I am now reviewing for Oxford University Press. I received my first book to review today. The book is ‘Shameful Flight: The Last Years of the British Empire in India,’ by Stanley Wolpert. The author is Professor of History Emeritus at the University of California, Los Angeles. His previous books are ‘Gandhi’s Passion,’ ‘Nehru: A Tryst With Destiny,’ ‘Jinnah of Pakistan,’ and ‘A New History of India.’

The copy of ‘Shameful Flight: The Last Years of the British Empire in India’ that I was sent is a paperback, which was published on the 5th November 2009 with 238 pages.

When I have read the book, I will be posting the review here.

Visit Oxford University Press at:

www.oup.com

MTV is reporting that women beater Chris Brown has released a statement about how he feels about Rhianna’s revelations about the specifics of her beating she received from him, and in a nutshell he expresses that he wishes that they remain private.

I bet he does, because they are reprehensible….

Chris Brown's Handiwork on Rhianna...No Excuses..

Here is a quote from the statement on MTV.com…

…”While I respect Rihanna’s right to discuss the specific events of February 8, I maintain my position that all of the details should remain a private matter between us,” he said in the statement. “I do appreciate her support and wish her the best. I am extremely sorry for what I did, and I accept accountability for my actions. At this point, I am taking the proper steps to learn about me and grow from my mistakes. I only hope that others in similar situations can learn from our experience as well. Abuse of any kind is always wrong. The rest I leave it to God.”

Chris Brown contacted MTV on Friday morning to issue this statement in the wake of the huge amount of publicity that Rhianna’s  ”Good Morning America” interview with Diane Sawyer, as well as the 20/20 interview tonight,he had better make a pre-emptive proactive gesture.

I  just suggest that he never claims to be confused about what he did to her that night, or that he blacked out from shock, and thus does not remember beating her.That’s not a good look, man.

Just be embarrassed, apologize, seek some help, and do not ever do it to another woman again.

The excuses are hurting you, but this statement is a step in the right direction.

Here is a link to the full article on the MTV.com website….

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1625767/20091106/story.jhtml

Brooke was the 1st African-American elected to US Senate

Former Senator Edward William Brooke shakes hands with President Barack Obama

The Senator from Massachusetts

More @

Remarks by the President at Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony in Honor of Former Senator Edward William Brooke

Fill out the form to receive your free book from Aetna and the Financial Planning Association.

Took 3 months, but just received this  10-26-09. OFFER IS STILL AVAILABLE.

I received a letter today, but not in the mail; a friend had been keeping it for me the last two years. She had simply failed to deliver it until the early evening of today. It was a letter I had written to myself over three years ago, somewhere in the gray area between the end of being eighteen and the birthday celebration inaugurating my nineteenth year. I wrote longhand a note to myself that was important enough to seal away with the intent to be (re)discovered at some future time. And, yet, I have no memory for what the document might contain — that absence of recall, especially of something which appears outwardly to be so important that it need be preserved, registers as deeply unsettling to me.

I ask myself, “What could have the me of the past wanted the me of the future to know?” And, since I didn’t provide an expiry date on the envelope, I also cannot help ask myself, “How will I know that it is the right time to open the envelope?” These and other questions run through my mind as I hold the letter in my hands for the first time in years, and simply stare at it in disbelief, refusing to allow the object to fulfill its singular purpose. An envelope, holding a letter inside, exists to be opened — this is its purpose — to communicate a message from a single fixed spacial/temporal continuity forward, whether from one person to another or from one individual to his/herself at a later spacial/temporal continuity.

Normally, a letter comes into your life and you open it without hesitation. But, then again, it is decidedly less than normal to receive a letter from yourself. Why, then, am I so wary to explore its contents? I turn it over and over again in my hand, first the front and then the back. I trace its edges with my finger, stop, and begin again. I don’t know what I’m looking for, per se, except the vague notion of clarity or an answer of some kind to my uncharacteristic hesitation.

