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This is a coming-of-age story/romance starring Bella Swan. Being stuck in a mundane summer job, she settles into her boring summer. Her and Angela together discover vampires, werewolves, and witches all residing in their once thought to be boring town called Forks. The girls form their own coven and start practicing witchcraft. Everything is all fun and games, but when the magic gets out of hand, who will be left standing alive?
Chapter 1 Getting Up In the Morning to Go to My Stupid Job Which I Hate. Thanks, Rene.
I wake up to another rainy morning in Forks, Washington. My eyes are open, but I still have my comforter over my head. The alarm clock sounds off, annoyingly. I reach my fingers out of the darkness of the inside of the comforter and lift it off of my face. I groan. I don't want to get up.
"Bella?" I hear Charlie's voice coming up the hall way. I grab the comforter and hide my face in it. "Bella.. Please get up. You need to get down to the Pigly Wigly." Charlie walks through my door and pokes my butt through the covers with his finger. I scrunch up, avoiding another poke. "Get your ass up," His says, in a non- serious voice. It almost sounds like he's playing.
"I hate the Pigly Wigly," I groan. I don't know if he heard my little voice through the barrier of my sheets and my thick comforter.
"You still wanna go to college, don't you?" He asks, his voice flat.
"I'm having second thoughts," I say. I'd say anything to get out of going to work, today. College isn't even that important to me or even Charlie, but Rene swears it is my only ticket out of this tiny town, they're making me pay for my own tuition. She knocks on the side of the wall.
"Bella," She sings.
"No," I groan. She walks in and sits on my bed. I hear Charlie sigh. Rene finds my shoulder and rubs it through the comforter.
"Bella, honey. I know you're not sick. I looked at your work schedule on the fridge and you're gonna be late if you don't get moving right now," Rene says in her fake soothing voice.
"But it's Sat," I say, pushing the comforter off of my face.
"Then, take it up with your boss," Rene says. "Tell Sebastian you want this Saturday off."
"But in order to do that, I would have to get up," I complain.
"Exactly," Rene says, slowly nodding her head.
"You are the laziest girl in the world," Charlie mumbles. He chuckles under his breath. I don't like being called lazy. I resent that. But I still wasn't gonna get up.
"All you are doing is proving your father right," Rene says. I ignore her and turn my face to my alarm clock. "Hmm. Suit yourself. We tried."
They both remove themselves from my room. "Oh, god in heaven," I groan. As weak as I feel, I manage to crawl away from my comfy bed. I arch my back in a stretch. "Sweet Jesus." I get dressed and comb my bland, brown hair. There is no helping it. It still looks aweful. I locate my red work apron thrown over my chair to my desk. I put it on and tie the back. My name tag says Bella. Duh. Walking down the stairs, I can hear Charlie and Rene mumbling to each other. They stop, once I reach the bottom of the staircase where they can see me. Rene flashes me a fake smile. It makes me want to know what they were talking about, but I don't ask. I was taught too well to stay out of grown folks' business.
"I'm off to bring home the bacon," I grumble.
"Have fun at work, sweet heart," Rene says, this time flashing a more genuine smile. She's just happy that I got off my butt. Charlie leans against the counter, dressed in his tan cop uniform, holding a mug of steaming black coffee.
I leave out the door and I accidentily slam it. They're probably thinking I did it on purpose. Charlie needs to get off his ass and fix this door. The screws are too loose. My big red truck is sitting on the wet, green lawn. Mr. Dannibal from across the street is waving at me and pushing his noisy lawn mower. Pieces of green grass fly up into the foggy air around him. I wave back, and try to look enthusiastic as I smile. I crawl into my truck and stick the key in the ignition. My foot drives down on the gas and it's off to work I go.
Part 1 of Chapter 2 of Bella's Bayou : No Harm In a Good Time, Unless You're Bella Swan
I pull up in the Pigly Wigly parking lot, park, and get out. Mike Newton is walking towards me with a smirky smile on his face.
"Hey, Bella, Bella," He chants my name, a little over excited to see me.
"How goes things?" I ask. We walk together inside the Pigly Wigly. I clock in, hidden away from the quiet customers.
"So," Mike says, putting his arm on the wall, just above my head. I stare at him through my empty eyes. "I know you're probably gonna say no, but, I figure I'd give it shot any.."
"No," I cut him off, coldly. His casual expression shrinks into uncertainty.
"You don't even know.."
"Hey, Bella. you free, tonight? Cause i'm not do anything. How about you and me do something together. Like hang out," I recite perfectly word for word his own words. He uses them often when trying to get a date with me. I don't know why he keeps trying. It's not like I'm that much of a catch. His face turns white under his already pale complexion.
"See you around," He says in a flat voice, untypical of him. He walks away. He mumbles the b word a little too loudly under his breath.
"Hey," Angela pops up into my face. Her eager attitude showing. Her dorky glasses, oddly complimenting her, instead of taking away from her beauty. All the worker bees wear red aprons. I see through the corner of my eye, Sebastian coming over to us in his blue apron. He is in charge of getting us our money every Friday and making our schedules. Why ask for today off? I'm already here.
"Girls. chitchat later, we got work that needs to be done," He says, his glasses sitting on his button nose, and shielding his sapphire blue eyes. I can't move for a minute, stunned by his gorgeousness. Angela swoons. She would have become weak in the knees and fallen to the floor if I hadn't grabbed her arm.
"You heard the man," I say, leading the way to the front of the store. Yes, Angela has a huge crush on the boss. I do as well, but I don't let it show like she does. It's unprofessional. Plus, he's got a fiancee. He's in his last year of four year college, taking all his classes online. Sebastian's fiancee is named Pippa. Angela and I hate her. At a party once, at the start of summer, he invited his newbies to his house for a welcoming party. Angela thought it would be fun to light Pippa's hair on fire. I don't know if she was possessed or if it was the shots talking, but Angela took a shot glass that had a lit flame on it and put it to Pippa's head. No one saw her do it, but me. Pippa didn't realize her hair was on fire until she felt flicks of it burning up and dropping off on her shoulder, all crisp. She screamed and cried for nearly an hour, even though the fire was put out as soon as it started. I had dumped the punch bowl on her head to put it out. She got a new hair cut. It's cute, unfortunately. Angela swears up and down it was an accident. She was standing too close and Pippa had her back turned. Everyone believes her, even Sebastian believes her the most. Pippa is doubtful, but she still forgave her. Angela's little stunt makes me watch my own back more when i'm around her. I don't tell her about my crush on Sebastian. She might try to do something to me, next. She's still my good friend, but i just keep my eye on her more closely. She's a really sweet, sweet girl, until she likes a guy.
"Excuse.. me, honey.. Do.. you.. have ..this.. in.. a twenty.. four ...pack?" An old lady asks me, waving a coupon for Sharman Ultra Soft infront of my face.
"Toilet tissue is on isle 6, Mrs. Dela," I mumble.
"What.. is.. that.. you.. said.. dear.. I .. couldn.'t.. hear.. you.. You're.. mumbling," she says. I exhale.
"Isle 6, Mrs. Dela!" I say louder, secretly wishing to pop her ear drums.
"Alright.. now.. dear..," Mrs. Dela says. She slowly turns her cart around and heads out of my lane. After four straight, grueling hours, I head to the break room. Mike is in there, eating a sandwich.
"Oh. Sorry. Don't want to bother Princess Bella," He says, in a snide tone. He picks up his lunch and moves out of the room. Such a graceful loser.
Two other employees pile into the small break room. Jessica and Lauren from school. Lauren looks like a wreck until she pulls a white blunt from her pocket and starts smoking it infront of us. She relaxes as she smokes. Then, she lets Jessica take a puff. I recognize the scent of it as mary- j, aka marijuana. She offers me a puff, but I politely turn it down. Last time I smoked a puff of marijuana, I almost died of an asthma attack.. and I don't even have asthma. Lauren and Jess share the weed.
"That damn baby was crying like hell all night long." Lauren complains. She blows out white smoke, her forehead is creased. "I'm tired as hell, too. I don't want to go home, today. Tyler got fired. Did you know about that?" She asks, looking in my direction.
"umm.. no," I say. Tyler Crowley is the father of her five month old baby daughter they named Aisling Diamond Crowley. They're not married, but they gave the baby Tyler's last name against Lauren's mom's wishes. Lauren's mom hates Tyler for getting Lauren pregnant and Lauren hates her mom for not accepting Tyler anymore. They both live with Tyler's mom with the baby. Lauren is deliberately punishing her mom by not living with her anymore. If her mom wants to see the infant, she has to drive to the other side of town where Tyler's mom lives. The room was becoming filled with the thick, sweet smell of mary- j and so I got up and casually walked out of the break room. I should have walked out sooner. The smell had gotten stuck on my clothes and I wasn't even smoking.
I often baby- sit for Tyler and Lauren during the week days. I can never seem to turn them down. Maybe, I feel sorry for them and want to help out when I can. I do love Aisling. She is a sweet little baby and it's hard to say no to that.
I walk back to my lane and punch open the cash register. The sliding doors come open, letting the windy air in. One of the Cullen boys, Edward, walks through the door. He looks around. I study him. Angela appears at my side.
"Wow. I never see him outside of school," She whispers on my shoulder.
"It's a first for me, too," I mumble. Cullen walks into the shopping isle, politely ignoring all the starring eyes. Everyone is watching him, trying to see what he will buy. A woman comes into my lane and hastily puts her groceries on the counter. She is shivering as she looks at Edward. A fearful expression on her face. I find it odd. I ring up her groceries and bag them, and watch Cullen at the same time.
"Please, hurry up," The woman rushes me.
Angela is still watching him, too. She pops a sucker in her mouth.
"Girls," Sebastian says. We both jump when we hear his voice. "Get back to work."
Angela goes to her register. I put the bagged gorceries in a cart and wave the woman goodbye. She doesn't wave back. She darts out of the store. Then, I turn my attention back to Cullen. He is walking to Angela's isle with a cylendar container of salt in his pale hand. In his other hand, he is carrying garlic vegetables. He stands in Angela's lane. She throws me a confused look. I shrug my shoulders. Mike Newton walks over to Angela. I sigh. I hope he doesn't start badgering the Cullen kid. Mike has his arms folded. Everyone is watching Angela ring up the items for Cullen. He doesn't seem bothered by the people gloating around him. Maybe, he's use to it.
After work, I drive home. And guess who is waiting for me on my front porch.
"Bella!" Jacob cheers my name.
