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On The Subject Of Diversifying Your Bookshelves

Out of all the points I made during last week’s No-No-Misogyny-Fest (it’s like Lilith Fair!), I think the one that maybe generated the most conversation — pointed at me, anyway — was the notion that you might want to read more books by women.

A lot of the response was interesting. Some reasonable, some maybe not so much. Some folks felt they were gender-blind and didn’t want to read books with the gender of the author in mind. Some resented the idea that I was oppressing their bookshelves, as if I were personally coming to their houses and forcing some kind of literary affirmative action upon them (NEEDS MORE JANE AUSTEN). Some folks felt I was suggesting you should grab books by women regardless of quality or content or genre — just, y’know, run to Barnes & Noble and say, “I NEED CHICK BOOKS, STAT” and start grabbing books by them pesky lady-authors off the shelves and into your motorized book cart.

(What, you don’t take a motorized book cart with you to the store? Amateur.)

I’d like to unpack this a little, which means you may have to sit through a little redundancy. (It only stings for a moment.) It’s like this:

First, I’m talking more to writers than readers. Not to say this isn’t a valuable thought exercise for readers, too — but my feeling is that writers should be well-read.

Second, this isn’t about making your bookshelves a perfect Pie Chart reflecting the population diversity found in this country or any other. Further, you don’t need to make your shelves the United Fucking Nations, either. This isn’t about rigorous, enforced heterogenization.

Third, and this bears repeating: nobody is actually making you do this. Cool your nipples, twitchypants. Nobody’s burning your White Dude books. I have lots of White Dude books and, you know, hey, I like them just fine. You want a bookshelf full of nothing but Robert Jordan’s WHEEL OF TIME series in various formats and incarnations, more power to you.

Fourth, nobody’s saying you shouldn’t care about story or genre or content or the things you usually care about. This is about the very safe assumption that the type of books you like to read are probably written by both men and women.

Fifth, reading a book by a woman won’t turn your sperm into a slushy, sterile granita.

Sixth, and finally, this isn’t about feeling shame over your bookshelves.

I’ll retell the story here because, hey, whatever, IT’S MY BLOG I’LL DO WHAT I WANT TO, but it’s like this: about three or so years ago, before I actually had my own novel on the shelves, someone asked me who my favorite women authors were. And I was like, “Robin Hobb, Poppy Z. Brite,” and then I probably mumbled a third name because I couldn’t really think of that many. And when I went back to look at my shelves, it was pretty obvious why. My favorite authors were mostly dudes. And my not-favorite authors were mostly dudes, too.

And I thought, gee, that’s kinda sad. And maybe a little troubling. I always thought of myself as gender-blind, which seemed like such a good thing. Except, gender-blindness goes both ways — it means I might be blind to the other gender. I had an unconscious bias toward reading White Dude books. Which is maybe not the worst thing in the world…

…but it made me a little uncomfortable.

So, I set out on a purposeful mission to read more women authors.

Not some specific percentage — just, y’know, READ MORE OF THEM.

And it wasn’t just some crazy hair-on-fire grab-all-the-books-by-women — it was trying to find out what people liked or what I might like in the genres I preferred to read. And again, it led me to a wealth of wonderful writers — Lauren Beukes, Erin Morgenstern, Margaret Atwood, Elizabeth Bear, Seanan McGuire, Kim Curran, N.K. Jemisin, Delilah Dawson, Cherie Priest, Gail Simone, etc.etc. — I’m forgetting some and had a long day at the zoo where I rode emus and stole lemurs and so you’ll forgive me if my brain is tired.

Point is, I’m much happier having discovered a wealth of great writers that I had possibly been unconsciously relegating to my White Dude blind spot. Maybe you won’t be, I dunno. But this isn’t about some neat little ratio, some nicely diverse percentage so that your bookshelves look good to your liberal hipster friends. It’s just about reading more widely, more completely. There is genuine value in reading beyond your comfort zone and outside your echo chamber — we sometimes should make an effort to read books by people with different experiences than us. That’s true whether it’s genre or gender or sexual orientation or race or whatever. (Non-fiction is particularly good for this.) No harm in trying, right?

Then again, maybe you already do this. And if so: high-five, what’s the problem?

All of this is, of course, IMHO, YMMV, you do what you like. I’m not your Dad.

The end.

*rides off on an emu with a lemur as a hat*

(See also: today’s guest post by Karina Cooper which covers similar ground.)

  • Shout out to Robert Jordan AND Robin Hobb in one post? I knew I liked you. I’m currently re-reading The Farseer Trilogy. I read all of your posts this week on this topic and I think the idea gets clearer each time…maybe I’m a little slow on the uptake.

    However, I would like to thank you for listing some of the female authors you discovered. Maybe you’ve done it in the past and I missed it (I doubt I was stealing lemurs or riding llamas, unfortunately). But, as someone who doesn’t normally go to a bookstore and pick up a book randomly (no matter the gender of the author) without some sort of recommendation, I’m glad for a list of some lady authors that can get me started on spicing up my bookshelves.

  • I find this hits home with me even more than your other Lilith Fair posts. I absolutely agree that there is a stigma attached to women writers that our writing is especially for women only, like it’s expected that unless we’re tough biker broads we couldn’t possibly write something really edgy.

    I’m proud that I am the only female author being published this round with Books of the Dead Press. I’m proud of my writing style and don’t feel the need to make it more masculine or feminine to suit the needs of narrow minded readers, or more correctly, other writers. This is a lot of the reason why I also love Miriam Black so much. She is who she is, regardless of the gender of her creator.

    –Julie of the Raccoons

  • Cherie Priest is one of my favorite writers and favorite people in the world. Jaye Wells kicks a lot of ass, and Diana Rowland’s White Trash Zombie books, OMG, so fun, Chuck. You might dig those.

  • Here’s my story: I looked up one day and my bookshelves were filled with women. Like, not even “mostly women”, I mean: every book on my shelf belonged to a woman. And I was like, “Oh… hey. That’s… not what I intended to do.” I mean, I think everyone should have more books by women on their shelves, because women write quality books, too.

    I should know. I think I own all of them. O_O

    So I set about locating quality books by men—of which there are many. Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Stephen Blackmoore, Chuck Wendig, John Scalzi, and I’ve recently added Chris F. Holm for the tottering TBR shelf. I’ve got more! I’m always looking for more.

    Of course, now I’m looking at the shelves and going, “Why are most of these authors mostly white?” So I’m going out looking for quality books written by people of color, because I realized as I was going along that what I was reading was shaping the writer I was becoming, and the writer I was becoming really needs to look at the tone, voice, point of view, and general feel of books written from all kinds of authors.

    As an author, I know that the voice will change per author—and that each author’s voice is shaped by his or her experiences. That’s why I want a wide variety of authors on my shelves. Because I want to be informed. I want to read books that shape my worldview—and I don’t want that worldview to be dominated primarily by one group over the other.

    But it should always be about finding quality writing—not willy-nilly grab-ass in the bookstore. That way leads to heartache.

    • Had a supremely similar experience years ago – “Why are all of these books on my shelves by white ladies?” So I set out looking for dudes, and then for people of color. I think we all need reminders to seek out stories and experiences of those who aren’t US. I know I am a more aware person and a more well-rounded writer as a result. I sincerely hope that someday in the future, no one will be having this conversation. But for now, I’m glad we’re having it.

      One exception to my lady author rule – for years, my favorite fantasy and sci-fi books, like the ones that I considered CANON, like the bibles of those genres, were by (white) men. C.S. Lewis. Tolkien. Asimov. This was reinforced by high school and even college. These were the Fathers of Genres, the Great Minds of SF. And then one day, a friend handed me an Ursula Leguin book (I think it was the first in the Earthsea series), and it was as if someone had opened a door in my head, and the light came flooding through. I devoured her books like they were about to disappear (I still, to this day, re-visit the Tombs of Atuan on a yearly basis. There is something in that book that touches a profound part of the unconscious). And somewhere in the middle of feasting, I thought, “Why have I never heard of her until now?”

      It’s a question we’re still answering.

      Thank you, both, for continuing that conversation.

    • Octavia Butler is a fantastic black science fiction author. Writers from ANY genre can learn from how she handles exposition, scene tension, and characters who are at once fantastical and believable.

  • Too many people are fucking books snobs. “Oh, *I* don’t read [romance, sci-fi, mystery, dead poets, erotica]” they say in a snooty voice as if this says they are somehow superior to those with plebian tastes who DO read {fill in the blank]. I am now barely on speaking terms with one friend who’s never read Pride and Prejudice, with an inference that it couldn’t possibly be interesting because it’s a PERIOD piece.

    Absolutely, read what you enjoy, what moves you, what puts you on the edge of your chair. But once in a while, take a look at what you’re reading and slip in something different, just to see if you’ll like it, or (gasp!) mebbe learn something. Anais Nin. Jules Verne. Sylvia Plath. Charles Dickens. Don’t stick to one genre OR gender. What is reading FOR if not to stretch the imagination?

    • June 19, 2013 at 6:11 PM // Reply

      I’m more of a book slut. I’ll give anything a try once. Even *shudder* Ernest Hemingway or Jane Austen (could never finish anything by either author). But now I’m actively trying to read more women authors, more authors of color, genres that I don’t normally read. Because I want to read a wide variety of stuff.

    • Oh, god, those are the worst! I knew this guy in high school who, and I quote “doesn’t read fiction books from this century.” And then he just changed that to “I don’t read fiction.” People limit themselves so much by doing that. They just assume that something isn’t good without even giving it a chance, and then they end up missing out on great works of art that deserve to be read and recognized. I mean, if you read something and don’t like it, then that’s fine. But if someone doesn’t even bother to read something, then they have no right to criticize it. It’s like a child who claims not to like chocolate without ever having tried it before. If the dumb kid would just shut up and eat it, he would discover how beautifully awesome it is.

