the Flanagan family, which had Robert Johnson and Jane Mary Storey through the Schorer/Towner/Johnson branch.

I walked the Schorer tree using DM (Flanagan) Doyle’s tree and ancestry.com vital records, and added them to this tree. Her grandfather, Clarence R Schorer was my second cousin twice removed. She would be my fourth cousin.

Here is a photo of Clarence and his mother, Lillian “Lilly” (Towner) Schorer in Washington state.

Lillian (Towner) Shorer and Clarence Raymond Schorer

Clarence was in the USAF in World War II, and in Milo Johnson’s photo album is this picture of Clarence in uniform.

Clarence Raymond Schorer in USAF uniform

According to Milo’s notes, the government sent Clarence to Alaska in the 1960s to take charge of Indian and Eskimo Stores. He then moved to Havre, Montana, as housing coordinator for Bureau of Indian Affairs, overseeing the construction of about 50 houses on the reservation.

All of the census documents are being uploaded now.

Jerry Milo Johnson to Clarence Raymond Schorer