"Hey, kiddo," I smile, shutting my truck's door. I stick my keys in my jean pocket and take off my ugly apron. Jacob Black stands up. "What's new?"
"Oh, nothin. Just wanted to see you," He says. Charlie comes out of the house.
"He brought us fish to fry from Billy's," Dad says.
"Thanks for dinner, Jake," I say, wrapping my arms around his waist.
"No problem, baby," He says.
"Woah. don't call me that," I say, blushing.
"It's alright," Dad says, looking up into the sky.
We go inside. I run my fingers down Jacob's long, black braid.
"You're staying for dinner?" I ask.
"Now, what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't," Jacob says.
"Hey, Jake," Rene smiles, pouring herself a glass of orange juice.
"Hey, Mrs. Swan," Jacob says.
"Jake, they're not married. I told you that," I say, quietly.
"It's okay," Rene says.
"What's the stalling all about?" Jacob asks.
"Ask him," Rene says, smiling at Dad.
"They don't believe in marriage," I say.
"Oh. I always assumed," Jacob says.
"Everyone does," I say. "It's okay." I pat his arm.
"And Jake. Just call me Rene," She says.
Rene cooks fish for dinner and after we all eat, Charlie heads back out to the station. Me and Jacob sneak up to my room.
"Why do you like these old books?" He asks. Pulling Withering Heights off my mini bookshelf.
"Oh," I say, sitting on my bed. I take my shoes off and kick them underneath the bed, just in case they stink. "You should read them. They're classics."
Jacob raises his eyebrow at me. "I'd never finish it. I'd probably fall asleep on the second page."
"Yeah. You would," I agree. He puts the book back on the shelf, between Pride and Prejudice and a Shakespearean collection of playwrights. He comes over to the bed. His 6 foot tall body bends down to kiss my lips. I kiss him back, finding it hard to resist his soft, pillowy lips.
"Okay,stop." I say after a while. He looks confused. "We don't want to end up like Lauren and Tyler." I tuck my hair behind my ears.
"I like kids," He says, nonchalantly.
"You're so stupid," I say, pulling him by his shirt. He lands beside me on the bed. I kiss him, wrapping my lips around his open mouth.
"Knock. Knock," Rene sings, knocking twice on the door that's wide open, and startling me. Jacob sits up straight.
"Angela's in the living room," Rene says. She smiles.
"Okay," I say, uncomfortably. Rene leaves. I get up and Jake follows me downstairs.
"Oh, hi, Jake," Angela says, surprised.
"What's up?" I ask.
"Party." Angela holds up a dark purple invitation. "It's from Alice Cullen."
"The party animal," Rene says from the kitchen. She is always throwing parties. I'm begining to think she does it out of boredom.
"You're coming, right?" Angela asks.
"Of course." I nod my head.
"Jake, you can come, too," Angela says.
"Um.. No thanks," Jacob says. I look back at him.
"Why not. You're not doing anything better," I say.
"I'm not really the party type," Jacob says. I feel his whole body turning rigid when I place my hand on the center of his black tee shirt.
"The Cullens are really nice," Angela says.
"I'm sure they are..." Jacob says, cynically.
"Why don't you wanna come?" I ask, looking up into his face.
"I just don't," He says.
"He doesn't have to if he doesn't want to," Rene butts in. "He's not the party type."
"So he says," I mumble.
"I got to go anyway, and help Billy get ready for bed," He says. He leans his head down and kisses my forehead. "Bye, guys."
"Bye," Rene, me, and Angela say almost in unison. Jacob walks out the front door.
I look at Angela's invite.
"Alice is the only one that I ever see at her parties. The other Cullens are never around," Angela says.
"Yeah. Maybe the others are like Jake. Not the party type," I say. Angela and Rene giggle.
Views: 75
There were definitely some mysterious qualities in this chapter that will be fun to add onto and interesting to see how you interpret them to turn out.
Bella's Bayou part4 of chap1 No Harm In a Good Time, Unless You're Bella Swan
Angela took her keys out the ignition. I let out a defeated sigh.
"Come on. Party's nowhere near over," She says. She gets out the car and I kick open the door and get out on the passenger side. My energy is drained. I don't feel like going back inside the Cullen's mansion. That dancing was a workout for me.
"Bella! Angela!" Jessica Stanley shouts as she walks up to us. She has a plastic cup in her hands. The scent coming out of the cup tells me that it's not soda.
"Hey, Jess," Angela smiles. Then, Lauren walks up next to Jessica. Her short blonde hair is pixie- like, reminding me of Alice Cullen's hairstyle.
"Lauren," Angela says, unpleasantly surprised to see her.
"Hey, guys," Lauren says, her hands sticking into the back pockets of her tight jeans that may be one size too small.
"How's the baby?" Angela asks. "Oh, and how's Tyler doing? I heard he got fired."
Lauren frowns. "They're both fine. And, yeah. You heard right. He did get fired. He cussed out his boss after the man rejected giving him a raise."
"Smart move," Jessica smirks, sarcastically. We all look at her, and she takes a sip from her cup.
"Anyway," Lauren continues. "I'm thinking about trying to convince Sebastian to let Tyler come work for him. We need the extra income."
"I hope everything works out," Angela says, concerned sincerely. I keep quiet. Anytime I'm around Lauren, she eventually asks me to babysit. Maybe if I pretend I'm invisible, she won't think about it.
"Bella," Lauren smiles at me. I sigh.
"What's Up?" I ask, forcing a fake smile.
"I hate to bug you. You know I do."
"Sure. Of course," I cut her off. Then I regret saying that. Why can't I just say no.
"Thanks, Bells! You're a peach," Lauren says. Then, she wraps her arms around my neck.
"Just bring Aisling over to the house," I say. "Whenever."
"Sure thing," Lauren smiles.
"Who's got her tonight?" Angela asks.
"Oh. Tyler's mom. But she's been grumpy, lately. I think she's preparing herself to kick us all out," Lauren says.
"Where are you three going to live?" Jessica asks, tilting her drink up to her lips.
"We haven't decided anything, yet," Lauren says, sounding a little defensive. "But we won't be out on the streets. not ever." She says, keeping in mind Jessica's ability to twist things. She glares at Jessica, hoping she understands the message. "Bella, I'll bring the baby over Sunday morning."
"Wait. I thought you were church goers," Angela butts in.
"Well. Aisling is really noisy during the services, so we just stopped taking her," Lauren says.
"Bella doesn't do church," Jessica says. "So it works out."
"Yeah," I mumble, trying to decide if Jessica deserves my fist to her face right now.
"Hey, Girlies!" Ben Cheney pops out of nowhere. He wraps his long, olive toned arms around Angela and Jessica.
"Hey," Jessica blushes. Angela smiles, uncomfortably.
"So let's go back inside," Jessica says, flirtatiously giving Ben the eye. I follow behind them, Angela next to me.
"Pippa!" Jessica exclaims. "Cool hair." A mean giggle escapes Jessica's lips.
"Thanks. You told me that like thousand times already," Pippa Downey chirps quietly. It seems that Alice had invited half the town.
"Hey, Angie," Pippa says, her voice snide and polite at the same time. Her eyes narrow, but her smile stays in a horizontally turned crescent moon.
"Hey," Angela responds a tad nervously. Maybe Pippa is remembering the time that Angela set her hair on fire, which is the cause for her new super- short, golden curls. I bump Angela gently and she holds her head up. "Bella, you want a drink? " She asks.
"Um, yeah. Sure," I say and I follow Angela as she pushes through the chatter filled foyer. She grabs my hand as if I am five years old, and leads to the Cullen's kitchen. People are gathered around the kitchen counter. Emmett Cullen, the tallest person in the room, is fixing everyone drinks. He has a brown buzz- cut, and a seriously flirty smirk. His golden eyes are the only set of golden eyes that looks normal and compliments his face really well. Probably because they are the dullest shade of gold that I have seen. And his eyes don't shine like the others.
"Whatcha making, now?" Angela asks.
"Azteca Sunburst," Emmett smiles, leaning his head down to see into Angela's brown eyes.
"You want one, baby?" He asks.
"We both want one," Angela, says, squeezing my hand.
"She's seventeen," I blurt. Angela throws me a disgusted look.
"That's okay," Emmett says. "The alcohol is barely there. Two percent."
"Oh. And so it's fine for you to have one?" Angela whispers to me, misconstruing what I said.
"I didn't know," I defend myself.
"That's okay, honey," Emmett says to me. I look up at him. That was a private conversation. Although we are standing really close..
Clear plastic cups are lined up on the counter. Emmett fills each cup up to the rim with his mixture.
"You like fireworks?" He asks us. " I know you like fireworks," He says, nodding in Pippa's direction. She is standing in the kitchen's entrance. Everyone laughs. except Pippa. He takes a cigarette lighter and lights each surface of the cups. Some people clap and laugh. I stare because the orange flames are turning blue.
"Man, how'd you do that?" A teen boy asks.
"Magic," Emmett smiles big.
"What kind of lighter is that?" I ask.
"A normal one," Emmett says, as if I was insinuating otherwise. People swarm the counter, reaching for drinks. "Now, hold on, guys. Please don't set our house on fire!" The tone of his voice was odd, like that's what he wanted to happen. I take a drink and blow out the flame. I take a sip. Two percent alcohol my ass. He's trying to get us all drunk. A half hour later, Angela's hair is down and she is sandwiched inbetween two guys. Only one of them I recognize from school. The other, I have no clue who he is. Rosalie is back, but I never saw her come in. Her face is set in anger. She is eyeing a boy's drink. Next, I see her walk into the kitchen and she seems mad at Emmett.
"I was just livening things up. Carlisle and Esme aren't here. Chill out," I hear Emmett say to Rosalie. I don't really feel like disturbing Angela and her three way make out session. Alice comes down the stairs. I go and see her.
"Hi," She smiles at me. Then, she walks passed me and stands in the center of the living room. "Everyone. Listen up!" No one is paying attention to her. Her voice is too angelic and soft. She puts her hands up around her mouth and says, "People, Listen!"
"HEY! SHUT THE HELL UP!" A random guy screams. Everyone stops and looks at him. "She's trying to talk to you, losers," He gestures to Alice.
"Thank you," Alice says, smiling and swaying her shoulders. "There's been a slight inconvenience." She frowns. "My mom and dad are coming home an hour earlier than expected. They're on their way right now. So, if you all could please exit in a civil fashion, I told them I would have everyone out and the house cleaned before they pull up in the garage. Thank you!"
Dissapproving whines and groans echo around the house. Alice comes back over to me. "That means you too, Bella." She winks. While everyone is busy filing out the front door, I have my eyes on that grand staircase.
