tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61371954136031220292024-03-12T19:48:13.048-04:00CHILDREN'S BOOKS: THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLYCHILDREN'S BOOKS, ART, AND STUFF.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger394125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137195413603122029.post-67850502210590147282015-02-26T14:08:00.001-05:002015-02-26T14:08:07.407-05:00Zeppelin!<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JYuOZnAqQCY" width="480"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137195413603122029.post-60393872074506157682015-01-17T18:52:00.002-05:002015-01-17T18:52:22.564-05:00FUNNY BIT…<img height="586" src="webkit-fake-url://A50CD0CB-5021-4330-A808-7B5030FFA743/image.tiff" width="640" /><br />
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This cracked me up. If you haven't figured out by now - the book I'm working on takes place in 1904 and has something to do with the World's Fair.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137195413603122029.post-394088381952863002015-01-17T18:26:00.001-05:002015-01-17T18:26:16.985-05:00An ALA MEETING FROM 1904!<div style="text-align: center;">
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I cracked up when I read the bit about "morbid trash." This was from a meeting of the American Library Association at the St. Louis World's fair in 1904. "40 delegates were present."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137195413603122029.post-12705909319273168672015-01-15T17:29:00.001-05:002015-01-15T17:29:25.952-05:00This is an ad from 1904. Huh?<img height="640" src="webkit-fake-url://F9291F9A-000A-4B9F-8FE2-4DB07AEBBFB9/image.tiff" width="473" /><br />
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I wonder if that's where the saying "getting plastered comes from. Ha!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137195413603122029.post-39481532962629989822015-01-14T12:35:00.000-05:002015-01-14T12:35:08.429-05:00FROM 1904<img src="webkit-fake-url://1D44DC23-3706-41B8-B1D6-21284F1DB7A9/image.tiff" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137195413603122029.post-19336761503605262352015-01-13T16:54:00.000-05:002015-01-13T16:54:09.761-05:00INTERESTING ARTICLE ON "AIRSHIP"I know, I know… I need to post! I'm almost done with the book I'm working on so then I can get back to it. I'm sure by the time I do all of my readers will be gone. Sigh.<br />
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Anyway, I'm going to start a clipping file for the unrelated interesting articles I find while doing research. Here's one:<br />
<img height="579" src="webkit-fake-url://FD66A177-424E-4C45-B577-A9767F235379/image.tiff" width="640" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137195413603122029.post-46817236449856257582014-12-16T11:41:00.000-05:002014-12-16T11:46:16.674-05:00holiday cardI'm so sorry I haven't posted in FOREVER. I have a deadline! I promise I'll be better… in a week!<br />
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In the meantime, I can't stop laughing and looking at this:<br />
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<a href="http://www.thebos.co/p/09IAPX&ref=fb" target="_blank">http://www.thebos.co/p/09IAPX&ref=fb</a><br />
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Penguin Publishing has been really clever this year! All of the digital cards, honestly, I think are kind of impersonal and boring but they have taken digital and used it in a creative and great way. Bravo!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137195413603122029.post-82923400806427507772014-06-10T14:07:00.002-04:002014-06-10T14:08:33.741-04:00A FEW THINGS FROM THE EARLY 1900s<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is the stuff that the winner of the 1904 Marathon used. It's considered an early "doping" method. Thomas Hicks would have been much better off if he hadn't taken it. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdFwoMWyl2CGfgTjgX-mDRjNvonC3cTOKQRH_TzYneqpuofiA-99LgnLzyVtr9owo7vt2bI4HABwgOzp6UeAMbbHSGLvN7lM4cnlHiv-z_apwin8_yGWjhfT25kNoOo2rPffTLwTztALBN/s1600/02-08_full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdFwoMWyl2CGfgTjgX-mDRjNvonC3cTOKQRH_TzYneqpuofiA-99LgnLzyVtr9owo7vt2bI4HABwgOzp6UeAMbbHSGLvN7lM4cnlHiv-z_apwin8_yGWjhfT25kNoOo2rPffTLwTztALBN/s1600/02-08_full.jpg" height="400" width="320" /></a></div>
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Below is an ad I stumbled upon while looking for photographs of old bicycles. I can't imagine what it must have been like for ladies to exercise wearing any kind of corset! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLFjjYa0NJN8FQiEPIYIoCZJnq6wTlP2wRuT8W2S3xfYoYixWDkpqkbHDu-YoUEdX6I81Kp9a9PTX5IEoZ39SS6YVAGn31uWY78p_5ikFSr5HMJqVDt5RWzRbBs_i3RhHqPGfQuQ8YFy8E/s1600/Ad_Corset_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLFjjYa0NJN8FQiEPIYIoCZJnq6wTlP2wRuT8W2S3xfYoYixWDkpqkbHDu-YoUEdX6I81Kp9a9PTX5IEoZ39SS6YVAGn31uWY78p_5ikFSr5HMJqVDt5RWzRbBs_i3RhHqPGfQuQ8YFy8E/s1600/Ad_Corset_1.jpg" height="496" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137195413603122029.post-90436881283424661942014-06-04T17:50:00.000-04:002014-06-04T18:05:49.250-04:00NONFICTION RESEARCH - ALICE ROOSEVELT NOT AT 1904 MARATHON<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">I am in the midst of a new book project. This one is on the 1904 Marathon held at the St. Louis World's Fair. As with all of my nonfiction projects, I have stumbled upon many inconsistancies in "the facts." I put this in quotes because the more books I work on the more I have come to realize that there is no truth, it is all perspective. </span><br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">One of my obsesions was to determine whether Alice Roosevelt was at the 1904 Marathon and whether she placed a wreath upon Fred Lorz's head. Lorz had cheated and rode part of the race via car due to cramps. He got out of the car because it broke down and started running again. Feeling quite well he finished first. Here's the puzzle I have been trying to figure out: Was Alice Roosevelt (President Teddy Roosevelt's daughter) at the ceremony and did she place a wreath upon Lorz's head?</span></span><br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">The Smithsonian Magazine states: "Alice Roosevelt, the 20-year-old daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt, placed a wreath upon Lorz’s head and was just about to lower the gold medal around his neck when, one witness reported, “someone called an indignant halt to the proceedings with the charge that Lorz was an impostor.” You can read the rest of the article <a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-1904-olympic-marathon-may-have-been-the-strangest-ever-14910747/?no-ist" target="_blank">here. </a></span></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />If you google the name "Alice Roosevelt" and "1904 Marathon" many, many webpages come up siting the incident of Roosevelt placing a wreath upon Lorz's head. Current books also mention the same thing. </span></span><br />