It has changed a lot since I last saw it. I do remember that much. It has been across the ocean and back again. It’s been following me for years. Someone tried to send it to me while I was abroad in the Czech Republic following the summer after my sophomore year at Northwestern. As soon as I left Prague, it showed up with nobody to claim it. A large black ‘X’ now covers my name and address on the envelope, as if the letter were no longer for me. Czech stamps appear on its edges, issuing a sort of letter-oriented passport to jump borders and cross oceans, one way or another; proof that cannot be faked. It also features handwriting from an anonymous Czech citizen, whose identity will never be known to me. It reads: “Zpet Nebydli.” And I have no idea what that even means.

I am at a loss. After years, the letter has now found me. As my friend said, “Reunited at last.” But, still, hours after having the letter in my possession again, it still remains unopened. As I explained to my friend, I don’t want to open the letter. In fact, while I may have some desire to know, to read, to glean its contents, the mystery of what’s contained inside is more valuable to me than ever knowing what I wrote to myself. It’s beautiful in a way and, I think, poetic. In its current state, the letter could say any number of infinite permutations of wisdom, jokes, advice, denominations of money folded inside paper, anything at all. Although there are clearly limitations to the contents of a regular old envelope (ie. it can’t contain, say, Kanye West), the possibilities are still infinite.

Nothing compares to the mystery, to the blissful, imaginative limbo that results in not knowing the contents of the letter. By contrast, once I know the contents of the letter, the effect is irreversible. All possibility inherent in its grand mystery dissipates when the reality of it sets in — and, at least for the moment, I prefer to live in the uncertainty of what this three-year old letter holds. In short, just as one cannot help but let their imagination fill in the contents of the presents underneath the Christmas tree, so too my mind runs wild with what message this letter may contain — and I don’t yet want to wake up on the proverbial Christmas morning and tear away the paper just yet.

I don’t want the wait to be over, because once it’s over, there’s nothing else.

27 x 40 Movie Poster

 

 

The Hidden is a 1987 science fiction/horror film from New Line Cinema. The film was written by Jim Kouf and directed by Jack Sholder. The cast featured Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Nouri and Claudia Christian.

Tagline:  A new breed of criminal.

Buy this Title on DVD

This film received a MPAA rating of R, and was filmed in color with mono sound. The DVD version was remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. At the time it was released it was an independent film and had been produced for less than US$5 million. A sequel, The Hidden II, directed by Seth Pinsker was released in 1994.

Trivia:

The transfer of the alien from DeVries into Jonathan Miller was accomplished by stop-motion photography. During the stops, stage hands would work at stuffing the creature model into the mock head. Actor William Boyett, upon seeing the alien going into “his” mouth, was so disgusted he refused to watch and actually left the room.

Claudia Christian

Lil Wayne received for his birthday jewelry worth 1,200,000 dollars.
If last year, the artist received a bag with one million dollars this year Director of Cash Money Records, Bryan “Birdman” Williams, handed him a Chopard watch, worth one million dollars, and a chain with a black diamond, also Chopard, worth $ 200,000.
Lil Wayne celebrated his 27th birthday and at the party he spoiled his guest with a huge “diamond” cake. It seems that this year party theme was obviously “diamonds”.

Need I add that Charlie Rangel is currently under investigation by that committee?
Charlie’s “angels” on the committee include Congressmen Ben Chandler of Kentucky, G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina and Peter Welch of Vermont. All have received donations from Rangel. Two of them – Chandler (KY-06, R+9*) & Butterfield (NC-01, D+9) – are apparently keeping it, too.  Considering that Rep. Rangel has given money to 119 Congressmen since the ethics probe began last year, you could almost not blame them.  Or almost not blame Rangel for acting as if he was above the laws that he writes:

Congressman Rangel has been arrogant in refusing to discuss how, as the man who writes this country’s tax laws, he failed to report over $1 million in outside income and $3 million in business transactions as required by the House, lapses under investigation by the House Ethics Committee.

“I recognize that all of you have an obligation to ask questions knowing that there’s none of you smart enough to frame it in such a way that I’m going to respond,” Rangel said.

The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) gave millions of rupees to different politicians during former president Ghulam Ishaq Khan’s regime and no one has ever denied receiving money from the agency, former chief justice of Pakistan Saeeduz Zaman Siddiqui said on Wednesday.