Until Angela pulls me by my arm. We get outside and she fixes her glasses. We say bye to as many people we know that pass us. And then we get into Angela's car. I am a little afraid for her driving because she seems out of it. But Charlie and Rene told me never to drive anyone's car because of insurance reasons just in case I might destroy their vehicle. Angela drives fine. The only thing I'm worrying about now is her eyes that look bloodshot. But she seems to be okay.
"I can't wait to call Shawn," She says, bouncing up and down in her seat, her hands glued to the steering wheel.
"Who's that?" I ask.
"Bella," She complains. "That guy I was making out with."
"Oh," I say. I'm still lost. "Which one?"
Angela sighs. "The red- headed one."
"Oh," I chuckle once. We listen to the radio the remainder of the drive, both too sleepy to talk. The honda pulls up over the curve infront of my house.
"Goodnight, Bella," Angela leans over and I hug her.
"Goodnight." I say. "Get some rest," I shake my head. "Sleep that off."
Angela uses her index finger to fix her glasses that had slid down her nose. She sticks her tongue out at me. So mature. I close the door and wait for her to drive off. I gasp when she turns too fast and almost hits Mr. Dannibal's little white mailbox. Then I exhale with relief when she exits the street, safely. I turn and go inside the house. I turn on the lights in the living room and in the kitchen.
"Mom? Dad?" I call. I go upstairs, take off my jacket and look into my parent's bedroom. Charlie is sleeping, but Rene is gone. I go to my room. My clock has 2:00 am. My eyes refuse to stay open any longer and so I fall onto my bed and allow them to shut. Falling into unconsciousness, I feel a cold breeze in the air. A heavy sensation inside me makes me sit up quickly and open my eyes. Wind blows the light purple curtains out my window. I look, and the window is open. It wasn't open, before. I get up and go over to the window and I shut it, shutting out the cold airy night. My door slams closed. Very startled, I jump and turn around. I shout obscinities to myself. I hop back on the bed. I stare at the door as if I'm waiting for it to magically re- open.
"It was just the wind," I tell myself. I lay down and close my eyes. Then I open them again, afraid to close them now. I decide to get up and take a shower before I go to sleep. I get a towel from my dresser and grab something to sleep in. I lay the items on my bed. Then I go step inside the shower. The hot water running down my body is especially calming and relaxing. When I'm done, I step out, get my tooth brush and go into my room. I stop because something feels different. I turn my head slowly towards the window. It's open, again. Freaked out, I slowly walk over and look out. I see nothing out of the ordinary. I see the lawn grass, the crummy Swan family vehicles. Plus, Charlie's cruiser. And a tree.
I bring my head back into the room and shut the window. I brush my teeth, and wrap my towel around my body. A faint sound coming from the bathroom causes me to drop my toothbrush on the floor. I turn my head, slowly towards the bathroom. I finally go and look inside it. My deodorant has fallen to the floor. I sigh, relieved. Then, I turn back around.
"Ahh!" I scream. A hand clasps over my mouth. Another hand presses into my back. I recognize his face, immediately. It's Jasper Cullen, fully dressed and violating my personal space.
Oh my freaking Bella!
Whoa, I'd be dead with scareness if I were her. But I'm not.
Very awesome chapter!! Write more pleasee ^.^
- LoveCookkies
good...write more real soon'
I really enjoy how Jasper appears in her room. I wonder what he wants, or what he will do to Bella.
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HOMESTEAD, PA [National ACRY] - On Saturday, March 29, 2014, St. Nicholas Orthodox Church of Homestead, PA was the host of the Annual Central Regional Diocesan Lenten Retreat. The retreat drew a record number of attendees - more than 160 youth, young adults and children. Read more...
JOHNSTOWN [National ACRY] -- Thanks to the generosity of the members of the ACRY, the faithful of the Diocese and the Kulis Foundation, Nate Choma, the ACRY Ambassador, and College Student at Kent State University begins his OCF sponsored Real Break Journey to Romania, today. Nate is part of student team that is travelling to Valea Plopului, a remote village about 70 miles north of Bucharest, Romania. This community takes care of about 220 orphans, handicapped children and children from families with financial hardships. Read more...
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Right. Even assuming this were generally true rather than true in a few specific instances, that would mean paying these women to stay home and teach rather than having them out working. What happened to that 'culture of dependency' conservatives are always going on about? :) You eliminate collective bargaining and college education requirements, and of course you will see lower wages. You will have just expanded the labor pool by a great many people, which will put downward pressure on wages as the education labor market becomes a buyer's market for schools. You don't see much wage bidding wars for employees among fast food or service industries, do you?
Dr. Ben Carson, the man who spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast and made major news for speaking against Obama's class warfare policies and about the healthcare system, critiqued President Obama's State of the Union address this morning on Fox and Friends.
"You've got to realize that you're the president of everybody."


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The Stuart-based nonprofit, Artists for a Cause received a $500 grant from the Arts & Cultural Alliance of St. Lucie to help fund A4AC's cultural programs and events.
Artists for a Cause is only one of five arts-related organizations to receive funding from the Alliance through its state of the arts opportunity grant program.
The grant helps Artists for a Cause cover the costs of its annual Dance for Food event, which was held in the weeks prior to Thanksgiving. The event is a way for the organization to fulfill its goal of addressing community needs, while supporting arts and culture at the same time.
Through the Dance for Food performances, more than 1,000 pounds of food were collected to feed hungry families on the Treasure Coast and the Palm Beaches.
"We're thrilled to be one of the first recipients of this new grant program through the Alliance. They are a strong advocate and voice for arts organizations in St. Lucie County and we're proud to be a part of their efforts to nurture and promote the arts in our community," said Terry Barber, founder and executive director of A4AC.
The grant awards were presented to arts organizations that demonstrate artistic merit, community involvement and administrative competence.
Other grant recipients were Art Mundo, Bluebird Educational Productions, Treasure Coast Art Association and the Treasure Coast Photography Club.
"The Alliance is pleased to be able to award Artists for a Cause this grant for their commitment and efforts to use the arts in such an impactful way to fight hunger and positively impact our community through their Dance for Food performances," said Richard Gabel, Arts & Cultural Alliance of St. Lucie executive director.
Artists for a Cause is a national, nonprofit organization that improves communities using art as a catalyst to achieve results. Some programs help artists and charities get the most out of their collaboration, while others produce results directly by feeding the poor, healing the sick or solving other problems through artistic solutions.
Current programs include Dance for Food, therapeutic music day, A4AC scholarships and clubs, artist auction packages and benefit concerts. all of which improve communities through artistic endeavors.
Among the organizations receiving support from Artists for a Cause are the Boys and Girls Club of Martin County, Helping People Succeed, Treasure Coast Food Bank, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, House of Hope, Sailfish Point Foundation, Arc Broward, Farmworker Coordinating Council of Palm Beach and more, as well as hundreds of artists in every genre.
For more information, visit www.a4ac.org, call (772)419-8778 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
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The SFFaudio Podcast #226 – READALONG: The Iron Heel by Jack London
Filed under: Podcasts
The SFFaudio Podcast #226 – Jesse, Jenny, and Bryan Alexander discuss The Iron Heel by Jack London.
Talked about on today's show:
Jenny is not an economist, a Heinlein vibe, God Emperor Of Dune, The first half of this book is talk, a terrible novel but an interesting book, The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, the distancing narrators, 700 years into the future, the audience is for seven hundred years in the future (or is that six hundred), prizefighting, grub = food, the purpose of the footnotes, The Sleeper Awakes by H.G. Wells, Avis Everhard, alternate history, Michael Bishop, an underground book, an underground society, that Buck Rogers stuff, Armageddon—2419 AD by Philip Francis Nowlan, exchanging socialism for the Yellow Peril, Asgard, Seoul, set in the year 419 B.O.M. (Brotherhood of Men), A Thousand Deaths by Jack London, The Island Of Doctor Moreau, predictions, war with Germany, a surprise attack on December 4th, William Randolph Hearst, war economy as a solution to national surplus, Trotsky's letter to Jack London, London had good reason to be a socialist, work conditions and natural disasters, a chaotic time, Jackson's arm, race vs. class, Jack London's racism, The Heathen by Jack London, the dog stories, class consciousness, grinding out the middle class between the 1% and the people of the abyss, The Shadow And The Flash by Jack London, manly overachievers, oligarchy doesn't use race to divide people, do you want you fruit to be picked or not?, Japanese segregation in California classrooms, Canadian politics, Cooperative Commonwealth Federation, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John Steinbeck, 'temporarily embarrassed millionaires', the quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln:
"I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country… corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed."
Dwight D. Eisenhower, "the military-industrial complex", Eugene Debs, why was The Iron Heel not more popular?, The Black Hundreds, Das Kapital, Marxian fan-fiction, 'social evolution is exasperatingly slow', sooo sad, Marx's essay on Napoleon III, a Darwinian model, do we live under an oligarchy?, government regulation (anti-trust and child labour laws), why socialism didn't take hold in the early 20th century USA, Larry Summers, the Chilean cover of The Iron Heel, Salvador Allende, a novel read by revolutionaries, Science Fiction within the novel, the aesthetic end, the role of religion, the God of the Oligarchs, mostly air with a little bit of vertebra, Chicago, religious revivals and the apocalypse, Azusa Street Revival, the 1906 San Fransisco earthquake, William Randolph Hearst, Patty Hearst, John Waters, Cecil B. Demented, personal charisma and bulletproof arguments, Everhard is a porn star name, Benjamin Franklin, London's didactic reading, Marx's surplus theory of value, economy is not a science, power wins, the French Revolution, the Commonwealth of England, George Orwell's review of The Iron Heel, 1984 is in The Iron Heel, coincidental dates, London's insight into fascism, too much love from the strong and not enough love for the weak, Eric S. Rabkin, unmanning, 'designed to be crucified', father figures are destroyed, the chapter titles, The Call Of The Wild, a powerful beast is unmanned, builds up and builds through interaction with others, a sated king, a dominant primordial beast, The Sea Wolf, reading London is like a shot of adrenalin to the heart, surplus value, colonialism, the machine breakers, the trusts did not advertize, consumerism, Paul Krugman, petty bourgeoisie, the genocide of Chicago, the Paris Commune, gothic wooing, We by Yevgeny Zamyatin, Looking Backward: 2000-1887 by Edward Bellamy, the education of the oligarchy,
"They, as a class, believed that they alone maintained civilization. It was their belief that if ever they weakened, the great beast would ingulf them and everything of beauty and wonder and joy and good in its cavernous and slime-dripping maw. Without them, anarchy would reign and humanity would drop backward into the primitive night out of which it had so painfully emerged."