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: left;">I wanted to confirm this and also to find the "photo" that many websites claim exists of Alice and Lorz.</span></span><br />
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: left;">I went digging. Not only do I think I found the REAL answer but I found out some amusing things about Alice (and in one case her brother) as well. </span></span><br />
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Below is Alice in trouble for getting caught betting on horses...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmK8Ehi76678YwrkTFY4G1vgLYPHwj6dEqQV5Liu621eF1cCsTTCd6CfVQR7UhgNVtspvzsjH_IK1pxpsH-aNY038iMcoA9sxVMvdtlC66tvkXlP0uwDxDN8rMLI3Efz4P4cbmfFZU37IN/s1600/alice_horses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmK8Ehi76678YwrkTFY4G1vgLYPHwj6dEqQV5Liu621eF1cCsTTCd6CfVQR7UhgNVtspvzsjH_IK1pxpsH-aNY038iMcoA9sxVMvdtlC66tvkXlP0uwDxDN8rMLI3Efz4P4cbmfFZU37IN/s1600/alice_horses.jpg" height="640" width="218" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And this article is Alice denying it...sort of.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip0XqEd_ZAW8Kx0L4dBHgb0FfRwAwre-XkaWq6d5nXu1fc3LfTkZnOHKnqWcmw4akJd9jjXYCxRkvbdQ5LOVfKLd8S3FKYNcqz5OwtIWAGjB4vqLtU-Q6UoqhqMw13Rl9vsbrgLXzhE9A2/s1600/alice_exiled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip0XqEd_ZAW8Kx0L4dBHgb0FfRwAwre-XkaWq6d5nXu1fc3LfTkZnOHKnqWcmw4akJd9jjXYCxRkvbdQ5LOVfKLd8S3FKYNcqz5OwtIWAGjB4vqLtU-Q6UoqhqMw13Rl9vsbrgLXzhE9A2/s1600/alice_exiled.jpg" height="268" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then I stumbled upon this ridiculous article about Quentin Roosevelt and his goat:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQjCisZdPH4B5Yks43iahQGUVm_koVQExr1WG5DvWrwG5xv34PV3F07EYQWhqvIfaryYC8oklc3sLnnbKu9QKPSIWsOHuXhAB7MokDKpUt2HjszIziWAD-_F8HQKI0KWfyz080lI9Rm0OA/s1600/alice_brothergoat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQjCisZdPH4B5Yks43iahQGUVm_koVQExr1WG5DvWrwG5xv34PV3F07EYQWhqvIfaryYC8oklc3sLnnbKu9QKPSIWsOHuXhAB7MokDKpUt2HjszIziWAD-_F8HQKI0KWfyz080lI9Rm0OA/s1600/alice_brothergoat.jpg" height="640" width="404" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And back to my research about Alice and whether she was in St. Louis giving out medals -- what I did find was that she WAS there a month earlier:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMIWyPRk2IjSF0g7Y4_nTlGj9a5dQLmTDQGBEqqsOPQck8ef3ofPm_yrRAjdRNiV9b0HdP0Zbj3LIZjAznEnzKmwji_97xGqjyNw09IpIz3Z8PHtKJO1uDWtw6g1bpaBdG7HDOBWeYqJpR/s1600/alice_girdle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMIWyPRk2IjSF0g7Y4_nTlGj9a5dQLmTDQGBEqqsOPQck8ef3ofPm_yrRAjdRNiV9b0HdP0Zbj3LIZjAznEnzKmwji_97xGqjyNw09IpIz3Z8PHtKJO1uDWtw6g1bpaBdG7HDOBWeYqJpR/s1600/alice_girdle.jpg" height="410" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What I found super odd was that they gave her a girdle! As my mom said, "Isn't that kind of personal?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So... yet another project for me. I knew that the girdle we think of today... or rather a 1950s type girdle...can't possible be what they were referring to in the article. I found another article that mentioned a "girdle belt." So I key word searched that in google. Nothing. I tried the historical newspapers and found that belt girdles came with jackets. So I looked further and found this article:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjABfLjua1z7mNc0k5EOruuAebYLNrmdfxynuuL96yFz0H5tKzNaYLALbGP4GETyARjoWvCoePy2LRuji2s7YV5n25rFuNPF0YhdIvN7Q2m6-L0fyKxnrt2dEvowQ6AohnGa8oqIhXuSZAm/s1600/alice_walkingcostumes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjABfLjua1z7mNc0k5EOruuAebYLNrmdfxynuuL96yFz0H5tKzNaYLALbGP4GETyARjoWvCoePy2LRuji2s7YV5n25rFuNPF0YhdIvN7Q2m6-L0fyKxnrt2dEvowQ6AohnGa8oqIhXuSZAm/s1600/alice_walkingcostumes.jpg" height="640" width="348" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So from what I can surmise, the belt girdle is what the lady is wearing on the right. It's the belt on the outside of her dress. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So back to the other mystery of where was Alice: I was not having any luck searching for her in St. Louis but from all of the articles I was finding it was clear that newsmen at that time followed her everywhere! One letter to the editor even complained about just that and suggested that the newsmen leave her alone and stop reporting on her daily activities. So what I needed to do was find out where she was not where she wasn't.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's when I found this article:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjknBsUUGKvEPbOIZL3sZnp-L6XxkNdhk0hFJ6hdinsm7SAIq9YRZYH9HgFw5nVyphviwkQ_HtmMA7x-gelzh0NSlk5-k7yBrn_Gpqbk8mpU6xNpGwbQNRvRzkLB9idLFvyeDENWxvHlXD5/s1600/alice_fainted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjknBsUUGKvEPbOIZL3sZnp-L6XxkNdhk0hFJ6hdinsm7SAIq9YRZYH9HgFw5nVyphviwkQ_HtmMA7x-gelzh0NSlk5-k7yBrn_Gpqbk8mpU6xNpGwbQNRvRzkLB9idLFvyeDENWxvHlXD5/s1600/alice_fainted.jpg" height="640" width="440" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The article was dated the day the Olympic Marathon happened. Now, one can surmise that an article would be written a day or two after an incident BUT it would also take an individual time to get from place to place and Alice was not in St. Louise on this day. On a side note: I found SEVERAL Alice fainting articles.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I then found this article:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnHEQ7_c5QoRrsrz1YlHToL7q92zGA3zwGiKgtRUJTPXy-sMQGDMYMjBsBEiIONwL3f5pmhZX91pNwilaUBtAunAp8lSGGX5EhpMEoh6BHV15QA1fizZ_fJNdb4w0nWHyLcBOLVcASdV-x/s1600/alice_newport.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnHEQ7_c5QoRrsrz1YlHToL7q92zGA3zwGiKgtRUJTPXy-sMQGDMYMjBsBEiIONwL3f5pmhZX91pNwilaUBtAunAp8lSGGX5EhpMEoh6BHV15QA1fizZ_fJNdb4w0nWHyLcBOLVcASdV-x/s1600/alice_newport.