Saturday, July 31, 2010

Book Review: Devil's Hatband

Title The Devil's Hatband
Author Robert Greer
Rating ****
Tags mystery, series, blacks, african americans, c.j floyd, colorado 


First in the series about C. J. Floyd, a black bail bondsman and bounty hunter in Denver, Colorado. Floyd is hired to track a woman involved in an anti-ranching environmental terror group and find some important documents she holds. Floyd finds where she is, but when he arrives there it is to find the sheriff investigating her murder, and no documents in sight.

I found it hard to get into the book, mainly because C. J. seemed more macho than is my taste, but I was soon won over, both to the characters and the pleasure of an interesting plot.

Publication Mysterious Press (1996), Edition: 1st Edition/1st Printing, Hardcover
Publication date 1996

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Book Review: The Thousand

Title The Thousand
Author Kevin Guilfoile
Rating ***
Tags thriller, pythagoras, conspiracy, canada gold 


The Thousand resembles a cross between The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The DaVinci Code. The main character, Canada Gold, is a petite young woman with amazing mental skills. In her case, the skills come in part from a neurostimulator in her brain that was implanted to control ADD so severe she couldn't function. Her father, Solomon Gold, was a genius, but apparently murdered his lover and was in turn murdered the night Canada was had her operation to implant the deep brain stimulator.

Now, several years later, the doctor who performed Canada's surgery is murdered with the same gun that killed Solomon. The police keep hearing that both of the murdered were part of a secret society of followers of Pythagoras, The Thousand, who have known the secrets of the universe since the time of the mathematician. Modern science has been discovering those secrets and the Thousand believe that when the last of those secrets is discovered the world will end.

Your reaction to this book will depend a lot on whether you believe in 2000 year old conspiracies, and in secrets so amazing that one person can destroy the world. I don't, so the whole plot fails to move me. I do like the character of Canada, and even more that of Wayne Jennings, the casino security boss who is in love with her. The book is not to my taste but may be to yours.

Publication Knopf (2010), Hardcover, 352 pages
Publication date 2010
ISBN 1400043093 / 9781400043095

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Friday, July 30, 2010

Toilet’s pugged up - Loldogs, Dogs 'n' Puppy Dog Pictures - I Has A Hotdog!

Celebrating Friday Kitteh Style: Hallelujah!!! It’s FRIDAY!!!!! - Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures of Cats - I Can Has Cheezburger?

And since I'm about to leave and go home, and it has been an intense work week with several more to go, this really expresses my feeling of the moment!

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Criminal Justice System in the U.S.

...is in terrible shape.  I've known most of what is in this excellent article for some time, but it is rarely spoken of in the news or in political discussions.  The war on drugs is a failure, mandatory minimums are a disaster, and the costs are sinking many state budgets. 

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Nick Kristof on the Costs of War

Good opinion piece from Nick Kristof on how expensive the war in Afghanistan is, and wondering if investing in schools wouldn't ultimately be more effective.  He mentions Greg Mortenson, among other school builders, and if you haven't read it yet I highly recommend the book Three Cups of Tea about Mortenson's work.

 

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Puffin is the New Hatin - Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures of Cats - I Can Has Cheezburger?

I like that bird's attitude...

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

i iz too big - Loldogs, Dogs 'n' Puppy Dog Pictures - I Has A Hotdog!

THAT's a big dog! Anyone know what it is? A Grand Pyranees, maybe?

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Post-Racial Society? Not So Much

People seem to think everything is ok now as far as race goes.  But look at way too many statistics and it just isn't so.  I heard on NPR this morning that unemployment among blacks is 16%.  This post (http://www.aclu.org/blog/drug-law-reform-racial-justice/california-s-proposit... looks at racial disparities in drug arrests.

 

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Oh Crap Moment of the Day: Claws, Why Won’t You Work? - Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures of Cats - I Can Has Cheezburger?

Monday, July 26, 2010

Book Review: The Appeal

Title The Appeal (John Grisham)
Author John Grisham
Rating ****
Tags fiction, law, judges, corruption, corporations, pollution 


This is a thorougly depressing book, well-told. Once again Grisham tells a tale of political and corporate corruption, this time of large polluting corporations buying judgeships in order to get the verdict they want. He makes each of the characters real, even the bad guys. Of course it is the victims that one most feels for.

Grisham is way too believable, and thus the depression. I have no doubt that events similar to those in the book are going on even now. I'm glad that Grisham's out there, writing best sellers, and telling the public how the world works.