excusing colonialism, the white man's burden, ignoring the starving masses, the Roman Empire, steampunk, Lloyd Blankfein "doing God's work", Margin Call, oppositional films, "The Social Network deeply hates Zuckerberg and the online world", Nine Inch Nails, Michael Douglas, Wall Street, the cleaning lady, why isn't The Iron Heel more generally appealing to SF readers?, British Space Opera vs. American Space Opera, Commune 2000 A.D. by Mack Reynolds, a broken utopia, job cash vs. job love, the social end of SF, the storytelling technique doesn't attract, the unsuccessful revolution, Winston Smith's diary, looking back when writing doesn't have the same power, the Goldstein Book, brainwashing, the bomb in congress, spy and counterspy, Starship Troopers is a series of lectures punctuated by gunfire, Frank Herbert, "a raving genius", doing Dune (and Dune Messiah), Chilton Books, the boot crushing the human face forever, the leaky suspense, a Norton critical edition, how to record The Iron Heel, the footnotes are problematic, a crazy wild marvelous book, WWI, WWII, Metropolis, armoured cars or tanks, The Last Man by Mary Shelley, a terrifying future found in a cave written on leaves, A Journal Of The Plague Year by Daniel Defoe, The Scarlet Plague by Jack London, Idiocracy, The Marching Morons by C.M. Kornbluth, on Lenin's deathbed he was read Jack London, The Cold Equations, To Build A Fire, The Empire Strikes Back,
"The cold of space smote the unprotected tip of the planet, and he, being on that unprotected tip, received the full force of the blow."
cosmic and Lovecraftian, as snug as a Jedi in a hot tauntaun, Robert Sheckley, Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky.
Posted by Jesse Willis
Coast To Coast AM: Interviews with Paul Di Filippo, Joe Haldeman, Lois McMaster Bujold, and Larry Niven
Filed under: Online Audio
Coast To Coast AM, a long running overnight U.S. based conspiracy show has aired a nearly three hour long episode featuring interviewing with Paul Di Filippo, Joe Haldeman, Lois McMaster Bujold, Larry Niven.
Niven explains the basic premises behind Ringworld, Protector, The Soft Weapon, The Long Arm Of Gil Hamilton, The Draco Tavern, Lucifer's Hammer – as well as 1984, The Marching Morons, The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress. Early on Technovelgy.com gets a shout out too.
Here's the official description:
Saturday June 22, 2013
John B. Wells welcomed four highly respected science fiction authors: Larry Niven, Joe Haldeman, Lois McMaster Bujold, and Paul Di Filippo. They discussed their respective works, and how sci-fi can help us predict the future.
Host: John B. Wells
[Thanks Eric!]
Posted by Jesse Willis
The Destiny Of Special Agent Ace Galaksi
Filed under: Audio Drama, Online Audio
Maissa Bessada's The Destiny Of Special Agent Ace Galaksi is very hard to tell you about. It'd be easy to say the show is just bonkers, but that'd give you the idea that it doesn't work on a certain level that it really does. The plot is nonsensical, in the way that some of Philip K. Dick's are. But If I said it was like a Philip K. Dick plot that'd give you absolutely the wrong idea. The Destiny Of Special Agent Ace Galaksi is far more like the Goon Show than PKD.
The Destiny Of Special Agent Ace Galaksi is naive, sharp, amateurish, polished, bizarre, insightful, childish, wise, ridiculous, and hilarious. I've been listening to the six half hour episodes over and over for the last three weeks and I still honestly don't know exactly what to make of it or how even to really describe it – other than to say I like it a whole lot and I want Maissa Bessada to be my friend.
We may have to look at The Destiny Of Special Agent Ace Galaksi as a kind of work of genius, something to marvel at, something to experience. There's a kind of damn the torpedoes specificity to the details of this show that make it an impossible project to imagine got made. And yet here it is, like a very weird dream come alive, The Destiny Of Special Agent Ace Galaksi seems to have come from an alternative universe.
But I don't want to scare you off, it a weird experimental audio drama, in fact it's pretty conventional, and first and foremost it's a comedy. So let me invite you in.
Think of the great comedic audio dramas: The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, The Scarifyers, Steve, The First or Dick Dynamo: The Fifth Dimensional Man.
You'd say yeah, it's a comedy like those. But then I'd say to you that, unlike Hitchhiker's, this one's really zany! Zany on multiple levels. And that, unlike Scarifyers, this one's a Science Fiction comedy, that it's really not very much interested in how things are, as much as how they could be! There's no periodicity to it. And that, unlike Steve, this one, though totally and utterly Canadian, is full of international flavouring! And unlike Dynamo, the titular character is the straight-man to the off-the-rails flowing crazy funny world.
The Destiny Of Special Agent Ace Galaksi is crazier than a patchwork quilt of all of those shows gliding through puffs of time and space.
And although they are really completely and wholly different in every possible way The Destiny Of Special Agent Ace Galaksi reminded me most of was The Adventures of Sexton Blake. It's not the word play, nor the lunatic pacing, it's more the characters. And yet, the comparison still falls completely apart.
Indeed, the ears you need to appreciate The Destiny Of Special Agent Ace Galaksi require you to throw out your basic assumptions. They require a paradigmatic shift within you, an unencumbered embrace of the unfamiliar and hilarious, a removal of expectations, an open mind.
The Destiny Of Special Agent Ace Galaksi is an audio drama that cares most about the weird story that it is weirdly telling. It's really, really fun.
Here's the official premise:
After a comet of unknown origin crashes through one of God's recycling piles, a new planet, Traa Laa Laa, forms in the aftermath. Created from a little bit of this and a little bit of that, the beings on that planet have the ability to change shape. It is CSIS special agent Ace Galaksi's destiny to discover that those shape-changing extraterrestrials have been visiting Earth since time immemorial – and that some of those visitors left artifacts behind. One of those artifacts is as small as a seventy million year old tennis ball, another as big as the great pyramid of Giza. Certain peculiarities about the artifacts lead Ace to some startling discoveries about the very nature of existence. Unfortunately Ace Galaksi's destiny is unclear as to whether or not he'll be able to stay ahead of world government plots to ensure he keeps his findings to himself – permanently.
Sez scripter Maissa Bessada:
"After completing the novel version of Ace Galaksi, I realized the work had great potential as an audio play. I re-wrote it as a series of scripts, hired several talented, highly versatile actors and a Juno award winning, retired CBC producer. The show was complete. Fantastic! For about a split – or as those of us with a sci-fi bent would have it – nano-second. Then I realized that having an entertaining, thought-provoking show online wasn't the end of my work, it was only the beginning. The next challenge was finding an audience for it.
A few weeks ago I was introduced to your podcast. In one episode Scott said in passing, 'The best audio drama is better than a movie.' I stopped in my tracks. (I was listening while walking the dog) and told the dog and whatever squirrels and trees that would pay attention, 'The best audio drama is better than a movie – I couldn't agree more!'
I'd love for you guys to listen to my show. People that choose to enjoy sci-fi in an audio format – I feel like a stranger in a strange land who has finally found home."
Teaser |MP3|
Part 1 |MP3| Part 2 |MP3| Part 3 |MP3| Part 4 |MP3| Part 5 |MP3| Part 6 |MP3|
Podcast feed:
Leave a comment, tell me what you think of this show.
Posted by Jesse Willis
RA.cc + BBC R4: 15 Minute Drama: Modesty Blaise: A Taste For Death
Filed under: Aural Noir, Online Audio
There's a terrific radio drama series available via torrent over on RadioArchive.cc.
Broadcast late last year on BBC Radio 4, December 17 – 21, 2012, Modesty Blaise: A Taste For Death is truly lovely listening!
I listened to the entire five part serial two or three times. That's something I rarely do. Yet even after multiple listens this program has left me wanting more.
Blaise, as voiced by Daphne Alexander, is a confident, mysterious, and thoughtful secret agent. The supporting cast is top shelf, as is the sound design, editing, and music. This show is unmissably great.
In tone it's probably not what you expect, being more of a cozy version of The Sandbaggers than a feminized James Bond. Not campy, exactly, as it is far too reverent for that.
Indeed, this particular adventure features far more than just 007 style espionage, romance, and action – it features friendship, teamwork, kindness, thoughtfulness, and a light-handed touch.
Best of all the producers aren't at all above teasing the audience – the very first sounds from episode one are a total tease!
I love it.
Also cool, Modesty Blaise: A Taste For Death seems to be set in the period the novel of the same name was written (1969). Blaise, a child escapee from a WWII era displaced person camp, drives a "Jensen" (in my mind it's a Jensen Interceptor).
Here's the description from RA.cc:
She's glamorous, intelligent, rich and very, very cool. Modesty Blaise has been called the female James Bond but she's much more interesting than that. With her expertise in martial arts and unusual weapons, the ability to speak several languages and her liking for fast cars, twenty-something Modesty became a female icon long before the likes of Emma Peel, Lara Croft, or Buffy.
In Stef Penney's brand new radio adaptation of Peter O'Donnell's novel, Sir Gerald Tarrant, Head of a secret British agency, tempts Modesty out of retirement and into a job involving a young woman with extra sensory powers, an exotic desert location, and a larger than life public school villain, intent on murdering his way to a vast fortune. With its perfect cocktail of glamorous settings, hidden treasure, a twisting turning plot, and characters to root for, A Taste for Death is an action packed treat – and a guilty pleasure.
With an original score by Goldfrapp's Will Gregory, arranged by Ian Gardiner, and performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Ben Foster.
Modesty Blaise ….. Daphne Alexander
Willie Garvin ….. Carl Prekopp
Sir Gerald Tarrant ….. Alun Armstrong
Simon Delicata ….. Sam Dale
Steve Collier ….. Geoffrey Streatfeild
Dinah Pilgrim ….. Samantha Dakin
McWhirter ….. Alex Fearns
Skeet Lowry ….. Jeff Mash
Sir Howard Presteign ….. Nigel Anthony
Produced and Directed by Kate McAll
Modesty Blaise's comics origin:
And here's the movie trailer, yikes!