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not only was Alice in Newport, RI on the day of the Marathon but she would remain there for another week! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One must ask how this myth of Alice Roosevelt got rolling and why everyone believed it... including such renowned institutions such as the Smithsonian. It IS always possible that the news articles I found were untrue but in that case I would like to see the photograph of Alice in question. Until then I will stick with my guns and say that I have disproven a long held myth.</span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/cMrNahSnL5w" width="459"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137195413603122029.post-29989538907679170462014-03-24T14:39:00.001-04:002014-03-24T14:39:27.328-04:00SIBLINGS DRAW CRAZY ALIENS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
These kids had a snow day and spent some time drawing some crazy aliens!</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137195413603122029.post-91626287175749072362014-03-11T14:14:00.002-04:002014-03-11T14:14:27.771-04:00HOW TO PAINT AN EYEI've been really busy but I do want to post on this! I've been working on some videos. One is a sort of "day in the life of an author" kind of thing. In the meantime, please enjoy this video of how to paint an eyeball:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/WuwiRpDbb5s?rel=0" width="420"></iframe>)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137195413603122029.post-53651790293264944472014-02-17T12:03:00.001-05:002014-02-17T12:03:44.364-05:00HAND MAKING A BOOK<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/iuFV5196dYQ" width="480"></iframe><br /><br />
<br /><br />
The silence is because I'm moving... to who knows where. All of my things are going into storage! Eeek! Stay tuned for more on that. Anyway, isn't this video mesmerizing?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137195413603122029.post-88886500998998100892013-12-18T13:45:00.004-05:002013-12-18T13:45:59.107-05:00MY ONE STAR REVIEWMy friend <a href="http://noblemania.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Marc Tyler Nobleman</a> got this idea based on my favorite late night guy Jimmy Kimmel:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/gTix7FDHZcA?rel=0" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
So this was my response:<br />
<br />
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxJzbGJiTc8&feature=c4-overview&list=UUviaE5osnagBOVWgAZKC2og<br />
<br />
I found out it was too long. Alas. Marc got too many responses so I needed to give him like 10 sec. And I wasn't supposed to put sound in, etc. So I'm posting the video here. This is not for kids so that's why it's here and not on my website. I can't have them knowing that I swear! Maybe I'll edit it when I have the time...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137195413603122029.post-66057246219620866182013-11-20T13:00:00.003-05:002013-11-20T13:00:50.109-05:00SELFIE... HOW ABOUT SHELIE?And the word of the year by the OED is... SELFIE! Perhaps you already know about this. Perhaps you take plenty of your own "selfies" or perhaps, like my sister, you are a tad nauseated by the idea. Whatever the case may be, this is the new word according to Oxford. They say that there has been a huge increase in usage of such word and thus the need to make this word the word of the year.<br />
<br />
But do you know about "shelfie"? This term is a snapshot of oneself using your camera phone or other device in front of your bookshelf.<br />
<br />
Observe:<br />
<br />
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There's a clue in this photo as to what book I'm working on next. I haven't sold it yet but I've been working on it for years and I'm very passionate about it!</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137195413603122029.post-47890134026998761292013-11-19T13:14:00.003-05:002013-11-19T13:14:37.364-05:00AUDIOBOOKS WHILE PAINTINGYou haven't heard from me because I'm busy painting. I don't have time to do anything including do normal human activities. Sigh.<br />
<br />
Since the start of my new book, these are the audiobooks I have listened to while painting thus far:<br />
<br />
THE MAN WHO MISTOOK HIS WIFE FOR A HAT<br />
Oliver Sacks<br />
- I wasn't as interested in this as I would have been if a lot of the medical "mysteries" weren't mysteries anymore. For instance, the man who could not recognize faces is no longer alone. A famous example is Chuck Close the painter: he was interviewed recently on 60 minutes and spoke of his fascination with faces because he could not recognize even his wife's. This book was written in the 70s I believe with updates added at the end of each section. The updates are in doctor speak and I sort of spaced out when those were read.<br />
<br />
THE RACKETEER<br />
John Grisham<br />
It was entertaining for what it was. There were so many unrealistic parts to it that I couldn't fully get into the mystery of it all.<br />
<br />
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE<br />
David Finkel<br />
I really recommend this book. So many soldiers come back from the war with brain damage. The suicide rate is high. Their demeanor changes it's not just them who suffers. This book talks about the wives who have to deal with these "invisible" war wounds. It's a sad tale but one that needed to be told.<br />
<br />
A WALK IN THE WOODS<br />
Bill Bryson<br />
My dad had hiked part of the Appalachian Trail and had told of people who immerced themselves in the "culture" of the trail. This is an interesting read and made me want to check out the trail for myself.<br />
<br />
WHAT CAME BEFORE HE SHOT HER<br />
Elizabeth George<br />
This is extremely well written. It's also a very good story.<br />
<br />
DIVERGENT<br />
Venonica Roth<br />
Eh. That's all I have to say about this one.<br />
<br />
THE STRANGER BESIDE ME<br />
Ann Rule<br />
This was very compelling. Now I know what you're thinking: here I am painting a kids' book and I'm listening to the true story of Ted Bundy. Hmmm. But I need to keep my mind occupied! And occupied it was kept. Ann Rule worked with Ted at a call center. She was a crime writer who was eventually assigned the job to write about the murders that Ted committed before she knew that he committed them. Intriguing to say the least. Even though Ann had written about the criminal mind, she too was fooled by this charming psychopath.<br />
