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Post by Fairweather on Dec 30, 2008 10:45:10 GMT -5
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Post by Laura on Dec 30, 2008 11:55:13 GMT -5
A long time indeed..and how do we know he 'really' read all those books
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Post by Jamie on Dec 30, 2008 12:16:08 GMT -5
A long time indeed..and how do we know he 'really' read all those books Enter Miss Ungermeyer as Ethan is riding his skateboard in the hotel room in Rome: "Mr. Craft, you had a list of books to read on this trip." Ethan: "I read the list." Miss Ungermeyer: "You read 15 books?" Ethan: "No, I read the LIST." Quoted (sort of), from the Lizzie Maquire movie!! Basically I'm sure that's what Dubya did: He really just read the 'list.'
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Post by puhlease on Jan 4, 2009 14:43:18 GMT -5
It's a book bonanza here. I got my Overstock order in and started with Ann Rice's Christ the Lord Out of Egypt. I haven't read any of her vampire works, but I am enjoying this. It is a narrative of the early life of Jesus as a boy, coming to grips with things about himself that are, well, "different" from other people. I am enjoying it quite a bit. It is kind of touching and not at all sacriligeous. I got 2 cookbooks also, and have some stuffed cabbage in the crockpot planned for tomorrow. Today we are still feasting on organic sourdough focaccia, one with spinach and portobello mushrooms and one with artichokes and kalamata olives. There is a bakery about an hour from here in a tiny little town that has a huge stone oven and make their sourdough the old-world way. It is to die for! The main street is about 3 blocks long and is mostly junk and antique stores. That's where the real book bonanza begins. I told you I ordered Tale of Two Cities. Well I only found about 5 of them in the second-hand stores yesterday! I also got a Salman Rushdie that I didn't order from Overstock because it cost too much, and I was trying to see how many books I could get for 50 bucks (6), so I got it for 2 bucks, Fury. Also Moby D!ck for 15 cents and a first of Silent Spring for 16 bucks. And stacks of novels. And a great framed print of the lower falls of the Yellowstone, one of my favorite places in the world. And other odds and ends. It was a very pleasant day and hubby didn't rush me once. If anyone needs a framed Blue Boy, I know where you can find 3 of them.
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Post by moonstone on Jan 4, 2009 15:50:19 GMT -5
Sorry. Don't have a place right now for Gainsborough, blue boy or pink lady (one of my favorite drinks, by the way). But a person who loves a good used book bargain is definitely a person after my own heart. If hubby didn't rush you, Lynn, then you're married to a prince. That little town sounds like a treasure.
I've seen pictures of the lower falls at Yellowstone, but didn't get to see them in person because we were only there for a few hours (we saw the Tetons at sunrise (both Jenny and Jackson lakes), then Yellowstone, and drove the road to Cody all in the same day -- one of the most beautiful days -- visually -- of my life). We did manage to see Old Faithful and drive most of the way around Yellowstone Lake, which is also spectacular, with mountain ranges on all sides that are even more impressive when you consider that they're really just the outer ring of the caldera. I read a little bit about the earthquakes and discovered that they're mainly in the area that I happened to see. The lake must be a big sink where the main vent of the volcano was at one time. Someday I hope I see the falls and some of those colorful little pools of heat and acid.
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Post by puhlease on Jan 4, 2009 17:21:23 GMT -5
You know, moon, one of the tourism industry mantras for now is "see the glaciers before they're gone." I hope the same is not true of Yellowstone, because it is one of the most beautiful places on earth and actually still pretty much pristine. I have always wanted to go on one of the backcountry hikes, away from all of the developed part of the park (which is really only less than 10% of it), but I am afraid of bears. And carrying lots of stuff. Did it through the Tetons once, but I was 20 at the time.
And they actually did have a Pink Lady at one of the places, matching frames no less. And not 1, but 2 velvet-upholstered fainting couches. I have always wanted one for "the library" which is really just a short wall of bookshelves in a bedroom we don't use, due to turn of the century insulating techniques that need to be updated before it would be habitable.