Posted by Jesse Willis
Review of Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens
Filed under: Reviews, SFFaudio essential
Arguably: Essays
By Christopher Hitchens; Read by Simon Prebble
24 CDs – Approx. 28.5 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Published: September 1, 2011
Themes: / Non-fiction / History / War / Biography / Science Fiction / Fantasy / Iran / Afghanistan / Germany / North Korea / France / Dystopia / Utopia / Religion / Tunisia / Piracy / Terrorism / Feminism / Pakistan /
The first new collection of essays by Christopher Hitchens since 2004, Arguably offers an indispensable key to understanding the passionate and skeptical spirit of one of our most dazzling writers, widely admired for the clarity of his style, a result of his disciplined and candid thinking. Topics range from ruminations on why Charles Dickens was among the best of writers and the worst of men to the haunting science fiction of J.G. Ballard; from the enduring legacies of Thomas Jefferson and George Orwell to the persistent agonies of anti-Semitism and jihad. Hitchens even looks at the recent financial crisis and argues for arthe enduring relevance of Karl Marx. The audio book forms a bridge between the two parallel enterprises of culture and politics. It reveals how politics justifies itself by culture, and how the latter prompts the former. In this fashion, Arguably burnishes Christopher Hitchens' credentials as-to quote Christopher Buckley-our "greatest living essayist in the English language."
Here's a question I was thinking about while listening to Arguably.
What is fiction for?
One answer, the bad one, is that it's for entertainment. That's certainly where many readers are willing go, and the fiction writers who write it too. Maybe that's precisely why so much fiction is just so very shitty.
To me, if you aren't exploring ideas in your fiction, then you really aren't serving a greater purpose. Idea fiction, fiction with ideas rather than just action and plot, is to my mind a kind of supplement to the wisdom found in writings on history, biography and science.
Of the many lessons learned I in listening to the 107 essays in Arguably I was particularly struck by the wisdom Christopher Hitchens gleaned from his reading of fiction. Hitchens reviews many books in this collection, nearly half of the essays are book reviews. Books like 1984, Animal Farm, Flashman, The Complete Stories Of J.G. Ballard, Our Man In Havana, and even, surprisingly, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows all get fascinating, critical, and reverent reviews.
Yet Hitchens also takes the lessons with him into his writing about his travels. Hitchens writes about visits to such places as North Korea, Cyprus, Afghanistan, and Kurdish Iraq. When talking about his visit to Beirut we see what comes when Hitchens, a man of ideas, acts upon them. The essay, The Swastika and the Cedar sees the convictions of the commited anti-fascist Hitchens beaten and nearly kidnapped for an act of vandalism on a prominently displayed swastika. Writes Hitchens:
"Well, call me old-fashioned if you will, but I have always taken the view that swastika symbols exist for one purpose only—to be defaced."
In a review of two books, Lolita and The Annotated Lolita, Hitchens applies the controversial subject in a real life look at the modern, and very non-fictional oppression and objectification of women. Indeed, the ideas he appreciated in fiction helped Hitchens to come to grips with the real world.
I think the worst essay in this collection is the one on the serving of wine and restaurants, Wine Drinkers Of The World, Unite. It was simply a waste of the talent, too light, too easy a target. And yet, even that essay, the worst essay in all 107 has a memorable anecdote: "Why," asks Hitchens' five year old son, "are they called waiters? It's we who are doing all the waiting."
As to the narration of the audiobook. I'm ashamed to admit that I was initially dismayed when I saw that Christopher Hitchens had not narrated this audiobook himself. I was wrong to worry. Incredibly, Simon Prebble seems to have have become Hitchens for this narration. Prebble perfectly captures the erudite words, so eloquently performs them, and with an accent so like that of Hitchens' own so as to make me think that it was Hitchens who had actually read it.
I think the worst essay in this collection is the one on the serving of wine and restaurants, Wine Drinkers Of The World, Unite. It was simply a waste of the talent, too light, too easy a target. And yet, even that essay, the worst essay in all 107 has a memorable anecdote: "Why," asks Hitchens' five year old son, "are they called waiters? It's we who are doing all the waiting."
Here's a list of the book's contents, with links to the original etexts when available, along with my own notes on each:
Gods Of Our Fathers: The United States Of Enlightenment – a review of Moral Minority: Our Skeptical Founding Fathers by Brooke Allen
The Private Jefferson – a review of Jefferson's Secrets: Death And Desire At Monticello by Andrew Burstein
Jefferson Vs. The Muslim Pirates – a review of Power, Faith, And Fantasy: America In The Middle East: 1776 To The Present by Michael B. Oren
Benjamin Franklin: Free And Easy – a review of Benjamin Franklin Unmasked: On the Unity of His Moral, Religious, And Political Thought by Jerry Weinberger
John Brown: The Man Who Ended Slavery – a review of John Brown, Abolitionist: The Man Who Killed Slavery, Sparked The Civil War, And Seeded Civil Rights by David S. Reynolds
Abraham Lincoln: Misery's Child (aka Lincoln's Emancipation) – a review of Abraham Lincoln: A Life by Michael Burlingame
Mark Twain: American Radical – a scathing review of The Singular Mark Twain: A Biography by Fred Kaplan
Upton Sinclair: A Capitalist Primer – a review of The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
JFK: In Sickness And By Stealth – a review of An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917–1963 by Robert Dallek
Saul Bellow: The Great Assimilator – review of six novels by Saul Bellow (The Dangling Man, The Victim, The Adventures Of Augie March, Seize The Day, Henderson The Rain King, and Herzog)
Vladimir Nabokov: Hurricane Lolita – reviews of Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov and The Annotated Lolita edited and annotated by Alfred Appel, Jr.
John Updike: No Way – a review of The Terrorist by John Updike (with reference to The Coup too)
John Updike: Mr. Geniality – a critical review of the affable Due Considerations: Essays And Considerations by John Updike
Vidal Loco – Gore Vidal went crazier, more elitist and perhaps more racist as he got older (with attention and quips for Quentin Crisp and Oscar Wilde and Joyce Carol Oates)
America The Banana Republic – Hitchens on the "socialistic" bank bailout of 2008 ("socialism for the rich and free enterprise for the rest")
An Anglosphere Future – a review of The History Of The English Speaking Peoples by Andrew Roberts (with reference to both Sherlock Holmes and The White Company by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as well as to Cecil Rhodes and Rudyard Kipling)
Political Animals – a review of Dominion: The Power Of Man, The Suffering Of Animals, And The Call To Mercy by Matthew Scully
Old Enough To Die – on capital punishment as applied to children
In Defense Of Foxhole Atheists – a visit to the United States Air Force Academy and the tax funded proselytizing
In Search Of The Washington Novel – a search for some good fiction about Washington, D.C.
Isaac Newton: Flaws Of Gravity – a stroll through the medieval streets of Cambridge with the scientists, mathematicians, and philosophers who worked there
The Men Who Made England: Hilary Mantel's "Wolf Hall" – a review of Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Edmund Burke: Reactionary Prophet – a review of Reflections On The Revolution In France by Edmund Burke
Samuel Johnson: Demons And Dictionaries – a review of Samuel Johnson: A Biography by Peter Martin
Gustave Flaubert: I'm With Stupide – a review of Bouvard et Pécuchet by Gustave Flaubert translated by Mark Polizzotti
The Dark Side Of Dickens – a review of Charles Dickens by Michael Slater a biography (Hitchens was a not uncritical admirer of the subject)
Marx's Journalism: The Grub Street Years – a glowing review of Dispatches for the New York Tribune: Selected Journalism Of Karl Marx edited by James Ledbetter, foreword by Francis Wheen (Marx admired the United States, and other fascinating facts about the father of communism)
Rebecca West: Things Worth Fighting For – an introduction to Black Lamb and Grey Falcon: A Journey Through Yugoslavia by Rebecca West
Ezra Pound: A Revolutionary Simpleton – a review of Ezra Pound, Poet: A Portrait Of The Man And His Work: Volume I: The Young Genius, 1885-1920 by A. David Moody (a biography of the fascist poet)
On "Animal Farm" – an introduction to Animal Farm
Jessica Mitford's Poison Pen – a review of Decca: The Letters Of Jessica Mitford edited by Peter Y. Sussman
W. Somerset Maugham: Poor Old Willie – a review of W. Somerset Maugham: A Life by Jeffery Meyers
Evelyn Waugh: The Permanent Adolescent – a look at the enigmatic life, writing, religion, and sexuality of Evelyn Waugh
P.G. Wodehouse: The Honorable Schoolboy – a review of Wodehouse: A Life by Robert McCrum
Anthony Powell: An Omnivorous Curiosity – a review of To Keep The Ball Rolling: The Memoirs Of Anthony Powell
John Buchan: Spy Thriller's Father – a review of John Buchan The Presbyterian Cavalier by David R. Godine (with discussion of The 39 Steps and a fantasy novelette The Grove Of Ashtaroth)
Graham Greene: I'll Be Damned – a review of The Life Of Graham Green: Volume II: 1939-1955 by Norman Sherry
Death From A Salesman: Graham Greene's Bottle Ontology – an introduction to Our Man In Havana by Graham Greene
Loving Philip Larkin (aka Philip Larkin, the Impossible Man) – a review of Philip Larkin: Letters To Monica edited by Anthony Thwaite
Stephen Spender: A Nice Bloody Fool – a review of Stephen Spender: The Authorized Biography by John Sutherland
Edward Upward: The Captive Mind – a look at the British novelist and short story Edward Upward
C.L.R. James: Mid Off, Not Right On – a review of Cricket, The Caribbean, And World Revolution by Farrukh Dhondy
J.G. Ballard: The Catastrophist – a review of The Complete Stories Of J.G. Ballard
Fraser's Flashman: Scoundrel Time – a look at the George MacDonald Fraser series of Flashman books and the connection with The Adventure Of The Empty House
Fleet Street's Finest: From Waugh To Frayn – an essay on the dubious romance of journalism
Saki: Where The Wild Things Are – a review of The Unbearable Saki: The Work of H.H. Munro by Sandie Byrne
Harry Potter: The Boy Who Lived – a review of Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
Why Women Aren't Funny – a controversial essay on why more comedians are male and why women laugh at them the way they do
Stieg Larsson: The Author Who Played With Fire – a look at the phenomenon of the bestselling author of The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo
As American As Apple Pie – a literary and chronological history of the blowjob, with reference to Valdamir Nobokov's Lolita
So Many Men's Rooms, So Little Time – a fascinatingly insightful argument on what's was going on with the Larry Craig bathroom airport scandal and related phenomena
The New Commandments – deconstructing the Ten Commandments
In Your Face – are bans on burqas and veils actually bans, or are they liberation?
