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Category Archives: Reading Ireland
The Glorious Heresies by Lisa McInerney
The Glorious Heresies is a bold, brash debut novel that won Lisa McInerney numerous accolades including the Bailey's Prize and the Desmond Elliot prize in 2016.
McInerney's edgy style will not be to everyone's liking and her portrayal of Cork's seedy underworld is unlikely to do much for the city's tourist trade. Forget any images of pastoral landscape and Guiness-fuelled booze ups to the sound of a few jolly fiddlers. The world of The Glorious Heresies is a crowded vista of brothels and grim housing estates of schoolboy drug dealers and malicious thugs.
Tony Cusack's terrace was only one of dozens flung out in a lattice of reluctant socialism. There was always some brat lighting bonfires on the green, or a lout with a belly out to next Friday being drunkenly ejected from home (with a measure of screaming fishwife fucked in for good luck), or squad cars or teenage squeals or gibbering dogs.
The novel begins with an accidental murder in a block of flats used as a temporary residence for Maureen Phelan, the mother of one of the city's leading gangland bosses. When she hits an intruder over the head with a Holy Stone, Maureen sets in motion a chain of events that entangle her son and three other members of the city's underclass.
To describe the plot further would be to do an injustice to McInderney's novel because the power of The Glorious Heresies really stems from the brilliantly delineated misfits that make up her cast. The guy drafted in to dispose of the body is Tony, a drunken wastrel and father of six, whose alcoholism and obsession with his unhinged next-door neighbour threatens to ruin him and his family. Georgie, the murdered man's girlfriend, is a wildchild who has run away from her village home because "if she didn't get up and march out, she'd grow roots down through the thin carpet, down through the foundations, down into the soil, the dirt, the rock and trap herself there until her brain turned to jelly." Her new life in Cork is one of drugs and prostitution.
Feeding her habit is Tony's fifeteen year old son, Ryan. He's desperate not to turn out like his father who is rather too free with his fists when he's in his cups. He's an intelligent boy though disruptive in school, one who hides his talent for playing the piano and puts on a show of bravado. But deep down he mourns the mother who died four years earlier and whose presence is still felt in the family home:
It was a three-bedroom terrace so cavernous without his mother he could barely stand it. It echoed shit he didnt want to think about in chasms that shouldnt have been there.
As the novel opens, Ryan is on the fringe of manhood, about to leave behind his "pile of mangled, skinny limbs" and emerge with "squared shulders and jaws, and strong arms." His metamorphosis is achieved with the aid of Karine D'Arcy, ""whip-smart and as beautiful as morning", the most desirable girl in his school. She was now in his bedroom, helping him lose his virginity. Their relationship is the only stability Ryan can count on as his life goes into spin: a predatory next door neighbour seduces him; his father is implicated in the disposal of the corpse and Ryan's drug dealing gets him sent down for nine months in a young offenders' institution.
Though Ryan is the central character, it's the gangster's mother Maureen, a woman "crazier than a dustbin fox", I warmed to the most. After 40 years of exile in London she's returned to Cork to discover the illegitimate son she had to give up for adoption, has become a much-feared thug, drug baron and sex-industry entrepreneur. She's determined to atone for the death, despite her son's protestations that she's already caused enough trouble. But when she goes to church to confess her crime, her encounter with a priest stirs up memories of the way the Catholic Church treated unmarried mothers like herself. She ends up accusing the priest of hypocrisy:
The most natural thing in the world is giving birth; you built your whole religion around it. And yet you poured pitch on girls like me and sold us into slavery and took our humanity from us."scarred by the treatment yet still vividly scarred by having spent her years in fear of the Holy Trinity: "the priests, the nuns and the neighbours".
The switching narrative viewpoints take us deep into the minds and hearts of these people and make us cry and despair alongside them, and, at times, laugh. For though their prospects are bleak and the city is in a post economic-boom tailspin, the sheer muddle of their lives produces some dark humour.
It's an exuberant debut, unflinching in exposing the dark underbelly of a city "spread out in soft mounds and hollows, like a duvet dropped into a well" and biting in its denouncement of the Catholic church as well as a missionary cult that seems to think the answer to the city's drug problem is to hand out pamphlet. This is a novel that asks serious questions about salvation, guilt and the effects of the past on the present.
The Book: The Glorious Heresies was published by John Murray in 2015. It won The Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction in 2016 and the Desmond Elliot Prize for 2016. It was longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prie 2016. I read the e-version.
The Author: Lisa McInerney is from Galway and is the author of an award-winning blog 'Arse End of Ireland' (no longer active or available). The Irish Times has called her 'arguably the most talented writer at work in Ireland today'. Her latest novel The Blood Miracles is published in April 2017 – it features Ryan Cusak (from The Glorious Heresies).
Why I read this book: Although I often ignore books that attract huge levels of attentionl this one appealed to me. I read it for ReadingIreland2017 hosted by 746books and The Fluff is Raging.
Posted in Book Reviews, Irish authors, Reading Ireland
Tags: Irish authors, Lisa McInerney
Ancient Light by John Banville
In Ancient Light, John Banville returns to themes explored in his earlier Booker prize winning novel The Sea: the remembered past and its ability to shape our destinies.