<br />
THE IMMORTAL LOVE OF HENRIETTA LACKS<br />
Rebecca Skloot<br />
I'm not finished with this yet - halfway through - but it certainly is interesting. What is called the HeLa Cell and is used in everything and has even been sent up into outer space first started with cancer cells taken from Henrietta Lacks. The author goes on a hunt to look for Lacks's relatives to find out who Henrietta was.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137195413603122029.post-49019939185318507452013-11-03T13:15:00.000-05:002013-11-03T13:15:03.365-05:00WELLES'S WAR OF THE WORLDS PANIC MYTH A MYTH? I THINK MAYBE SO.
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 15.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #1d1419; font-size: 15pt;">A new story is floating around town: That the panic that ensued after Orson Welles read his infamous play on air was a myth--one that was fabricated by the newspapers and has been building forming into a bigger and better story ever since. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 15.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #1d1419; font-size: 15pt;">In <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/history/2013/10/orson_welles_war_of_the_worlds_panic_myth_the_infamous_radio_broadcast_did.single.html" target="_blank">Slate Magazine </a>Jefferson Pooley
and Michael Socolow write:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 15.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i><span style="color: #1d1419; font-size: 15pt;">“Upwards of a million people, [were] convinced, if only briefly,
that the United States was being laid waste by alien invaders,” narrator Oliver
Platt informs us in the <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/worlds/"><span style="color: #500028; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">new PBS
documentary</span></a> commemorating the program. The panic inspired by Welles
made War of the Worlds perhaps
the most notorious event in American broadcast history.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #1d1419; font-size: 15pt;">That’s the story you already know—it’s the narrative widely
reprinted in academic textbooks and popular histories. With actors dramatizing
the reaction of frightened audience members (based on contemporaneous letters),
the new documentary, part of PBS’s <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/"><span style="color: #500028; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">American
Experience</span></a> series, reinforces the notion that naïve Americans were
terrorized by their radios back in 1938. So did <a href="http://www.radiolab.org/story/91622-war-of-the-worlds/"><span style="color: #500028; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">this weekend’s
episode</span></a> of NPR’s Radiolab,
which opened with the assertion that on Oct. 30, 1938, “The United States
experienced a kind of mass hysteria that we’ve never seen before.”</span></i><span style="color: #1d1419; font-size: 15pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #1d1419; font-size: 15pt;">There’s only one problem: The supposed panic was so tiny as to
be practically immeasurable on the night of the broadcast. Despite repeated
assertions to the contrary in the PBS and NPR programs, almost nobody was
fooled by Welles’ broadcast.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #1d1419;"><span style="font-size: 15pt;">How does Socolow and Pooley claim that this myth began? They
blame the newspaper industry, claiming that it had lost revenue to the growing
radio and its scheme was to blow Welles’s broadcast so far out of proportion
that it would discredit it. Interesting theory indeed! But if their theory is correct then it would
be a worse hoax than the broadcast, would it not? For many credible newspapers
across the country to </span><span style="font-size: 20px;">purposely</span><span style="font-size: 15pt;"> write that the broadcast had fooled millions
of Americans when it had not, one would think, would eventually become a
newsworthy item itself. Wouldn’t a journalist come out of the shadows at some
point and write about that? This would be as bad as the U.S faking the moon
landing. Well… not quite, but close. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #1d1419; font-size: 15pt;">These two writers don’t have any hard facts to back up
their claims. What they say, instead, is that there aren’t enough hard facts for
everyone else to back up <i>their </i>claims. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #1d1419; font-size: 15pt;">What they complain about most is Hadley Cantril’s book published
in 1940 called The Invasion From Mars: A Study In the Psychology of Panic. They
claim that Cantril doesn’t have enough facts or the right facts or I’m not sure
what. I happen to own the book so for those of you who are curious, I will
quote a few pages from it (I cut some paragraphs out for length). Believe me, it’s thorough!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #1d1419; font-size: 15pt;">Who Listened?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #1d1419; font-size: 15pt;">The best direct evidence upon which to base an estimate of the
number of people who listened to this broadcast is obtained from a poll made by
the American Institute of Public Opinion (AIPO) about six weeks after the
broadcast. In a nation-wide sample of several thousand adults, 12 per cent
answered “Yes” to a the question “Did you listen to the Orson Welles broadcast
of the invasion from Mars” the representativeness of the sample used by the
Gallup survey is basted on the characteristics of the “voting public.” It
therefor contains more men fewer young people, and probably fewer southern
Negros than the actual radio listening public. According to the 1930 census
there are 75,000,000 persons of voting age in the country. Twelve per cent of
this number would indicate that 9,000,000 adults heard the broadcast. If we
consider all persons ten years of age, then according to the 1930 census we
shall have 12 percent of 99,000,000 people, or, almost 12,000,000. It is undoubtedly
true that many children even under ten years of age listen to the radio after
eight o’clock on Sunday evening, especially when we remember that for more than
half of the country this broadcast was at least an hour earlier than eight p.m.