      • That can’t possibly be worse than being told by a young SWM, during my college years ” Oh, I don’t read. I don’t need to. I know everything I need to know.”

        Well how wonderful for him! Not having to do that pesky stuff.

  • It would be very interesting to see what people would choose to read if books didn’t include a byline. I know that sounds weird because many people love to follow specific authors, and branding is often tied to an author.

    What got me thinking about this is that I have been a tech writer for over 20 years in Silicon Valley. We don’t get bylines. Voice and style reflects the specific company. Lots of us are women, but that’s not visible in the docs, help systems, etc.

  • I’ve learned to listen to a broad variety of people for book recommendations. I used to be sort of snobbish when it came to the genres and subgenres I’d read… well, I’d read some non-stellar stuff in certain subgenres and subsequently crossed those subgenres off the list, so it wasn’t so much snobbishness as quasi-fear. But six years ago, I listened to one rec for one series in one of those CODE NAME: ICKY subgenres, and HOLY CRAP WHERE DID ALL THIS INCREDIBLE STUFF COME FROM?

    Now, yeah, my bookshelves, both physical and virtual, are still mostly white guys (like Scalzi, I’m neither proud nor ashamed of it; them’s just da numbers), but lo and behold, the habit listening to any well-presented rec has injected a growing proportion of Not The Old Standard into my personal library. It’s brought me to one conclusion: good writing does not give a rat’s ass about the writer’s skin color, plumbing, playtime preferences, choice of TV shows or anything but good writing. That stuff’s EVERYWHERE. I literally do not have the time to read everything I now WANT to read. Hell, if I had nothing else to do for the rest of a long life, I couldn’t finish it all, and that’s not even taking into account the NEW stuff that’s constantly boiling up and making Mount Toberead grow like a giant rock weed.

    And that’s exactly the kind of problem I like to have.

  • As a weird aside, when I saw this in my feedreader, I initially scanned the title as “On the Subject of Diversifying Your Bishounen”. I’m not sure what that says about my subconscious.

  • When I was growing up in the 80’s I was a book-kid (which didn’t keep ME out of serious trouble, but I am special) and the female authors I loved were Marion Zimmer Bradley, Andre Norton, Anne McCaffrey and Ursala K. LeGuin. I am sure i missed many, many more that I would have loved, but where I lived, you just didn’t happen to see books by women authors. I don’t know why. I devoured books, from the Bible and War and Peace, to Mike Resnick to Terry Brooks, David Eddings, Issac Asimov, Ray Bradbury and Nancy Drew. I sampled everything. There are many books to discover out there and women authors are part of that, but the fact is there is also “white dudes.” Even if I don’t like or agree with something an author does or says, they have the right to say it. I look for a story and if it happens to be written by a woman, fantastic. I love that. It makes me happier being a woman and a writer (some days it seems) Give ALL authors a chance. In my experience, women have often been talked out of writing. Part of my job has been to encourage it–same as my mother and aunt encouraged me. They just said it wouldn’t ALWAYS be a man’s world–and I see the change now.

  • Great stories are written by people. Gender, skin color, the socioeconomic status and the amalgam of life experience of the author all get thrown into the mix. The acid test: is the story good and true? Is the voice authentic?

    And the discovery of these great stories is an endless and joyful activity.

    This happened to me recently (again) when I read Paula Guran’s latest anthology “After the End: Recent Apocalypses’. The second story, “Tumaki” was written by Nnedi Okorafor, an author I’d never read before. Now I am after everything this person’s written. The story impacted me that much, the voice, the imagery.

    I did not know (or care) when I read the story that the author was a Nigerian woman. I’m not making a stab at political correctness here. I am saying that, for me, when an author brings their whole being into their writing, I can read that. I want that. White dude, Nigerian woman, whatever.

    Make me laugh while you’re breaking my heart and I don’t care who or what you are.

    • All that is very good and very true, though I fear it misses the point of the post. That said, if you read widely and broadly already — again, what’s the problem with suggesting that others read as widely and broadly, too?

      — c.

  • June 19, 2013 at 8:04 PM // Reply

    Thanks for the post. I think you’re right on about the blind spot. I’ve noticed as a woman and a writer and a musician that often people simply overlook work by women, but because it’s often subconscious, people become reactionary and defensive whenever the subject is brought up. It’s important because this insidious marginalization serves to effectively, if not silence, then turn the volume way down on half of humanity. And we can all benefit from more voices.

  • Octavia Butler is black AND a woman..kill those birds, lady! I also really like Flannery O’Conner. Here’s a tidbit: did you know Dorthy Parker was A.A. Milne’s literary Nemesis. Yup.

    BOB BOIS: I wish everyone felt like you, ESPECIALLY agents and publishers LOL.

    I have on at least four occasions been told by peer reviewers that “I like your stuff…you write like a man.”

    • Octavia Butler is an exceptional writer. Read her for her awesomeness. And then get bonus not-old-white-dudes content on your bookshelf. Its win-win.

  • I was recently at a used bookstore with a friend who reads and collects vintage sci-fi books along with me, and as we were looking through books he randomly remarked “You know, I’ve never really found a female sci-fi author who’s books I really liked”. I had just so happened to pass a copy of Le Guin’s The Dispossessed a few minutes ago, which is one of my all-time favorite books, so I ran over to get it and suggested he read it. I was pretty excited to find that a week later he finished it and described it as everything he ever wanted in a sci-fi book.

    Stepping out of your comfort zone with books is pretty important, and once I left my little bubble of a handful of authors and just started reading whatever I could find I have been exposed to so many amazing books I never would have given a second chance before!

  • Unfortunately, I think a lot of some men’s aversion to reading books by women has to do with marketing. Of course gender bias and sexism comes into play. I do think some men have an aversion to books by female authors, and books with female protagonists. But what I find most disturbing is the marketing of books by women. You can see this illustrated best in articles like Coverflip by Maureen Johnson (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/07/coverflip-maureen-johnson_n_3231935.html). Books written by women with female protagonist generally get gendered covers.

    I am a bookseller at an independent bookstore. With some authority I can say that men are literally being repelled by cliched book covers featuring women. I watch it happen five days a week. Some people say that this is just good marketing — cover designers want to appeal to their target audience. But I submit that it is bad marketing to simultaneously repel a larger potential audience.

    I like to think that I am pretty good at my job. If someone tells me their top five favorite books, I can tell them another ten they’d probably love. Doesn’t matter the genre. But I’ve had people (both men AND women, because the bias against certain book covers works both ways!) actually cringe away from me as I tried to suggest a certain book to them, all because of the cover. It doesn’t matter that I know they’d love it, or that they trust my recommendations. People judge a book by its cover.

  • Mary Doria Russell – The Sparrow and Children of God – major awesomeness. I read these books because someone I trust recommended them; the same way I discovered Wendig.

  • Until about 15-20 years ago, few school literature textbooks included stories or poetry by women, much less writers of color. Even when I was at university in the late 90’s, the English curriculum reading lists were heavily slanted towards dead white guys. In one Modern British lit class, the only female writer we read was Virginia Woolf, who was relegated to the last spot on the syllabus. Though we had a leisurely three+ weeks of class time devoted to discussing (the impressive, of course) novella _Heart of Darkness_ by Joseph Conrad, by the time the semester ended, somehow we only had half a class period left to discuss Woolf. I suspect the male professor didn’t know what the hell to do with Woolf, hence the superficial appearance of inclusion and the “oops, we’ve run out of time” excuse for actually not studying or discussing her work.

    It’s disturbing, frankly, to hear women writers filled with pride that male readers have complimented them for writing “like a man.” What does that mean, exactly? Since women writers have been reading male writers since first grade, why wouldn’t their writing be influenced by the male perspective? And how is that “compliment” NOT a slam on the work done by fellow women writers that doesn’t appear to be as influenced by the male perspective?

    In my writing workshops at university, into the 2000’s, I heard male writers/students casually refer to female work as “fluff” and “boring” over and over. It didn’t matter if the author had received accolades and coveted recognition like the National Book Award. Books authored by women weren’t worth their time.

    My point here is that most people may not realize how illogically skewed the literary canon and the bookstore shelves have historically been towards male writers. It sends a message to all readers (avid or otherwise) that the best writers are men. In fact, it’s an unsurprising consequence of the publishing and academic world being run by white men.

    As Karina Cooper stated in her post here, writers are shaped by the writers they read. If writers only read white male authors (living or dead), then they will fail to recognize how they’ve shut themselves up into a very tight-knit club of white men (or white men wannabes with vaginas apparently) reading and writing white men.

    Since the community of readers and writers with publishing power have historically been white men, it’s the same as putting up the sign “No Girls Allowed” on the club door. Just this spring, I pointed out to the (male) teachers in my department that their honors literature curriculum included no female authors. They were totally and sincerely (generally they are nice guys) unaware that they’d failed to include any female authors of merit in their teachings. These teachers are under thirty, so it’s hard to excuse such ignorance, right? Frankly, I don’t think they followed up with any adjustments to their curriculum, either. Sigh. So little has actually changed.

    By the way, as a woman growing up in the same world as men, in which male authors were held up as paragons of literature and female writers were virtually ignored, I had to seek out women authors to read myself. I suppose I never thought to resent it, since I was a woman myself.

  • I just want to say that I’m super impressed you wrote this post today after going to the zoo. I can’t do anything after going to the zoo except nap.

