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Activity buzzes at a market in Haiti, where NAFTA and other free trade policies have deeply impacted local economies. An earthquake rocked the area on January 12, 2010. Photo by Justin Stumberg.
We can learn a lot about economics and solidarity from Haiti's past and present. Historically, Haiti is so poor because ever since the 1791-1803 revolution that freed the slaves, the United States has helped bleed the country economically and politically. In the 19th century, the U.S. backed France's demand that Haiti pay reparations for the freed slaves and refused to recognize the Republic of Haiti for fear that its own slaves would rebel. In the 20th century we repeatedly invaded the country militarily, supported despots like Papa Doc, and toppled popularly elected officials like Aristide.
In the last few years, misery has increased in Haiti because food self-sufficiency was destroyed in a move known locally as "the Plan of Death." Haiti once grew its own rice. But in 1994 the IMF came in and ordered the government to cut its rice tariff from 35 per cent to three percent. Suddenly the market was flooded with rice grown in the U.S. by hugely subsidized farmers. Haiti's hundreds of thousands of rice farmers went bust and were driven to Port-au-Prince to provide cheap labor for foreign-owned sweatshops. It was an externally engineered, political-economic earthquake that made the natural earthquake of 2010 far more deadly.
Yet Bill Clinton, who is the UN special adviser for Haiti relief efforts, can't wait to bring foreign investors back to Port-au-Prince to open sweatshops producing t-shirts and baseballs for export.
Local economies are especially needed worldwide at this time because they:
- Require less transportation over long distances and therefore slow down pollution and global warming;
- Combat the consumerism that is concerned only with gratifying our wants and not with the well-being of the producers;
- Encourage small businesses that need more workers;
- Create communities;
- Help us live more simply so that others can simply live;
- Improve our health and quality of life by reducing stress and giving us more control over our lives.
Since the early 1990s, the U.S. labor movement has opposed Bill Clinton's NAFTA because "free trade" means exporting U.S. jobs to low wage countries. But it needs to do more to help American workers recognize the many benefits of the local economies that are now needed for our health and the Earth's.
Since NAFTA was launched on January 1, 1994, more American jobs have gone overseas to cheap wage countries and the decline in private sector jobs has meant declining tax revenues and layoffs of public service workers. Moreover, because U.S. corn could be sold more cheaply than it could be produced in Mexico, millions of Mexican farmers have been put out of business and driven north to seek work.
According to Michael Shuman, author of The Small-Mart Revolution: How Local Businesses Are Beating the Global Competition, that is why the time has come to redefine Globalization as Localization. If we really want to help poor countries, Shuman explains, it's far smarter to help them achieve the same level of local self-reliance we seek for ourselves.
Instead of exporting jobs and goods, we can create long-term partnerships between our communities, North and South, in which we help one another reorganize every element of our economies. As we in the North create community food systems, we might help partners in the South transform their food systems, away from the plantations and export crops and toward the cultivation of enough healthy fruits, vegetables, rice and beans to feed their own families. As we strengthen and spread our own local banks, credit unions, stock markets and mutual funds, we can help partners create these institutions as well, so that local savings everywhere increasingly support local housing, local education and local entrepreneurship. As we deploy new technologies to become more energy efficient, we can share our know-how with renewable resource innovators in the South.
The Capital Times (Wisconsin), Nov. 5, 2009.
This is the form that Solidarity needs to and can take in the 21st century.
Grace Lee Boggs has been an activist for more than 60 years and is the author of the autobiography Living for Change.
More from Grace Boggs' blog.


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- Colleges
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Diving into a job after undergrad won't always lead to a successful career. Applying to grad school could mean the difference between being managed and being Managing Director. Industries constantly evolve with the latest...
College Magazine is the national daily guide to campus life. Our articles for college students feature university rankings of U.S. colleges, college guides, academic advice, college prep, career advice, student health and collegiate dating tips.
Written by students for students, by a team of journalists from universities nationwide, we're on the pulse of the college experience.
Copyright © 2015 College Magazine.

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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Yahoo Inc. is set to report second-quarter results after the closing bell on Tuesday. This is what investors can expect:
Earnings: The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Web portal is expected to report a profit of 38 cents a share, according to FactSet, compared with a net income of 35 cents a share in the year-earlier period.
Revenue: Yahoo US:YHOO is seen reporting revenue of $1.08 billion, according to FactSet, up slightly from sales of $1.07 billion the same period last year.
Stock react: Yahoo shares jumped in April after the company reported an improvement in its core business and better-than-expected results from Alibaba, the Chinese Internet giant in which the company owns a 24% stake. Alibaba is expected to go public later this year.
Meanwhile, the shares have lagged the broader market this year amid concerns over the company's core display business. The stock was down 0.9% at $35.39 in early trading on Tuesday, and has lost 12% in 2014, versus a 6.7% year-to-date gain in the S&P 500.
Key areas to watch: With Alibaba set to go public in the coming months, investors will be mainly focused on comments from Yahoo management on what it plans to do with the expected cash haul from the Chinese Internet giant's offering.
Any signal that Yahoo plans to return a big chunk of that cash to shareholders would be greeted favorably by Wall Street, analysts say. On the other hand, Yahoo management, led by Chief Executive Marissa Mayer, could also point to more acquisitions as the company pushes forward with an ambitious turnaround strategy.
Then again, Yahoo could simply stay silent on its Alibaba plan, says B. Riley analyst Sameet Sinha.
"With the IPO imminent, the question will be about use of the proceeds," Sinha told clients in a Monday note. "We do not think Yahoo management will lay out a plan as yet for the proceeds which could disappoint investors."
On the other hand, Yahoo could get its investors excited by pointing to continued improvement in its core business, particularly in display ads. Upbeat results from its main businesses could convince investors that there's more value in Yahoo beyond Alibaba.
More must-read stories from MarketWatch:
Yahoo acquired video-streaming company RayV
Alibaba points to richer valuation; Yahoo rises
Providing critical information for the U.S. trading day. Subscribe to MarketWatch's free Need to Know newsletter. Sign up here.


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Rock Band Madison Rising Gets Unusual Reception For Star Spangled Banner Rendition (VIDEO)
Daytona 500 was a wash this weekend due to rain and congrats to Dale Jr. for sliding to victory after a massive rain delay. The big controversy is from the band performing the Star Spangled Banner. They caused quite a stir with their rendition.


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The Hartley is a traditional three bedroom home comprising a popular open plan kitchen/dining room and separate living room with French doors to rear, plus a cloakroom, on the ground floor, with master bedroom including ensuite and extensive wardrobes, a further double and single bedroom with family bathroom on the first floor.
C Cupboard
AC Airing Cupboard
Use this tool to compare two floorplans of available properties on this development
C Cupboard
AC Airing Cupboard
Use this tool to compare two floorplans of available properties on this development
A luxurious kitchen built to the highest specification:
- Integrated extractor unit, brushed steel Bosch oven and four-ring gas hob
- Bosch fully integrated fridge freezer and dishwasher
- Soft close doors and drawers with low energy lighting to underside of wall units
- Leisure Rangemaster stainless steel sink with Hansgrohe block mixer taps
- Spacia flooring by Amico
Featuring a modern design with stylish taps and fittings:
- Contemporary white Roca Gap sanitaryware
- Hansgrohe taps
- Full height Porcelanosa tiling around the bath and shower with half height tiling to remaining walls
- Roman shower enclosure
- Spacia flooring by Amtico
- Heated chrome towel rails
Call us 01676 545247
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2013-14 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog
Special Education Courses
SPED 3105 Orientation to Special Education (1 credits)
SPED 3106 Professional Practice in the Elementary/Middle School Setting (1 credits)
SPED 3107 Professional Practice in the Secondary School Setting (2 credits)
SPED 3600 Study of the Learner with Special Needs (3 credits)
SPED 3620 Teaching the Learner with Specific Learning Disabilities I (3 credits)
SPED 3630 Teaching the Learner with Emotional Behavioral Disorders I (3 credits)
SPED 3640 Due Process in Special Education I: Assessment and Reporting (3 credits)
SPED 3650 Collaborative Techniques for Special Educators (3 credits)
SPED 4715 Curriculum Techniques with Special Populations (3 credits)
SPED 4715 Curriculum Techniques with Special Populations (3 credits)
Students learn to design curricular interventions in academic and socio-emotional arenas and techniques for accommodating diverse learners within regular education settings. Requires an approved clinical experience developing an Individual Application Project in collaboration with a mainstream teacher. Prerequisite or Corequisite: SPED 3600 or consent of the instructor.
Common Course Outline


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In the course of my work as a landscape professional I've logged first-time visits to hundreds and hundreds of properties. The thing that always strikes me first about a landscape is: Is it well maintained? I don't care what design style it's in or how clever it is - after all, that's why I'm there. But if the existing gardens are overrun with weeds, the shrubs are overgrown and encroaching on "tripper" walkways, and the lawn is unmown and half dead, then I'm pretty sure I'm wasting my time in presenting them with fancy new design ideas. (Time to switch into garden coach mode!) So regardless of the size of your house or the zip code it's located in, here is the best way to build "curb appeal" . . .
Notice how the terraced slopes in the next two examples eliminate hard-to-maintain grass slopes and bring colorful plantings into public view:
|by Jocelyn H Chilvers
|A traditional walled courtyard enhances the Southwestern style architecture.
|Elegant serpentine walls in native flagstone match the tone of the 1900 era home. Design by Ivy Street Design Group
|A xeric garden of diverse plantings is an engaging lawn-free landscape.
|Lush, colorful, welcoming and xeric (that's a buffalo grass lawn) - perfect for our region.
|Exuberantly colorful!
|A colorful cottage garden complements the homeowners' aesthetic. Design by Jocelyn H Chilvers
|A crisp, modern design works surprisingly well with an old bungalow.
|A more rustic and earthy (yet attractive!) take on the cottage garden style.
|Obviously a lover of our native prairie/foothills region!
|A big, floriferous, xeric garden sets the scale for a large home. Design by Jocelyn H. Chilvers
For more great ideas on the topic of "First Impressions" please visit the Garden Designers' Roundtable or click through to the following:
Lesley Hegarty & Robert Webber : Hegarty Webber Partnership : Bristol, UK
Debbie Roberts : A Garden of Possibilities : Stamford, CT
Susan Morrison : Blue Planet Garden Blog : East Bay, CA
Christina Salwitz : Personal Garden Coach : Renton, WA
Shirley Bovshow : Eden Makers : Los Angeles, CA
Note: with a few exceptions, the designers of these landscapes are unknown to me. Please let me know if I can give credit where it is due!