Alexander Cleave, a stage actor, looks back to one year during his schoolboy days when he had an affair with his best friend's mother, a woman 20 years his senior. After their first encounter in the laundry room of her house, the pair graduate to sexual trysts on the back seat of her car and then to a mouldy mattress in a run down cottage. So infatuated is Alexander with Mrs Gray that he spies on her when she takes family trips to the cinema or the seaside, jealous of any time she spends away from him. He wants to possess her fully. Years later when the mature Alexander reflects on these times he recalls them as moments of bliss punctuated by tantrums and petulant behaviour as he sought to bend her to his will.
I should confess that sulking was my chief weapon against her, nasty little tyke that I was and I employed it with the skill and niceness of judgement that only a boy as heartless as I would have been capable of. She would resist me for as long as she was able, as I fumed in silence with my arms calmed across my chest and my chin jammed on my collar-bone and my lower lip stuck out for a good inch, but always it was she who gave in, in the end.
Trying to make sense of his younger self, the mature Alexander doesn't seek to excuse his petulant behaviour. He accepts also that his memory of certain facts is hazy – he constantly jumbles up the times and the seasons when certain events took place for example. He's not even certain that his recollection of the first time he saw Mrs Gray is accurate. He remembers seeing a woman freewheel towards him down the hill from the church. As she nears him, the wind catches her skirt and exposes her bare skin all the way to the waist, a sight that of course causes a frisson of excitement for the teenage boy. Alexander recalls how he felt at the time and remembers in detail what the cyclist wore but he cannot conjure up her facial features.
Is he lying to himself or simply being selective about what he will remember? Memory is, after all, he explains, an artificial construct.
Images from the far past crowd into my head and half the time I cannot tell whether they are memories or inventions," he declares as the novel begins. "The items of flotsam that I choose to salvage from the general wreckage – and what is a life but a gradual shipwreck – may take on an aspect of inevitability when I put them on display in their glass showcases, but they are random; representative, perhaps, perhaps compellingly so, but random nevertheless.
That relationship is not the only aspect of his life causing Alexander to ruminate about the past. He is grieving for the death of his daughter Catherine (Cass) some years earlier. Though we learn she had suffered a form of mental illness, her suicide off the Italian coast still perplexes him. Why was she in Italy? Who was the father of her unborn child? Who is the person called Svidrigailov that was with his daughter when she died? An opportunity to answer those questions arrives when Alexander is given a film role in a biopic about Axel Vander, a famous, now dead, academic who led a double life. Alexander begins to suspect there is a connection between Axel Vander and Cass. He gets his chance to uncover the truth when Dawn Deveonport, the female lead in the film, suffers a mental breakdown. Alexander, who has become a bit of a father figure for her, spirits her away from the media frenzy and the anguish of the film's producers. Guess where they go? – yep, to Italy to a spot a short distance across the water from where his daughter's body was found.
If you're thinking this sounds a bit of a convoluted plot relying heavily on coincidences, then you're not far off the mark. But I forgave Banville for this because Ancient Light is written so beautifully, almost poetically with its use of rhythm, imagery and allusion. He delights in descriptions about the landscape and the weather: rain "sizzles through the leaves"; the sky "was the colour of wetted jute" while a late-autumn afternoon is marked by "scrapings of cloud like bits of crinkled gold leaf."
Banville sketches characters deftly even when he gives them little more than walk on parts. Dawn Devonport begins as a Marilyn Monroe type figure, a much feted starlet who captivates by making each person feel they've been singled out for her special attention. Alexander however sees beneath the veneer to a vulnerable young girl unable to cope with the recent death of her father, a girl in fact much like his own beloved daughter. More notable is Billie Stryker, ostensibly the film's researcher, whose "sad and sweetly" demeanour lulls Alexander into revelations about his life. "There must be more to her than meets the eye" he concludes after their first meeting.
In fact the same thing could be said for many of the characters in a novel which is in essence about the way people lie to others and themselves about who they are. Nothing is as it seems at first glance. One of the recurring ideas of the novel is the effect of light on perception – Alexander for example recollects one day how he saw Mrs Gray reflected in two mirrors simultaneously, the resulting image turned into fragments of the whole. In another scene he lies on his bed and through a tiny crack in the curtains sees an upside -down projection of the secret. What enables him to 'see' himself, to understand his actions and make sense of the fragments and distortions, is an ancient light that comes from distant galleries, taking billions of miles to reach earth. But the same light also provides a form of consolation by the end of the novel, seeming to "shake within itself even as it strengthened, … as if some radiant being were advancing."
The Book: Ancient Light by John Banville was published in 2012 by Viking. It's a sequel to Eclipse and Shroud which all feature Alexander Cleave. I haven't read either of the two earlier novels but didnt feel I was at a disadvantage as a result – Ancient Light to me was easily able to stand on its own merit.
The Author: John Banville comes from Wexford in Ireland. In addition to more than 10 novels written under the name of John Banville, he also writes a crime fiction series in the persona of Benjamin Black. At the Hay Festival in 2013 he explained that he adopts completely different writing practices for each persona. As John Banville he writes long hand with fountain pen and agonises over each word (the process is a long and protracted one he revealed). As Benjamin Black he uses a typewriter.