  • I experienced a similar ‘AHA!’ moment after watching Anita Sarkeesian’s video clip about the Bechdel Test. Afterwards, I remember looking around at all forms of my media, movies, books, TV shows, etc and getting really bummed out. “Where are all the ladies?” Also, what does it say about me as a woman and self proclaimed feminist to be lacking in this area?!

    Discussing the idea with a friend and fellow avid reader we started listing off recent reads and favorite titles slowly realizing how heavily male dominated our book shelves were and I decided I would become an active reader instead of passive one. I would add diversity to my shelves. Even with this new goal it is slow going pecking away at the white dude book mountain.

    Admittedly I’ll pretty much read anything. I’m a book slut and that is ok. I like to get recommendations but I’ll also pick up random stuff. I think 10 years working as a book seller for Waldenbooks and then Borders resulted in me avoiding women authors in certain ‘genres’ because of covers. I didn’t even realize what I was doing. I now resist the urge to ignore a book based on silly cover art.

    It behooves all readers to branch out. Why the hostility around getting people to pick a female author? How immature to spout ‘don’t tell me what to read’ because how will you really know if you like an author if you don’t give them a try. It seems similar to refusing to visit the rest of the world because you live in the US. You can like more than one author or more than one genre these are not mutually exclusive. If you get out of your comfort zone you might discover some amazing shit! Why deny yourself an excellent read?

    My quest is also to expose others to different authors as well. The members of my book club are all female yet I find it difficult to find women authors for discussion. I remember we read ‘Little Bee’ by Chris Cleave and sort of thinking WTF. Here is a white dude writing as two women, a white woman and a woman of color. Where is the female equivalent of his book? Where is a female writing as two different male main characters? Not that I want to necessarily read about a male protagonist even written by a woman. It simply irritated me with the gross imbalance of authors and that all these men were writing as women. Now when it is my turn to pick a title I go out of my way to choose anything except a white dude.

    Rambling at a close. I think it is a fantastic post and I’m excited to read some of your title suggestions.

  • I had a very similar moment to yours, Chuck. I looked at my shelf, and it was mostly fantasy, and mostly white dudes. And a LOT of Stephen King because…well, Stephen King, dude. In particular, I’m interested in female authors that write in the horror genre because when I googled lists of horror authors, I got a list of all white dudes. Some of them threw Shirley Jackson or Mary Shelley on there…but that’s it. And if we’ve only published two female horror writers in all of human history…we’ve perhaps been doing something wrong.

    That’s actually how I found Seanan McGuire’s Newsflesh trilogy. She was listed as a recommendation.

    That being said, if people know any female horror writers (or dark fantasy), I’m all ears. I’m curious as to what else is out there.

    (My next project is to start working in more authors of color, but I only have so much money and so many books I want to read.)

  • Good post again, Chuck. My own… epiphany early last year was similar to yours. The unconscious bias of reading books only (more like 99%, but hey!) by men was a surprise. People often overlook this and they just don’t realise it is happening, even when they don’t have anything against the other gender. Now I have a very simple philosophy on this: If I don’t read it, I won’t know if I like it or not. Gender still doesn’t matter to me, but I have developed an appreciation for good fiction that is irrespective of the gender or race or ethnicity or any other distinction that defines the author. I won’t read books by men or women who behave irresponsibly on the internet, such as calling out reviewers, making fun of them, or generally being disrespectful (or talking about nothing but Obama’s politics all day and raging about it). That’s really it.

    I’m open to almost any kind of fiction. Reading books (more books?) by women has allowed me to even experiment with different genres, and while I don’t like shifter urban fantasy, regency fantasy, non-anglophone SFF as much as I like my primary SFF, I certainly appreciate them and wouldn’t turn a book down anymore just because it is in those genres.

    Which is what reading should really be about: broadening your horizons. Especially important as a blogger! 😛

    And as an extension of my comment on one of your posts last week, I wrote up a list of my favourite women in SFF on my blog. These are some of the women I’ve been reading in the last decade and a half (mostly in the last 2 years) and I’d recommend any one of them to readers:

  • I’ve had a looksie on my shelf, and it appears that about half of my books are written by women (I’m taking Pratchett’s insanely large Discworld collection out of the equation, as it skews that figure a little); some obviously women (Jean M. Auel), some I didn’t know where women when I bought the books originally (case, Robin Hobb. I was given the first Farseer book as a present in the previous decade, and liked it so much that I bought the next two, and then the Liveship Trilogy, and then the Tawny Man books. Only after I googled Robin Hobb did I discover she’s a woman).

    I can happily say that the calibre of books I have on my shelf by women is every bit as high as that of books by men. Even the books aimed at younger readers that I have, whether written by man or woman, are great. Maybe this just means I have impeccable taste, or extraordinary luck in picking out books, but other than the Thomas Covenant books by Stephen Donaldson, there’s nothing on my shelves that I dislike. Some’s easy reading, some not so much, but every one of them has something unique about them.

    Favourite remains Watership Down, though, and that’ll never change.

  • I highly recommend Jennifer Roberson’s Tiger and Del series. I never got into her Chesuli series as much, but found the “old-skool-sword-and-sorcery” feel combined with messing around with (and, in the case of the character Tiger, directly challenging) gender conventions of that very sword-and-sorcery genre to be a lot of fun in the Tiger and Del books. I also liked that, to my mind, she managed to successfully write a first person POV from the perspective of a charactater who would definitely be considered an “alpha, MANLY man” without either betraying those aspects of his character while at the same time bringing him from a man who views women as objects for his pleasure to an equal partnership with a woman he deeply respects. (While still, on occasion, sliding into obnoxious sexism–because he is also a wonderfully written *human* character.)

    I also cannot recommend the work of Lois McMaster Bujold highly enough. The always fun, always heart-breaking Vorkosigan Saga, her searingly spiritual Chalion books in particular are my favorites, but I have found that even those I didn’t “like” (as in devour and pine for the next book immediately) such as the Sharing Knife saga I have (upon rereads) found to be incredibly good. I always say she’s one of my two favorite authors (Terry Pratchett being the other), but if you opted to judge in terms of “how many books of said favorite author I’m not hugely fond of” she’d actually win. There is only one Bujold I’ve read and haven’t finished (Ethan of Athos) and only one of hers I haven’t ever read (Falling Free). Mostly, I admit, because they had a distinct lack-of-Miles-Vorkosigan.

  • Thanks Chuck for having the platform to speak about this stuff. It’s important we dialogue about it more and more. And I hope that this isn’t just a flurry of blog posts from people and then it will go away into obscurity again. Into silence. The dialogue needs to stay open and we need to continue to push forward. Nothing will change if we don’t make a conscious effort at all times to change it.

  • “Fifth, reading a book by a woman won’t turn your sperm into a slushy, sterile granita.”

    haha, interesting assumption you’re making there…. 🙂
    Not that I didn’t tremendously enjoy the post, I hasten to add.

  • Just my humble addition to the discussion. I found the easiest way to get a nice widespread exposure to writers of both genders is to pick up anthologies in the genre I enjoy. Most times I get them because there’s a story by an author I already like, but I read the anthology cover to cover, usually picking up at least a few new authors every time. Of course, it goes without saying to read anthologies that INCLUDE diverse authors. I started out by reading the heavies: Tolkein, Shakespeare, etc. But I was lucky enough to also read Anne McCaffery,Susan Cooper, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Nancy Collins, Nancy Springer, and later, Poppy Z Brite and Caitlin Kiernan. Mostly from recommendations from friends, which led to other authors as well. I just like good stories with interesting characters. Not much else matters to me when choosing a book.

  • I totally agree though I ted to unintentionally read more women authors. Also white authors – I’m currently trying to diversify my reading racially and ethnically. No specific percentages, just less white authors.

  • Like a lot of other people I went through a similar moment but mine wasn’t as much a Boys/Girls divide (I mean, there is one but that wasn’t this particular days worry), I realized that most of my authors were from the US so I set about finding authors that are non-natives. This took place a few years ago and there’s of course worlds of literature I was never aware of because I live in a smaller town and still love shopping the shelves more than browsing a site. Even with that restriction though I’m still finding myself looking through bookstores with an eye for less US and more THEM and finding amazing things.

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12th Jun 2010 Finished and waiting

The EP "A Beat Apart" is done! I have it available in 24bit 48kHz (DVD) quality and of course a normal CD version. Now unlike what I've done in the past, I'm aiming for releasing "A Beat Apart" as an actual pay-to-listen release so if you have an idea for how to distribute this or know just the record company, feel free to email me or post something on the Contact page.

23rd Apr 2010 Still coming!

The aforementioned is nearing completion! 3 out of the 4 tracks have been successfully redone and sound even better than their previous versions! Just to know, I'm going to go for an actual release this time, since you munchers have already gotten way too much for free ;)
In other news the website has been fixed up to work better in Google Chrome and for people using ad-blockers, so feel free to send the link to your friends again without worrying about looking like an ass.

17th Jul 2009 EP on the rise

Before my computer was stolen, I was working on a 4 track EP in the style of more old school EBM. The lucky news now is that, based on the MP3s I had of it, I've managed to recreate most of it!
It's going a bit slow, since the tracks were already release quality and, of course, I don't want to release new versions that sound worse than my previous versions, but the EP is definitely coming! So stand by for further news and listen to Reappear for a taste of the sound of it. Christian signing out.

21st Apr 2009 Rule the universe!

Even though my computer and files were stolen, I've bought a new one and to celebrate that I present to you the track Take It (silly name) - a track of the future of mankind and the universe.

21st Apr 2009 Sad, sad news

My computer along with all my files was stolen recently and with it the songs that were going to form the next Tether album. I don't know yet if I'll continue the album with new songs, try to recreate them or drop the project completely, but things are going slowly and sadly these days.
The theft also means that EP1 and EP2 won't be properly mixed and mastered, so enjoy them as they are.