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This holiday season, what will you give the book lovers in your life? Our books gift guide offers a variety of choices -- in books (new fiction, nonfiction, children's and more) and other ideas -- to help make your decisions easier.
Fiction & Poetry
Thrillers, Fantasy and Science Fiction
Quirky and Unusual
Children and Young Adults
Coffee-Table Books
Graphic Novels
Audio Books
Back to Work
Why We Need Smart Government for a Strong Economy
Bill Clinton
Random House Audio, $30, 5 hours, read by the author
There's a note of urgency in the former U.S. president's voice as he outlines solutions for the current economic crisis. The CDs are supplemented by a PDF file of charts referenced by Clinton.
Tina Fey
Hachette Audio, $29.98, 5.5 hours, read by the author
The "30 Rock" star gives a hilarious performance of her memoir that retraces her "steps to figure out what factors contributed to this little soccer nerd developing into this fancy glamour lady who secretly prefers to be this weirdo on roller skates in a wig. For clarification you can check the PDF!"
Great by Choice
Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck — Why Some Thrive Despite Them All
Jim Collins and Morton T. Hansen
Harper Audio, $39.99, 8 hours 45 minutes, read by Jim Collins
A must for execs: The author of "Good to Great" and his co-author offer coping mechanisms for companies facing economic instability and international volatility.
Happy Accidents
A Memoir
Jane Lynch
Hyperion Audio, $29.99, 7 hours, read by the author
Sure, the voice belongs to Jane Lynch, and she gives a no-frills reading of her memoir. But there's that signature deadpan delivery that keeps evoking Sue Sylvester from Fox's "Glee." Fight it as much as you want, but you can't help imagining that awful-looking jumpsuit.
How I Got This Way
Regis Philbin
Harper Audio, $39.99, 9.5 hours, read by the author
"It was so different when I started," says Regis Philbin at the beginning of this memoir of his rise to broadcasting success and racking up nearly 17,000 hours in front of TV cameras. Philbin has a knack for sharing his excitement with live audiences, and he does the same here with readers as he shares anecdotes of his early TV appearances and much more.
In My Time
A Personal & Political Memoir
Dick Cheney with Liz Cheney
Simon & Schuster Audio, $29.99, 20 hours, read by the author and Edward Herrmann
A glimpse not only into the nearly 40-year career of the former U.S. vice president but also of a Nebraska boyhood, his family and what fueled his ambition to move to the center stage of American politics.
Seriously … I'm Kidding
Ellen Degeneres
Hachette Audio, $26.98, 3 hours, read by the author
Stories and anecdotes from the talk show host/comedian's busy recent years (becoming a Cover Girl and making a compost heap are among the highlights). The only drawback of an audio book is that you can't watch her dance.
Steve Jobs
Walter Isaacson
Simon & Schuster Audio, $49.99, 24.5 hours, read by Dylan Baker with an introduction by the author
The author describes being invited by Jobs to write this biography, and then veteran actor Baker takes over, rendering the life of Apple's visionary founder with a clear, engaging style.
Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy
Advice From Rock's Ultimate Survivor
Ozzy Osbourne
Hachette Audio, $29.98, 6.5 hours, read by Frank Skinner
Ozzy can still rock the stage with the best of them, but for this collection of columns picked up by Rolling Stone magazine, he leaves the reading to British comic Frank Skinner, whose crisp delivery suggests what the Prince of Darkness sounded like years ago.
Double Dexter
A Novel
Jeff Lindsay
Random House Audio, $40, 12 hours 31 minutes, read by the author
No one knows a book's characters better than their creator, and Lindsay is just right (of course) in this new tale of everyone's favorite good-guy serial killer … but you can't help wanting to hear the voice of Michael C. Hall from the hit Showtime series.
The Gormenghast Trilogy, Titus Awakes
Mervyn Peake, Maeve Gilmore
Naxos, $58.50, 18 hours 37 minutes, ready by Rupert Degas
Degas' effortless reading of Mervyn Peake's trilogy (and a final installment by Peake's widow) doesn't overperform this moving story of a fantastic kingdom where a boy named Titus lives.
Christopher Paolini
Listening Library/Random House, $60, 31 hours, read by Gerard Doyle
Though there are battles aplenty — not to mention a heroic flying dragon — to tempt any narrator, Gerard Doyle resists theatrical excess and delivers a clean, clear version of this concluding installment of Paolini's bestselling fantasy cycle.
The Leftovers
A Novel
Tom Perrotta
Macmillan Audio, $39.99, 10 hours, read by Dennis Boutsikaris
Boutsikaris gives a balanced presentation of Perrotta's story of the lives of those left behind after the biblical Rapture — or something closely resembling it — takes place on Earth.
The Marriage Plot
A Novel
Jeffrey Eugenides
Macmillan Audio, $39.99, 16 hours, read by David Pittu
Pittu lends a calm, authoritative — and slightly world-weary — air to Eugenides' novel of a romantic triangle among classic literature devotees in the years after their graduation from Brown.
H. Rider Haggard
Naxos, $28.98, 5 hours 17 minutes, read by Bill Homewood
Homewood employs a proper British pronunciation that fits the mood and time period of Haggard's classic tale of a Cambridge academic's adventure in search of a legendary African queen.
The Son of Neptune
The Heroes of Olympus, Book Two
Rick Riordan
Listening Library/Random House Audio, $50, 13 hours 27 minutes, read by Joshua Swanson
Percy Jackson shares the stage with other demigods trying to understand a vague prophecy as they battle unkillable monsters up and down the West Coast.
When Elves Attack
A Joyous Christmas Greeting From the Criminal Nutbars of the Sunshine State
Tim Dorsey
Harper Audio, $15.99, 5 hours 5 minutes, read by Oliver Wyman
For a little subversive yuletide thrill, try this wacky comic crime novel set in Florida. Oliver Wyman perfectly inhabits Dorsey's characters, starting with sweet old Edith Grabowski, who's as frank about sex as Dr. Ruth: "I'm 93 years old, and I've decided to stop having sex. I guess you just reach a certain age."
Absolute Midnight
Clive Barker
Joanna Cotler/HarperCollins, $24.99, ages 13 and up
In the third installment of this lavish series, a teen girl is menaced by a powerful sorceress in a mystical fantasy world.
The Annotated Peter Pan
J.M. Barrie, edited with an introduction by Maria Tatar
W.W. Norton, $39.95, all ages
The tale of a forever youthful boy and his friends in a handsome edition edited by an authority on classic fairy tales.
The Annotated Phantom Tollbooth
Norton Juster, Leonard S. Marcus, illustrations by Jules Feiffer
Random House, $29.99, ages 8 and up
Illuminating notes, drafts, insights and background on the book's publication such as how Juster and Feiffer met as young neighbors in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Balloons Over Broadway
The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade
Melissa Sweet
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $16.99, ages 4-8
Collage illustrations tell the story of puppeteer Tony Sarg and how his helium balloons would become the trademark of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Chanukah Lights
Michael J. Rosen, illustrated by Robert Sabuda
Candlewick, $34.99, ages 5 and up
A pop-up book celebrating the Festival of Lights in a variety of settings — on a kibbutz, on a ship, in the desert and in the big city — from around the world.
A Charlie Brown Christmas
With Sounds and Music
Charles M. Schulz
R.P. Kids, $22.95, ages 4 and up
Here's the first prime-time TV outing of the Peanuts gang, in storybook form, along with interactive elements — music and character voices (including Linus' recitation from Luke's Gospel) — from that hit program.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Pop-Up Book
Roald Dahl, illustrated by Quentin Blake
Penguin, $29.99, ages 7 and up
The magical world of Willy Wonka includes golden tickets, gobstoppers and a river of chocolate, but does it have lickable wallpaper?
Duke Ellington's Nutcracker Suite
Anna Harwell Celenza, Illustrated by Don Tate
Charlesbridge, $19.95, ages 6-9
Duke Ellington's band transforms the classical ballet into a cool-cat jazz number with Vegas glitz and Hollywood glamour. A CD recording of the Ellington/Billy Strayhorn composition is included.
The Great Global Puzzle Challenge With Google Earth
Clive Gifford, illustrated by William Ings
Kingfisher, $15.99, ages 8 and up
A puzzle hunt using Google Earth (with instructions on how to download the free program) that sends young readers on a search using coordinates to visit some of the most fascinating sights around the globe.
If You Give a Dog a Donut
Laura Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond
Balzer & Bray, $16.99, ages 3-7
Numeroff continues her hit "If You Give …" series looking at the mischief caused by a pooch with a real sweet tooth.
In Search of Sasquatch
Kelly Milner Halls
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $16.99, ages 9 and up
The author interviews cryptozoologists, linguistics experts, anthropologists to discover whether Bigfoot really does exist.
Christopher Paolini
Knopf Books for Young Readers, $27.99, ages 12 and up
The fate of Alagaësia rests on the shoulders of Eragon and his dragon, who must confront the evil Galbatorix in this concluding book in the "Inheritance" cycle.
A Little History of the World
Illustrated Edition
E.H. Gombrich
Yale University Press, $29.95, all ages
This edition of the author's popular history book for children is supplemented by art, maps and photographs illustrating the advances and conflicts of human history.
Never Forgotten
Patricia C. McKissack, artwork by Leo and Diane Dillon
Schwartz & Wade Books, $18.99, all ages
An African blacksmith calls upon the powers of the earth, fire, water and wind to return his son, captured by slavers and taken far away.
Norton Juster, Illustrations by G. Brian Karas
Random House, $17.99, ages 4 and up
New to the neighborhood, a little boy finds a unique way to make friends.
One Love
Based on the Song by Bob Marley
Cedella Marley, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
Chronicle, $16.99, ages 5-8
The first child of the late singer-songwriter recasts her father's hit song as a vivid message about community and sharing.
The Phantom Tollbooth
The 50th Anniversary Edition
Norton Juster, illustrations by Jules Feiffer
Alfred A. Knopf, $24, ages 8 and up
The improbable adventure of Milo in the Lands Beyond comes with appreciative essays by Suzanne Collins, Philip Pullman and others. Also in an annotated version ($29.99) from the same publisher.
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
Michael Morpurgo, illustrated by Emma Chichester Clark
Candlewick, $16.99, ages 5 and up
A retelling by the author of "War Horse" of the classic story of a town besieged by rats and the magical figure who solves the problem — and cures the town's other ills as well.
Puff the Magic Dragon
Pop-Up Book
Peter Yarrow and Lenny Lipton with paintings by Eric Puybaret and paper engineering by Bruce Foster
Sterling, $26.95 with CD, ages 6 and older
The adventures of a classic song come to life in this storybook version with three-dimensional and interactive features.