In addition to these young listeners, a large number of youngsters must have
been wakened by frightened parents preparing to flee for their lives.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #1d1419; font-size: 15pt;">The AIPO figure is over 100 per cent higher than any other known
measure of this audience. However, since the Institute reaches many small
communities and non telephone homes not regularly sampled by radio research
organizations, its result is probably the most accurate. C.E Hooper, Inc., a
commercial research organization making continuous checks on program
popularity, indicatives a listening audience of about 4,000,000 to the Mercury
Theatre broadcast on October 30, 1938. If we pool the AIPO and Hoooper results,
a final estimage of 6,000,000 listeners is conservative. Had the program enjoyed
greater popularity, the panic might have been more widespread.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #1d1419; font-size: 15pt;">How Many Were Frightened?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #1d1419; font-size: 15pt;">In answer to the AIPO question, “At the time you were listening,
did you think this broadcast was a play or a news report? 28 per cent indicated
that they believed the broadcast was a news bulletin. Seventy per cent of those
who thought they were listening to a news report were frightened or disturbed.
This would mean that about 1,700,000 heard the broadcast as a news bulletin and
that about 1,200,000 were excited by it. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #1d1419; font-size: 15pt;">In spite of the attempt to word the question of concerning
individual’s reaction in a casual way, it must be remembered that the number of
persons who admitted their fright to the AIPO interviewers is probably the very
minimum of the total number actually frightened. Many persons were probably too
ashamed of their gullibility to confess it in a cursory interview. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #1d1419; font-size: 15pt;">Sectional differences in extent of fright<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #1d1419; font-size: 15pt;">New England 40
per cent<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #1d1419; font-size: 15pt;">Mid Atlantic 69<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #1d1419; font-size: 15pt;">East north Central 72<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #1d1419; font-size: 15pt;">West North Central 72<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #1d1419; font-size: 15pt;">South 80<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #1d1419; font-size: 15pt;">Mountain and Pacific 71<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #1d1419; font-size: 15pt;">Telephone volume. Accounts of frantic telephone calls flooding switchboards
of radio stations, news papers and police stations are confirmed by figures
secured from the American Telephone Company. An increase of 39 per cent was
reported in the telephone volume in metropolitan northern New Jersey during the
hour of the broadcast as compared to the usual volume of that hour of the
evening. A 25 percent increase over normal in the same area occurred the
succeeding hour. Increases for several suburban exchanges on Long Island for
the same hours ranged from 5 to 19 per cent. In six suburban exchanges
surrounding Philadelphia, traffic increased 9.6 per cent for the entire day of
October 30 and for the entire New York metropolitan area traffic was above
normal. Telephone officials see no other way to account for the increased
volume than assigning responsibility to the broadcast. The managers of 92 radio
stations that carried the broadcast were questioned by mail about their
telephone volume during and immediately following the program. Of the 52 who replied,
50 reported an increase. Thirty-seven per cent noted increases of at least 500
per cent over the usual Sunday nigh volume.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #1d1419; font-size: 15pt;">An analysis of 12,500 newspaper clippings appearing in papers throughout
the country during the three weeks following the broadcast, reveals that,
although he volume of press notices took the usual sharp decline the second and
third days, considerable interest was maintained for five days and had not
fallen below 30 percent of the original volume by the end of the first week. (a
graph is included).<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #1d1419; font-size: 15pt;">So I have this to say:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: #1d1419;"><span style="font-size: 20px;"> 1)</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #1d1419; font-size: 15pt;">why do they question Cantril’s book and statistics?</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: #1d1419; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 20px;"> 2) </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="color: #1d1419; font-size: 15pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Do they have a book with different statistics?</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: #1d1419; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 20px;"> 3) </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="color: #1d1419; font-size: 15pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Do they have any men who worked for the newspapers who can verify
that they did indeed exaggerate or lie to make radio look bad?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="color: #1d1419; font-size: 15pt;">Nonfiction is
always difficult because there are always gray areas. The further in time you
go the more difficult things become. No one is alive anymore to tell you what
really happened. But if you don’t have any concrete facts to question thousands
of newspaper reports and a whole scholarly case study done at the time then I
don’t think you should say anything at all. You should especially not go on NPR
saying that you are <i>positive</i> that everyone
else is wrong. I mean heck… maybe these guys are right… but how can they be so
sure?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137195413603122029.post-4925986620856481122013-10-18T15:53:00.003-04:002013-10-18T15:53:52.226-04:00Banksy and the persistence factorBanksy is in town! If you don't know who he is, he's a street artist who is known for his stencils. His work originally crept up in London and can now be seen around the world. He is in NYC doing a month-long stint: stencils (many have been erased or vandalized, etc - he has enemies or "haters" apparently).<br />