Why I read this book: I loved reading The Sea (see my review here) and enjoyed the talk Banville gave at the Hay Festival. Signed copies of Ancient Light were available at the festival and I couldn't resist buying. Reading Ireland 2017 hosted by Cathy at 746books and Niall at The Fluff is Raging was the prompt I needed to get it out of the bookcase.
Posted in Book Reviews, Irish authors, Reading Ireland
Tags: Irish writers, John Banville
Irish authors call the tune
It's March and time for Ireland Reading month hosted by Cathy at 746.com. Full details of the activities Cathy has up her sleeve can be found via the announcement post We Celts need to stick together so I'll be joining in as much as possible.
But what to read is the question – Cathy has put a list of 100 Irish Novels as a good starting point for anyone unsure where to begin. For my own preparations I delved into my personal library at the weekend and came up with six options.
- The Glorious Heresies by Lisa McInerney
- Ancient Light by John Banville
- The Absolutionist by John Boyne
- Good Behaviour by Molly Keane
- The Black Prince by Iris Murdoch
- Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue
It's unlikely I'll read more than two before the month given some other commitments.On of those is likely to be Ancient Light by John Banville which I bought as a signed copy after hearing him speak at the Hay Book Festival about three years ago. I loved the lyricism of his Booker Prize winning novel The Sea so I'm hoping Ancient Light will deliver more of the same. The synopsis sounds promising:
… a brilliant, profoundly moving new novel about an actor in the twilight of his life and his career: a meditation on love and loss, and on the inscrutable immediacy of the past in our present lives.
I'm not going to decide in advance on my second choice yet – maybe it's time to give Molly Keane another try – I've read only one by her so far (Devoted Ladies under her pen name of M. J Farrell) – but then I've been meaning to get around to The Glorious Heresies by Lisa McInerney ever since it won the Bailey's prize in 2016. The chairman of the judges described it as "a superbly original, compassionate novel that delivers insights into the very darkest of lives through humour and skilful storytelling." Skilfull storytelling sounds just the ticket..
Are any of you planning to join Reading Ireland month – if so what are you planning to read? In the meantime, I shall raise my glass of Guinness and wish you "Sláinte" (good health).
Posted in Irish authors, Reading Ireland
Tags: John Banville, Lisa McInerney
The View from Here: What to read from South Africa
We're off to South Africa for our next country in The View From Here series on literature from around the world. We'll be in the capable hands of Penny who blogs at 2015 Reading Challenge – SA books only.
Let's meet Penny
I work at one of South Africa's major retailers. Over the years, I've taken on many different roles mainly relating to the buying/planning space. However my passions lie in reading, hiking and birding. My blog is called 2015 Reading Challenge – SA books only. I didn't even know reading challenges were a thing then. In 2014, I read a chance remark, on a reading Facebook group, to the effect that there is so much South African Fiction now, one could go a whole year and read nothing else. I thought it would be fun to try that out; I keep year lists for birds in the Southern African region, so why not books? At the same time, I decided to write a review on every book I read and start a blog.
Q. Authors like Andre Brink, Alan Paton and Doris Lessing are names that many people outside of SA would recognise. Is their work the reading experience considered to be 'classic literature'? If not, what are some of the classics of fiction from S.A?
These writers (Doris Lessing to a lesser extent) could be regarded as classics of SA Literature, if not 'classic literature'. It depends what is meant by classic literature; if this is meant to refer to works that, in some way, emulate works of the Western canon, then possibly not. I do not necessarily believe 'classic literature' to be an ideal to which our writers should be aspiring. Good writing, literary writing are very subjective terms; more important to me is if I have a quality reading experience in which I am engaged, in which characters are multi-dimensional, plot is intriguing and I learn more about the human condition.
There are many novels that meet these criteria, amongst them Afrikaans writers translated into English. These are amongst some of my favourite novels and include writers such as Karel Schoemann, Etienne van Heerden, Marlene van Niekerk and Ingrid Winterbach. Another 'classic' is Down Second Ave by Es'kia Mphahlele, a marvellous work that, though autobiographical, experiments with form and reads as fiction. It is set in the 1930s in a township in Pretoria and illuminates how much discrimination was endured by black people even before apartheid. Anyone interested in SA Literature should also make sure they read Bessie Head's work, even though she may well be considered as a Botswana writer.
Q. Would you consider there are some distinct differences between literature from South Africa and those from some of the other African countries like Nigeria for example?
I am no expert on literature from other African countries so this is merely my opinion. Until very recently, I had only read a few Nigerian writers such as Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka and Flora Nwapa. I would say they are far ahead of South Africa, having experienced their independence from colonial rule much earlier. We have only been a democracy since 1994 and prior to this, we were not producing much fiction. Possibly Nigeria have been marketing themselves as the African Lit for longer and more widely too.
With respect to the reading experience, I find SA Fiction quite different. Not so much with contemporary writers, but the classic Heinemann novels are often quite dense and heavy going.
South African writing is drawn from many different cultural communities that add variety to our topics, characters and interactions. This I see as a distinct difference. We have Black, White, Indian (both Hindu and Muslim) and mixed race communities (so-called 'coloured' people) all writing fiction. South African writers explore many genres too, like crime fiction and speculative fiction.