An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories
Edited by Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant
Candlewick Press, $22.99, ages 14 and older
A baker's dozen of stories set in gaslit, steam-powered worlds.
Strega Nona's Gift
Tomie dePaola
Penquin, $16.99, ages 5-8
Share in the Italian holiday traditions such as the Feast of San Nicola, when the children choose the food, and the Feast of Epiphany.
Tiger's Voyage
A Novel
Colleen Houck
Splinter, $17.95, ages 12 and up
The third book in the "Tiger's Curse" series has heroine Kelsey struggling to find a way to help her beloved Ren regain his memory — and remember her.
The White Ballets
Rajka Kupesic
Tundra, $19.95, all ages
Love and dance abound in a retelling of the classic white ballets "Giselle," "La Bayadère" and "Swan Lake."
The Wild Soccer Bunch
Book 1: Kevin, the Star Striker
Joachim Masannek, illustrations by Jan Birck
Sole Books, $12.95, ages 9 and up (also available: Books 2 and 3)
When the Wild Bunch players find another team claiming their field, they challenge the squad to a soccer battle for rights to the field in a story taken from the author's experience as a soccer coach.
Brian Selznick
Scholastic, $29.99, ages 9 and up
From the author of "Hugo Cabret": two alternating stories, 50 years apart and both leading to the American Museum of Natural History.
The Age of Movies
The Selected Writings of Pauline Kael
Edited by Sanford Schwartz
Library of America, $40
Witty, entertaining and often exhilarating, this wide-ranging collection of pieces captures the film critic at her best.
The Almanac of American Politics, 2012
Michael Barone and Chuck McCutcheon
University of Chicago Press, $85, paper
A must for political junkies, the almanac offers timely narrative profiles of all 50 states and 435 House districts and profiles of every member of Congress.
Backward Ran Sentences
The Best of Wolcott Gibbs From the New Yorker
Edited by Thomas Vinciguerra
Bloomsbury, $18. Paper
A collection of profiles, stories and criticism by one of the leading figures of the New Yorker's early days.
And so It Goes
Kurt Vonnegut: A Life
Charles J. Shields
Henry Holt, $30
The first authorized biography of the writer who changed the conversation in American letters.
Travels in the New Third World
Michael Lewis
W.W. Norton, $25.95
Shrewd and lucid observations on countries where the financial tsunami has left the most damage.
Back to Work
Why We Need Smart Government for a Strong Economy
Bill Clinton
Alfred A. Knopf, $23.95
The former president offers a plain-spoken, personal picture of ways to revive our economy and get the U.S. "back into the future business."
Catherine the Great
Portrait of a Woman
Robert K. Massie
Random House, $35
The Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer returns to the Russian front with the story of the minor German princess who became Empress Catherine II.
Betty & Friends
My Life at the Zoo
Betty White
Putnam, $26.95
Along with acting, the actress shares another lifelong passion, animal welfare advocacy, in a book that celebrates zoos and the importance of caring for animals.
A Life Sacred and Profane
Andrew Graham-Dixon
W.W. Norton, $39.95
The British art historian vividly recounts the Italian master's tumultuous life and mysterious death.
The Caribbean
A History of the Region and Its Peoples
Edited by Stephan Palmié and Francisco Scarano
University of Chicago Press, $35
An illuminating work tracing the region from its pre-Columbian state through European colonialism and the economic turbulence of the 21st century.
The Four Voyages
Laurence Bergreen
Viking, $35
The glory — and tragic price — of Columbus' history-making journeys to the New World.
Eating Mud Crabs in Kandahar
Stories of Food During Wartime by the World's Leading Correspondents
Edited by Matt McAllester
University of California Press, $27.50
Tales well told of the challenges of eating well — or at all — in the combat zone.
Deadline Artists
America's Greatest Newspaper Columns
Edited by John Avlon, Jesse Angelo and Errol Louis
Overlook Press, $29.95
Work by Hemingway, Winchell, Royko, Breslin, Hunter Thompson and Steve Lopez are all included in this broad collection.
Emily Post's Etiquette
Manners for a New World 18th Edition
Peggy Post, Anna Post, Lizzie Post and Daniel Post Senning
William Morrow, $39.99
Is it rude to tweet from a wedding? This book answers that question and offers advice on thousands more.
The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick
Edited by Pamela Jackson and Jonathan Lethem
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $40
The final work of an author who dedicated his life to questioning the nature of reality and perception.
The White House Years
Jim Newton
Doubleday, $29.95
This biography sets aside the familiar benign portrait of the 34th U.S. president (usually with golf club in hand) to give us a vivid glimpse of his political efforts and private world.
Fear and Loathing at Rolling Stone
The Essential Writing of Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter S. Thompson, edited and with an Introduction by Jann S. Wenner
Simon & Schuster, $32.50
This collection of Thompson's pieces showcases his roller-coaster career at the magazine.
Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelly
Scribner, $26.99
A closer look at the story behind the harrowing ordeal of astronaut Kelly and his wife Giffords, an Arizona congresswoman nearly killed in a shooting earlier this year.
The Garner Files
A Memoir
James Garner and Jon Winokur
Simon & Schuster, $25.99
A candid accounting from the actor who reconstructed two Hollywood archetypes in "Maverick" and "The Rockford Files."
Gun Fight
The Battle Over the Right to Bear Arms in America
Adam Winkler
Norton, $27.95
Winkler, a UCLA professor, uses the landmark Columbia vs. Heller case as a springboard for a thorough examination of the gun control debate.
Holidays in Heck
P.J. O'Rourke
Grove Atlantic, $24
The celebrated political humorist on the road with his family makes him wish he were under artillery fire again.
It Calls You Back
An Odyssey Through Love, Addiction, Revolutions and Healing
Luis J. Rodriguez
Touchstone, $24.99
The author of "Always Running" chronicles his journey from gang member to his place as a noted figure in Chicago literature and American letters.
Hollywood Left and Right
How Movie Stars Shaped American Politics
Steven J. Ross
Oxford University Press, $29.95
Ross challenges the conventional belief that Hollywood is the seat of liberalism in this evenhanded accounting of the industry's political history.
Into the Blue
American Writing on Aviation and Spaceflight
Edited by Joseph J. Corn
Library of America, $40
This collection includes essays by Benjamin Franklin, Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart and Chris Jones, who recalls being marooned on the International Space Station.
Instant City
Life and Death in Karachi
Steve Inskeep
Penguin Press, $27.95
A vibrant portrait of the one of the world's fastest-growing, politically complex cities by the co-host of NPR's Morning Edition.
John Huston
Courage and Art
Jeffrey Meyers
Random House, $30
The acclaimed biographer of Ernest Hemingway and Humphrey Bogart, among many others, turns to the filmmaker best known for "The Maltese Falcon" and "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre."
Jack Kennedy
Elusive Hero
Chris Matthews
Simon & Schuster, $27.50
Kennedy loved courage but never wanted to be alone, never to be bored. Matthews offers a new assessment of the 35th president.
I Want My MTV
The Uncensored History of the Music Video Revolution
Craig Marks and Rob Tannenbaum
Dutton, $29.95
An oral history of the pop culture phenomenon that now plays everything but popular music.
The New Deal
A Modern History
Michael Hiltzik
Free Press, $30
The Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter sheds light on the origins, legacy and genius of Roosevelt's plan to combat the Great Depression.
The Letters of Ernest Hemingway, 1907-1922
Edited by Sandra Spanier and Robert W. Trogdon
Cambridge University Press, $40
This first volume of Hemingway's letters reveals a more complex person than his tough-guy public persona suggested.
The Language Wars
A History of Proper English
Henry Hitchings
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $28
An examination of the rules of grammar, regional accents and political correctness in the battlefield that is the English language
The Man Who Couldn't Eat
A Memoir
Jon Reiner
Gallery Books, $25
The author explores our complex and often-contradictory relationship with food as he tells the story of his agonizing battle with Crohn's disease.
The Magic of Reality
How We Know What's Really True
Richard Dawkins
Free Press, $29.99
The world's leading evolutionary biologist explains a wide range of natural phenomena.
Mrs. Nixon
A Novelist Imagines a Life
Ann Beattie
Scribner, $26
The novelist wonders what it was like to be married to a hugely ambitious and flawed man.
Norman Granz
The Man Who Used Jazz for Justice
Tad Hershorn
University of California Press, $34.95
A pioneering figure in the music business, Granz defied racial and social prejudice to bring jazz to audiences around the world.
A Life in the Dark
Brian Kellow
Viking, $27.95
The first biography of the legendary film critic for the New Yorker.
Plastic Ocean
How a Sea Captain's Chance Discovery Launched a Determined Quest to Save the Oceans
Capt. Charles Moore with Cassandra Phillips
Avery, $26
The environmentalist and researcher details his discovery of a great garbage patch in the Pacific Ocean where plastic outweighs zooplankton.
The Puppy Diaries
Raising a Dog Named Scout
Jill Abramson
Times Books / Henry Holt, $22
Part owner's manual, part memoir, the recently appointed executive editor of the New York Times recounts her first year with her golden retriever Scout.
Rin Tin Tin
The Life and the Legend
Susan Orlean
Simon & Schuster, $26.99
The story of a a dog who never died in the public consciousness. At one time, Rin Tin Tin was Hollywood's top-ranking box office star.
Quite Enough of Calvin Trillin
Forty Years of Funny Stuff
Calvin Trillin
Random House, $26
The best of Trillin's humorous pieces arranged by themes, including "Life Among the Literati" and "English and Some Languages I Don't Speak."
Ellen DeGeneres
Grand Central Publishing, $26.99
Another memoir from the comedian and new daytime queen of talk television.
Spencer Tracy
A Life
James Curtis
Alfred A. Knopf, $39.95
A fully formed look at the stage and screen career of one of America's great acting legends.
The Rogue
Searching for the Real Sarah Palin
Joe McGinniss
Crown, $25
The author presents a scathing chronicle of the former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate as an individual, politician and cultural phenomenon.
Carrie Fisher
Simon & Schuster, $22
The actress explains that even though shock therapy may be wiping out her memory, she's becoming addicted to the treatments.
Steve Jobs
Walter Isaacson
Simon & Schuster, $35
The authorized biography of the co-founder of Apple who was one the most admired men in America.
Stories I Only Tell My Friends
An Autobiography
Rob Lowe
Henry Holt, $26
A funny, moving account of a Hollywood life—from teen idol to TV and movie star—lived almost entirely in the public eye
The Swerve
How the World Became Modern
Stephen Greenblatt
W.W. Norton, $26.95
This year's National Book Award winner in nonfiction describes the world-changing rediscovery of a lost Latin classic.