31st Mar 2009 New track! Now with vocals!

Damn, these tracks are just pooring out these days! I present you now with Reappear, a wonderfully old school track about... well... the beautiful relationship a man can have with a woman, and not the other way around.

31st Mar 2009 One new track and an update

I just did a track this morning called Break Apart the Nucleus about the horrors of nuclear war and the threats that require it! Also, Hard Existence was updated ever so slightly. Now listen before we're all blown to dust!

28th Mar 2009 New section, new tracks!

You're all quite lucky these days! I've just added the Stuff section to the music page where you can hear some of the tracks that didn't make it into Tether, mostly because their style didn't match. They're great tracks, just not electro-industrial/Tether-industrial.
7 new tracks, a complete new section! Get listening!

27th Mar 2009 Really, really new tracks!

Feeling a bit like a scoundrel for releasing old tracks, I've uploaded two new tracks: Future War and Hard Existence that both kick proverbial ass!
Future War is about that awful time we all know will come soon where humans fight cyborgs and cyborgs fight other cyborgs, kudos to you if you can guess the samples ;)
Hard Existence is about the last resort, the final solution to the problem of the dreaded future wasteland... in space - though you might need to see some classic sci-fi to catch that story.
Now rewire your computational, audiophonic hardware, put those tracks on and get dancing!

27th Mar 2009 New tracks!

You can now listen to Last Beat for E and Too Much Sex right here at Tether.dk! The versions here are slightly newer than the ones found on other sites and should prove even more appropriate for your speaker configuration.

13th Feb 2009 Friday the 13th

I'm just putting the finishing touches on the new version of Ripped Profile, another version of Hard Profile from EP1 and I thought I'd let you all know how much more oomph and party I've squeesed into this remake and also to let you know that EP1 and EP2 are still to be considered demos - better versions will follow!
Anyhow, happy Friday the 13th! Now, in the paraphrased words of a fellow Danish musician, GO DANCE YOUR ASS OFF!

31st Jan 2009 Uninterresting news

Okay, I'm getting tired of writing this, but the player really should *fingers crossed* work everywhere now.
I finally managed to find a computer where the player didn't work and got it working on it - if it still doesn't on yours, you're entitled to bitch slap me by email.

20th Jan 2009 Divamee Remix online

As promised earlier the remix of Divamee's Visions entitled "Tethered Visions" is now available from the Music page.
The version available here is mixed slightly different than the previously released version and has a new easter egg or two ;)

20th Jan 2009 untied Remix online

I've finished pre-mastering the remix of untied's Repeat, featuring re-recorded vocals, mostly original instrumentation and quite a new sound ;)
The music player has also had quite a bit of work done and should now function in all browsers.

I'll put up the Divamee remix shortly as well so you won't have to go scouting for it on Last.fm - I just need to tweak it a bit...

Remember, if you like what you hear then don't forget to use the viral tools on the Viral page.

28th Dec 2008 Player & Remix

A merry christmas and a soon to come decadent new year to you all!
The music player has seen some new fixes, and now works in Opera too. If you find yourself unable to listen to the tracks, please write to admin(insert "at" here)tether.dk.

In other news, Tether has done a remix of untied's "Repeat"! The track is currently being mixed and will soon be available for streaming.

3rd Dec 2008 Music online

Most of the tracks destined for release are now available for streaming on the Music page.
The player has a few bugs, but nothing a refresh of the page won't fix ;)
Update: The player should now function correctly.

2nd Dec 2008 TETHER.dk is up and running

From now on you'll find the latest news and updates from Tether right here at TETHER.dk.

11th Aug 2008 Divamee Remix

Tether has created an official remix of Divamees "Visions"!
You can listen to it from their last.fm player on Divamee's MySpace page.

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Monday, February 23, 2015

RID Tiny Titans Series 2

Thanks to Lewis M Brooks, we have a look at the cards from series 2 of the new Robots in Disguise (2015) Tiny Titans. The mix of characters is, eclectic? I'm trying not to get wrapped up in buying stuff I don't want just for cards these days, so I doubt I'll be adding many of these to my personal card collection, but I'm am grateful to Lewis that I can add these to the database if nothing else.

I'm behind on my comic reading, but I'm guessing this is more of a IDW-esque version of Ultra Magnus?

I know Topsin is one of the Wreckers, but this looks more like his War For Cybertron version.

Orange thighs tells me this version of Superion is based on the new Combiner Wars version.

Really digging this new look of Ratchets.

It's Bumblebee, pass.

Everybody's favorite, Jazz.

I'm really starting to love the idea of the animalistic traits the Decepticons feature in the new RID series.

'Screamer representing!

There is something about this look of Soundwave that just seems "off" to me...

The only figure in this wave I can see myself buying.

Can't wait to see what Quillfire will look like in action figure form.

Hey look, it's the reformatted form of Bombshell (or is it Thundercracker?)

A big thanks again goes to Lewis M. Brooks for his submission of these cards. Make sure to check out his own blog for reviews of just about EVERY Transformers related item released!

1 comment:

  1. Woohoo! Finally found Series 2 @ Target. Cherry picked 2 Sharkticons, Starscream and Jazz.


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Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Major, major

Leave it to us Filipinos to handle a rollercoaster ride of emotions- after the tragic hostage taking drama came the elation at having Miss Universe delegate Venus Raj make it to the top five. Her win as fourth runner-up got mixed reactions from Pinoys all over the world via Twitter, Facebook, and other networking sites. Some say she could have grabbed the title had she done better in the question and answer portion, while others are content with the runner-up position for the Philippines after a decade of candidates who never even got to top fifteen.

For anyone keeping score, the Philippines has two title holders- Miss Universe 1969 and 1973, plus runner-ups including Miriam Quiambao and currently- Venus.

Venus had a lot going for her: a 22 inch waistline, gorgeous morena skintone, face and proportions that embody the dusky Filipina beauty,unwavering poise, support from Filipinos all over the world (in fact, the host remarked at MGM grand that "the whole country is here", with Pinoys making thunderous applause for Venus everytime she walked the stage), she was a pre-pageant favorite and ranked among the highest in internet polls. She also had the "Cinderella factor"- a girl from an impoverished family who worked hard and graduated with honors (according to her bio), which was sure to endear her to people.

To be fair, the question that was given to her during the top five was so unlike the ones asked to other contestants. Miss Mexico was asked about her views on regulating internet usage for young people, Miss Jamaica gave her views on death penalty, Miss Australia on government legislation on tolerating religious practices, Miss Ukraine was asked what she thought about full-body scans in airport security. Our Venus was asked what she thought was the biggest mistake she made in her life and what she did to make it right. Clearly this wasn't along the lines of "what is the essence of a woman" or even some sort of commentary on social issues, hers was a personal question.

I think Venus answered honestly, and I give her points for that. The problem was that her answer was neither moving nor interesting- I mean could you blame her when she said in her 22 years of existence she had never encountered a major problem? (Although she did a minor blooper in repeating the word "major", which either she did for emphasis or perhaps when one translates "major, major" in Tagalog it means "bonggang-bongga"- " Wala pa po akong nagawang bonggang-bonggang pagkakamali"...) Well, she could have made up some story that she was a raging alcoholic who joined AA and later overcame odds and became a beauty queen, but like she said- she had honestly never encountered a major problem or made a major mistake. The controversy during her near dethronement by Binibining Pilipinas Charities could have been one element which she could have played, but I'm not so sure if that is something she wants to bring up.

We could have asked perhaps Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago to be translator and make the judges' ears bleed with her stilted language, but I think the way Venus expressed herself was not the biggest problem. The question of confidence may be entertained though, because even in Quiambao's time she also clammed up during the final question and answer. Venus herself admitted during Dyan Castellejo's interview that she was indeed nervous during the final Q & A, and it affected her response. The Binibining Pilipinas Universe who I thought completely held her own during Q & A was the witty and confident Charlene Gonzales when she answered back with a question "High tide or low tide?" after being asked how many islands made up the Philippines.

With all the raves during the preliminaries, Venus could have made it to the top. But of course the Q & A could make or break a beauty queen- Miriam's "I felt like I stood up for all women who fell on and off the stage" when she was asked how she felt about tripping onstage, made her an instant hit with the crowd. Her answer catapulted her from a virtual unknown amongst the sea of candidates to one of the top three. Sadly her weak answer on the final question made her rival win, which some pageant fanatics cruelly nicknamed the "ugliest Miss Universe ever".

How could the Miss Photogenic special award not go to Venus? Her internet votes were higher than Thailand. In fact for the past decades, that award always goes to whomever the Philippines sends. I think we are the only country who votes fanatically and support our candidate.

Part of being a beauty queen is bowing gracefully even when you don't get the crown. Despite being a runner-up we do love Venus unconditionally... To be top five out of 83 candidates is something! Come home Venus, we love you "major majorly"- or in tagalog mahal ka namin ng bonggang bongga!

1 comment:

James Arnold Nogra said...

meron din akong related post nito... proud pa rin ako na umabot siya sa top 5... Venus Raj Takes Over Manila Hostage Cirisi

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Wayne County Farm Bureau director reflect on food production, availability

By JOHN FITZPATRICKWayne County Farm Bureau Published:

Current subscribers have full access to all online news content as part of their subscription. If you are a current subscriber, please log in with your website account information for full access. If you are a current subscriber, but have not yet registered for access to the website, please call our Circulation Department at (330) 287-1615


text:
mandag 29. august 2016

No. 1316: Jan Aage Torp require payment of visitor newspaper Norway today!