Q. South Africa has produced two winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature: Nadine Gordimer in 1991 and J M Coetzee in 2003. How far do you think their work is representative of the issues and challenges of the country?
I cannot comment on Gordimer as I have only read one of her books, The House Gun, published in 1998. I did not like it much as I found it cold and detached. Personally, I found JM Coetzee's pre-Disgrace (published 1998) novels to be more representative of the country then, allegorical as they might have been. The writer I believe to be truly representative of South Africa is Zakes Mda. Although both Coetzee and Mda live in other countries now, Mda's topics are still strongly South African while Coetzee seems to have focussed on being a stranger in a new country (isolation has always been an underlying theme in nearly every book he has written).
Since I was in my early twenties, I was hungry to read books set in my own country that, in some way, might reflect my lived experience and my surroundings; books in which I would recognise the environment but be introduced to aspects that were hidden from me. The first novels of this nature that I discovered were Andre Brink's novels written in the seventies; the next was J.M. Coetzee's, The Life and times of Michael K. published in 1983 (for which he won the Booker prize; still my favourite Coetzee). Then in the nineties, I discovered Zakes Mda's She Plays With the Darkness published in 1995. I love all his novels; particularly The Madonna of the Excelsior and Heart of Redness. One of the things I love about Mda's novels are the way they are grounded in history and also explore contemporary life. He has also written many plays but I am not familiar with them.
Q. What recommendations would you have for readers who want to discover books that show a more contemporary side to life in South Africa – how it is dealing with life post-apartheid for example?
I have so many recommendations for books written post-apartheid, I could never list them all here (check my blog for some of them). I have already mentioned Zakes Mda and some Afrikaans writers. Add Eben Venter to that list (especially for his most recent novel, Wolf, Wolf). Niq Mhlongo (Dog Eat Dog, After Tears, Way Back Home and short story collection, Affluenza) does a great job of representing 'township' life; (during apartheid, black people were prohibited from choosing where to live and were not allowed to live in areas designated as white; these areas were called townships or in vernacular slang; eKasi).
Thando Mqolozana tackles the taboo subject of Xhosa initiation rites in A Man who is Not a Man, as well as student politics in Unimportance. Nthikeng Mohlele, writes in a cerebral, philosophical style – try Small Things, Rusty Bell and Pleasure. Henrietta Rose-Innes is another favourite of mine; I particularly enjoyed The Rock Alphabet, Nineveh and The Green Lion. K. Sello Duiker, who committed suicide at the age of 30, produced two brilliant novels in Thirteen Cents and The Quiet Violence of Dreams. These two books are tough reads; not for the faint-hearted.
On a lighter note, our crime fiction is excellent (it says something that I regard crime as 'lighter', I suppose). Deon Meyer is our most well-known crime fiction writer. He writes in Afrikaans and is translated into English. A lover of this genre should read all his books; start at the beginning with Dead Before Dying and continue to the 10thand latest, Icarus. This is not necessary as they do stand-alone but I always enjoy knowing what characters had done before.
Q. What would you recommend to someone who has never read any S African authors? Where would you suggest they start?
This is a tough one because the answer depends on the readers' preference with regard to topic, genre and style. An extremely serious reader may want to trace the development of SA fiction by beginning in the last century while another may be more interested in South Africa today.
If the latter, Imraan Coovadia's Tales of the Metric System is as good a place to start as any as it dips into every decade since the seventies. Zoe Wicomb writes of a 'Coloured' family that 'tries for white' during apartheid in Playing With the Light. Although I am not usually a fan of non-fiction, there are several books that are written in the fictional style that I have really enjoyed; anything by Jonny Steinberg who has covered topics that vary from farm murders (Midlands) to prison gangs (The Number) to HIV and Aids (Three Letter Plague). He investigates his areas of interest through in-depth, intimate interviews with individuals and teases out information that fascinates as much as it shocks.
Zukiswa Wanner's, London Cape Town Joburg, moves between these three cities and with her protagonist, uses an outsider's voice to illuminate the ins and outs of aspects of SA life in the business, political and personal world. Lauren Beukes is our darling of speculative fiction; inventive, imaginative and highly readable. Her second novel, Zoo City, is set in a Johannesburg that, though imagined, is strangely familiar. Then there is Finuala Dowling, said to be the 'home-grown Jane Austen' of SA Lit. In The Fetch and Homemaking for the Down-at-Heart, she writes of the minutiae of life with wit and sparkle and a strand of pathos.
This is merely a taste and there are many more.
Q. How important are prizes like Caine Prize for African writing to contemporary authors?
My feeling is that they are important as they do bring previously unknown writers to the attention of both publishers and readers.
Another prize which is important is the Etisalat Prize for Literature which is awarded to first time African writers of published books. It was inaugurated in 2013 and books by South African writers have been short-listed each year. The 2014 winner, Penumbra was by South African novelist, Songeziwe Mahlangu. One of my favourite novels of last year,What Will People Say by Rehana Rossouw, was short-listed last year. I highly recommend this novel; set in the Cape Flats, it is a heart-breaking tale of parents trying to do the best for their children in an environment dominated by gangs, drugs and politics at the time of the State of Emergency during the eighties.
Q. Which contemporary S African authors do you think we could be hearing more from in the future – people who may be at an early stage of their career?