 

 

Reader – Beck, Michael
Publication Random House Audio (2008), Edition: Unabridged, Audio CD
Publication date 2008
ISBN 0739316532 / 9780739316535

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Book Review: An Accomplished Woman

Title An Accomplished Woman
Author Jude Morgan
Rating ****
Tags hisorical fiction, romance, women, england, regency romance, humor 


This was a very well-done book. Lydia Templeton, at 30, is too old to be considered an eligible bride, but is happy with her life after turning down Lewis Durrant ten years ago. She enjoys books, a social life, her father's company. Her dear friend Lady Eastmond persuades her to take charge of Lady Eastmond's ward, Phoebe Rae, who has fallen in love with two men at once and needs advice.

The book tells a good story, and has some of the funniest lines ever penned, such as " The removal of the first course interrupted, though it did not entirely stop, Mrs. Vawser's tireless waving of the flag of personality."

The characters were also well done and seemed internally consistent, until near the end when everyone seems to have turned their personalities on their head. It was quite disconcerting, but maybe necessary to bring resolution to the story. Fun book.

Publication St. Martin's Press (2009), Edition: 1, Hardcover, 416 pages
Publication date 2009
ISBN 0312539665 / 9780312539665

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

book Review: Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

Title The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
Author Katherine Howe
Rating ****
Tags fiction, historical, salem, witchcraft, book of shadows, spellcasting 


Story alternates between that of Connie Goodwin, doctoral student in history at Harvard in 1991, and that of Deliverance Dane in late 17th century Salem and her descendants. Connie needs to find a primary source for her dissertation, and while trying to clean up her grandmother's long-abandoned house, finds clues that Deliverance Dane might have had a spell book and be an unknown witch killed at Salem.

I had seen this book highly recommended, and so my expectations were high. It lived up to them. Connie is a good character, and the past stories are told well with a strong sense of place and time.

Publication BOOKDEPO (2010), Paperback, 480 pages
Publication date 2010
ISBN 0141047550 / 9780141047553

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

DUDE!?! - Loldogs, Dogs 'n' Puppy Dog Pictures - I Has A Hotdog!

Another one for you, Mark!

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

What a lovely - Loldogs, Dogs 'n' Puppy Dog Pictures - I Has A Hotdog!

But Rachel Maddow Tells O'Reilly What Matters

Great piece from Rachel Maddow about Fox News' tendency to race-bait and press full force with stories whose facts are faulty.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Kudos to Shephard Smith of Fox News

I don't often have anything good to say about Fox News, but Shephard Smith is to be congratulated for not showing Breitbart's video of Shirley Sherrod, and for having the journalistic chops to distrust a source already proven untrustworthy.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Paul Krugman on the Environment

...or why, despite obvious effects of climate change already, there is no bill to take action passed or likely to pass.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Party On!

Humorous definitions of the Democratic and Republican Parities from Schott's Vocab - don't worry, they're even-handed in their disrespect.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Friday, July 23, 2010

Give Me That Good Old Counter Protest

The Westboro Baptist Church, the God Hayes Fags people who protest anywhere that will get them some attention, protested the San Diego Comic Con with predictable results.  There were counter protests from Comic Con attendees, with humorous results.

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Bush Policies Live On

George W. Bush was a really bad President for oh so many reasons.  Paul Krugman reminds us of how bad and why, and why it matters now.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

How Dare You Name Me Rover? - Loldogs, Dogs 'n' Puppy Dog Pictures - I Has A Hotdog!

Following yesterday's funniest cat names, today has funniest names for dogs.

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Humorous Responses to Sarah Palin's Shakespeare Comment

Some terrifically funny ones, maybe not as funny if you're a Sarah Palin fan, which I decidedly am not.

 

 

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Josh Marshall on the Sherrod Story and the Media

He's pretty damning about the lack of journalistic professionalism and ethics involved in the Sherrod story.  Seems pretty justified to me.  I worry quite a lot about the state of journalism in this country.  Reminds me of Jefferson's quote:

"The basis of our governments being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. But I should mean that every man should receive those papers and be capable of reading them." --Thomas Jefferson to Edward Carrington, 1787. ME 6:57

 

 

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

DIDN’T THE - Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures of Cats - I Can Has Cheezburger?

Twisted News

This whole story goes to illustrate the dangers of acting on incomplete information and without talking first to the person involved. 

 

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Building a Mosque in New York

Excellent article on the opposition to the mosque.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Glenn Greenwald on Narcissistic Elites

Greenwald is the most consistent voice speaking out about torture and other political crimes.  Here he speaks about the lack of a sense of proportion in the political world.  Best paragraph is:

"That's what happens when you create a society where elites can engage in the most wretched and destructive acts with total impunity:  it engenders a blinding, empathy-free, effete sense of entitlement whereby they see themselves as the only ones who matter and their own plight as the only one worthy of consideration.  If you build a political system grounded in the premise that there's an elite caste so special and elevated that they are entitled even to hover above the laws and rules to which everyone else is subjected, the beneficiaries of that caste system are always the first to believe in its virtue.