Wine Drinkers Of The World, Unite – ill mannered waiters are ruining the business of wine drinking
Charles, Prince Of Piffle – a damning look at the prince who shouldn't be king
Afghanistan's Dangerous Bet – a visit to Afghanistan, it's all about the women
First, Silence The Whistle-Blower – is there any hope for democracy in Afghanistan?
Believe Me, It's Torture – a report on what it's like to be water-boarded
Iran's Waiting Game – a visit to Iran and a meeting with Hussein Khomeini the grandson of Ayatollah Khomeini
Long Live Democratic Seismology – on democracy, Chile, Iran, and earthquakes
Benazir Bhutto: Daughter Of Destiny – a personal remembrance of the brave liar, Benazir Bhutto
From Abbottabad To Worse – an explanation for the existence of Pakistan as the U.S.A.'s worst best friend
The Perils Of Partition – on what dividing a country does to it (it's like a man with a broken leg – he can think of nothing else)
Algeria: A French Quarrel – a review of A Savage War of Peace: Algeria 1954-1962 by Alistair Horne
The Case Of Orientalism (aka East Is East) – a review of Dangerous Knowledge: Orientalism and Its Discontents by Robert Irwin
Edward Said: Where The Twain Should Have Met – a review of Orientalism by Edward Said
The Swastika And The Cedar – a visit to "the Arab street"
Holiday In Iraq – Hitchens on holiday in Kurdish Iraq: it's lovely
Tunisia: At The desert's Edge – a lavish and lengthy visit to Africa's gentlest country
What Happened To The Suicide Bombers Of Jerusalem? – why is no one writing about the dog that didn't bark?
Childhood's End: An African Nightmare – on Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army
The Vietnam Syndrome – on the horrific effects of Agent Orange and the legacies of dioxin
Once Upon A Time In Germany – a review of the movie The Baader Meinhof Complex, it explores the origins of The Red Army Faction
Worse Than "Nineteen Eighty-Four" – North Korea is a slave state seemingly modeled on 1984
North Korea: A Nation of Racist Dwarfs – a visit to North Korea
The Eighteenth Brumaire Of The Castro Dynasty – a look at the Castro regime's familial coup
Hugo Boss – a visit to Venezuela with Sean Penn and a meeting with Hugo Chávez – he's nuts
Is The Euro Doomed? – what will be the fate of Europe's common currency?
Overstating Jewish Power – In the Israeli American relationship who's pulling who's strings?
The Case For Humanitarian Intervention – a review of Freedom's Battle: The Origins Of Humanitarian Intervention by Gary J. Bass
Victor Serge: Pictures From An Inquisition – reviews of The Case Of Comrade Tulayev and Memoirs Of A Revolutionary by Victor Serge
André Malraux: One Man's Fate – a review of Malraux: A Life by Olivier Todd, translated by Joseph West
Arthur Koestler: The Zealot – a review of Koestler: The Literary And Political Odyssey Of A Twentieth-Century Skeptic by Michael Scammell
Isabel Allende: Chile Redux – an introduction to The House Of The Spirits by Isabel Allende
The Persian Version – a review of Strange Times, My Dear: The PEN Anthology Of Contemporary Iranian Literature edited by Nahid Mozaffari
Martin Amis: Lightness At Midnight – a review of Koba The Dread: Laughter And The Twenty Million by Martin Amis
Imagining Hitler – the problem of evil, and Hitler, with reference to Explaining Hitler by Ron Rosenbaum and Hitler 1889-1936: Hubris by Ian Kershaw
A War Worth Fighting – a persuasively systematic review of Churchill, Hitler And The Unnecessary War: How Britain Lost Its Empire And The West Lost The World by Pat Buchanan
Just Give Peace A Chance? – a critical review of Human Smoke by Nicholson Baker
W.G. Sebald: Requiem For Germany – a review of On The Natural History Of Destruction by W.G. Sebald
When The King Saved God – for the love of the King James version
Let Them Eat Pork Rinds – Berthold Brecht, Charles Dickens and various other sources inform Hitch's view of the Hurricane Katrina relief disaster
Stand Up For Denmark! – a still timely plea for preferring free speech to religious tolerance
Eschew The Taboo - on the banning of words, particularly the word "nigger"
She's No Fundamentalist – a spirited defense of Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Burned Out – the verb "fuel" is fueled by journalistic sloppiness
Easter Charade – on life and death and Terri Schiavo
Don't Mince Words – the disenfranchisement of south Asians in Britain isn't the cause of bombings, hatred of women is.
History And Mystery – al-Qaeda in Iraq, jihadists, or "insurgents"? Do words matter? Of course they bloody well do.
Words Matter – political slogans make of "every adult in the country" an "illiterate jerk who would rather feel than think"
This Was Not Looting – how can a government "loot" it's own weapons manufacturing facility? The government of Iraq managed it according to The New York Times.
The "Other" L-Word – a lighthearted piece on the prominence of the word "like" and it's use
The You Decade – what's wrong with you (marketing to the selfish)
Suck It Up – the Virginia Tech shootings prompted the wrong response from the world (namely that it prompted one)
A Very, Very Dirty Word – the English empire, in centuries to come, may only be remembered for soccer and the phrase "fuck off"
Prisoner Of Shelves – on the indispensability of books
Posted by Jesse Willis
BBCR4 + RA.cc: JAMES BOND: From Russia With Love RADIO DRAMA
Filed under: Audio Drama, Aural Noir, Online Audio, SFFaudio essential
From Russia With Love is the third James Bond RADIO DRAMA made for BBC Radio 4 by the wife and husband team of Rosalind Ayres and Martin Jarvis. And it's absolutely wonderful!
Compared to the movie adaptation, which complicates the plot and adds in more action sequences, this radio drama versio of the novel is much more of a straight-up espionage thriller. In fact it's so straight-up it feels kind of like an episode of The Sandbaggers. Smart, realistic, gritty. But as with any Bond tale it's also loaded with sexiness. I'm really in awe at the skill and scale of these adaptations.
Toby Stephens is absolutely terrific as Bond. And Olga Fedori, the spy who loves him, is the best "Bond girl" I've ever heard. Fedori plays Corporal Tatiana Romanova, the a Soviet state assigned seductress of 007. She's a pawn in a game being played by SMERSH, the counter-intelligence agency of the Red Army.
Within the luxurious ninety minutes of the play you get a real sense of a story being told.
When I watch the James Bond movies it rarely occurs to me that there's much of a plot in between the action sequences. In fact, I don't well recall any of the Bond movie plots very distinctly. The movies, even though I mostly love them, are more apt to treat the plot's premise as an excuse to get to the next exotic location or to the next fantastic stunt sequence. They're more cartoon than novel. Not so with this adaption. Colonel Rosa Klebb, one of the big baddies of both, is creepy like she is in the movie, but with this radio adaptation you'll almost feel bad for her in her later scenes. The one liners are there, but they're not laughing jokes as much as they are punctuation marks for the gallows humour of Bond.
The radio drama adaptation offers a two kinds of Russian love, the sentimental and the soft, and the hard and the ruthless.
Indeed, the intimacy of audio version is amazing. Bundled up snugly on the Orient Express with the two sexy cold war era spies is a wondrous treat you can't afford to let yourself miss.
From Russia With Love
Based on the novel by Ian Fleming; Performed by a full cast
1 MP3 via TORRENT – Approx. 87 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: BBC Radio 4 – The Saturday Play
Broadcast: July 21, 2012
Provider: RadioArchive.cc
It's 1955 and the Russians plan an act of terrorism. Choice of target? James Bond. To be 'killed with ignominy': a major sex scandal will leave his reputation, and that of MI6, in tatters. Colonel Rosa Klebb of the KGB devises a plan to lure Bond into their trap, using beautiful Corporal Tatiana Romanova as bait – plus a Spektor, the latest Russian decoding device. MI6 learns that Tatiana wants to defect and 'M' orders Bond to Istanbul. When Tatiana makes contact she seems to be in love with him – but is she? Either way, he soon falls for her and they leave Istanbul together, accompanied by larger-than-life Darko Kerim, Head of British Intelligence in Turkey. The climax of the drama includes a surprising confrontation between Bond and the murderous Rosa Klebb. In writer Archie Scottney's brilliantly evocative 'radio screenplay', we see another side to 007. Unsure of his judgement, can he bring the lovely Tatiana safely to England, along with the precious Spektor? Will the Russians succeed in having Bond killed? If so, who is the would-be murderer?
General/Rene ….. John Sessions
Kronsteen ….. Mark Gatiss
Major/KGB director/Barman ….. Jon Glover
Rosa Klebb ….. Eileen Atkins
James Bond ….. Toby Stephens
May ….. Aileen Mowat
'M' …… John Standing
Moneypenny ….. Janie Dee
'Q' ….. Julian Sands
Kerim ….. Tim Pigott-Smith
Manager/Conductor ….. Matthew Wolf
Tatiana ….. Olga Fedori
Announcer ….. Micky Stratford
Nash ….. Nathaniel Parker
Ian Fleming ….. Martin Jarvis
Specially composed music by Mark Holden and Michael Lopez
Director: Martin Jarvis
Producer: Rosalind Ayres
A Jarvis & Ayres production for BBC Radio 4.
Trailer for the movie version:
Posted by Jesse Willis


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McMaster Marauders offensive lineman Matt Sewell has signed a contract with the NFL's Tennessee Titans.
The six-foot-eight, 335-pound Sewell signed with the Titans late Saturday night after being bypassed in the NFL draft.
Sewell, of Milton, Ont., will join Regina Rams defensive tackle Stefan Charles with the Titans.
Charles, of Oshawa, Ont., also signed with Tennessee as a free agent on Saturday after not being selected in the draft.
Both Sewell and Charles are eligible for next month's CFL draft.
CFL on TSN analyst Paul LaPolice opens his playbook and breaks down key plays from each week's games. More...
The CFL on TSN panel is all set to answer your football questions!
Send your question on Twitter to @CFLonTSN using the hashtag #AskThePanel.


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The inspiring true story of a man who moved on from a background of shame to sue the Roman Catholic Church over its systematic cover-ups of child abuse scandals involving its priestsand won
"I was living in a world where a priest who spoke the words of God used me for sex, and there was no one to tell. The world where this horror happened didn't exist for anyone else."
As a boy in Ireland where everyonefrom his own neighbors to the powers of church and statechose to deny that a priest could sexually assault a child, Colm O'Gorman felt only shame, guilt, and fear at the regular rape and abuse he suffered. But Colm would go on to make history, successfully suing the Roman Catholic Church, asking questions of the Pope himself, and creating a watershed in history as hundreds more victims around the world found the courage to report their abuse. This powerful story of a young man's shame turning to outrage demonstrates that, whatever our past hurts, there is hope for the future if we are prepared to stand for truth.