Names to watch out for are Mohale Mashigo whose first novel, The Yearning, was published this year. It is an accomplished debut, well-written and with a compelling plot. The Reactive by Mashande Ntshanga gives the reader a glimpse into the disaffectedness of youth who live in a world of trauma, untimely death and limited opportunities. Yewande Omotoso's second novel, The Woman Next Door is a great read. I think it is quite a feat to capture the personalities of two women in their eighties, as she does here. Nakahane Toure and Panashe Chigumadzi have both published debut novels in the last year.
Posted in Irish authors, Reading Ireland, world literature
The View from Here: Good reads from Ireland
We're staying with the Celtic nations for the choice of our next country in The View From Here series on literature from around the world. Our featured country is Ireland and who better to give us the insight on this country's literature than the blogger who has co-hosted Reading Ireland month for the past few years: Cathy at 746books
Let's meet Cathy
Just over two years ago, as I went to buy yet another book, I decided to do a count and see how many unread books I had to hand – on my shelves, my iPad and my Kindle. It came to 746 and I was so shocked! I was reading around 30 books a year and worked out that if I didn't buy any more books, it would still take me about 25 years to read all the books I had in the house! So, I set myself the challenge to not buy any more books, read all 746 and blog about it along the way.
I've rediscovered my love of Irish literature in particular, so I also blog about the Irish literary scene and review new books by Irish authors.
Outside of blogging, I am a mother of 5 year old twins and work in an Arts Centre in Northern Ireland so I'm kept pretty busy!
Q. Who are your favourite authors from Ireland (north and south)?
This is a really hard question, because I love so many! My favourite novelists would be Bernard McLaverty, Brian Moore, Edna O'Brien, Colum McCann and Nuala NiChonchuir, but I also love playwrights like Conor McPherson and Martin McDonagh and poets like Paul Durcan and Sinead Morrissey.
Q. Why did you start the Reading Ireland Month?
I had spotted a few reading months relating to Germany and Japan and just thought, why not?! March seemed like the perfect month for it and I decided to team up with my old friend and fellow blogger Niall at The Fluff is Raging to broaden the scope of the month to include posts on movies, music, TV and travel as well as books. I see it as a real celebration of all Irish culture and I love spreading the word about all the great writers that have come from this tiny island! Last year we had over 100 posts and we are hoping for even more this year!
Q. Does literature from Ireland have a particular atmosphere or style, something that maybe makes it stand out as distinctively "Irish"?
This is an interesting question that I think about it a lot. What is it about a small island like Ireland that has produced 4 Nobel Prize winners and a host of world class writers, playwrights and poets? Alongside Greek and Latin, Ireland had one of the earliest 'languages' Ogham which dates back to the 4th century AD. There is a great oral tradition of storytelling and myth making that carries on throughout Irish history. In ancient Irish society, the poet was revered and was second only to the chieftain and I think we still carry that reverence today. Add to that a turbulent history of invasion, immigration, famine and war and you have a fertile ground for literature to flourish in.
For me, Irish writing is lyrical and poetic, with a real sense of vitality, always with an eye to the past and to the tradition from which it has come.
Q. What books are creating a buzz in Ireland at the moment?
There is a great range of young authors making a buzz in Ireland at the moment. Writers like Colin Barrett, Danielle McLaughlin, Belinda McKeon, Rob Doyle, Anakana Schofield, Lisa McInerney, Sara Baume and Eimear McBride are all being talked about on a national level. Sara Baume's Spill Simmer Falter Wither was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award and the Guardian First Novel Award and Eimear McBride's A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing won the 2014 Bailey's Prize for Women.
The buzz isn't only about writers though – there are lots of fantastic literary magazines from Ireland exploring new work, like Banshee and The Stinging Fly and Tramp Press is an exciting new publisher working to promote the voices of women in Ireland, old and new. A fabulous book to check out is Dubliners 100, published by Tramp Press where new and established writers from Ireland created a 'cover version' of their favourite stories from James Joyce's Dubliners. It's a great introduction to Irish writers you may not have heard of!
There is also a great surge in crime writing coming out of Ireland, Tana French is an obvious example of this, but writers like Eoin McNamee, Stuart Neville and Jane Casey are writing very interesting Celtic Noir!
Q. Who are the authors you would consider 'must read' for people who wanted to deepen their knowledge of Irish literature?
This is a hard question to answer as the breadth of work there is to choose from is vast. There are the classic writers like Swift, Wilde and Stoker and the modernists like Beckett, Joyce and Yeats. I have a list of 100 Irish Novels on my blog which is a great starting point for anyone interested in Irish Literature. It is in chronological order and spans from 1729 to 2014 and really highlights the diversity and quality of Irish Literature. There were so many books I wanted to include, that I could have made the list go up to 200!
Q. Most keen readers will know of James Joyce and Oscar Wilde. Are there any authors you think deserve more attention?
There are a lot of women writers who deserve attention and have been in the shadows for too many years. Writers like Maria Edgeworth, Elizabeth Bowen and Kate O'Brien can more than hold their own with the titans of Irish literature. There is a famous Irish Writers poster, which was very popular in Ireland and featured only male writers. Last year the Irish Times recreated the poster with only female writers and there is a real feeling that readers are starting to hear and to listen to these voices. I would recommend The Long Gaze Back which is an anthology of short stories by Irish women writers edited by Sinead Gleeson. It is a fascinating collection of work featuring writers like Maria Edgeworth, Maeve Brennan and Elizabeth Bowen alongside less well known writers like Norah Hoult.