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He also does sculptures. Here is one:<br />
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.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-F8puFLdxYBtsEpbwoeRi29Ru55N8kogVlg3BA3RXQLxh_FIuuMQ6gZxnE1QdVfvZxdLvaBYsJSnz7paLPGGRMwxUz6v5aS1cTjR6TX0tyccGDj78d43PAJRu4xP-Gcn8Pi2QJGBF3XQD/s1600/banksy_vandalisedphonebox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-F8puFLdxYBtsEpbwoeRi29Ru55N8kogVlg3BA3RXQLxh_FIuuMQ6gZxnE1QdVfvZxdLvaBYsJSnz7paLPGGRMwxUz6v5aS1cTjR6TX0tyccGDj78d43PAJRu4xP-Gcn8Pi2QJGBF3XQD/s400/banksy_vandalisedphonebox.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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So work now fetches almost 2 million at auction. So how did he become so successful? Why do crowds race to the next work on a wall in NYC? Those are questions I've been asking myself because they apply to children's books (perhaps my problem is that I apply everything to what I do?). There are the examples of artists who hit the big-time immediately, such as winning the Caldecot first time around. But most often it doesn't work that way.<br />
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As in Banksy's case there are three ingredients:<br />
1) talent<br />
2) originality (though not anymore - there are many imitators)<br />
3) persistence.<br />
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I think number 3 is an important one. Maybe the most? Without #3 you will get nowhere. Let me know what you think. What's most important and why?<br />
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To view my own street art blog --I shoot whatever street art I find in NYC -- <a href="http://streetartnyc.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">go here. </a><br />
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Also, on occasion, I create my own street art. I understand that not everyone agrees with street art. Some consider it vandalism. It took some persuading to convince my parents that what I was doing was not! My dad especially. It's interesting since my dad is the other artist in the family. I look at it this way: There is street art and there is vandalism. "Tagging," to me, is vandalism. Tagging is when people spray their name in illegible writing all over everything. I find it atrocious. I also find it offensive when people do it on private property. No owner should have to deal with removal of spray paint. I would also never do it in an area that has no other spray paint... but in NY, where it is EVERYWHERE, I think that adding a little piece of art to the landscape can be a good thing. It can make someone smile. When they're having a bad day and they look down and see a stenciled pigeon doing something next to their feet that can go far in my book. That's why I do what I do. Art should be free. It should be accessible to all! Below is a piece that I've been doing. Coincidently a film crew set up shop and put their "ladies" bathroom right next to my lady winking. How great is that?<br />
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I told my mom my new idea is to create a stencil of my dad wearing sunglasses and smoking a cigar. It's a really funny photo and will make a great piece. This is one way to win my dad over!</div>
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For a map of where the Banksy art is in NY <a href="http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2013/10/banksy_new_york_map.php" target="_blank">go here.</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137195413603122029.post-47079072792986593342013-10-03T16:35:00.003-04:002013-10-03T17:08:04.858-04:00HOW ROLAND ROLLS: POSSIBLY THE WORST BOOK OF THE YEAR<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhklsW-fmHxVZLqZA3AkiU2oJph4gP-gVIzPOhe5dlgNjzpuhNl7AZPgKygpHwi8Rjtim00FF6TkpgiaRSmcJkjScrXN2Vjum1emGxe-tJe_MN5ON0bl3_F6zz89qaUHeqB20Krbaaa3IMJ/s1600/51780MNEexL._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhklsW-fmHxVZLqZA3AkiU2oJph4gP-gVIzPOhe5dlgNjzpuhNl7AZPgKygpHwi8Rjtim00FF6TkpgiaRSmcJkjScrXN2Vjum1emGxe-tJe_MN5ON0bl3_F6zz89qaUHeqB20Krbaaa3IMJ/s320/51780MNEexL._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="251" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've been seeing loads of new picture books come in lately. One really made me laugh. But not in a good way. It's not supposed to be funny. Or is it? I'm not even sure. It IS supposed to be spiritual. Ha! It's written by funny man Jim Carrey. He was really off his game when he wrote Roland Rolls. Well... I can't really say off his game because he's never written a picture book before. And that's the problem: Celebrities who ASSUME that it's easy to write a picture book and then dash one off to the publisher give children's books a bad name. In most cases, at least their books will go through some sort of editorial process and usually get really good illustrations to hold up the semi-bad text. But not in this case. Oh no! Jim Carrey declared that he didn't need a publisher, saying, <span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20px;">“Things that seem to be in place get changed a lot. With the idea of </span><em style="color: #333333; line-height: 20px;">Roland</em><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">, I wanted the book to be exactly from its original source. I didn’t want other people to influence it, which is just the way of the world." Arrogance? Um... It's possible that this brash decision will land Carrey with box loads of Roland books in his basement several years from now, collecting mold. There goes the spirituality factor, eh?</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's how Carrey describes the book:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“It’s an early existential crisis, one that I experienced as a child when I was afraid that my parents would die. But when we realize that beneath the surface of things – the activities of our lives – we are all connected, that fear of loss gets softened.”