No. 1316:
Jan Aage Torp require payment of visitor newspaper Norway today!

This picture from the newspaper Norway today requires Jan Aage Torp money.
Talk about being crook.

Here of mail exchange:

Jan Kåre Christensen, Smyrna blog:

Today we have discovered that you yesterday used a photograph of Jan-Aage Torp on your blog that you're not allowed to use. We give you the opportunity to remove it immediately, ie before 18:00 today, August 26th, 2016. If it is not removed within this time limit, we will bill you.

This is serious in itself because this intellectual property belongs to us. It is also not allowed to take a screenshot that you call a "facsimile". Such push-facsimiles must always be linked to a relevant aspect of the specific article you photographed. If you attempt such cheating from our website, we will immediately bill you with the corresponding notice of 8-10 hours.

The abuse that we've discovered is this link:

You've given image file name "Jan-Aage Torp--1.gif".

This I reply:

Photo is taken from Norway today!

But no problem removing image, has plenty of other pictures of mock apostle January Aage Torp!

Jan K

Final Comment:

I've removed countless pictures, and tried to get Torp meeting. But when a man is so difficult, tricky and deceitful like him, what shall do?
Should one just acquiesce, or also sometimes stand on the requirement !?

Related links:

Ingen kommentarer:

Legg inn en kommentar


text:
July 26, 2010

Daddy's View: A conversation with Jae

(just after we said our good night prayers, I realized I hadn't given Jae a hug, so I went back into his room to find him gently crying)
Brian: "Jae, I forgot to ask if you wanted a hug before you went to bed, do you want a hug?"
Jae: (sniffles a bit) "Brian, I have a question, tell me if this sounds fair: At camp I met a foster kid who has been away from his mom for seven years, even though his brother still lives with his mom.  How is that fair?
Brian: "I don't know Jae"
Jae: "And now he says he gets to go back to his mother.  He's so lucky."

Jae: "Brian, I have a question: who invented foster care?"
Brian: "I don't know Jae.  It was created to keep kids safe though"
Jae: "I hate that person.   I wish it didn't exist to I could be with my mother."
Brian: "Jae, I wish foster care didn't have to exist either."
Jae: "I don't even know why I'm in foster care, it's so confusing.  Do you know why I'm here?"
Brian: "Because it wasn't safe for you to be at your house anymore, Jae."
Jae: "But I felt safe, who says it's not safe?"
Brian: "The people who's job it is to keep you safe."
Jae: "You don't even know how hard it is for me right now.
(eyes well up again)
I'm scared.  I could be adopted by somebody I don't even know.  What if I don't like them?"
Brian: "Jae, when you moved here you didn't know me and Maggie, right?"
Jae: "Yeah, but I've been here for three months now."
Brian: "But now you know us and love us and know that you are loved here.  Whoever adopts you will love you too."
Jae: "I just want to be adopted by my family."
Brian: (now I'm crying too) "Jae, I cry for you guys all the time.  I wish I could just make it go away, make it all go away and just be normal, but I can't.  All I can do is love you, and try to make you understand that God loves you, and that he has a plan for you."
Jae: "God doesn't have a plan for me."
Brian: "Yes he does Jae, he will use you for great things if you let him.

I love you  Jae.  Good night."

  1. ugh, it rips your heart out. Praying for a wonderful adoptive family for him.

    He did such a great job vocalizing his concerns and frustrations.

  2. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

  3. This is what is so sad. These children do not even know they are in danger they just think foster care and the system is keeping them from their families even though we are all just trying to keep them safe. Which is what their parents were supposed to be doing.

  4. (crying too)...I love these boys. They are so precious!

  5. that makes my heart so sad, but it is wonderful that God gave him someone to tell him, "Yes, God does have a plan for you."

    it is so hard when they are old enough to know they love their family and it is really interesting to hear him say he felt safe, i bet a lot of kids would say that.

  6. Heartbreaking. I'm glad he was able to express his feelings and that Brian was there to listen to him.

  7. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

  8. OMG, I'm in tears. His heart is just aching for a normal life.

Thanks for commenting!!

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Nottingham Forest fans will hope to see their club challenge at the top end of the Sky Bet Championship table rather than at the wrong end of the division after Greek shipowner Evangelos Marinakis completed his takeover of the club.

The Reds fans witnessed more low points than positives during previous owner Fawaz Al-Hasawi’s reign at The City Ground but the club are set for a new dawn under the ownership of Marinakis, the 49-year-old founder and chairman of Capital Maritime & Trading Corp.

After watching too many false dawns at Forest in recent seasons, the fans cannot be blamed for being cautious of the impact set to be made by the club’s new owner but success on the pitch leading to a push for the top six next season would really win Marinakis the trust of the club’s long suffering supporters.

Nottingham Forest last played in the Premier League in 1999 with the club finishing bottom of the table that season. The Reds have failed to win promotion back to the top flight in 14 attempts while they have spent three seasons playing in the third tier.

The East Midlands club have featured in the Sky Bet Championship Play-Offs on three occasions but failed to secure their Premier League return and The Reds fans will hope that their latest owner can bring the good times back to The City Ground.

About Author

I am Dan Pentland and I am a York City season ticket holder and volunteer for men's health charity Prostate Cancer UK. In May 2015, I completed my childhood dream of visiting all 92 Football League grounds. Follow me on Twitter @DanPentlandpcuk and Facebook


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Home >> History

Tae Kwon Do Students

Aim To Achieve

Self Control

Indomitable Spirit

Visit Us Today...

And Make Everything

Else You Do Better!

American Black Belt Academy Pay Online

Founded in 1973 , American Black Belt Academy has been located at 2209 Michigan Avenue in Arlington, Texas since 1985. It is one of the oldest free-standing martial arts schools in America and continues to teach traditional martial arts- self-defense, forms, and fighting.

American Black Belt Academy was built from the ground up with a state of the art work out floor designed especially for martial arts training.

Master Steve Schultz and Master Wade Nelson are the owners of the school and follow in the teachings of Grandmaster Roy Kurban. Following the same great traditions, American Black Belt Academy will continue to turn out the finest martial artists in the world.

The traditions passed down to the black belts  will continue at American Black Belt Academy. A founding member of the Texas Karate League, American Black Belt Academy of Arlington, Texas will continue to focus on self-defense, top-level tournament competition and the tenets of Taekwondo.

Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-Control, Indomitable Spirit…


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Friday, 10 January 2014

Becca, Edward Bess, Korres, Rouge Bunny Rouge for silly prices!

Zuneta was bought out by LoveLula and all ex stock is on sale for silly prices at their amazon store (link).  I've just bought an Edward Bess blush and some Korres wild rose exfoliating cleanser (link) (for £7!!).  It wont hang around for long!

If Sale stuff isn't' your cup of tea, then LoveLula have a £5 discount for previous Zuneta customers if you use this link.

Wednesday, 1 January 2014

New Year Deals

Happy New Year!
There are lots of deals floating about so I thought Id blog a few and share the love!

E.l.f. make great products at an afforable price.  Get items from the studio range if you can.  I have several elf studio brushes and can really recommend them.

£10 off E.L.F.
Codes UK & EU ::
ITALY :: 1793435
I have bought a few items from Boohoo and so far hey have held up well.  The dresses are worth a look. 10% off with the code NEWYOU
Finally the SpaceNK sale (link) is worth a look.  I have picked up a few items and they are arriving over several days... fingers crossed they are ok!  It is also worth watching for returns.
Let me know if you have any offers or codes!


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Tuesday, January 13, 2009

It's a beautiful day in Mali

My posts will remain short because it is so difficult to type using the French keyboard... but I just want to check in and say that life here has been very very good. We are thouroughly enjoying our time. Every day we study dance and drumming, then perhaps go out to some street party to see other drummers and dancers.

My birthday was one of the most extraordinary experiences of my entire life. It started at a nightclub the night before. The place was packed and the music fantastic. Believe it or not, there is a pop song about Obama. We went wild when it came on. I danced like a crazy person.... and was completely suprised when I heard the dj dedicate a song to me from Sidy. We didn't get home until 4 am, but since the next morning was sunday, we were able to sleep in. ( Church didn't seem like an option, Peter... otherwise I would have been up for the feast of epiphany.)

Later in the day, Sidy and Lisa went out to run some errands while Rusty and I hung around the house and relaxed. It was very nice. In the afternoon, Mazze, one of my drum teachers, showed up. I was kind of suprised because it was Sunday, but Rusty and I happily sat down for a short lesson. Then Makan and Ladji arrived on motor bikes. Perhaps they were planning to go out with Sidy later. Then Lassi arrived, and Ali. I saw a cab pull up with Sidy and Lisa. Sidy got out of the car with dinner, so we all went into the house to eat. I was suprised when Lassi moved the bench to the end of the room instead of next to the table. All of a sudden, everyone began to sing bonne anniversaire a vous.... and in walked Sidy carrying a birthday cake. When I turned around, I realized that everyone was here to play for me. They lined up on the bench and began to play the drums, while Ladjie and Lassi danced. It all happened so quickly I was utterly unprepared for the emotions I felt. I was completely overwhelmed by this outpouring of love and couldn't stop weeping, which I am sure must have mortified my dear friends, LOL. Truly the most memorable birthday I have ever had.

Africa is extraordinary. I am sure that the relationships I am building here will be the friendships of a lifetime. Every day I feel such a sense of joy for being here. I am deeply grateful to all of you who have been so supportive of this trip... and for your continued prayers.

Love to all of you, especially the kids. I love you, guys.

A bientot.

Phil said...