Q. Talking of Joyce … he seems to divide readers. Where do you stand on the love him/hate him debate?
I feel like a wee bit of a fraud at this point, as I haven't read Ulysses! I know, it's embarrassing, but it is in the 746 so I will be reading it at some point. I have read Finnegan's Wake and The Dead and would some down on the 'love' side, solely for the short story 'The Dead' which is a perfect short story and contains one of the most beautiful passages ever written:
'A few light taps upon the pane made him turn to the window. It had begun to snow again. He watched sleepily the flakes, silver and dark, falling obliquely against the lamplight. The time had come for him to set out on his journey westward. Yes, the newspapers were right: snow was general all over Ireland. It was falling on every part of the dark central plain, on the treeless hills, on the Bog of Allen and, farther westward, softly falling into the dark mutinous Shannon waves. It was falling, too, upon every part of the lonely churchyard on the hill where Michael Furey lay buried. It lay thickly drifted on the crooked crosses and headstones, on the spears of the little gate, on the barren thorns. His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling, like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and the dead.'
Hope Cathy's guest post has given you a taste for Irish authors. If you're tempted to explore further now is a good time to join Reading Ireland Month which runs until end of March. Find out more info on the sign up page on Cathy's blog. Follow the Facebook page here or join in the discussion on Twitter using #readireland16.
Posted in Irish authors, Reading Ireland, world literature
Reading Ireland: Where to begin?
After a few days musing on authors from Wales I'm now going to hop across the sea to do homage to my Celtic cousins via Reading Ireland Month. I missed the event hosted by Cathy of 746books and Niall of The Fluff is Raging last year but am geared up for this year's month long event.
I have three books in mind but will probably only manage one of them. I'm just not sure which of them to pick.
Do I go for….
Ancient Light by John Banville. In it an old actor recalls his schoolboy affair with a woman twice his age. I bought this in 2013 on my first visit to the Hay Book Festival where he was one of the featured authors He was a wonderful interviewee, full of anecdotes about the craft of writing (with a fountain pen if he is writing a John Banville novel but a biro when he writes as Benjamin Black). I'd only read The Sea by him previously but loved its lyricism so immediately the session finished I sped over to the bookshop and got a signed copy of Ancient Light. But its stayed on my shelf all this time.
Devoted Ladies by Molly Keane. This is her fifth novel but will be my first experience. I've seen her lauded by so many bloggers I simply have to explore her work. This one is set in fashionable, chic London rather than her usual world in Ireland. It shocked readers at the time because it dealt with a a stormy relationship between a lesbian couple.
or my final choice ..
Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín. If this is anywhere as good as Nora Webster which was one of my favourite books from 2015, then it will be a joyful experience. I'm deliberately choosing to ignore the film until I read the book.
All good options I think but which to I choose? Anyone care to make a recommendation???
Posted in Irish authors, Reading Ireland
Tags: Colm Toibin, John Banville, Molly Keane


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The Fox Inn3
Great Barrington , ,, Burford, OX18 4TB
Great Barrington , ,, Burford, OX18 4TB
I stayed at The Fox Inn as I was unable to get into any of the hotels in the Swindon area due to...
karen m
The accommodation consists of 2 different types, a recent new development The River mews and the 3 rooms above the pub. The River Mews is a brand new sympathetic development of 4 luxury mews rooms with an emphasis on traditional Cotswold craftsman's skills to create rooms with a 'Cotswold cottage type feeling' with stunning views overlooking the River Windrush. Developed with their own private ground floor entrances and set away from the pub, allowing you the freedom to come and go.
Step outside your door to your own private piece of Cotswold heaven ~ your residents only garden with seating area, allows you to escape the daily happenings of the Inn, if you wish to! The Inn is built into a bank, so the views are from the 2nd floor when in the rooms ~ Windrush, Westwell and Taynton are beautiful, with the Windrush Bridal Suite being the premium of all that apart from the wonderful development of the eaves exposing the original 'boat hull rafters' boasts double sided views from the large windows which are truly breathtaking and with a fair degree of certainty can say are unrivalled in the local area. Spectacular river views and offering the perfect country hideaway! Set in the front half of the pub are 2 pub rooms, which have just been completely renovated and are dog friendly too! The third floor (family or group) room with amazing river valley views, even has it's own resident ghost (friendly of course!!) The Fox Inn is ideally centrally located for all Cotswold attractions and offers discounted rates for longer stays. We look forward to meeting you and we're sure you will enjoy a stay at The Fox, whatever the reason for it.
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Our reviews are from genuine LateRooms.com customers. We verify that the customer has stayed before leaving a review.
100% would recommend it to a friend
Customer service
Food quality
Room quality
Thank goodness for the Air Show otherwise I wouldn't have found this great place to stay. Tucked away on the outskirts of the village of Great Barrington, The Fox Inn serves great food, has comfortable rooms and the countryside around the place is idyllic. I will certainly stay again when I have to work in this area.