10 Mindful Minutes
Giving Our Children and Ourselves the Social and Emotional Skills to Reduce Stress for Healthier, Happier Lives
Goldie Hawn
Putnam, $24
The actress offers tips on teaching children how to cultivate an attitude of mindfulness in spite of countless daily distractions.
That Used to Be Us
How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back
Thomas L. Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $28
The authors look at the challenges facing America in globalization, energy consumption, information technology and chronic deficits, and offer a call to action
Then Again
Diane Keaton
Random House, $26
The actress writes about her mother and the strong bonds that forged both their lives.
The Time of Our Lives
A Conversation About America
Tom Brokaw
Random House, $26
"What happened to the America I thought I knew?" asks Brokaw as he offers insights into how America can achieve greatness.
Three Famines
Starvation and Politics
Thomas Keneally
PublicAffairs, $27.99
The author looks at three food shortages in the 20th century and points an accusing finger at the authorities in charge.
Allister Sparks and Mpho Tutu
HarperOne, $29.99
An unapologetic fan biography of the Anglican archbishop who was the moral voice of South Africa's anti-apartheid movement.
The Unquiet American
Richard Holbrooke in the World
Edited by Derek Chollet and Samantha Power
Public Affairs, $29.99
A collection of essays on Holbrooke, one of the leading figures in late 20th century American diplomacy.
A Russian Life
Rosamund Bartlett
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $35
The first new biography of the lifelong rebel and genius to use post-glasnost Russian sources.
Unreal Estate
Money, Ambition and the Lust for Land in Los Angeles
Michael Gross
Broadway Books, $30
A social history of the wealthy in the City of Angels told through the prism of high-end real estate.
Patti Smith
New Directions, $18.95
A memoir by the National Book Award–winner and musician that recollects the poignant experiences, real and imagined, of her early life.
The Untold Civil War
Exploring the Human Side of War
James Robertson
National Geographic Books, $40
The enduring impact of the Civil War is detailed in 30 self-contained stories on surprising, little-known and fresh aspects of the struggle.
The General Who Lost Vietnam
Lewis Sorley
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $30
Sorley's biography suggests that William Westmoreland's strategy of attrition failed to understand the realities of the Vietnam War.
You Will See Fire
A Search for Justice in Kenya
Christopher Goffard
W.W. Norton, $27.95
The death of an American clergyman, despised by Kenya's tyrannical leader Daniel arap Moi, is ruled a suicide until the truth is uncovered
Van Gogh
The Life
Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith
Random House, $40
The most extensive biography of the Van Gogh to date offers a new theory on the circumstances surrounding his death.
West by West
My Charmed, Tormented Life
Jerry West and Jonathan Coleman
Little, Brown, $27.99
One of the greatest figures in NBA history as a player and executive offers a candid accounting of his challenging life.
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Daniel Kahneman
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $30
The Nobel laureate offers a master class on the human mind and how we think about our personal and professional lives.
The Long Night
William L. Shirer and the Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
Steve Wick
Palgrave/Macmillan, $27
An American journalist's firsthand encounters with the Nazis after starting, in the 1930s, the Berlin bureau of Edward R. Murrow's CBS News.
Sweet Judy Blue Eyes
My Life in Music
Judy Collins
Crown Archetype, $26
A broad recollection of the singer's life in music in the tumultuous '60s and the high cost it exacted in her personal life
My Song
A Memoir
Harry Belafonte with Michael Shnayerson
Alfred A. Knopf, $30.50
A forthright memoir that traces the singer's career and his larger concerns with racial justice.
In My Time
A Personal and Political Memoir
Dick Cheney
Threshold Editions, $35
The outspoken former vice president's accounting of the Bush Administration's War on Terrorism.
Higher Gossip
Essays and Criticism
John Updike
Alfred A. Knopf, $40
Perhaps best known as a novelist, Updike's essays and criticism show his masterful touch in those forms as well.
Blue Nights
Joan Didion
Alfred Knopf, $25
The acclaimed writer's heartbreaking meditation on the death of her daughter at 39.
A Cultural, Visual and Personal Journey
Robert Hughes
Alfred A. Knopf, $35
Hughes finds God in the details as he traces the city's history through its art.
Life Upon These Shores
Looking at African American History, 1513-2008
Henry Louis Gates Jr.
Alfred A. Knopf, $50
A richly illustrated book tracing the African American experience from the arrival of the conquistadors to the election of Barack Obam
Jacqueline Kennedy
Historic Conversations on Life With John F. Kennedy
Caroline Kennedy and Michael Beschloss
Hyperion, $60
Shortly after her husband's assassination, Jacqueline Kennedy recorded seven interviews on her life with JFK. Now, 50 years after his inauguration, the material has been released on CDs with accompanying transcripts.
George F. Kennan
An American Life
John Lewis Gaddis
Penguin Press, $39.95
The authorized biography of the seminal U.S. Cold War diplomat, 30 years in the making.
Becoming Dickens
The Invention of a Novelist
Robert Douglas-Fairhurst
Harvard University Press, $29.95
How young Dickens overcame a difficult childhood and early obstacles to become one of the world's greatest novelists.
Physics on the Fringe
Smoke Rings, Circlons, and Alternative Theories of Everything
Margaret Wertheim
Walker & Co., $26
Through the story of Jim Carter, a trailer park owner in Washington state, Wertheim examines a group of men without formal scientific training who have tried to change the face of physics.
Killing Lincoln
The Shocking Assassination That Changed America
Bill O'Reilly & Martin Dugard
Henry Holt, $28
TV host and commentator Bill O'Reilly teams up with bestselling author Martin Dugard to describe the events surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
Five Chiefs
A Supreme Court Memoir
John Paul Stevens
Little, Brown, $24.99
Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens reflects on five chief justices he worked with on the court.
An Actor's Education
John Lithgow
Harper, $26.99
A highly articulate account of the actor's upbringing in the American theater.
No Higher Honor
A Memoir of My Years in Washington
Condoleezza Rice
Crown, $35
The former secretary of state tells the story of her time as President George W. Bush's most influential foreign policy advisors.
The Biography
Simon Sebag Montefiore
Alfred A. Knopf, $35
A rich account of how the small, remote town became the Holy City and the key to peace in the Middle East.
Howard Cosell
The Man, the Myth and the Transformation of American Sports
Mark Ribowsky
W.W. Norton, $29.95
Reviled by many but never boring, Cosell was a groundbreaking figure in American television.
Cool, Calm & Contentious
Merrill Markoe
Villard, $24
A collection of personal essays in which the Emmy Award-winning writer opines on narcissists, crazy mommies, camping, virginity and much more.
Alice James
A Biography
Jean Strouse, preface by Colm Tóibín
New York Review Books, $17.95 paper
The acclaimed biographer of financier J.P. Morgan chronicles the brief but brilliant life of the younger sister of William and Henry James.
Art Nouveau
Norbert Wolf
Prestel, $75
The Art Nouveau movement covered it all — decorative arts, architecture, fashion, dance, advertising and more — and this book seeks to restore the movement's prominence in the discussion of modern art.
The Art of the Adventures of Tintin
Chris Guise
Harper Design, $39.99
An exploration of how — using early concept drawings, models and final stills from the Steven Spielberg film — the film evolved from the original Hergé books.
Beyond Words
200 Years of Illustrated Diaries
Susan Snyder
Heyday, $45
A varied collection of excerpts taken from 50 illustrated diaries, including entries by 18th century Spanish explorer Pedro Font and 20th century environmentalist David Brower.
The Bush Legacy
Their Story in Photographs
David Elliott Cohen
Sterling, $24.95
With a combination of well-known and rare images, this book chronicles the history of one of America's great political families.
Carlton Watkins
The Complete Mammoth Photographs
Weston Naef and Christin Hult-Lewis
Getty Publications, $195
Views of San Francisco, Yosemite and the Pacific Coast highlight this collection of Carlton Watkins "mammoth" (18-by-22-inch) glass-plate negatives, taken between 1858 and 1891.
Chicks With Guns
Lindsay McCrum
Vendome Press, $45
A cultural study, through photographic portraits and fashion, of female gun owners in America.
Christ to Coke
How an Image Becomes Iconic
Martin Kemp
Oxford University Press, $34.95
Art historian Martin Kemp explores 11 universally recognized images and explains how they became iconic.
Deceptive Beauties
The World of Wild Orchids
University of Chicago Press, $45
A study of how orchids, called the "king of fragrant plants" by Confucius, survive and thrive in the harshest of environments.
Dogs Make Us Human
A Global Family Album
Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson and Art Wolfe
Bloomsbury, $30
Wildlife photographer Wolfe chose 100 photographs of dogs from around the world, and Masson supplies the observations to consider the special relationship between man and dog.
The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm
Noel Daniel
Taschen, $39.99
Filled with beautiful, child-friendly illustrations, including previously published works from the 1820s to the 1950s, this book revisits the infamous brothers' twisted tales.
Four Seasons of Yosemite
A Photographer's Journey
Mark Boster
Time Capsule Press, $34.95
The award-winning Los Angeles Times photographer captures the four seasons in Yosemite National Park with a book that also includes a DVD documentary, "Yosemite: The Fate of Heaven," narrated by Robert Redford.
From Uncertain to Blue
Keith Carter
University of Texas Press, $55
Keith Carter's classic photographic look at small-town life in America is reenvisioned along with a new essay, contact sheets and an amplified travel journal.
From Yesterday to Today
Six Decades of America's Favorite Morning Show
Stephen Battaglio
Running Press, $30
The idea was to make it a "national newspaper of the air," and for nearly 60 years NBC's "Today" show has remained a leader in early-morning television. Tom Brokaw, Barbara Walters, Katie Couric, Jane Pauley and Bryant Gumbel are among those who reflect on the show's success.
George Harrison
Living in the Material World
Olivia Harrison, edited by Mark Holborn
Abrams, $40
The artist's evolution from Beatle to spiritual seeker in photos — with his family, with other musicians, onstage, in India.
Greene & Greene
Developing a California Architecture
Bruce Smith
Gibbs Smith, $50
The heart of this book traces the early years of the Greene brothers' partnership and the development of their signature style.
Harry Potter
Page to Screen — the Complete Filmmaking Journey
Bob McCabe
HarperCollins, $75
A behind-the-scenes look at the artistry and filmmaking techniques used to bring J.K. Rowling's books to the big screen.