</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ah, yes. If only more children's authors were pushed by the early existential crisis of their youths. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20px;">Publishers Weekly describes it this way: "</span><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20px;">With</span><em style="color: #333333; line-height: 20px;">Roland,</em><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20px;"> Carrey hopes to teach kids how to recognize their true identities, and how they can be individuals while being part of something larger at the same time." The illustrator decided to put this in the illustrations by glopping multiple fish eyeballs together, floating them hopelessly in the aqua water... AS ONE. Disturbing? I would say yes. There is one page where there are so many eye balls and so many colors all squished together that it looks like an acid trip. Other spreads are equally perplexing. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I was always two people when I was growing up,” Carrey said. “I was the kid who made my family laugh by pretending to fall down a flight of stairs, but then I’d retreat to my bedroom to think. Kids don’t get enough credit for their deeper thoughts.” Of course kids have deeper thoughts. But this book will not provide that for them. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">The book's premiss, if I could figure it out at all, is that Roland is a wave who was care free and happy until he gets mixed in with other water (going to be very confusing for kids because ALL water is already mixed together - it was confusing for me to grasp because it makes NO sense) and is no longer happy... and then a bully wave comes along and cuts through him... blah blah blah (the story is too long)... but then Roland meets a female wave (the love of his life) and they are to live happily ever after...and they blend with one another so that they are not just separate waves but now are one wave (the art gets really odd here - there are fish type eye balls all over the place)... but then they realize that they are not just ONE with each other they are ONE with EVERYTHING! OH JOY! They are one with the water that we drink and the rivers and so on (more odd artwork). But then there is some mention of the water not being able to ever go on land but then at the end the waves head toward the land but they still live? I really don't know what Carrey was doing on with all of that. Hmm.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">Is there a workable premiss with all of this? Yes. But what I read is something that I would have seen in the slush pile that would have been sent back immediately The whole thing needs to be reworked from beginning to end. First I'd never use water to be my "character." It can't be illustrated well and water is already together. Calling a wave a separate unit from the rest of water makes no sense... at least to me. I guess it does to Jim Carrey. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">The thing is this: even though the book is a mess it will still sell because Carrey is a celebrity and is all on Ellen and various other network shows talking up his book. I read several one-star Amazon reviews where customers said they didn't even read the book until they were at home wrapping it as a present. Why wouldn't one read it in the store? Well... I guess that's another debate for another time. </span></span></div>
<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">p.s If I can bring myself to buy a copy I will show examples of the interior illustrations ... because they need to be seen!</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137195413603122029.post-1108028714813407492013-09-25T13:31:00.000-04:002013-09-25T13:31:00.784-04:00S&S BOOK STILL NOT AVAILABLE AT BNI've been a bad blogger. I haven't blogged at all lately. I'm going to try to do better. Back on the horse as they say!<br />
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So here we go:<br />
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Barnes & Noble and Simon & Schuster have once again become friends... pals... amigos. Everything is dandy. B&N is now carrying S&S's books in their stores again and everything is back to normal. I got a letter from S&S a month or so ago explaining such.<br />
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HOWEVER since I work at BN (I'm outing myself if I hadn't done so earlier), I am able to check the in-store book-counts, sales details, and so on. I checked my own books to use as an example. My newest book DAREDEVIL is now orderable. My older S&S books, however, have not been changed in the system. Booksellers are not able to order any of my other S&S books in AT ALL. Prior to this little spat all of my S&S books were in-stock so this is something strictly to do with the dispute. Perhaps BN hasn't gotten around to changing the books in the system yet. Perhaps they never will. They are so incompetent in so many other ways I'm guessing they never will.<br />
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Let this be a warning to all of you other S&S authors out there: go to the stores and check to see if your books are available to order! If not ask your editor about it. Maybe if enough of us make a stink we can get our books changed in the system. Until then, nothing will be changed.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137195413603122029.post-75785368480677910252013-08-23T11:20:00.000-04:002013-08-23T11:20:08.519-04:00DAREDEVIL VIDEOThis film took me forever to make. Each frame is an image that I moved so ever slightly...<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/GhNqn64vRA4?rel=0" width="560"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137195413603122029.post-27087146957744884332013-07-26T12:32:00.003-04:002013-07-26T12:35:27.767-04:00KIDS ARE SO FUNNY<div style="text-align: center;">
Alison Morris posted this on facebook <span style="text-align: right;">and I thought it was so funny I just had to share:</span></div>