subset: commoncrawl


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While Kendra Wilkinson and husband Hank Baskett are putting his reported affair behind him, the reality star's fans are apparently not doing the same.
The transgender female who had a relationship with Hank Baskett is filing a police report, claiming she was attacked in a gay bar by Kendra Wilkinson fans who were out for revenge.
Ava London is currently telling Modesto Police that she was inside a gay bar called Climax when a man and a woman attacked her. She says they pummeled her and pulled her weave out, screaming she was a "homewrecker" and a "hoe."
The alleged attacker Blake Tinsley admitted attacking Hank's reported lover and posted the video of the aftermath on his Instagram page and wrote, "LOL, the #husbandf***er Ava got told she's a hoe today and she/he went crazy."
The guy actually admits the attack saying, "After she flipped her fake-ass hair in my face and after i was being held by security my girl Tee Tee beat the s*** outs her."
Blake has since removed that comment but has posted his own video of the night showing Ava approach and hit his car.
While Ava's face is hard to see, the video clearly shows a person dressed in the same outfit that she posted selfies in earlier in the evening and in videos at a fast food restaurant that appear to be filled after the alleged attack.
Blake tagged in reality star Kendra in the Instagram post.
In response to comments by the model's friends, Blake claims it was Ava that initiated their fight.
He wrote: 'This is funny these people thing [sic] they know but I was the one who was first harassed when Ava hit he with her hair and that was uncalled for.
'I asked for footage cause she kept hitting my car to get to my friend who simple asked her why she would be rude to me.
Source: Linda ikeji


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"When you've got a huge family, drying the wet laundry turns into a nightmare with no tumble dryer. We cannot always hang our clothes outside due to lack of proper drying area or a garden in the house or because of certain weather conditions. This is where tumble dryers become a necessity."
Most people choose drying their clothes mechanically utilizing tumble dryers rather than using natural solar energy. Tumble dryers are really efficient because they dry the clothes quickly. They are also affordable and fairly easy to use.
Technological developments over the past few years also have lead to the production of much more sophisticated ones, which are more efficient and also at the same time it also consumes comparatively lesser energy.
In terms of selecting a dryer there are a number of different possibilities, so the homeowner needs to keep a few things in mind. The very first thing needs to be checked out would be the space where the dryer is going to be located. Additionally, take into consideration the amount of washing that's currently being done in the house. Tumble dryers are available in different types. This can be a vented tumble dryer, gas run type or they could be a condenser model.
In the condenser type of dryers, water or moisture is taken off from the clothes by passing hot steam through them. When steam is passed, additionally, it gets rid of the condensed water molecules which are removed and collected individually.This water can be drained out separately.
The vented type of tumble dryers is yet another type in which the warm air is forced into the clothes through a vent or a small telescopic hole from a wall. It is best suited for independent homes and isn't advised for apartments.
Aside from all this, the basic type of dryers dries the clothes by revolving them along an axis. They're called entry-level dryers. They usually spin the clothes only one way. Many issues come up out of this like tangling of clothes and such. This made the garments more wrinkled and thus hard to iron. To avert this issue, the new dryers now spin the clothes in both the directions as well. As they are moving in both directions, the clothes can certainly untangle themselves.
In order to save energy, many of these dryers also are measured with sensors that can indicate when the clothing is completely dry. As a result, it may avoid unnecessary waste of energy. For woollen clothes, there is also an option known as crease guard. This will let the woolen clothes to dry faster with no creasing.
Few models don't have sensors and have Timer Models in which the consumer has to set the timing as in washing machines of how much time to dry the filled in clothes. While making use of this model of dryers one has to carefully set the timings of drying because over drying will leave the clothes rough and stiff which will be hard for ironing.
Though some combinations can maintain the performance of the dryer, they are relatively more expensive. Therefore, careful choices have to be made accordingly.


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Cleaning – What is expected of guests? In my five years as a vacation rental cleaner in Kailua, one of my favorite aspects of the job was when I had the opportunity to welcome and then see off the guests. It was exciting meeting people from so many different places and varied backgrounds, and I… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Accommodation
Traveling On A Budget to Oahu?
Here You Can Sleep for under $100! When visiting Oahu, Kailua, travelers can stay in nice hostels and small hotels to meet people from all over the world coming together in a very special place of Hawaii. Hostels, however small or affordable they may be, are still a gathering place for travelers, explorers and adventurers…. Read more »
10 Best Places to Stay When in Kailua, O'ahu under $100
Below are the top 10 places under $100 where guests can book unique accommodations … + $25 coupon from AirB&B for your next stay


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ZJ Sport Outrigger Hybrid Paddle Design III
- Blade size M (24 * 47 cm) Blade size L (24,7 * 47 cm)
- Length 125 cm - 140 cm
- Handmade wooden shaft
- carbon leaf
- Front with great design
- Bent shaft
- Ergonomic wooden handle
- Weight approx. 500 g +/- 50g
The ZJ Sport Outrigger Hybrid Paddle comes as a kit or prefabricated to length.
The wooden handle is ergonomically shaped and fits comfortably in the hand.