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Post by moonstone on Jan 4, 2009 18:27:47 GMT -5
You know, moon, one of the tourism industry mantras for now is "see the glaciers before they're gone." I hope the same is not true of Yellowstone, because it is one of the most beautiful places on earth and actually still pretty much pristine. I have always wanted to go on one of the backcountry hikes, away from all of the developed part of the park (which is really only less than 10% of it), but I am afraid of bears. And carrying lots of stuff. Did it through the Tetons once, but I was 20 at the time. And they actually did have a Pink Lady at one of the places, matching frames no less. And not 1, but 2 velvet-upholstered fainting couches. I have always wanted one for "the library" which is really just a short wall of bookshelves in a bedroom we don't use, due to turn of the century insulating techniques that need to be updated before it would be habitable. I've always thought that the "library" is wherever and whenever you can take refuge and enjoy a good book. A library could be a closet, for example, like Beth fitted out for herself in LITTLE WOMEN, or even a park bench. When I was at Yellowstone, the saddest thing was that around Old Faithful you could still the see the effects of a large fire years before. But the rest WAS quite beautiful. As for glaciers, luckily, I saw a few at Glacier National Park, but they were far fewer than they used to be. Glacier is also still pretty pristine. But for viewing glaciers, I think nothing can probably beat an Alaska or Scandanavian cruise. Or maybe Denali or the Canadian Rockies, or even New Zealand.
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Post by Laura on Jan 4, 2009 20:52:49 GMT -5
It's a book bonanza here. I got my Overstock order in and started with Ann Rice's Christ the Lord Out of Egypt. I haven't read any of her vampire works, but I am enjoying this. It is a narrative of the early life of Jesus as a boy, coming to grips with things about himself that are, well, "different" from other people. I am enjoying it quite a bit. It is kind of touching and not at all sacriligeous. I got 2 cookbooks also, and have some stuffed cabbage in the crockpot planned for tomorrow. Today we are still feasting on organic sourdough focaccia, one with spinach and portobello mushrooms and one with artichokes and kalamata olives. There is a bakery about an hour from here in a tiny little town that has a huge stone oven and make their sourdough the old-world way. It is to die for! The main street is about 3 blocks long and is mostly junk and antique stores. That's where the real book bonanza begins. I told you I ordered Tale of Two Cities. Well I only found about 5 of them in the second-hand stores yesterday! I also got a Salman Rushdie that I didn't order from Overstock because it cost too much, and I was trying to see how many books I could get for 50 bucks (6), so I got it for 2 bucks, Fury. Also Moby D!ck for 15 cents and a first of Silent Spring for 16 bucks. And stacks of novels. And a great framed print of the lower falls of the Yellowstone, one of my favorite places in the world. And other odds and ends. It was a very pleasant day and hubby didn't rush me once. If anyone needs a framed Blue Boy, I know where you can find 3 of them. Yum..stuffed cabbage in the crock pot..just let us know what time dinner is . Sounds like you have some really good reads there friend. Ann Rice is good. I've never read a book of hers, but people who have say she's a great author. Those foccacia with all the goodies sound absolutely yummy. Would that Silent Spring be by Rachel Carson? If it is, I read it 3 times many, many years ago. The lady was so ahead of her time with predictions that are now true. Amazing, and scary at the same time. I remember thinking at the time I read it that no, nothing like what she was describing can possibly come true..well it has. Enjoy your food and the good reads..
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Post by puhlease on Jan 4, 2009 22:00:59 GMT -5
Yes, Laura, it is Rachel Carson. I just get in a hurry sometimes. I got some Aldous Huxley, too. I can't wait to dig into that.
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Post by Fairweather on Jan 25, 2009 14:33:24 GMT -5
Today is the 250th birthday of Scotland's greatest poet, Robert Burns (1759-1796). My blogging buddy Anexplorer at anexplorer.blogstream.com has, over the past couple of days, done posts about Burns's work, with videos of dramatic readings of his verse and of music inspired by his writings. If you have a chance, drop by his blog--and tell him Fairweather sent you. (wink)
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Post by moonstone on Jan 25, 2009 14:59:08 GMT -5
Today is the 250th birthday of Scotland's greatest poet, Robert Burns (1759-1796). My blogging buddy Anexplorer at anexplorer.blogstream.com has, over the past couple of days, done posts about Burns's work, with videos of dramatic readings of his verse and of music inspired by his writings. If you have a chance, drop by his blog--and tell him Fairweather sent you. (wink) Will do, boss. Is there a special discount or or something for mentioning your name?