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Wine Bars
- r
- Rich Apr 18, 2005 02:48 AM
What makes a good wine bar and where are the best ones in los Angeles. Bellavino is phenomenal but a little far (Westlake Village)
Any suggestions
AOC on 3rd St. is the busiest one in LA, where reservations are generally 1-2 weeks in advance.
re: JudiAU
A.O.C. is a fantastic wine bar. Great food, great service and great ambience. Enoteca is an Enoteca. Concept is that. Best selection of salami, prosciutto, cured pork, and cheeses. Very, very good daily fish, especially the crudo plates.
I dont understand. A wine bar can not be a restaurant?
re: MJY
No. A wine bar is a wine bar. The emphasis is on wine and bar and not food. It may or may not serve food but food it not the focus.
AOC is a restaurant that serves many wines by the glass. It serves good food. It serves good wine. I love AOC but it is not a wine bar.
For what it is worth Suzanne Goin said the same last year in an interview.
re: JudiAU
Say what you will, Willi's has food. Le Metro in Knightsbridge has food. And they ARE wine bars. El Vino has food too.
re: mc michael
I am not sure what your point is. It is true that many wine bars serve food and I stated so before. But again, the point of a wine bar is not food but wine. AOC functions as a restaurant that serves many wines by the glass.
re: mc michael
Restaurant Halie (see posts), which is a restarurant with a good wine bar and Heritage (several nights a week tastings) which is a retail wine shop are good. Red Carpet in nearby Glendale, lost my business because I can never get a seat at the bar. Le Vendome in Studio City and Le Petite Vendome in La Canada have twice weekly wine tastings - they will be glad to put you on their mailing list.
re: Griller141
Red Carpet hasn't been as crowded lately and serves, bar none, the best wine in LA. Often wines of $200-300 a bottle that you normally wouldn't have a chance to taste.
re: Ross Schwartz
I wonder what will be happening with Red Carpet and its tasting program once the sale of the place is completed, probably by the end of the month. Hope they do not change the tastings policy.
re: mc michael
Are you referring to the one that's part of Restaurant Halie? It's very small and cozy... I'm not a wine expert, so I can't really comment on the selection. However, there were many choices of wine by the glass to pick from. And I really enjoy the two times I've been there.
I prefer wine bars that offer reasonable selections and a pay-by-the-pour kind of deal and with small plates or at least bread, cheese, etc.
There are a number of wine bars out there, a lot exist within a wine retail shop. Here is a short list of those:
1. Silverlake Wine (casual, most night 3-4 bottles poured)
2. Red Carpet, Glendale (good wines, focus on domestics)
3. Heritage Wine, Pasadena (again more domestics but a mix)
4. Bodega, Pasadena (just a wine bar, no great wines, more of a scene)
5. Colorado Wine Co., Eagle Rock (new shop, stock needs to pick up)
6. Wine House, West L.A. (major scene on Fridays)
7. Woodland Hills Wine Co., (great mix, pay by pour)
All of these places have websites, so surf away.
Primitivo Wine Bar on Abbot Kinney in Venice is the closest thing I've seen to a wine bar, with a HUGE selection of wines in all sorts of sizes for tasting, sipping, enjoying. I don't recall being blown away by the food, but I was more there for the wine anyway. Here's a review I found:
Tapas specialties evolve here from traditional Spanish into an array of Mediterranean flavors, including marinated lamb chops and lightly fried calamari, cooked in olive oil. Paella--either seafood, vegetarian or a combination of chicken, chorizo and fish--is made from scratch, which explains the 45-minute wait. Because this is a wine bar, the by-the-glass list promises an around-the-world adventure; diners can also choose from half or full glass. There's also a multi-page list, which encapsulates the restaurant's philosophy promising a fun, experimental and international experience.
Cost: $$
Atmosphere: Hip
Parking: Street and valet parking
re: Susnhine Girl
primitivo's food is just alright, but i do agree that they have a pretty decent selection of wines, and they are available by bottle, half bottle, and glass. but the place gets VERY VERY crowded, so if you're seriously into tasting wine, taking notes, etc...it might be tough.
but if you're like me and just want to have fun and get a good wine buzz....;)
re: otonitoni
Casa Vino rocks - strange location, but the people are friendly and they offer a good amount of boutique wines to choose from. The croustade w/ onion confit is to die for.
I also love the new back room at Morry's in Naples (Long Beach). They have renovated the store and created a wine bar/restaurant in the back - really great stuff there.
Casa Vino is cheaper though - I prefer hanging out there for a nice glass and good conversation with the owner there.
re: knoxymama
Oooh I'll have to try Morry's. Have you heard about Gaslamp's wine tasting on Thursday? How is it?
re: otonitoni
No, but I have to be honest... I'm not a Gaslamp fan. I had one of the worst meals there. :( The bar looks interesting though!!!
mission wine in south pasadena.
chris meeske, former sommelier at patina, is owner and manager.
continuous wine tasting during bus. hours and special wine tasting on saturdays.
fun to go after south pas. farmers market.
bodie, the french bull dog, is adorable.
mission wine
1114 Mission Street
south pas.
re: OliveBelle
i love vinoteca farfalla. was there tonight and had a fantastic 1999 constanti brunello at a very reasonable price. my only complaint is one of the co-owners, santino, and the wait staff is not super knowledgeable about wine. the other owner, john, is an incredible host. good cheeses. service can be horrible to good.
i went to the colorado wine bar last night. someone said they were a little sparse on inventory in a previous post.
when you walk in, that would be your first impression, but the shop's focus right now is quality not quantity and when you consider the number of labels out there, it's refreshing to see a focused selection.
also, they have many wines i've not even seen or read about. last night we tried an opera sparkling, fiddlehead sav. blanc, fiddlehead pinot rose (lovely), jc cellars syrah, and a kiona cab from washington.
it was busy and the back wine bar is very cool.
we'll be back!
re: revets2
Where is the Colorado wine bar located?
re: jniceyw
2114 colorado blvd. just east of eagle rock blvd.
just bought a bottle of the sharecroppers cab. very nice wine for the price.
john's a really nice guy.


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hi !!! i'm maile, but i go by katze on the neopets um i'm 17 and idk i smoke so stoner neopet jokes are my fave and i sometimes curse a lot oopspersonal blogneopets account
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There's a special place in my heart for the LitBro, the overweening loudmouth in lectures always in a tortoise-shell something. You know, the guy who likes to talk about liking Ernest Hemingway way too much. The guy who will needle you for hours over the difference between two authors nobody else ca ... More >>
"I happen to think that foie gras is one of the most delicious things on earth," Anthony Bourdain told the camera before a truth-finding trip to New York's Hudson Valley Foie Gras for his Christmas special in 2007. "And yet strangely enough, a few twisted, angry people would like to take your foie g ... More >>
The beef rib at Mighty Quinn's is so big, it must be butchered with a plastic knife. It's not uncommon in barbecue states to do an extreme barbecue run that includes three or four pits in an extended afternoon of gorging, driving, sightseeing, and breaks along the way for bursts of healthful exerc ... More >>
Here's some news that should help perpetuate the myth that the food world is filled with brooding hunks: Bradley Cooper is in discussions with The Weinstein Company to play the title character in "Chef", a restaurant-focused comedy from director Derek Cianfrance. Cooper, who is currently riding the ... More >>
If you've never tried Pappy Van Winkle's Bourbon, there's a good chance you won't this gift giving season. Liquor stores are reportedly running out of the bourbon before it even hits shelves, no thanks to the distillery in Kentucky that bottles only 7,000 cases a year.
Workers at Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles have filed a class-action lawsuit against the restaurant, and claim that managers took tips and wages from servers and busboys. The news comes from the New York Post, who reported that Les Halles supposedly forced service employees to pool their tips for divv ... More >>
Anthony Bourdain talks about leaving the Travel Channel for CNN: "There are a lot of places where me and my team have been wanting to make television for a long time and haven't been able to. And CNN has the infrastructure and inclination to make those places doable." [AdWeek] Who are the best fema ... More >>
Jean-Georges Vongerichten is expanding his empire and his set to open ABC Cocina this fall. "We will have paella, croquettas, a lot of small plates,'' Vongerichten told Grub Street. [Grub Street] Tom Colicchio will be the anchor tenant of a new outdoor market that will open under the High Line in ... More >>
Journalist Lydia Tomkiw visits a night market in northern Jakarta and reports for CNNgo on the handful of cobra blood vendors who bleed the snakes for locals and tourists, and sometimes mix their blood with alcohol as a cocktail.
The Great GoogaMooga Prospect Park Sunday, May 20 Better than: Eating anything in my fridge. Vineland. Field Day. All Points West. New York is littered with the acrid corpses of past festivals, a perpetual tease giving hope to the most jaded music fan that maybe this year, someone will get it righ ... More >>
As we've discussed here many times before, we are in the midst (some might say on the downward slope) of a pop culture bubble, wherein an exorbitant amount of everyone's time and money is spent consuming food, thinking and reading about food, stockpiling food, seeking out new food by hopping from re ... More >>
This morning the organizers of Great GoogaMoogathe "amusement park of food and drink" set to take place in Prospect Park on May 19 and 20announced the first chunk of the food lineup for the festival, and not to kill a cliché or anything, but it looks like the park's greenery will be t ... More >>
Going out to dinner in New York City can be an expensive endeavor, with entrée prices clocking in at $30. But you can eat four-star food at a fraction of the price: Cook it yourself using the restaurant's cookbook. Now, cookbook love is like any other type of love -- wildly subjective. Yet some of ... More >>
Paula Deen has diabetes, but the Southern belle of butter intends to keep on eating the fatty, sugary, salty foods linked to the disease, according to Time.
20th Century Fox via Grub StreetI recognize most of the characters, but who's the bald guy? The end-times for Foodism are near, my friends. This Sunday, Marge Simpson turns into a food blogger, as reported in an extensive Grub Street interview with Simpsons executive producer Matt Selman. To ... More >>
Following the months of buildup that greet any endeavor remotely related to Momofuku, Lucky Peach, the quarterly magazine from David Chang, Peter Meehan, and McSweeney's, is now available at bookstores and newsstands.