I too am sure that the relationships you are building will last a lifetime. You are that special person, and people want to be in relationship with you. Keep being you, treasure that sense of joy. You have a beautiful way of sharing it with those around you.

Mary Beth said...

How wonderful! Happy birthday, happy trails.


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“Inside The Interrogation Room” with The Blacklist Creator, Jon Bokenkamp

Creator of The Blacklist, Jon Bokekamp

“Inside The Interrogation Room” with The Blacklist Creator, Jon Bokenkamp

Can you believe it? Season 3 of The Blacklist is officially in the can. Say it isn’t so!

Season 3 has been a love story, a revenge movie, a ghost story and so much in between. We boarded a plane full of brains, traveled through corn fields, stood in multiple graveyards, headed to the beach and watched life go full circle. We were there to welcome the birth of a new character, experience a crumbling grief, survive a certain death and witness a resurrection.

Not too shabby for just 23 episodes!

We’ve watched the scenes play out on our television screens for months but now it’s your turn to go behind scenes.

Follow me “Inside The Interrogation Room” for a little chat with The Blacklist series creator and executive producer, Jon Bokenkamp.

SP: Liz’s pregnancy became a predominant story line in the back half of season 3. What factors went into the decision to write Megan Boone’s pregnancy into the show?

JB: Everybody has seen the way pregnancies are hidden on TV, and we knew pretty quickly that we didn’t want to go in that direction. We didn’t want to have Megan hiding behind boxes or desks for months on end. Plus, we found out around episode four, which was fairly early. Once we knew the timeline, it all felt really organic and honest for her character.

SP: This seemed to work very well in regards to Liz’s backstory, right?

JB: Liz is constantly struggling to get a handle on her upbringing, and having a baby really forced her to look at her feelings about raising a child. She contemplates adoption, and that brings up her feelings about Sam and what that relationship means to her. From a writing perspective, embracing the pregnancy really created the impetus for Liz to try and get away from Red for good.

SP: The episode, “Cape May”, is Emmy worthy for Daniel Knauf and James Spader. The episode was simply epic. What did you think of this particular episode?

JB: We were psyched to have Knauf tackle “Cape May,” but the original idea for a Red only story was something that came about after a round of NBC notes. They wanted more Red. We all wanted to see him deal with what happened to Liz, but we had to figure out what that progression would be. Episodes, 318 and 320 fit together, but it was important to give Red and the fans a second to breathe.

SP: Did the episode achieve it’s goal?

JB: Spader nailed it, and then by 320 we were ready to see Red on fire.

SP: Were you concerned about the episode deviating from a “normal” Blacklist episode?

JB: We shot Cape May out of sequence, and while it didn’t include a typical Blacklister there’s nothing more exciting than subverting expectations.

SP: Speaking of great acting, Amir Arison’s character, Aram, has been a shining star this season. He has proven quite capable of holding his own even against the superb acting chops of James Spader. The fans just adore him.

JB: We love that we’ve been able to expand Amir’s role on the show. I think a lot of people forget that he’s been around since the third episode of the first season.

SP: Was there a conscience decision to emphasize Arison’s acting abilities and build upon his character this season?

JB: This season we really clarified that he’s part of the heart and soul of the show. He can talk tech, and then turn around and deliver a line about the wedding playlist.

SP: Will he be able to forgive Liz for faking her death?

JB: The news about Liz hits Aram really hard, and that’s something all the characters are going to be dealing with next season.

SP: How will the spin off coexist with The Blacklist? Do you have it all mapped out?

JB: We’re definitely already thinking about season four of The Blacklist, and what the spin-off will mean for all the characters.

SP: Should we hold on tight for a wild ride in season 4?

JB: It’s going to be a great ride, but we haven’t officially decided anything yet. Stay tuned!

“Stay tuned” is right! There is much more to come. Season 4 is just around the corner. Be sure to check out my first interview with Jon Bokenkamp and other cast members by tapping here… and be sure to go follow Jon Bokenkamp on Twitter!

The Blacklist will return for season 4 this fall on NBC.

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Friday, June 02, 2006

A Modest Proposal

In the soap that is major college sports the dollar is always in the background not as a bit player but as the director/producer calling the shots. Fan see the actors and assume they are in control of the action rather they are merely the vehicle (expensive props) by which the story is told .

Institutions tend just like people or corporations attempt to maximize revenue (or value), therefore the expected/rumored/ write it on the calendar splitting of the Big East along the football and basketball fault line the break up never made sense for the following reasons:

1. ESPN and CBS are also in also interested in maximizing value. Television contracts are best negotiated from a your strongest position and a gang of sixteen representing a swath from UConn through New York metro area across to Marquette with detours north to Syracuse, south to pick up Louisville and the Queen City and an outpost in Tampa. These markets capture a significant portion of the population. In comparison the split BE's would have only a patchwork of markets that do not have nearly the star power of the combined group.

2. In a divorce the division of the assets is a messy proposition and in the case the Big East would be no different. The first asset is the name and history the BE conference. The brand name has value and very well be damaged by the breakup. The other more visible asset is the conference basketball tournament at Madison Square Gardens a significant event in the middle of Gotham.

3. Members have ties with schools on both sides of the alleged schisms. UConn for example has rivalries built up over the years with Providence and St. Johns. Or Syracuse with the some of the same schools. Again those advocating for a divide ignore these rivalries or respond that these games could be OOC, miss the value but in financially and culturally.

Playing what if history is a waste of time. The Big East cannot undo the mistake of not inviting Penn State or not recognizing the benefits (to others if not oneself) of expanding to 12 teams. The hybrid conference that lives with a combination of 7 basketball only schools, 8 football schools, and a school that goes its on way in football is unique amongst BCS conferences.

The conference is now feeling good about itself with the success of the 16 team mega-conference in basketball and a BCS win the Sugar Bowl. If the past is any guide, the Big East brain trust will sit content blind to rest on their laurels. The conference needs a strong commissioner with something called vision.

Leadership is combination of coercion, force of personality, schmoozing, and manipulating with a clear goal in mind and the conviction to carry through without considering failure. Some could look at the hybrid set up and see an obstacle that the other BCS conferences do not have to contend. However, this configuration has turned into an asset.

Suggested Vision for the BIG EAST:

- Plan for expanding to 18 teams by adding a D1 football school (for all sports) and a basketball only school with a strong D1AA football program. An important caveat here is to look for programs that add to or compliment your current set of markets. Adding a basketball program in Chicago or Virginia could expand the TV appeal.

-The addition of two schools with D1 and D1AA would create a balance four home/away games eliminating the need to find five OOC game. The other team would allow for a ready made D1AA game (like Villanova) while keeping the money within the conference. The unintended consequence of the 12 regular season game is to drive up the prices of buying a visitor. Teams with these characteristics will reduce the increases in cost.

-The basketball would be set up as two sub-conferences with each member of the nine team group playing home and home against each other. Pairs of teams from each group would host high profile November or December tournaments. Teams would also play two or three games against members of the other group.

-Participation in the conference basketball tournament would be for 12 teams with the top four from each group given automatic placement and the other four to be selected in a yet to be defined wild card format.

-Notre Dame while not required to become a full member in football would play four BE team per year on a home and home basis. This would increase the value of the TV rights, improve conference status, sell tickets, and give the team in the Big East some impact on ND's post season. The Irish will not be full members in football but need to realize that they benefit from the prosperity of the group.

The cliché is that doing nothing is a choice. In the case of the Big East nothing is the wrong choice.

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Sunday, April 28, 2013

China Glaze Neons On The Shore / Sunsational - Creme Swatches

Finally I got around to swatching the China Glaze Neons On The Shore!

China Glaze Neons On The Shore consists of 12 neon polishes, 6 cremes and 6 jellies. Today I'll be showing the 6 creme polishes from the collection, and the 6 jellies will be coming up in the next post, hopefully in a few days. :)

The creme polishes from this collection were not easy to swatch and were even harder to photograph! They are like.. well.. Creme polishes! They're thick, and needed some creme painting skills to even out. In the end I just dropped a load of thinner into each of them before I paint them on my nails.. It took an average 3 coats of colour and a good top coat (seche vite) for me to get them nice and smooth.

My camera couldn't capture the neon at all and I had to go all over the house to try find the best environment and camera for the color to show. It's quite the nightmare I tell you.. And that would explain the inconsistent background in the photos and some poor quality shots.

All in all, probably none of the pictures managed to capture the real colors but I picked those that are closest to what I see on my nails.

First up is China Glaze Sun Of A Peach, an Orange neon creme polish.

Does this look familiar to you? Cos this is probably what China Glaze Peachy Keen + Neon liquid(?) would look like. Seriously. I think what China Glaze actually did with this collection is take some of their old popular colours, add some neon magic to them and tadah! You get Neons On The Shore.

Like I said, actual colour in real life in much more neon than shown in the pictures. I applied 3 coats for this. Usually my hands look sucky with Orange, but this actually looks okay. I guess the Neon factor helped.

China Glaze Too Yacht To Handle, An Aqua neon creme polish.

China Glaze Too Yacht To Handle is an aqua blue neon creme and I'm pretty sure it's the neon version of China Glaze's super popular For Audrey.

Please pump up the neon factor yourself, my camera couldn't handle all that brightness. This is 3 coats as well.

China Glaze Neons & On & On, A Pinky Orange neon creme polish.

China Glaze Neon & On & On is described by China Glaze as a Pink neon polish, but I think there's quite a bit of Orange in it as well. Can be classified as a borderline coral?

I don't have any creme equivalent of it from China Glaze so I can't tell which polish is this modified from..

As usual, actual colour is more neon in real life. I love this kind of colour.. they are very flattering on my skin. :)

This is 3 coats of polish.