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Post by Fairweather on Jan 25, 2009 15:16:24 GMT -5
Today is the 250th birthday of Scotland's greatest poet, Robert Burns (1759-1796). My blogging buddy Anexplorer at anexplorer.blogstream.com has, over the past couple of days, done posts about Burns's work, with videos of dramatic readings of his verse and of music inspired by his writings. If you have a chance, drop by his blog--and tell him Fairweather sent you. (wink) Will do, boss. Is there a special discount or or something for mentioning your name? ;D More like a twofer--the latest installment of Madame's adventures in Inaugurationland is also up at FW-- fairweatherlewis.blogstream.com
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Post by Fairweather on Apr 3, 2009 15:53:59 GMT -5
A thoughtful piece about the death of Nicholas Hughes (Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes's son, who committed suicide on March 16) by Linda Gray Sexton, the daughter of Anne Sexton, another poet who suffered through dreadful bouts of depression before taking her own life. Touches upon the very question that vexes us about Nicholas Hughes: does suicidal depression truly run in families? www.nytimes.com/2009/04/03/opinion/03sexton.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
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Post by Laura on Apr 3, 2009 16:04:59 GMT -5
A thoughtful piece about the death of Nicholas Hughes (Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes's son, who committed suicide on March 16) by Linda Gray Sexton, the daughter of Anne Sexton, another poet who suffered through dreadful bouts of depression before taking her own life. Touches upon the very question that vexes us about Nicholas Hughes: does suicidal depression truly run in families? www.nytimes.com/2009/04/03/opinion/03sexton.html?_r=1&th&emc=thA very interesting article. I'm no psychiatrist, but having experience in the world of depression I do know it runs in families. It ran in mine..as did alcoholism, which is a form of depression as the drinker tries to get away from some sort of pain. There are varying degrees of depression. Some gone untreated lead to suicidal tendencies or suicide. It's a shame that people have to suffer as there are excellent medications doctors can prescribe. As people use alcohol to get away from their pain, so the person who commits suicide uses death as a way of escape.
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Post by Fairweather on Jun 2, 2009 12:49:32 GMT -5
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Post by moonstone on Jun 2, 2009 15:34:11 GMT -5
Favorable, yes, and the parts that weren't so favorable really had to do with the book that Widmer wishes that Wolffe had written, more so than hard criticism of the book he DID write. Like a movie critic who tells you what movie should have been made, rather than focusing on the quality of the movie that WAS made. The primaries were far more interesting that the general election, and you can hardly blame Wolffe for focusing on the rivalry between Clinton and Obama, which was real, rather than the general election, which distinctly lacked the personal drama of the primaries. As for the "detail" that was supposedly left out, the comparison to White's book didn't seem to be particularly appropriate, if only because the same sorts of regional politics and back room manipulations were not -- at least as far as I know -- ever in play in this election, and I suspect Wolffe was not trying to appeal to readers who want lengthy discussions of the gas price spike. These are different times, and different times call for differing approaches. As for differing approaches, I heard this morning that Bob Woodward has been engaged to write a book about the operation of the Obama administration. Woodward -- the consummate insider -- will no doubt write a different sort of book altogether. Why would we want everyone to write the same one? Thanks for the treat, katie.
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Post by Fairweather on Jul 3, 2009 9:56:57 GMT -5
The winner of the annual Bulwer-Lytton contest has been announced: www.lemondrop.com/2009/07/01/terrible-prose-wins-hilarious-writing-contest/?icid=main|htmlws-main|dl5|link4|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lemondrop.com%2F2009%2F07%2F01%2Fterrible-prose-wins-hilarious-writing-contest%2FDavid McKenzie, 55, came up with this raucously bad opening sentence: "Folks say that if you listen real close at the height of the full moon, when the wind is blowin' off Nantucket Sound from the nor' east and the dogs are howlin' for no earthly reason, you can hear the awful screams of the crew of the "Ellie May," a sturdy whaler Captained by John McTavish; for it was on just such a night when the rum was flowin' and, Davey Jones be d**ned, big John brought his men on deck for the first of several screaming contests." The contest, named for the Victorian statesman and novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873), is also known as the "It was a dark and stormy night" contest, for the opening line of Lytton's 1830 novel PAUL CLIFFORD. (Charles M. Schulz, you may recall, had Snoopy the beagle novelist begin several of his works with that line.) Lytton is also responsible for several phrases that were considered colorful in his day but have become cliches in ours: calling the lower socioeconomic classes "the great unwashed", referring to speculators as being "in pursuit of the almighty dollar", and "the pen is mightier than the sword" which is sufficient unto itself without smartalecky comment from me.