 

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Who’s the brains in this outfit? - Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures of Cats - I Can Has Cheezburger?

Bravery of Constance McMillen

She's the Mississippi teen who wanted to take her girlfriend to the prom and was treated so poorly.  Now things seem to be going well for her, and it pleases me because she has shown a lot of courage.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Freeing the Innocent

It should never be in question that an innocent person should be freed.  I'm aware it isn't always easy to determine who is innocent and who is guilty, but the justice system should make it easier for the innocent to prove their case when new evidence comes to light.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

A..a..an den *snif* - Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures of Cats - I Can Has Cheezburger?

Another great photograph.

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Good News for HIV Prevention for Women

Some good news that might help prevent HIV infection in women, particularly in Africa.  The horror of HIV there is unimaginable, and it is time for some good news.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Monday, July 19, 2010

Anti-Gravity Ears - Daily Squee - Cute Baby Animals

Another great picture.

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Comparative Religion for the Day: Shinto

Brief article introducing Shinto.  While reading it, I realized I knew it was a religion and mostly practiced in Japan, but nothing more than that.  Now I know a bit more!

 

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Cat Musicians - Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures of Cats - I Can Has Cheezburger?

What is Racism?

I'm concerned about the number of people who say they aren't racist but whose words and actions clearly are.  I would add, to the things Ed Brayton mentions, if you are terribly concerned because whites are going to be the minority of the population of the country within 40 years, you are rascist.

 

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Texans More Reasonable than Their Politicians

...according to an interesting opionion poll.  I'm very happy to see that most want teachers and scholars to set the school curriculum, not politicians, as as favoring age appropriate sex ed and requiring schools to protect children from bullying, etc.

 

 

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Not the Kind of Inspiration I was Looking For

An Al Qaeda follower is publishing a glossy magazine called Inspire, with such lovely articles as bomb making and encrypting messages.  This is one magazine I hope has a circulation of 0.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Tea Party Express Expelled from Tea Party

Mark Williams, who wrote that incredibly offensive post last week, and his organization were expelled from the Tea Party.  I'm glad to hear it and it is a vote for sanity.  By the way, Mr. Williams, calling something that is that offensive satire, or a joke, doesn't make it any less offensive.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Friday, July 16, 2010

One More on the Old Spice Ads

Ok, I'll quite now, just this one more.  It is just a great example to me of an ad campaign that is creative and uses social media well.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

John Dupois' Friday Fun: Batman's Greatest Tweets

I've been sharing a lot of Dupois' Friday Fun blog posts lately... I like his sense of humor.  At the end of that post he mentions Big Ben's Twitter page.

 

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Crisis Planning Apps

This is a terrific story of people using their particular skills to help in disasters.  Kudos!

 

 

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Health Care, Again

I know we're all tired of talking about health care, but this article by James Ridgeway is a very thoughtful look at the dilemmas of our health care system.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Paul Krugman on Tax Cuts

He's against them.  They never did what was claimed, and they won't do so now.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Library Take off on Old Spice Commercial

There's been one already - fast and good work!

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Tea Party and Racism

I'm perfectly willing to accept that the majority of Tea Partiers are not racist.  But there are certainly racists in the Tea Party, people who seem unable to hear how racist and utterly offensive they are.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Paul the Octopus iPhone App

Well, that famous World Cup predictor now has an iPhone app that works similar to the Magic 8 Ball.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Vuvuzela protest against BP

Clever and hard to ignore

Good news that the oil leak for now is stopped.  Hopefully the containment will hold and the crisis if over except for the cleanup.

The lesson for me is to keep pressure on businesses and on politicians to punish those companies who act according to the idea that it is cheaper to clean up than to do what is necessary to be safe in the first place - even though lives and livelihoods may be lost in the resulting disasters.  With the examples of BP and Massey Energy before us, we must insist on corporate governance that pays attention to these factors.  On my Sustainability at the Georgia Tech Library (http://libguides.gatech.edu/sustain) research guide, under the "Green Shopping" category, I link to several sites that rank companies on their corporate governance. 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Old Spice Guy and Libraries

I'm sure by now you've heard about the new Internet craze, the many, many, brief Old Space ads created and on the Internet featuring the "Old Spice Guy", actor Isaiah Mustafa.  The ads were created in a couple of days, and many were direct responses to requests on Twitter and other internet social media.  And, hooray, one of them was about libraries:

 

 

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Thursday, July 15, 2010

SATIN - Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures of Cats - I Can Has Cheezburger?

Cheezburger Deposit Box - Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures of Cats - I Can Has Cheezburger?

Orly Taitz - Best Free Humor

Now the birther queen says that not voiding her $20,000 fine for filing frivolous lawsuits would mean America is now a tyranny.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Helping Kids Find Good Books at Their Reading Level

For the parents among you... Interesting new tool from OCLC, the producers of the Worldcat database (http://worldcat.org), which is a union catalog that can tell you what books most of the libraries in the U.S. own.