House of Cash
The Life, Legacy and Archives of the Man in Black
John Carter Cash
Insight Editions, $39.95
John Carter offers a portrait of his father, Johnny Cash, in a book that gathers previously unpublished photographs, lyrics and archival material.
The House That Sam Built
Sam Maloof and Art in the Pomona Valley, 1945-1985
Edited by Harold B. Nelson
Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, $39.95
A leading figure in the postwar American studio furniture movement, Sam Maloof was also an enthusiastic collector of arts and crafts, and this book serves as a companion to an exhibiton at the Huntington of Maloof's work.
I Love Lucy
A Celebration of All Things LucyInside the World of Television's First Great Sitcom
Elisabeth Edwards
Running Press, $30
Rare backstage photos from the stars' personal collections help illustrate new stories on the making of "I Love Lucy" and its unparalleled success in television history.
Industrial Light & Magic
The Art of Innovation
Pamela Glintenkamp
Abrams, $50
An illustrated oral history of the visual effects company founded by George Lucas that has won multiple Oscars since its founding in 1975.
Lest We Forget
Masterpieces of Patriotic Jewelry and Military Decorations
Judith Price
Premiere Previews, $29.95
Historic moments in military history commemorated by patriotic jewelry and decorations.
Light in the Desert
Photographs From the Monastery of Christ in the Desert
Tony O'Brien
Museum of New Mexico Press, $50
After being imprisoned in Afghanistan while on assignment in 1989, photographer Tony O'Brien found solace at the Benedictine monastery in New Mexico. He returned years later to do a story and became a practicing member of the community.
Living in a Modern Way
California Design, 1930-1965
Edited by Wendy Kaplan
MIT Press, $60
One of the first comprehensive examinations of California's Midcentury modern design, this book traces its origins to 1930s European emigrés including Richard Neutra, Rudolph Schindler and Kem Weber.
The Louvre
All the Paintings
Erich Lessing and Vincent Pomarède
Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, $75
All 3,022 paintings on display in the permanent painting collection of the Louvre are beautifully presented in full color. Includes a DVD.
The Male Nudes
George Platt Lynes
Rizzoli, $60
A collection of male nude photographs, many never before in print, from an important fashion photographer from the 1930s and 1940s.
Marilyn: Intimate Exposures
Susan Bernard
Sterling, $35
Bruno Bernard, known as Bernard of Hollywood, photographed Marilyn Monroe, and is perhaps best known for his picture of her as she holds down her wind-blown skirt in the movie "The Seven Year Itch."
Marilyn Monroe: Metamorphosis
David Wills and Stephen Schmidt
It Books, $40
This portfolio of images includes photographs of Marilyn Monroe, some previously unpublished, by Richard Avedon, Cecil Beaton, Elliott Erwitt and Philippe Halsman.
Medal of Honor
Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty
Photographs by Nick del Calzo, text by Peter Collier
Artisan, $45 (special commemorative edition $100)
A compilation of stories and photos of soldiers who were given this special honor, which was established by Lincoln 150 years ago.
Sandy Hill
Rizzoli, $85
Mountaineer Sandy Hill presents an array of images of some of the world's highest places photographed by Galen Rowell, Peter Beard and Ansel Adams, among others.
The New Atlas of World History
Global Events at a Glance
John Haywood
Princeton University Press, $49.50
The first historical atlas to present global history in a series of uniform world maps, bringing easy comparisons of different regions and periods into full focus.
New York in Color
Bob Shamis
Abrams, $50
Some of the best color photography of the city that never sleeps by Andre Kertesz, William Klein, Helen Leavitt and Joel Meyerowitz.
Nostalgia in Vogue, 2000-2010
Edited by Eve MacSweeney
Rizzoli, $55
The magazine's popular coming-of-age-memoir columns are presented here with the great photography that accompanied them.
Now Dig This
Art & Black Los Angeles 1960-1980
Prestel, $60
The companion book to a groundbreaking exhibition documenting the pioneering work of a group of black artists is part of Pacific Standard Time, an initiative of the Getty.
The 20th Century in Color
Leatrice Eiseman and Keith Recker
Chronicle Books, $40
The worldwide color authority offers a retrospective of 100 transformative years in the creation of color.
The Rise of Printmaking in Southern California
Edited by Leah Lehmbeck
Getty Publications in Association with the Norton Simon Museum, $60
An exploration of the rise of printmaking in Southern California and its legacy on postwar American art.
The Oprah Winfrey Show
Reflections on an American Legacy
Deborah Davis With a foreword by Maya Angelou
Abrams, $50
A look at the long-running TV program and its impact, with essays and tributes from Maya Angelou, Bono, Ellen DeGeneres, Toni Morrison and John Travolta.
Pacific Standard Time
Los Angeles Art, 1945-1980
Edited by Rebecca Peabody et al.
Getty Publications, $59.95
Postwar American art is viewed through the Southern California prism in this richly illustrated book.
Annie Liebovitz
Random House, $50
Photos Liebovitz took when she wasn't on assignment — images of Emily Dickinson's house in Amherst, Mass., for instance, and of the Yosemite Valley.
Richard Diebenkorn
The Ocean Park Series
Sarah C. Bancroft
Prestel, $65
Seminal artwork from one of California's best-known artists is gathered here in this beautifully reproduced exhibition catalog.
Southern California Coastal Mountains to the Sea
A Celebration of Open Space on the Historic Irvine Ranch
David R. Stoecklein
Irvine Co., $47.50
Vivid images of the lands belonging to Irvine Ranch that have been given permanent designation as "open space" in the heart of densely populated Southern California.
Star Trek
Vault40 Years From the Archives
Scott Tipton
Abrams, $40
Covering all six "Star Trek" television series and the 10 original feature films, "Star Trek: Vault" highlights the philosophical principles that underscore the franchise.
Tattoo World
Marisa Kakoulas and Michael Kaplan
Abrams, $35
Designs from around the world highlight this compilation of work from 125 of the most influential tattoo artists working today.
Temples of Cambodia
The Heart of Angkor
Photographs by Barry Brukoff, text by Helen Ibbitson Jessup
Vendome Press, $65
An intimate look at some of the most complex, imposing architectural creations in the world.
Culture on the Edge
Phil Borges
Rizzoli, $45
An examination of Tibet through the prism of dramatic development, climate change and the deep devotion of its people.
Traveling the Silk Road
Ancient Pathway to the Modern World
Mark Norell, Denise Patry Leidy and the American Museum of Natural History
With Laura Ross
Sterling Signature, $40
Man's early attempts at globalization are examined through the history of the Silk Road with its major stops in China, Uzbekistan and Iraq.
The Worlds of Hunt Slonem
Dominique Nahas
Vendome Press, $90
The work of the onetime enfant terrible of the art world, Hunt Slonem's work depicts both natural subjects and portraits using multiplicity as a governing principle.
The Affair
A Reacher Novel
Lee Child
Delacorte Press, $28
Knuckle-busting crime-solver Jack Reacher returns with a story from his early years involving a murder near a military base and how he became a maverick hero.
The Talk Show Murders
A Billy Blessing Novel
Al Roker and Dick Lochte
Delacorte, $26
New York TV host-turned-sleuth Billy Blessing faces his long-hidden past — and an unexpected string of murders — during a visit to Chicago.
The Leopard
A Novel
Jo Nesbo
Alfred A. Knopf, $26.95
The news that a serial killer is operating in Oslo draws inspector Harry Hole back to Norway from Hong Kong's opium dens, where he's been trying to forget the trauma of a previous case.
A Dance With Dragons
A Song of Ice and Fire, Book Five
George R.R. Martin
Bantam, $35
The Seven Kingdoms are again under threat in Martin's epic saga that began with "A Game of Thrones."
Aloha from Hell
A Sandman Slim Novel
Richard Kadrey
Harper Voyager, $23.99
Think of an occult worshipper possessed by Raymond Chandler and you'll get the idea about this series, whose hero escaped Hell to avenge his own murder and now, in the third installment, is hellbound once again.
The Affair
A Reacher Novel
Lee Child
Delacorte Press, $28
Knuckle-busting crime-solver Jack Reacher returns with a story from his early years involving a murder near a military base and how he became a maverick hero.
The Drop
Michael Connelly
Little, Brown, $27.99
The clock is ticking on Harry Bosch's LAPD retirement as he investigates a Chateau Marmont death and another case involving DNA that means the killer would have been 8 years old at the time of the crime.
After the Apocalypse
Maureen F. McHugh
Small Beer Press, $16, paper
McHugh pins down the wildest of disasters—the devastation of plague, zombies, the end of the world—by using a subdued, matter-of-fact narrative voice that makes these scenarios seem eerily real.
The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares
Joyce Carol Oates
Mysterious Press, $24
Tales of darkness and horror, including the title story about an innocent girl involved in a cruel ceremony requiring a human sacrifice.
A Dark and Lonely Place
A Novel
Edna Buchanan
Simon & Schuster, $26
When a murder brings together a Miami homicide detective and a femme fatale, the pair mirrors an outlaw couple pillaging frontier Miami more than a century earlier.
The Exorcist
40th Anniversary Edition
William Peter Blatty
Harper, $25.99
The author has polished and introduced new material into his chilling story of demonic possession, first published in 1971.
The Forgotten Affairs of Youth
An Isabel Dalhousie Novel
Alexander McCall Smith
Pantheon, $24.95
A professor arrives in Edinburgh looking for her father, who gave her away at birth. What else can sweet, thoughtful Isabel do but try to help her?
Locked On
A Novel
Tom Clancy with Mark Greaney
Putnam, $28.95
Jack Ryan Sr. faces political misdeeds and character assassination as he runs for president while the rest of the Campus investigates the unclear ties between terrorists and a Pakistani military officer.
The Litigators
A Novel
John Grisham
Doubleday, $26.99
A down-and-out law firm welcomes a new associate, a young burned-out lawyer, and becomes involved in a wildly lucrative case that seems far too easy.
Michael Crichton and Richard Preston
Harper, $28.99
Scientists thrust into a paradise-like landscape confront all kinds of biological horror in this thriller finished by the author of the bestselling "The Hot Zone."
A Novel
Neal Stephenson
William Morrow, $35
A techno-thriller in which a former marijuana smuggler, who used his money to create a wildly popular online game, is at the center of a dangerous plot involving a hacker.
Red Mist
A Scarpetta Novel
Patricia Cornwell
Putnam, $27.95
Forensic expert Kay Scarpetta wants to know who murdered a former protégé, and the answer may rest with a longtime inmate in the Georgia Prison for Women.