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Post by moonstone on Jul 3, 2009 15:44:57 GMT -5
The winner of the annual Bulwer-Lytton contest has been announced: www.lemondrop.com/2009/07/01/terrible-prose-wins-hilarious-writing-contest/?icid=main|htmlws-main|dl5|link4|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lemondrop.com%2F2009%2F07%2F01%2Fterrible-prose-wins-hilarious-writing-contest%2FDavid McKenzie, 55, came up with this raucously bad opening sentence: "Folks say that if you listen real close at the height of the full moon, when the wind is blowin' off Nantucket Sound from the nor' east and the dogs are howlin' for no earthly reason, you can hear the awful screams of the crew of the "Ellie May," a sturdy whaler Captained by John McTavish; for it was on just such a night when the rum was flowin' and, Davey Jones be d**ned, big John brought his men on deck for the first of several screaming contests." The contest, named for the Victorian statesman and novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873), is also known as the "It was a dark and stormy night" contest, for the opening line of Lytton's 1830 novel PAUL CLIFFORD. (Charles M. Schulz, you may recall, had Snoopy the beagle novelist begin several of his works with that line.) Lytton is also responsible for several phrases that were considered colorful in his day but have become cliches in ours: calling the lower socioeconomic classes "the great unwashed", referring to speculators as being "in pursuit of the almighty dollar", and "the pen is mightier than the sword" which is sufficient unto itself without smartalecky comment from me. Another Anna Molly's graduate makes good. Our motto: Bring 'em up right. Or wait. I think that's supposed to be left.
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Post by Laura on Jul 24, 2009 15:01:48 GMT -5
Having always believed that there was indeed a conspiracy to assassinate John F. Kennedy and that Lee Harvey Oswald was just the fall guy for the murder, this new book by John Douglass reviewed by Oliver Stone is another book that most likely explains and goes into more detail about the reasons for the assassination. I remember many years ago Jaqueline Kennedy saying to someone during an interview that she knew the story behind her husbands murder and that the story would come out when both her children were no longer alive. I always believed that government officials at the time of the assassination were responsible, as was the military. I still believe some of those politicans are alive today. I plan on reading this book as it looks like a very interesting read for those of us who were around and remember like it was yesterday the day our president was assassinated. JFK and the Unspeakable The murder of President Kennedy was a seminal event for me and for millions of Americans. It changed the course of history. It was a crushing blow to our country and to millions of people around the world. It put an abrupt end to a period of a misunderstood idealism, akin to the spirit of 1989 when the Soviet bloc to began to thaw and 2008, when our new American President was fairly elected. www.huffingtonpost.com/oliver-stone/jfk-and-the-unspeakable_b_243924.html
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Post by moonstone on Jul 24, 2009 17:56:49 GMT -5
Having always believed that there was indeed a conspiracy to assassinate John F. Kennedy and that Lee Harvey Oswald was just the fall guy for the murder, this new book by John Douglass reviewed by Oliver Stone is another book that most likely explains and goes into more detail about the reasons for the assassination. I remember many years ago Jaqueline Kennedy saying to someone during an interview that she knew the story behind her husbands murder and that the story would come out when both her children were no longer alive. I always believed that government officials at the time of the assassination were responsible, as was the military. I still believe some of those politicans are alive today. I plan on reading this book as it looks like a very interesting read for those of us who were around and remember like it was yesterday the day our president was assassinated. JFK and the Unspeakable The murder of President Kennedy was a seminal event for me and for millions of Americans. It changed the course of history. It was a crushing blow to our country and to millions of people around the world. It put an abrupt end to a period of a misunderstood idealism, akin to the spirit of 1989 when the Soviet bloc to began to thaw and 2008, when our new American President was fairly elected. www.huffingtonpost.com/oliver-stone/jfk-and-the-unspeakable_b_243924.htmlThanks for this, Laura. I've never been a real student of this, but I've also never believed that Oswald acted alone, and there are two specific things I've also never understood -- (1) what was Oswald's motive, if not to serve some master or to earn money, and (2) what the heck was Jack Ruby's motive? So, I'll be very interested to hear about this. You should blog about it at Fairbooks.
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