China Glaze Highlight Of My Summer, A mint Green neon creme polish.

This 1 is quite a no brainer.. Anyone familiar with China Glaze's popular shades can tell with a look that this is the baby of China Glaze's Re-fresh Mint with neon magic fluid.

Applied 3 coat for this. This is one of the pictures which the neon is almost non-existent.

Beautiful mint green neon. I don't think I have anything like this is my collection (not counting re-fresh mint since that's not neon). My neon greens are usually those highlighter green.

China Glaze That's Shore Bright, a Purple neon creme polish.

That's Shore Bright is the type of purple that is impossible to capture.. For me that is.. It's the type of purple that always look too blue. This is the closest I can get to the actual colour.

A non-neon equivalent of this nail polish might be China Glaze's Spontaneous?

This is the only polish from the collection so far which I only needed 2 coats to get an opaque and even finish. However the neon factor is the least so far as well. :(

Last but not least, China Glaze Bottoms Up, a bright Pink neon creme polish.

The best description for China Glaze Bottoms Up is probably Barbie Pink in neon. A very popping colour that reminds me of Nicki Minaj somehow I dont know why, since I don't listen to her songs. I only knew about her from her OPI collection released last year.. LOL

The only Barbie Pink I have from China Glaze is Dance Baby and well.. Barbie pink is Barbie pink.. I guess you can say Bottoms Up is neon-tified Dance Baby.. My photos don't do this polish justice, it's much much more neon in actual!

3 coats of beautiful neon pink on my nails. I am falling in love with this on my nails! It's makes me happy just looking at it! It's just such a happy color.

 I think you would be able see it on my nails from a mile away.. it's so bright! LOL

So all China Glaze fans out there.. What do you think? Would you be getting these revamped neon-tified China Glaze popular shades?

And to my Singapore readers, China Glaze Neons On The Shore are now available for sale at PolishAlley! :)

Check out the remaining 6 shades from the Neons On The Shore collection here!

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Birthday Confetti Nails

birthday confetti nails

A very belated Birthday Confetti nails.. You can see from the amount of nail growth that I've had this manicure on for a while before taking a picture.. I'm just feeling super lazy.. =P

Polishes Used:
OPI My Vampire Is Bluff
OPI My Paprika Is Hotter Than Yours!
OPI Suzi’s Hungry AGAIN!
OPI OPI… Eurso Euro


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Let God Turn Your Weaknesses to Strengths and Your Misery to Ministry

July 30, 2010 by
Filed under Christian Life, Health and Fitness

By Julie Morris –

In Jeremiah 29:11 God gives us this wonderful but confusing promise: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” The confusion comes because sometimes God’s plans seem to be anything but prosperous!For example, take what happened to my sister. Ten years ago, Linda was in a devastating auto accident. She was in a coma for almost a month, swaying precariously between life and death. When she woke up from the coma, Linda’s mind was sound, but she was unable to walk or talk so she could be easily understood. And she had such a terrible tremor from the brain damage that she could hardly feed herself.

How could this be God’s plan for this precious Christian? Her accident seemed like a disaster that would result in meaningless suffering for the rest of her life. Linda knew that in this fallen world, bad things happen, but she clung to God’s promise in Jeremiah 29:11 and knew he still had a plan for her life. She was determined to cooperate with him as he worked that plan out. After months in the hospital and rehab, Linda was released to an assisted living facility. She worked hard learning how to maneuver her wheelchair so she could get about on her own and she worked on her speech for hours at a time.

Linda continued to surrender her life to the Lord—looking to him to turn her weaknesses to strengths and her misery to ministry. She never lost her smile, and her smile spoke more eloquently about the Lord than anyone ever could with words. Even though she couldn’t talk as clearly as before, everyone marveled at the joy and contentment she felt most of the time and the positive influence she had on those around her. Linda seldom complained and always had an encouraging word to say. And God used her in mighty ways. Despite her handicaps, he prospered her by giving her life purpose—using her smile to reflect his love to people who needed to know he cares.

Linda went home to be with the Lord a few weeks ago, but she taught us all a valuable lesson that will live on long after her. She demonstrated this awesome truth: God changes our weaknesses to strengths and our misery to ministry when we surrender our lives to him. No pain is wasted in his economy. If we let him, he will use all of our hardships and hurts. He can even use our mistakes. When we turn them over to him and trust him with our lives, these negative things will work out for good. They can help us to grow in our relationship with the Lord, learn how to lean on him and minister to others.

Are you struggling with illness or pain? Are you carrying around past hurts or feeling overwhelmed by present ones? Do like Linda did! Surrender the things that are making you miserable to Jesus. Then praise him, in advance, that he has a plan for your life. He will use your pain, redeem your loses and change your weaknesses to strengths and your misery to ministry.

Julie Morris is the author of 12 books (www.guidedbyhim.com) and a dynamic motivational speaker. She would love to talk to you if you are struggling to surrender your weaknesses to the Lord (julie@guidedbyhim.com). ©2010

About Julie Morris

Julie Morris is an internationally recognized author of 12 books, popular motivational speaker and founder of two Christian weight-loss programs Step Forward (www.stepforwarddiet.com) and a lighter and easier version of Step Forward, Guided By Him (www.guidedbyhim.com). She would love to show you the way to a thinner, not so stressed-out way of living. E-mail her today! Julie@guidedbyhim.com

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RATBAGS: We want more taxes; we want less jobs!

RATBAGS:  We want more taxes; we want less jobs!

Australia has just had an election and the L-NP coalition (conservatives) won an outstanding victory. The main reasons for this victory?

  1. The (then) government had lied during the previous election campaign by saying that “there will be no carbon (dioxide) tax and then they introduced a tax on essential-for-life carbon dioxide;
  2. The (then) opposition said that they would eliminate the carbon (dioxide) tax.

The carbon tax proved to be an economic dampener and caused job losses. (back-up link1, link2)

After the election, the control of the treasury benches was reversed.

Abbott, the
L-NP leader was now Prime Minister.

After the failures of the sucessive Rudd, Gillard, Rudd Labor governments, Bill Shorten, by a fairly undemocratic process,  was installed as the leader of the Australian Labor party.

The outgoing Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, had changed the ALP leadership rules so that Bill Shorten should lead the party to the next election.

 Bill Shorten has decided to lead his party further into the abyss.
Bill Shorten backs scrapping of carbon tax, on condition of replacement ETS
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has unveiled Labor's position on climate change, saying he will offer to “terminate” the carbon tax on the condition that Tony Abbott introduces an emissions trading scheme.
Great news (TIC) for Bill’s supporters, he wants to replace one form of tax on vital-to-life carbon dioxide to another tax.

Can you imagine a Labor rally chanting:
What do we want?                     More taxes!
When do we want it?                 Now!

What do we want?                     Less jobs!
When do we want it?                 Now!

As (then) Opposition Climate spokesman Greg Hunt said after the ALP decided to introduce the carbon (dioxide) tax"
"The Union movement has abandoned its members by supporting a carbon (dioxide) tax.
"It is appalling that this organisation, which is supposed to be about representing workers, is happy to let their members' income be cut."
SO - do the union members really want a tax that stunts economic growth, causes job cuts and decreases their take home pay?

To be unnecessarily repetitive, can you imagine ALP supporters' making this chant?

What do we want?                     less money!  (and less jobs)
When do we want it?                 Now!

Has Shorten already decided the fate of the ALP in the next election?

No wonder PM Abbott has dubbed Shorten: "Electricity Bill."


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I never listen to the news on radio or TV. The focus on unsignificant local events, the strictly enforced political correctness, the superficiality and utter subjectivity of the "analysis", and the pompous tone of most of the news readers send me into orbit.

The only way I'm exposed to it is by zapping. And yesterday, zapping happily along, I got a choice morsel of news on VTM.

They were reporting on the fires in California, and added that these were spreading to the "West coast of California", where some very expensive houses were threatened by the flames. That was not a lapse ; the expression "West coast of California" was repeated at least once.

The West coast of California .... I thought I had seen some of the main sights in California, but obviously I haven't. I wonder what the East coast of California looks like. Maybe, I should listen to the news more often and learn.

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Crochet a Shawl for Less Than $5!

Are you looking for a crochet project that won’t break your bank? I have just the thing for you. Here’s my “Keepsake Lace Shawl” that was originally published in the May/June 2010 issue of Crochet Today magazine. The pattern is available for FREE through the Coats & Clark archives here:

Keepsake Lace Shawl

Keepsake Lace Shawl

In the past 3 weeks, I’ve crocheted 2 of these shawls with just one skein of yarn each from Michaels! The yarn is called “Loops & Threads Woolike”. It is a light fingering weight yarn with 678 yards in the skein, made with 85% acrylic and 15% nylon fibers. And the best part is it retails for just $2.99! Yes, you heard me right. You’ll get 678 yards for just $2.99 (plus tax)!!! Now that’s a great deal for yarn!

Here is one of the shawls I crocheted last week. It’s for my Mom for Mother’s Day:

Mom's Keepsake Lace Shawl front

Mom’s Keepsake Lace Shawl front

Mom's Keepsake Lace Shawl back

Mom’s Keepsake Lace Shawl back

To read more about this shawl, you can see my Ravlery project page here. If you’re looking for a relatively quick, inexpensive shawl to crochet, you might want to consider this shawl and yarn!

The original pattern is for a 60″ long shawl. This shawl is about 42″ long with 9 pattern repeats across. I started with a foundation chain of 251 chains so I wouldn’t run out of yarn (I knew I wouldn’t have enough yarn to make it the full length and I didn’t want to go buy more yarn). I think the length is very nice! This color of yarn is called “beige” and the other shawl I made was with the color “mauve” (which is much more like burgundy).