The Scottish Prisoner
Diana Gabaldon
Delacorte, $28
In this companion series to her bestselling "Outlander" series, Diana Gabaldon follows Lord John Grey and his unwilling companion, Jaime Fraser, as they set off for Ireland to confront a deadly mystery.
Stolen Souls
Stuart Neville
Soho Crime, $25
A sex slave on the run in Belfast finds anything but safety with a Christian pastor, and a haunted detective may be the only one who can save her.
V Is for Vengeance
Sue Grafton
G.P. Putnam, $27.95
When the death of a department store shoplifter is called a suicide, Kinsey Millhone doesn't accept the verdict and heads out in her blue Mustang to find out what really happened.
An Uncertain Place
A Commissaire Adamsberg Mystery
Fred Vargas
Penguin, $15
Is there a connection between a gruesome murder and an equally gruesome scene — a collection of shoes containing severed feet at London's Highgate Cemetery?
Awkward Family Pet Photos
Mike Bender and Doug Chernack
Three Rivers Press, $15, paper
The guys who brought us "Awkward Family Photos" are back with an edition devoted to cruel and unusual punishment to animals. Sort of. It's not that we don't love our pets; it's that we love them too much. That's why we make them sit in the lap of a gigantic Easter bunny (one unfortunate cat is about to have cardiac arrest), wear them on our sleeves (like a pair of sugar gliders in a young couple's photo) and give them very uncomfortable-looking, pseudo-Heimlich maneuver hugs (see the guy and dog on the book's cover). And yet, they quietly endure it all … which makes us love them even more.
Crafting With Cat Hair
Cute Handicrafts to Make With Your Cat
Kaori Tsutaya, translated from the Japanese by Amy Hirschman
Quirk, $14.95, paper
"Crafting With Cat Hair" shows you how to take all of the hair your cat sheds and turn it into finger puppets, coin purses and more. "A lot of soft felt handicrafts are made out of sheep's wool," explains Kaori Tsutaya. "So why not make super-soft felt handicrafts out of cat hair in much the same way?" Who could have imagined that cat hair could be recycled? There's no other word for this book except: purrfect.
The Brick Bible
A New Spin on the Old Testament
Brendan Powell Smith
Skyhorse, $19.95, paper
It had to happen. Lego blocks are everywhere, so why not illustrate books from the Bible with them? Here you'll find God creating Adam out of brown bricks; Pharaoh's army chasing the Israelites down a blue wall of rising water; Goliath getting hit in the noggin by a gray, single-stud piece representing one of the stones in David's sling … you get the idea. It's an entertaining book, but Brendan Powell Smith's motive is far more serious. He explains, in a brief preface, how he wanted to retell biblical stories in an interesting way that would engage readers. Don't visit your local toy store to order the "Genesis play set," though: There's no such thing. All of the pieces used, we're told on the author's website, come from Lego sets dating to the 1960s.
The Extraordinary Catalog of Peculiar Inventions
Julia Suits
Perigee, $15.95, paper
Fraternal groups and lodges were important social organizations in late-19th century America, and pulling pranks on new members was a big part of the experience. Enter the Demoulin Brothers, who invented a fantastic assortment of "prank machines" — like a set of steps that collapses into a slide or a three-wheeled mechanical goat — for the initiation rites of the Modern Woodmen of America, the Shriners, the Elks, the Sons of Malta and more. Later pranks included electrified carpets and teeter-totters (ouch!). The author, a New Yorker cartoonist, gives a tutorial on fraternalism before showcasing these wacky devices. Readers will certainly be amused by other eras' forms of entertainment — and probably relieved that they're not experiencing it.
Goodnight, iPad
A Parody for the Next Generation
Ann Droyd
Blue Rider, $14.95
Remember the sweet, lulling rhythm of Margaret Wise Brown's 1947 tale of a little bunny going to bed? It was just the thing to settle your toddler after a busy day. But in this pseudonym-concealed author's parody, there are far too many wired-up distractions keeping youngsters awake: "In the bright buzzing room/There was an iPad/And a kid playing Doom/And a screensaver of…." And what about the "little old lady whispering 'hush' "? Well, she's been replaced by "a fed-up old woman/who was trying to sleep" — she takes drastic action to restore some peace and quiet to this beeping, buzzing house.
Haiku for the Single Girl
Written by Beth Griffenhagen
Penguin, $15
At first you're going to think, "I can't really give this as a gift, can I? It's insulting!" But along with some jokey poems at the expense of uncommitted females out there ("This town is alive/With everything except/Eligible men"), you discover something else: an affirming message. Accompanied by simple black-and-white illustrations by Cynthia Vehslage Meyers, some poems celebrate female power: "Men don't realize/We women thrill to conquest/As much as they do." Others are just simple reminders to appreciate the benefits of not searching for Mr. Right: "I smile to myself/Because I have a secret:/My time is my own."
A History of the World in 100 Objects
Neil MacGregor
Allen Lane/British Museum, $45
A catalog of things, usually, is considered inferior next to a formal world history. Why? It's missing the bigger context that a formal work supplies. That's hardly a weakness in the case of this spectacular book, which presents centuries-old artifacts from around the world, each accompanied by a helpful, scholarly gloss and selected by experts from the vast collections of the British Museum. The book opens with primitive tools and a mummy and ends, more than 600 pages later, with a credit card and solar-powered lamp. "In this book we travel back in time and across the globe," MacGregor writes, "to see how we humans have shaped our world and been shaped by it.…" Each object — whether a bust of Caesar August with a remarkable, startled look on his face or a grasping bronze hand that had been dedicated in a Yemeni temple — celebrates the same thing: our essential humanity.
The History of the World According to Facebook
A Parody
Wylie Overstreet
It! Books, $14.99, paper
What if, somehow, Internet social networking had existed for all of human history? This book is the imagined result. Here's a status update from Adam in the Garden of Eden: "Nice, but kinda lonely…" Then God posts a comment: "Pipe down, you'll like what I'm making." The next item? "Adam is now friends with Eve." This is an amusing book full of playful jokes — when Leonardo Da Vinci posts some new sketches of inventions, Dan Brown likes them (of course he does) — and attests to how quickly this form of communication has become entrenched in our culture.
The Jefferson Bible
Smithsonian Edition
Thomas Jefferson
Smithsonian Books, $35
The third U.S. president was hardly one to take it easy in retirement. In his 70s, Jefferson cut out excerpts from the four Gospels, organized them in chronological order and pasted them in a book. The result is a single narrative about the life and teachings of Jesus. This lovely book is a facsimile edition, reproducing each yellowed page, along with early-19th century maps of the Mediterranean and the Holy Land. Give it to the U.S. president buff in your family, but first warn them to brush up on their English, French, Latin and Greek. The excerpts are taken from not one but all four of these languages. Would you expect anything less from one of America's greatest thinkers?
See Mix Drink
A Refreshingly Simple Guide to Crafting the World's Most Popular Cocktails
Brian D. Murphy
Little, Brown, $14.99
How much sweet vermouth goes into a Metropolitan? An ounce? How about the amount of sherry in a Fog Cutter? A teaspoon? If you're a bit challenged when it comes to the standard table of measurements, Brian D. Murphy includes color-coded, cutaway images of cocktails showing what an ounce or a teaspoon actually looks like. It might remind some readers of studying one of those geological diagrams of Earth's layers, but what looms at the deepest levels here isn't molten lava or mineral deposits; it's vodka and scotch.
Star Trek
Book of Opposites
David Borgenicht
Quirk, $9.95
Here's a goofy board book for youngsters that breaks down contrasting ideas into images from the original TV series. While Capt. Kirk gives his "surprised" look, who's better to supply the opposite — calm — than Mr. Spock? Or how about a sweaty-faced Chekhov to demonstrate "hot" and a frozen-looking Sulu for "cold"? You're probably better off using another standard book to teach these ideas to kiddies (some images are just too jarring for a child), but as a novelty, it seems like a downright necessity for all those Trekkie parents out there.
Wreck the Halls
Cake Wrecks Get 'Festive'
Jen Yates
Andrews McMeel, $14.99
Something happens to people's artistic sense (and their spelling) when cake icing is involved. This collection of photos includes some of the silliest dessert mistakes to ever grace a holiday dinner table. Jen Yates has seen them all, and faithfully reports them here, in a previous bestselling book and on her blog. While you're watching the NFL on Thanksgiving, for instance, how about a slice of a football cake that announces, "Go, super bowel"? Beware of that Hanukkah cake that's sporting a satanic pentagram instead of the Star of David. And how about a Christmas cake that inadvertently comments on consumerism during the holidays: "Season's greedings."
The Batman Files
Matthew K. Manning
Andrews McMeel, $100
A vivid assortment of "files" on everything in Bruce Wayne's world — gadgetry, enemies, police records, dossiers — collected by Wayne as a guide for helping his future successor.
Government Issue
Comics for the People, 1940s-2000s
Richard L. Graham
Abrams Comicarts, $29.95
How U.S. government agencies have used comic characters — Lil Abner in the Navy, for example, or Bert the Turtle surviving an atomic blast — to spread information to the public.
Craig Thompson
Pantheon, $35
The epic story of the lives of two refugees, trapped in a world of dunes and deserts.
The Joker
Daniel Wallace, introduction by Mark Hamill
Universe, $50
A fascinating look at the evolution of Batman's arch-nemesis from clownish criminal to grisly madman with a cadaver's smile.
Art Spiegelman
Pantheon, $35
A lavish deconstruction of his magnum opus, the prize-winning graphic memoir "Maus," on the 25th anniversary of the publication of the first part.
The New 52
DC Comics, $150
A necessity for any fan: DC's reboot of its line of superhero comics comes in a single hardcover omnibus edition containing all of the first issues.
1001 Comics You Must Read Before You Die
The Ultimate Guide to Comic Books, Graphic Novels, and Manga
Paul Gravett (general editor)
Universe, $36.95
This catalog of comic greats includes not only the expected ones — early Spider-Man or Flash Gordon — but others from around the world, including Les Naufragés du Temps ("Lost in Time") and Kaliman, El Hombre Increible ("The Incredible Man").
Return to Perdition
Max Allan Collins, art by Terry Beatty
Vertigo Crime, $19.99
In this sequel to Collins' "Road to Perdition," a young mob hit man discovers the identity of his grandfather and learns that he can't outrun his family's past.
The Someday Funnies
Edited by Michael Choquette
Abrams Comicarts, $55
A singular collection of comic strips remembering the cultural turmoil and political and sexual unrest of life in the 1960s.
The Spider-Man Vault
A Musuem-in-a-Book With Rare Collectibles Spun From Marvel's Web
Peter A. David and Robert Greenberger
Marvel Comics, $49.95
A comprehensive history of everyone's favorite webhead, accompanied by images and removable features.