McSweeney's is getting itself ready to launch Lucky Peach the quarterly food journal from David Chang, Peter Meehan, and Anthony Bourdain's Zero Point Zero Productions. It will come out in June, but the folks at McSweeney's have sent over a preview to whet the media's already considerable app ... More >>
MomofukuThat is a lucky peachThe new and redesigned issue of Bon Appétit hits newsstands today, while the website also displays a new and refreshing look. One aspect worth noting is the glimpse into David Chang's new iPad app called Lucky Peach, which lets users get into the mind of the Mo ... More >>
Don't mess with TonyAnthony Bourdain has many a bone to pick in his latest blog post for No Reservations. First up, a justifiable critique of this year's James Beard Awards theme.
B.R. MyersIn the March issue of The Atlantic, vegan, curmudgeon, North Korea expert, and animal-rights activist B.R. Myers goes after foodies in an article entitled "The Moral Crusade Against Foodies." I've got to admit, we've given him a very broad target. He begins by extracting damning q ... More >>
Ah, restaurant wars. As inevitable as income taxes and that incredulous look Tom gets on his face whenever Marcel opens his mouth. And last night's didn't disappoint, bringing with it a spectacle of meaty, man-sized proportions and more bitch-fighting than an entire season of The Real Housew ... More >>
CHOWCan we call you Ruthony? CHOW is getting a new columnist in Ruth Bourdain, the elusive and still unknown Twitter persona whose tweets are an amusing mash-up of those of Ruth Reichl and Anthony Bourdain. So what will Ms. (Mr.?) Bourdain be doing?
Mario Batali's decapitated head is surrounded by a garnish of Crocs. On Tuesday, Barneys unveiled its much-anticipated food-themed holiday windows. Inscribed with the command "Have a Foodie Holiday," the three tableau offer an assemblage of 70 Food Network "personalities," chefs, and assort ... More >>
Urban sharecropping is the latest twist to the farm-to-table movement, in which homeowners get matched with would-be farmers who don't themselves have gardening space. [Wall Street Journal] Mayor Bloomberg's favorite diner, Viand Café, was slapped with 36 violation points in its latest ins ... More >>
How big? Really? "Thirteen chefs have fallen," says Kevin as if he's talking about victims of a foreign war instead of willing reality show contestants, giving us a taste of the vacuous hyperbole that awaits us. Angelo, meanwhile, carps about his ex-in laws, saying they "just didn't believe ... More >>
Eater SF"And I'm like, 'dude, that's what she said.'"Good news for comedy fans: in September, Anthony Bourdain and David Chang will be reunited on stage for one night only. The two, who were last seen at the 2009 New York Wine & Food Festival ragging on everything from cupcakes to San Francis ... More >>
Brian P. asks: Do you ever send food back in a restaurant? Dear Brian: I'm glad you asked that question. The short answer is--never. First off, the critic's mode of operation at any restaurant should be to keep everything on the down-low, not make any moves that call attention to the revie ... More >>
Ample Hills CreameryBrian Smith puts some brawn behind his brainchild.Yesterday, we spoke with Ample Hills Creamery's Brian Smith about ice cream, his past career writing "monster-of-the-week movies" for the Sci Fi channel, and his plans to open his own ice cream shop, preferably in Park Slop ... More >>
Egon Ronay, the Hungarian food critic who helped shape British culinary culture, has died at the age of 94. He had been ill for a number of weeks, but never fully retired. [Guardian] Parade Publications is planning to introduce a new food newspaper magazine and website called Dash, with the ... More >>
This summer, Green Table, a café in Chelsea Market, will sell brown-bag lunches for customers to enjoy at the neighboring High Line park. [Wall Street Journal] Despite the oil spill threatening the seafood supply, the first New Orleans Oyster Festival, originally scheduled for the summer of ... More >>
It's the end of an abbreviated week, and thus it's time to look at the best posts of these past four days. We ranked Our 10 Best Bars for Drinking Outside. The Battle of the Brooklyn Pickles pitted McClure's against Brooklyn Brine. Our Man Sietsema revealed how he finds out about new restaurants. ... More >>
Anthony Bourdain's follow-up to Kitchen Confidential is coming out June 8. The book, entitled Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook, includes a chapter called "Alan Richman Is a Douchebag." [Grub Street] Two chefs in Portland -- one of whom was Brady Low ... More >>
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The Upper West Side sips and nibbles a bit of Spain
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Can you believe this innocent looking plate of blubbery cubes is one of the stinkiest substances on earth? Of the ancient Icelandic dish hakarl, Anthony Bourdain declared it to be "the single worst, most disgusting and terrible tasting thing." And coming from the host of No Reservations, tha ... More >>
Food Network Humor, living up mightily to the last part of its name, has compiled a rather hilarious photo gallery of the Top 10 Foodies That Look Like Old Lesbians. Anthony Bourdain, Richard Blais, and Alton Brown, we're looking at you. [Via Eat Me Daily]
This week in food blogs... Eat Me Daily posted Sandra Lee's response to Anthony Bourdain's calling her "pure evil": "He needs to have a cocktail and lighten up." Serious Eats pitted Starbucks' new line of instant coffee packets against Nescafe. The result? Instant Starbucks "really isn't bad." Mi ... More >>
Photo borrowed from Food NetworkThe Next Food Network Star premieres this Sunday and the contestants have been introduced. There's the perky mom next door (Jen Isham), the less perky mom next door (Melissa d'Arabian), the soulful Korean mama (Debbie Lee), and the health nut who secretly loves bacon ... More >>
photo courtesy of Travel ChannelOn No Reservations tonight (Travel Channel, 10 pm ET), Anthony Bourdain focuses on "Disappearing Manhattan" and New York institutions. On his blog, he makes mention of Katz's Deli, Keen's, Russ & Daughters, Manganaro's Grosseria, Hop Kee, Le Veau D'Or, ... More >>
Strange coincidence...or is it? Last night's Top Chef had the cheftestants cooking "last suppers" for culinary luminaries Wylie Dufresne, Lidia Bastianich, Marcus Samuelsson, Jacques Pepin, and James Beard Foundation president Susan Ungaro, while today on Serious Eats, Mario Batali and Anthony Bourd ... More >>
Last night on No Reservations, Anthony Bourdain focused on food porn and had one of the "best meals of his life" at Momofuku Ssam Bar. Yes, Tony drank the David Chang Kool-Aid, but he also had some amusing thoughts on the "food porn industry," saying:How did the simple act of eating become so twiste ... More >>
Valentine's Day isn't just a Hallmark Holiday, it's also a special day for restaurants to offer special menus at special higher prices. But some local spots (and a national chain), have found some pretty amusing ways of hawking the Hallmark-i-day, and we've got to appreciate their creativity. A few ... More >>
Mario Batali and Anthony Bourdain talk about the four essential ingredients for every home kitchen, and the two have very different ideas on the matter.Batali's list is pretty standard: extra virgin olive oil (EVOO in Rachel Ray's world), anchovies, dry pasta, and some kind of tomato product, assumi ... More >>


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New Jersey Teachers Threw Away Decades of Goodwill
May 28, 2010 | Filed Under Business, Chris Christie, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Government, Jobs, New Jersey, Public Employees Unions, Taxes, Teachers Unions, Unions, Warner Todd Huston | 1 Comment
-By Warner Todd Huston
The New Jersey Star-Ledger has a wonderful little editorial excoriating New Jersey's teachers for having destroyed their own reputation with the public because of their petulant behavior towards Governor Chris Christie's attempts to balance New Jersey's over spent budget.
Take a gander at this…
Once the patient darlings who nurtured our kids, teachers now look like insensitive, out-of-touch, can't-think-for-themselves union robots who, when forced to face economic realities, clung to an insulting sense of entitlement, heartlessly sacrificed the jobs of colleagues, called the governor naughty names and used students as political pawns.
For the Star-Ledger Kevin Manahan explains what happened to the once respected New Jersey teachers:
How did it happen? That's easy: One bad decision, one stupid miscalculation: An overwhelming majority of teachers refused to accept a pay freeze. They could have won taxpayers' eternal gratitude, but instead demanded their negotiated raises and fought against contributing a dime toward budget-breaking health insurance benefits. Teachers could have pitched in, but they dug in.
They thumbed their noses at taxpayers, who have lost their jobs, had their pay cut, gone bankrupt and fallen into foreclosure. As taxpayers made less, teachers demanded more. You do that, you become a villain. Fast. It doesn't matter how many stars Junior gets on his book report.
This is, of course, the natural, logical end of the actions of all unions. but it is especially egregious behavior from people that are supposed to be servants of the people. After all, these teachers work for us, we the taxpayers. We pay their generous salaries (New Jersey teachers average $63,000 a year while the median household income in New Jersey is about $55,000 a year), we pay their huge pension benefits, and we pay most of their generous healthcare plans. And these haughty public servants refused to take a stinking one-year pay freeze and a small increase in their out-of-pocket for healthcare? In fact, they demanded generous raises?
No wonder New Jersey's voters have turned against these ingrates.
"The only end of writing is to enable the reader better to enjoy life, or better to endure it."
–Samuel Johnson
Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer. He has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 200 and before that he wrote articles on U.S. history for several small American magazines. His political columns are featured on many websites such as Andrew Breitbart's BigGovernment.com, BigHollywood.com, and BigJournalism.com, as well as RightWingNews.com, CanadaFreePress.com, StoptheACLU.com, AmericanDailyReview.com, among many, many others. Mr. Huston is also endlessly amused that one of his articles formed the basis of an article in Germany's Der Spiegel Magazine in 2008.
Huston has been a frequent guest on talk-radio programs to discuss his opinion editorials and current events and is currently the co-host of "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Conservatism" heard on BlogTalkRadio. Huston's work has appeared on Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Neil Bortz, and Michael Savage. He has appeared on the G. Gordon Liddy show, dozens of local shows from coast to coast, and many blogtalk radio shows.
Mr. Huston has appeared on local TV news to discuss his writing, has been a guest of CNN's blogger lunch, and has appeared on Breitbart TV's B-Team show.
Warner is also the editor of the Cook County Page for RedCounty.com and has a blog on the Tribune-Owned http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/publius-forum/ChicagoNow.com website. He is a well known writer on Illinois politics.
He has also written for several history magazines and appears in the book "Americans on Politics, Policy and Pop Culture" which can be purchased on amazon.com. He is also the owner and operator of PubliusForum.com. Feel free to contact him with any comments or questions : EMAIL Warner Todd Huston
Fair Use: This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. I am making such material available in my efforts to advance understanding of political, human rights, economic, democracy, and social justice issues, etc. I believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research, educational, or satirical purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site/blog for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
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