I really like this yarn AND the amount of yards you get for only $2.99 (or less with a 40% off coupon)! If you don’t have a Michaels store near you, you can always order this yarn through their website here!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at this crochet shawl pattern and this wonderful yarn!

Happy crocheting,

This entry was posted in Crochet patterns, crochet projects, Yarn review and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

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The Yarn Over and CGOA Videos

If you’re new to crochet or you learned to crochet from someone else, how do you know if you’re crocheting correctly? Do you hold the hook correctly? Are you holding your yarn correctly? Are you yarning over correctly? These are some of the questions you may be asking yourself. Whenever I’m doing something in crochet incorrectly, I really appreciate someone telling me the correct way to do it so I can improve my crochet skills and knowledge. So I thought I’d share with you the correct way to do a “yarn over” in crochet.

Every stitch in crochet uses a yarn over at some point in time, whether it’s at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of the stitch (or in all 3 places). There are many good crochet books written that explain and show how to do the yarn over and the crochet stitches formed by the yarn over correctly. Also, in this age of the internet and internet/website videos, there some great crochet videos to watch that will show you a multitude of fabulous crochet stitches and techniques. I think it’s wonderful to have so much helpful information at my fingertips to learn more about crochet. You probably share this enthusiasm for learning new crochet stitches and techniques, too!

But you know the saying: “Buyer Beware”! Disclaimer: NOT ALL CROCHET VIDEOS ARE CORRECT!

I’d love to be able to say that all of the crochet videos I’ve watched on the internet are sharing the correct information, but that’s simply not true. I’ve seen some videos where the person demonstrating the stitch is saying “yarn over”, but she’s simply grabbing the yarn (with the yarn in front of the crochet hook) and isn’t doing the yarn over correctly. To do a “true” yarn over, you must bring the yarn around the back of the crochet hook, over the top and to the front, like this:

Yarn Over done correctly

Yarn Over done correctly

If you’re not making your yarn overs in this manner, then you’re doing them incorrectly. Here’s the incorrect way to do your yarn overs:

Yarn Over done incorrectly

Yarn Over done incorrectly

Do you see the difference? When you’re doing your yarn overs correctly, the yarn goes over the top of the hook from the back to the front. It doesn’t just sit in front of the hook to grab it: that’s NOT a “yarn over”!

To see some crochet videos, including the correct way to do a yarn over, please visit the CGOA website here if you’re right-handed or here if you’re left-handed. In each of these videos, Kim Guzman, a respected crochet designer, teacher and author, shows how to do a yarn over correctly. The yarn over is used for making the chain, single crochet, half double crochet, double crochet and treble crochet. It’s also used for many other crochet stitches and techniques, including Filet Crochet, Bruges Lace, Wiggly Crochet, Tunisian Crochet, Hairpin Lace, Broomstick Lace and more. As a CGOA Board member, we discussed adding crochet videos to the CGOA website last year and Kim was enthusiastic about doing them for us (thank you so much, Kim). Kim is a wonderful crochet teacher with lots of knowledge and patience! So check out the crochet videos on the CGOA website to make sure you’re doing your yarn overs correctly! And if you don’t know about all that CGOA (the Crochet Guild of America) has to offer, then check out the rest of the updated CGOA website while you’re there!

As one of the co-chairs and a portfolio reviewer in the CGOA Masters program, I enjoy discussing crochet stitches, techniques and patterns to find out how some people work their stitches (correctly and incorrectly). I learn so much from these discussions! They help me to understand how the written crochet instructions can be interpreted in different ways, which in turn helps me improve my pattern writing and technical editing skills! I’m all for improvement throughout my life!

Are there any crochet stitches, techniques or patterns you’d like to discuss?

Until next time…

Happy crocheting,

This entry was posted in CGOA, Crochet hints, Crochet videos, Tutorials and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

4 Responses to The Yarn Over and CGOA Videos

  1. says:

    It seems to me the yarn over done incorrectly is simply a slip stitch–yes?

    • Susan says:

      No. Actually, the incorrect yarn over is NOT a slip stitch. In these 2 blog photos, I’m working the 2nd part of the double crochet. I already yarned over, inserted my hook in the stitch and drew up a loop to give me 3 loops on the hook. Then I yarned over and drew the new loop on my hook through the first 2 loops on the hook, leaving me with the last 2 loops on the hook. Then I yarned over and drew the new loop on the hook through the last 2 loops on the hook to complete the double crochet.

      Even the yarn over worked on a slip stitch should have the yarn going over the hook from the back to the front of the hook after inserting the hook into the correct stitch (instead of grabbing the yarn in front of the hook).

      • says:

        I see what you’re saying. I’ve never heard of anyone doing the yarn over the way they did it (incorrectly). I’m glad I didn’t learn it the wrong way 😉

        • Susan says:

          I’m glad you learned the yarn over the correct way, too! Unfortunately, there are some crochet videos on the internet where the yarn over is demonstrated the WRONG way! I thought I’d share the right way to do the yarn over to help others learn the correct way to do it!

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Stock Updates

Wipro Ltd. (NYSE:WIT) – Top Stock from Technology Sector

Wipro Ltd. (NYSE:WIT), a Information Technology Services company from Technology sector has been doing very well. The company has reported a price of $11.55 today, marking a change of 0.96%.

Wipro Ltd. has a current return on equity (ROE) of 19.90% while its debt to equity stands at 0.27. The return on investment (ROI) is at 12.10% and the gross margin is reported to be 30.40%.

Wipro Ltd. is predicting a healthy earnings per share growth of 9.70% over the period of next five years.

Performance Analysis

The stats for Wipro Ltd.’s performance is below.

The weekly performance stands at -0.26%, while the monthly performance measure stands at -2.35%. Not surprisingly its volatility is at 1.38% with an average volume of 499.93. Volatility is a statistical measure of the dispersion of returns for a given security. It can be measured by using the variance between returns from the market index. Generally speaking, there is always a positive correlation between high volatility and high risk.

The performance per month is at -2.35%, while the performance per quarter stands at .

has a float short of 1.64% at present and the short ratio is at 29.26. Shares shorted can actually exceed 50% of the float in a company. Because the float is the amount of a company’s shares that are publicly owned, all tradable shares can therefore be borrowed by short sellers.

The numbers in regards to Wipro Ltd.’s valuation are below.

The market cap is at 20278.2, while the P/E stands at 21.26, with a P/S of 2.66 and earnings per share this year of 2.80%.

The earnings per share is used as a primary indicator of a company’s profitability or loss. Earnings per share is basically the portion of a company’s profit that is allocated to each outstanding share of common stock.

Disclaimer: The views, opinions, and information expressed in this article are those of the authors and will not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any company stakeholders, financial professionals, or analysts.. Examples of analysis performed within this article are for demonstration purposes only. They should not be utilized to make stock portfolio or financial decisions as they are based on limited and open source information only. Hence the assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of any analysts or financial professionals.

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Stephen Butters

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OpGen launches microbe detection test

OpGen Inc., of Gaithersburg, a molecular diagnostics provider, said it has developed a new test that can quickly and reliably identify patients at risk for harboring serious disease-causing microbes that can resist even the strongest antibiotics.

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Legendary Actor, Peter O’Toole Dies at 81

peterotooleLegendary actor, Peter O’Toole has passed away, he was 81. O’Toole rocketed to fame in David Lean’s epic masterpiece Lawrence of Arabia in 1962.

He was eloquent, dashing and seemed to spring out of nowhere.

Peter O’Toole was “born in Ireland and grew up in Leeds, Yorkshire.” After honing his acting skills in London theater, O’Toole “beat out Marlon Brando and Albert Finney” for the lead role in Lawrence of Arabia.

Michael Higgins, the president of Ireland, said, “Ireland, and the world, has lost one of the giants of film and theatre.”

In a long list of leading roles on stage and in film, Peter brought an extraordinary standard to bear as an actor,” Higgins said. “He had a deep interest in literature and a love of Shakespearean sonnets in particular. While he was nominated as best actor for an Oscar eight times, and received a special Oscar from his peers for his contribution to film, he was deeply committed to the stage. Those who saw him play leading roles on the screen from Lawrence in 1962, or through the role of Henry II in Becket, and The Lion in Winter, or through the dozens of films, will recognise a lifetime devoted to the artform of the camera.

Higgins, who knew O’Toole as a friend since 1969, said “all of us who knew him in the west will miss his warm humour and generous friendship.

“He was unsurpassed for the grace he brought to every performance on and off the stage,” he said.

O’Toole was nominated 8 times for an Oscar, with his final nomination in 2007, for the British film, “Venus,” about “an elderly London actor facing his own mortality who becomes smitten with an actor friend’s free-spirited young grandniece.”

Four years earlier, with his glory days as a leading man seemingly long over, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced that the 70-year-old actor would be given an honorary Oscar for his “remarkable talents [that] have provided cinema history with some of its most memorable characters.”

In the course of his 50 year career in film and theater, O’Toole “earned best-actor Oscar nominations for “Becket” (1964), “The Lion in Winter” (1968), “Goodbye, Mr. Chips” (1969), “The Ruling Class” (1972), “The Stunt Man” (1980) and “My Favorite Year” (1982).”

The Lion in Winter was my favorite…

The L.A. Times has more here.

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About Pamela Leavey

Pamela Leavey is the Editor in Chief, Owner/Publisher of The Democratic Daily as well as a freelance writer and photographer. Pamela holds a certificate in Contemporary Communications from UMass Lowell, a Journalism Certificate from UMass Amherst and a B.A. in Creative Writing and Digital Age Communications from UMass Amherst UWW.
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