A Novel
Paulo Coelho
Alfred A. Knopf, $24.95
A crisis of faith prompts a man to begin a journey of self-discovery from Africa to Asia.
The Angel Esmeralda
Nine Stories
Don DeLillo
Scribner, $24
The first collection of short stories from a defining American voice in contemporary fiction.
The Art of Fielding
A Novel
Chad Harbach
Little, Brown, $25.99
The complicated nature of relationships revolving around a gifted college baseball player.
The Artist of Disappearance
Anita Desai
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $23
Embittered characters with artistic sensibilities find unexpected sources of creativity in this trio of linked novellas.
The Back Chamber
Donald Hall
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $22
A 16th poetry collection in which the poet, now in his early 80s, explores sex, desire and his beloved New Hampshire landscape.
The Barbarian Nurseries
A Novel
Hector Tobar
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $27
A Mexican maid's Los Angeles odyssey and the tangled web of the California judicial system.
Before the End, After the Beginning
Dagoberto Gilb
Grove Press, $24
Stories of boys and men trying to assert control over their situations in the face of life's often unexpected changes.
The Berrybender Narratives
A Novel
Larry McMurtry
Simon & Schuster, $32.50
Collected as a single volume, the adventures of an aristocratic British family in early 19th century America provide a portrait of the American West as its frontier was opening.
Blueprints for Building Better Girls
Elissa Schappell
Simon & Schuster, $24
The eight stories in this collection connect in unexpected ways and explore how contemporary women live.
The Cat's Table
A Novel
Michael Ondaatje
Alfred A. Knopf, $26
A young boy's sea voyage from Sri Lanka to England in the early 1950s centers on the company he dines with, far from the captain's table.
Chango's Beads and Two-Tone Shoes
William Kennedy
Viking, $26.95
The latest in his Albany cycle, Kennedy's novel follows a young man to pre-revolutionary Cuba in the late 1950s.
The Deleted World: Poems
Tomas Tranströmer
Versions by Robin Robertson
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $13, paper
A collection of poems, many of which have never been published in the U.S., from the writer who was awarded this year's Nobel Prize for literature.
The Dovekeepers
A Novel
Alice Hoffman
Scribner, $27
The lives of four women intersect during the siege of Masada by the Roman army.
An Ermine in Czernopol
A Novel
Gregor Von Rezzori, introduction by Daniel Kehlmann
New York Review Books, $16.95 paper
The tragicomic story of a military officer, at the end of World War I, who refuses to accept both his wife's infidelity and the waning of his beloved Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Every Third Thought
A Novel in Five Seasons
John Barth
Counterpoint, $24
After falling and hurting himself in the autumn of the year, 77-year-old George I. Newett experiences visions connected to seasons and moments in his life.
Forever Rumpole
The Best of the Rumpole Stories
John Mortimer
Viking, $30
A selection of adventures featuring everyone's favorite, cigar-chewing London barrister, Horace Rumpole.
The Forgotten Waltz
A Novel
Anne Enright
W.W. Norton, $25.95
Our reviewer wrote that Enright "balances rapture and grief" in this tale of a woman's life turned upside down by an affair.
Harlem Renaissance Novels
The Library of America Collection
Edited by Safia Zafar
Library of America, $70, boxed set
Works from Langston Hughes, Claude McKay and Wallace Thurman are included in this two-volume set.
The Iron Boys
A Novel
Thomas Frick
Burning Books, $10, paper
The narrator of this novel takes readers into the heart of another century and an outlaw band of Luddites committed to rebelling against the future.
The Lady of the Rivers
A Novel
Philippa Gregory
Touchstone, $27.99
The bestselling author continues her "The Cousins' War" series by tracing the elusive, early life of Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford, who found herself and her children caught at the center of the War of the Roses.
Los Angeles Stories
Ry Cooder
City Lights, $15.95, paper
The famed musician offers a quirky love letter to a bygone era in the City of Angels.
Lost Memory of Skin
A Novel
Russell Banks
Ecco, $25.99
Released from jail after having sex with an underage girl, the character the Kid settles under a causeway with other convicted sex offenders and tries to start his life over.
A Man of Parts
A Novel
David Lodge
Viking, $26.95
Near the end of his life, an ailing H.G. Wells looks back on his wives and mistresses, his politics and the literary career in which he invented our future.
The Marriage Plot
A Novel
Jeffrey Eugenides
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $28
Eugenides, the author of Middlesex, offers a novel centered on a love triangle among recent Ivy League graduates.
Men in the Making
Bruce Machart
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $24
A debut collection of short stories from the author of last year's well-received novel "The Wake of Forgiveness."
Midnight Lantern
New and Selected Poems
Tess Gallagher
Graywolf, $28
Poems containing hard-won truths and including new poems written in the west of Ireland.
Nanjing Requiem
A Novel
Ha Jin
Pantheon, $26.95
Ha Jin re-creates the terror and deprivations brought about by Japanese soldiers during the infamous Rape of Nanjing in 1937.
The Outlaw Album
Daniel Woodrell
Little, Brown, $24.99
In a first collection of short fiction from the author of the novel "Winter's Bone," Woodrell explores the lives of people on the fringes of society.
Out of Oz
A Novel
Gregory Maguire
William Morrow, $26.99
The fourth and last novel in a series that started with "Wicked" and darkly reimagines L. Frank Baum's fantasy world.
The Prague Cemetery
A Novel
Umberto Eco
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $27
The author who first thrilled readers with "The Name of the Rose" returns with the story of the forgery mastermind behind the creation of "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion."
Rules of Civility
A Novel
Amor Towles
Viking, $26.95
A year in the life of three twentysomethings set in Jazz Age New York City.
Salvage the Bones
A Novel
Jesmyn Ward
Bloomsbury, $24
This year's winner of the National Book Award in fiction describes Gulf Coast lives in the days leading up to 2005's Hurricane Katrina.
Scenes From Village Life
Amos Oz
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $22
A new collection of short fiction centered on an Israeli village.
The Sense of an Ending
A Novel
Julian Barnes
Alfred A. Knopf, $23.95
A brief novel about a mediocre man was the winner of this year's Man Booker Prize.
State of Wonder
A Novel
Ann Patchett
Harper, $26.99
A scientist heads into the jungles of Brazil to find out what happened to her vanished mentor, who is thought to be inventing a bold new fertility drug with vast implications.
Treasure Island!!!
A Novel
Sara Levine
Europa/Tonga books, $15, paper
Inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson, a college grad believes Stevenson is speaking to her in his novel and determines to change her dull life and live as adventurously as young Jim Hawkins.
Zone One
A Novel
Colson Whitehead
Doubleday, $25.95
Partly set in Lower Manhattan, Whitehead's story creates a post-plague zombie universe undeniably more human than most novels in this genre.
A Novel
Stephen King
Scribner, $35
King offers a portal into the past with what might have been story around the Kennedy assassination.
A Novel
Haruki Murakami
Alfred A. Knopf, $30.50
Lives of a ghostwriter and of a young girl, who steps out of a cab and enters a parallel world, converge in this epic-size novel from the author of "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle."


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YTLA will be comprised of rising stars within travel organizations and recognized for their accomplishments. This group will provide insights to the industry from a young professional's perspective while also providing opportunities for education through participation and serve as a platform for Young Leaders to share ideas, experiences, and grow together.
YTLA will leverage two successful networking groups: Hotel Management's Young Professionals (HMYP) and Travel Agent Magazine's 30 under 30. YTLA will expand beyond these two networks to all travel professionals; crossing verticals and creating dialogues for the benefit of the travel industry.
Benefits of Membership
- Networking Opportunities
- Educational Programs
- Professional Mentorship
- Job Advancements
- Career Development
- Meaningful Relationships
- Exclusive Travel Deals


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Arabic Poetry Rediscovered
The Berlin-based Italian singer Etta Scollo has embraced the medieval Arabic poetry of Sicily and transformed it into songs. Her new album Il Fiore Splendente has just been released. Rasha Khayat met the singer
The Arab rule of early medieval southern Europe left behind significant traces; Spain and Portugal in particular show Arabic and Moorish influences on language, art and architecture. Yet the effects of Arab rule on the art and culture of the Mediterranean island of Sicily have been little explored.
Around 829, however, when a fleet from Kairouan in North Africa, led by the commander Asad ibn al-Furat, landed on the island and captured it from the Byzantines, Sicily entered a golden age. Irrigation systems and land reforms as well as the rise of the cities Palermo, Syracuse and Marsala to the most important in the Mediterranean realm are among the achievements of almost 300 years of Arab rule in Sicily. Alongside architecture and agriculture, the occupying forces also spawned new literature.
Etta Scollo says she stumbled upon the book Anthologia die poeti arabi di Sicilia, edited by Francesca M. Corrao, quite by accident in a Bologna library a number of years ago. The anthology is a collection of poetry and divans written between the 9th and 12th centuries in Sicily, translated into Italian by contemporary poets.
Moorish elements still visible today
The works of Ibn Hamdis, Ibn At-Tubi and other poets touched Etta Scollo because of their imaginative images and their lightness, she explains. "The first poem I found was Corro con te [I run with you, ed.], written in 1056 by the poet Ibn Hamdis, who was born in Syracuse. It's about the love of an older man to a woman 30 years his junior ? a woman he was so enamoured with that he would even run to her backwards on the tip of his nose. This image enchanted me and I wanted to read more."
It was with her brother, the lutist Sebastiano Scollo, and the poly-instrumentalist and ethnomusicologist Fabio Tricomi, both of whom have years of experience with Arab-influenced music through the intercultural music project Al Qantarah, that Etta Scollo finally came up with the concept for Il Fiore Splendente, "the luminescent flower".
"It was important for us to use traditional instruments, but not to try and imitate a particular sound," Scollo says. "Moorish elements have always been very typical for Sicilian music; it wasn't hard to find a cross-over between medieval Arabic, Italian and modern sounds."
The album as a long-term project
As well as her brother and Tricomi, the Lebanese singer Nabil Salameh also supports Etta Scollo on her new album. Salameh, who became internationally known mainly through his Arabic-Italian music project Radiodervish, not only sings but also recites the Arabic poems on Il Fiore Splendente.
With Salameh's involvement, accompanying Scollo at several concerts in Germany, Il Fiore Splendente will be more than an album. "We're going to perform at international Islamic centres in New York and Italy," says Scollo. "And of course it would be wonderful to take the programme to Lebanon or Palestine. It's meant to be a long-term project."