 

 

 

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Military Training Comic on Don't Ask, Don't Tell

To me, the comic illustrates the fundamental unfairness of DADT, even when the best conditions that the comic illustrates are met.  How humiliating to be a young person, perhaps struggling with your sexual identity, and being informed that you are being investigated for homosexual conduct and may be discharged... all for something that is as innate to you as your eye color.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Bristol and Levi Sittin' In a Tree...

Normally I feel that children of politicians should not be public fodder, but Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston were certainly in the public eye when Bristol's mother Sarah was running for Vice President.  After their breakup and the many interesting things Levi had to say about his once future-mother-in-law, the news that Bristol and Levi are engaged again is hilarious, as is the statement the Palins made to the press:

For their part, the Palins have released a statement to NBC News, though one that makes it hard to say how on board they really are. “Bristol at 19 is now a young adult,” the Palins said. “We obviously want what’s best for our children. Bristol believes in redemption and forgiveness to a degree most of us struggle to put in practice in our daily lives.”

In other words, Levi really ticked us off, but we are such wonderful people we let Bristol decide who she wants to marry even if he's the spawn of the Devil.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

DUDE! - Loldogs, Dogs 'n' Puppy Dog Pictures - I Has A Hotdog!

I just love the expressions on their faces...

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

A Young Man of Courage, Conviction, and Compassion

I remember seeing the stories about this young man deciding to takehis boyfriend to his prom.  I did not know he had been evicted from his home over it.  What did he do in this frightening, desperate situation?  Found a group to help others in this situation.  This young man is a credit to any community he is a part of, and I wish him well.

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Monday, July 12, 2010

Internet Responses to the Oil Spill

Lots of creativity... now if only that will stop the spill and make further such less likely.

 

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

VERY Nice App for Firefighters

This sounds absolutely terrific.  And with the cuts that many fire departments are suffering it could be a great help.

 

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

iPhone 4 to Get Relay Service for the Deaf

Now this kind of innovation I can get behind.  Sounds like a great service.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Explaining the Two Recent Cases on Marriage Equality

Nice article explaining the implications of two recent cases for marriage equality on the state and federal level.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Ebery Body - Loldogs, Dogs 'n' Puppy Dog Pictures - I Has A Hotdog!

error 404 - Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures of Cats - I Can Has Cheezburger?

Chris Rodda on Olbermann

Since Glenn Beck is giving so much air play to David Barton and his Christian Nation lies, it is appropriate that left-wing pundits like Keith Olbermann are giving air time to Chris Rodda, probably the single most informed voice on the Founding Fathers and the religious right's lies about them.  By the way, Ms. Rodda has become a much better speaker in the last few years and I commend her for making the effort.

 

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Book Review: A River in the Sky

Title A River in the Sky: A Novel (Amelia Peabody Mysteries)
Author Elizabeth Peters
Rating ****1/2
Tags mystery, series, amelia peabody, egyptology, archaeology, palestine, 1910, women 


Nineteenth in the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters. Peters is one of the two pseudonyms of Barbara Mertz, who has a doctorate in Egyptology. Her other pseudonym is Barbara Michaels. The Michaels books tend to be Gothics, while as Peters she writes series and stand alone novels that tend to be humorous and to have strong women characters.

The Amelia Peabody series is by far her most popular. It is about a family of archaeologists who generally go to Egypt during the winter archaeological season and then return to England. The series spans from the late 1880s to the 1920s. The family consists of Amelia, her husband Emerson, an archaeologist; their son Ramses, a linguist; their adopted daughter Nefret, a doctor; and a variety of relations, servants, cats, and, of course, villains.

River In The Sky departs from the series' usual chronology and tells a story set in 1910, in Palestine. Ramses has gone to work on a dig in Samaria. His parents plan to go to Egypt as usual, but a man named Morley asks them to join him in looking for the Ark of the Covenent. They think he is a shyster and refuse, but the British government asks them to go watch Morley as they think he is a German spy trying to cause trouble in a volatile region. They are to meet up with Ramses in Jerusalem, but he doesn't appear. His best friend David disappears to look for Ramses. Meanwhile the family worries, but start their own dig, watch Morley, and try to figure out who the German spies are and who the mysterious Sons of Abraham are.

The family are all larger-than-life characters, yet Peters writes so well that they also seem very real. Not many authors can carry a series this long and still keep readers wanting more. If you're new to the series, you've got some catching up to do - and you'll enjoy every minute.

Publication William Morrow (2010), Hardcover, 320 pages
Publication date 2010
ISBN 0061246263 / 9780061246265

Posted via email from reannon's posterous