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You know what I love about this? The fact that she made the letters for "COLOR" in different colors. She's showing by example! And she also added extra stars and some exclamation points to smooth over the criticism. Ha!</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137195413603122029.post-1651026201681126632013-07-24T12:19:00.000-04:002013-07-24T12:19:45.145-04:00SHAPED BUILDINGS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I have always been obsessed with buildings shaped as things. I remember going to the Enchanted Forrest when I was little and loved it. The child-sized amusement park had all sorts of buildings shaped as things like shoes, boats, etc. It's since been abandoned and I'll be posting photos of them on my photography blog (stay tuned). I've also been obsessed with buildings shaped as objects thanks to Sendak's In the Night Kitchen. I loved looking (still do!) at all the cans and other items turned into sky scrapers. And then there was our family drive to Boston and we'd pass by the big milk bottle. </div>
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Anyway, I stumbled upon these historic photos and thought I'd post them. Long live buildings shaped as other things!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz2jWPFVML1uxx1EmueqyB2BrSRroS-5AExQbaVlrbso3MjVyqWYBnrsIH7sQ1fYvrp3h6cH8_6iluxLtplFAcIDKXYlhQFUnJN4Ds26qsS2mPCgnnfPLyeNmCLj4aKDpQI9exehglrXuW/s1600/6a010535d6a093970b0120a52f1594970c-500wi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz2jWPFVML1uxx1EmueqyB2BrSRroS-5AExQbaVlrbso3MjVyqWYBnrsIH7sQ1fYvrp3h6cH8_6iluxLtplFAcIDKXYlhQFUnJN4Ds26qsS2mPCgnnfPLyeNmCLj4aKDpQI9exehglrXuW/s640/6a010535d6a093970b0120a52f1594970c-500wi.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137195413603122029.post-40887124375477333802013-07-17T23:18:00.001-04:002013-07-17T23:23:44.895-04:00BYE BYE CEO OF B&N<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4zPzHi51ug0f_AuZYbRBAhw4Nh1jjB6AAF0L2qO1SLO8II_xBcN5thWHoZCebZVaI5S3HCyibU8RvR9kM-KJpt6xWGfaaz9rqt370xDgSImPrrhynAhogrfffoqQdYgryOr4ejgUN-ydn/s1600/Barnes-n-Noble-CEO-William-Lynch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4zPzHi51ug0f_AuZYbRBAhw4Nh1jjB6AAF0L2qO1SLO8II_xBcN5thWHoZCebZVaI5S3HCyibU8RvR9kM-KJpt6xWGfaaz9rqt370xDgSImPrrhynAhogrfffoqQdYgryOr4ejgUN-ydn/s320/Barnes-n-Noble-CEO-William-Lynch.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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William Lynch (then CEO) resigned last week and BN stock shot up by 5.3% the next day. I think everyone is wanting a change. Not to say "I told you so," but heck... I told you so! Okay, okay, no BN bigwigs are listening but perhaps that's a big part of the problem. The folks at BN corporate don't seem to care about what the lowly booksellers have to say. Perhaps... just perhaps booksellers see things and deal with things on a daily basis that could be useful. But nah... why bother.<br />
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I'll give you all a good example: BN corporate decided it was a genius idea to arrange the toys in a very interesting way: the baby chew toys, colorful rings, buttons that make noises, and other toddler-esq devices are in rows. What is behind those rows, pretty much hidden, are several shelves of remote control cars and airplanes for the 12-16 crowd. Um... am I the only one who thinks that this arrangement might be a tad foolish for several reasons? But of course no one at corporate cares to walk around and look or ask how it's going, etc. Alas. And of course a bookseller would get in reprimanded if he or she used their brain and moved the older toys to a better location.<br />
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I also thought it was a really bad idea to try and compete with the likes of Apple. Sure enough, down goes the Nook. Excuse me Nook. There's no "the." Anyway, BN spent a whole lot of dough on the kiosks to house these color Nooks and now they may be selling them off. Waste of money there.<br />
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There's a lot more going on. Lots of waste. Lots and lots of stupidity. I could give you a laundry list. I think that the store is going to go down like the Titanic unless it makes some major restructuring.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137195413603122029.post-83720088606664647832013-07-01T16:46:00.002-04:002013-07-01T16:46:23.419-04:00THEIR LOGO. MY LOGO.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Here's the new log for PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzxs_qOD4vWaKhaLJttppCShBGhN7ibo4YbXQhHT7x0Jm8pBEVVQYTdi3XeNTCvKQUliP-TngjJxw29ak1aKQNwp_NT_iTjPKjK5zospLDSMqmbu4G10y-sc8lWlsoBAbdz_Mf8b4KKfhC/s300/Penguin-Random-House-300x145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzxs_qOD4vWaKhaLJttppCShBGhN7ibo4YbXQhHT7x0Jm8pBEVVQYTdi3XeNTCvKQUliP-TngjJxw29ak1aKQNwp_NT_iTjPKjK5zospLDSMqmbu4G10y-sc8lWlsoBAbdz_Mf8b4KKfhC/s300/Penguin-Random-House-300x145.jpg" /></a></div>
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The issue with this logo is that it's really two logos stuck together. The penguin is clearly bolder and it looks like it could crush the house in a second. Plus the penguin doesn't seem to give a crap about the house. It's like, "Mmm, whatever house. I'm doing my own thing over here." Not a good way to start a new company!</div>
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Here's my take on it:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1HPoqA4YBGQe24DVs_DBDB37P1kCqfpPBgK69LaG4bY_rvMPhfefsalmV7d5px1zJ9GZHbY-7q_OLSC_SJmhw2j2x9ayrtSoIItDp_tOnD_J70Mz-izAIqhjW_OQhhlivu6t0ZN5O_MMy/s472/998193_10200890564719270_1217946528_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1HPoqA4YBGQe24DVs_DBDB37P1kCqfpPBgK69LaG4bY_rvMPhfefsalmV7d5px1zJ9GZHbY-7q_OLSC_SJmhw2j2x9ayrtSoIItDp_tOnD_J70Mz-izAIqhjW_OQhhlivu6t0ZN5O_MMy/s320/998193_10200890564719270_1217946528_n.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>
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That's right. The penguin is riding high on top of the house. I simplified the house because I figured the penguin needed something smaller and easier to manage for its cartoon size. They're going somewhere. That's what the new company should be about: going somewhere! Forward motion! The penguin is pointing: He's saying, "Hey guys, this way toward success!" Did I give the penguin big eyes? Yes I did. Why? Why not. Did I give the house tiny wheels? Yes. Oh yes I did.</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0