At a time when Arab Islam is often associated with terror, it is more important than ever to make such an album, Scollo maintains. "We have to remember that we all have a great deal to give each other. And that even with our differences, we have a lot in common."
The new album is also a small gift to her homeland of Sicily, Scollo concludes. "The social and economic reality in Sicily forces people to reinvent themselves every day. Poverty and the struggle to survive don't allow for people to think about history. I'd like to give them back a bit of hope and a bit of identity through my music."
Rasha Khayat
© Qantara.de 2009
Translated from the German by Mý Huê McGowran
Interview with Yildiz Ibrahimova
"My Music Brings Together Dede Efendi and Mozart"
With a vocal range of four octaves, Yildiz Ibrahimova is one of her country's most outstanding jazz singers. This Bulgarian-born jazz singer of Turkish descent blends Bulgarian?Turkish folk music with jazz, avant-garde, and freely improvised vocal pieces. Hülya Sancak sends us this interview
The Palestinian Oud Virtuoso Adel Salameh
"Arabic Music Can Be Universal"
The Palestinian oud player and composer Adel Salmeh has performed for the first time in Germany. He spoke with Saleh Diab on the unique nature of the Arabic lute and on the opportunities for musical dialogue
Ensemble Al Kindi
Back to the Roots of Classical Arabic Music
Founded by French musician Julien Weiss, the Ensemble Al Kindi has devoted itself to classical Arabic chamber music, fusing Arabic-Andalusian, Turkish, and Iranian influences. By Suleman Taufiq


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After numerous national workshops over 13 months, the Ecological Restoration Initiative's action plan has been established to combat ecosystem degradation caused by productive activities, especially agricultural livestock, in the country.
The last remnants of Brazil's coastal shrubland, for example, are in danger of being lost, and are among the country's biomes most in need of restoration. To save these areas, officials are employing a process of ecological restoration, an approach that can return the structure, function, diversity and the dynamics of an original ecosystem to a degraded ecosystem.
Of course, many initiatives and institutions in Brazil are already working on this issue. But what IUCN's office in Brasilia found is that the potential and the scope of this work would be improved by better coordination among them. Thus, a proposal to create an alliance was born, which in addition to having a mission statement and common objectives, now has an action plan.
But how does something as complex as ecological restoration happen? Frederico Machado, Program Officer with IUCN, explains that restoration processes can take different forms and require different periods of time to take effect. One process, for example, is simply to isolate a degraded area and wait for nature to restore vegetation naturally. Machado notes that this is possible in areas where there are still forests with species native to the area, including native seed species as well as native animals, which promote natural restoration processes. Another method, which takes less time if it is planned carefully, is planting primary species along with secondary species.
This method also requires soil management and removal of invasive species, among other silvicultural measures.
"In order to decide what restoration strategy is more viable, it is necessary to study the area closely and to adequately analyze the conditions," Machado said. He is optimistic about the implementation of the proposed Ecological Restoration Initiative and action plan: "We have the capacity, the knowledge, the organizational interest and the legal and political atmosphere to act. Added to this is the experience of IUCN in restoration, through projects implemented around the world."
"The challenge now is finding ways to facilitate the implementation of the initiative, from involving the main national and state political actors to achieving financing for carrying it out," Machado said.
The Ecological Restoration Initiative is a proposal of the Brazilian office of IUCN together with Atlantic Forest Restoration Pact, The Socioenvironmental Institute (ISA), the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), the Brazilian Environmental Ministry (MMA), the Northeastern Center for Environmental Research (Cepan), and Fundo Vale.
Contact: firstname.lastname@example.com


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One definition of recreation and leisure is: "While recreation may be defined as those activities which an individual is not compelled to do, but rather which are chosen based upon the establishment of their value as being enjoyable, satisfying, interesting, diverting, or otherwise capable of sustaining pleasure for that individual, the exact method or application of recreation varies greatly from individual to individual."
In other words, what people like to do when they are not working can vary tremendously.
Programs vary by park and usually are ongoing or repeat during certain seasons. For example, there is an afterschool program at neighborhood parks during the school year. During the summer, we offer a summer recreation program.
There are programs for special populations and even programs designed for pet owners.
When a program involves an instructor, it is referred to as a recreation class. Many classes are offered at parks.
With a County as populated as Broward, it is a big order to meet everyone's recreation and leisure preferences. We are always open to ideas and suggestions. Please use our on-line survey or e-mail us with your ideas at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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The EMCDDA produces a wide range of thematic publications in a variety of formats (print, PDF, web, ePub). In this section of the website, you can browse the top publications or use the available options to search for publications of interest.
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NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS
This image from the Mars Hand Lens Imager on NASA's Curiosity rover shows the patch of rock cleaned by the first use of the rover's wire-bristle brush on Jan. 6.
NASA's Curiosity rover used the wire-bristle brush on the end of its 7-foot-long robotic arm for the first time over the weekend, to sweep the dust off a patch of rock wide enough to put a soda can on.
Sunday's use of the motorized Dust Removal Tool, or DRT, marks yet another first for the $2.5 billion Mars Science Laboratory mission, which began operations on the Red Planet with Curiosity's landing last August. The mission team selected an easy target for the tryout: a flat patch of rock known as "Ekwir_1" in the Yellowknife Bay area of Mars' Gale Crater, where Curiosity has been spending the past few weeks.
"We wanted to be sure we had an optimal target for the first use," Diana Trujillo of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the mission's activity lead for the DRT, explained in today's status report. "We need to place the instrument within less than half an inch of the target without putting the hardware at risk. We needed a flat target, one that wasn't rough, one that was covered with dust. The results certainly look good."
The area cleaned by the DRT measured about 1.85 inches by 2.44 inches (47 by 62 millimeters). In addition to the brush, the end of Curiosity's robotic arm is equipped with a percussive drill, a close-up camera known as the Mars Hand Lens Imager, the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer and a dirt scooper.
The rover team is evaluating several rocks in the area as potential targets for the first use of the drill sometime in the next few weeks. Brushing off potential targets will be part of the preparation for that drilling operation.
The primary aim of Curiosity's two-year mission is to sample rocks, soil and the atmosphere at Mars' Gale Crater to determine whether the chemical requirements for life could have been present there billions of years ago.
More about Curiosity's mission:
- Tiny 'Martian flower' stirs up some buzz
- Curiosity spends the holidays at 'Grandma's House'
- Rover finds organic compounds, but are they from Mars?
- Cosmic Log archive on Curiosity's Mars mission
Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.


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Nero Wolfe
There is a series of 2-hour shows on A&E called Nero Wolfe, based on the books by Rex Stout about a curmudgeonly detective who enjoys fine food and growing orchids and does detective work to support both habits. His sidekick, Archie Goodwin, is played by Timothy Hutton, who also directs and executively produces. It's great stuff, and new episodes are coming in January 2002.


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The list of countries raising taxes on the rich continues to grow. France. Canada. Italy. Britain. And, most likely in 2013, the United States.
All of these countries have arrived at the same inevitable math: their governments need money. There is one group that still has the most money. So they are going where the money is.
But since raising taxes on anyone can be politically fraught, political parties on both sides have taken to creative tax branding. The key to selling a tax, it seems, is all in the name.


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All charitable non-profit organizations, with the exception of churches, are required to register with and report to the Attorney General. Once the organization is registered, it is required to file annual financial reports with the Attorney General. An organization's status as "registered" with the Charitable Trusts Unit does not necessarily reflect the disciplinary status of the entity with any other state entity or the Internal Revenue Service. If you have specific questions about a registered organization, please contact the Charitable Trusts Unit.
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New Hampshire Department of Justice | 33 Capitol Street | Concord, NH | 03301
Telephone: 603-271-3658


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The 100 Moments of TSU Athletics presented by Taco Bell® series continues by recognizing one of the most influential women in Tennessee State history.
Teresa Phillips became head of the Tennessee State University athletics department in April of 2002. As director, the athletic department has made tremendous strides on the playing field, campus, community and classroom.
Some accomplishments under the Phillips' administration include the launching of the first official website for TSU Athletics in August of 2002, the revitalization of the Big Blue Booster Club, the recognition of Ohio Valley Conference Scholar Athletes, and conference championships in volleyball, women's track including a PGA minority national championship in men's golf.
Phillips also has the distinction of being the first woman ever to coach an NCAA Division I men's basketball team en route to being named one of the "101 Most Influential Minorities in Sports" by Sports Illustrated in 2003.
She was also named as the Second Most Influential Woman in Sports in Tennessee by The Tennessean newspaper. In addition, she was named USA Today's National Coach of the Year in 1990 and was a three-time OVC Coach of the Year selection.
No stranger to athletic success, she was head coach of the Lady Tigers basketball program at TSU for 11 seasons from 1989-2000. Phillips guided the 1993-94 squad to the program's first-ever OVC regular season crown, the Ohio Valley Conference tournament championship, and the team's first appearance ever in the NCAA tournament.
She and her staff enjoyed their most successful season in 1994-95 as the Lady Tigers (22-7, 12-4 OVC) shared the regular season title. TSU claimed its second consecutive tournament title and a trip to the NCAA tournament.
She has been invited twice to serve as an assistant coach for USA Basketball (1995 and 1999) and was invited to serve as an assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic Festival North Squad.
She graduated from Vanderbilt University with a bachelor's degree in Economics before obtaining a Masters in Education from TSU in 1999. Phillips, who helped recruit six All-Americans and seven All-State players, served as an assistant coach with the Lady Commodores (1981-1984) winning the N.I.T. in 1983.
Phillips earned several honors as a three-year letter winner at Vanderbilt. She was the first recipient of the Lady Commodore Athlete of the Year honor, given to the best all-around female athlete. In addition, she received the Nashville Civitan's Sportsmanship Award in 1979 and 1980.
Community oriented, Phillips has assisted with the National Youth Sports Drug Program and has been appointed to several boards and committees which include: NCAA Basketball Rules, NCAA Championship Cabinet, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Boys' & Girls' Club, the Vanderbilt Alumni Advisory Board and the Nashville Sports Council Executive Board.
She is an inaugural member of the Girls' Preparatory School Sports Hall of Fame and a 2008 inductee of the Lookout Mountain Sports Hall of Fame. She lives in Nashville with her two sons, Micah and Kyle.
The 100 Moments of TSU Athletics presented by Taco Bell® highlights some of the greatest moments in honor of Tennessee State's centennial celebration. A new moment will be released each weekday for a total of 100. These moments were chosen by the TSU 100 Moments committee, which consists of alums from various departments. TSU has so many great moments, not all can be represented in these 100.
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