Average product review
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Cardstock: WP9 Black, Recollections White
Stamps: WP9 Dream Believer, PTI Daydreamer
In: PTI Hawaiian Shores, Spring Moss, Berry Sorbet, Summer Sunrise, Versafine Onyx
Dies: WP9 Small Butterfly Frame, SSS Stitched Rectangles
Other: Rhinestones
These are both wonderful. Is it OK to say I like yours better than the original???ReplyDelete
AMAZING!!! LOVE them both VERY much!!!ReplyDelete
These are gorgeous....love that dramatic pop of black.ReplyDelete
Both of these are just beautiful. The touch of black really sets everything off.ReplyDelete
So beautiful, Kara! LOVE!!!ReplyDelete
Gorgeous cards!! Such lovely designs and pretty paper!!
Thank you very much for joining us this week at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog!
Beautiful cards, Kara. The black really makes them pop....ReplyDelete
Both are so inspiring! Love the pop of black with all the soft inks.ReplyDelete
These are both beautiful!ReplyDelete
Kara, both beauties, have to LOVE that black frame with the butterflies best!ReplyDelete
Kara both of your cards are gorgeous, I just want to recreate t hem!ReplyDelete
Your work is amazing ,Kara!ReplyDelete
Both cards are gorgeous but I'm loving that gorgeous black frame! You've inspired me to pull my Dreams set out of the for sale bin :)
Wow! Fabulous cards and so impeccably stamped and designed. Love these.ReplyDelete
I love these cards!!!ReplyDelete
Kara, I love how you make multiple cards on a theme! Every single one of them is perfect, and always a little different from each other. I am completely in awe of you! :-)ReplyDelete
Amazing--both are so beautiful!ReplyDelete
Wow Kara! This is absolutely dreamy!ReplyDelete


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OKLAHOMA CITY- A hand painted tea set, unique wedding gift and beautiful painting all made it onto Wednesday's Trash or Treasure.
While they weren't worth thousands, your items may be worth more than you think.
Need a little extra cash?
Check if you have any of these treasures around your house; they could be worth money!
Bring your antiques to local antique expert Matt McNeil, ISA CAPP, and he will determine if they are Trash or Treasure.
To set up an appointment to be on the show, please call (405) 478-6322 and leave a message.
Appointments are Wednesdays at 2:45 p.m. and must be scheduled in advance.
*Please note: due to the high caller volume, it may take a few days, at most weeks, for your call to be returned.*
You may have two of your family heirlooms, antiques or prized possessions appraised for free.
Large items like furniture and weapons are not applicable.
444 East Britton Rd.
Oklahoma City, OK. 73114
On Britton Road between I-235 & I-35


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This OPEN BOX product you are browsing has been inspected by our qualified technicians to ensure that it meets factory specifications and includes all factory packed accessories. It is guaranteed to be in perfect working order but it is sold in "AS IS" condition (for example, the box may be torn, there may be cosmetic scratches, etc), returns will not be accepted unless the item is found to be defective. Please contact us with any questions BEFORE placing an order. We accept PayPal and all major credit cards. We do our best to describe each item we are selling to the best of our ability. Bear in mind that the item is sold as-is.
Use the "contact us" page to request additional information or images on this product
The versatile Aspire V3 Series notebook packs a 17.3" screen along with plenty of expansion options. A 4th generation Intel Core processor and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760M graphics deliver intense power for any task. With a striking full HD display and Dolby Home Theater v4 sound, the Aspire V3 makes a great entertainment centre.
Operating System
Processor & Chipset
Display & Graphics
Network & Communication
Built-in Devices
Input Devices
Battery Information
Power Description
Physical Characteristics


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Via [ladyada], [Raijuu] combined some ideas from [Ladyada]'s boarduino and [evilmadscientists] Atmel business card created his own single sided (for easy etching) project board for ATMega8/128 projects. You can tell that the design is an expression of frustration from past projects; We can definitely appreciate features like separate power and multiple sockets on each pin. (We'd probably consider adding some soldering points to allow for permanent connections.)
2 thoughts on "Single Side Arduino-ish Beta Board"
I don't think the board works for ATmega128 as it is stated in your news (at least I read it that way).
And we call it: the Arduino breadboard :)
Don't think they'll be too happy about that though.


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CNG Kits Delhi
Fitment Center Location :
- S-11, Pul Pehlad Pur, BadarPur, New Delhi -110044
Phone : +91-9870285687
Email : email@example.com
CNG Kits Type :
CNG Kits are of two Types :
(1). Sequential CNG Kits (2) Conventional CNG Kits
Sequential CNG Kit is a Computerized CNG Kit and is latest. This is best for all latest petrol Cars euro 3 and above and is available at us in all make and models. We install Original Sequential CNG Kits imported from Italy and Argentina. Sequential CNG kits have better mileage, better pickup and do not harm car engine in any way.
Conventional CNG Kit is the traditional CNG kit which is old in type, bulky in size and is suitable for old cars only. These kits are relatively cheaper and available in Imported as well as Indian made. We also install conventional CNG kits in all types of car.
Why Install CNG Kit ?
CNG is cheaper than petrol and is now easily available on CNG Filling Stations. Mileage of CNG running cars are 20% more than that at running on petrol. Hence running cars on CNG is very economical. Comparison chart relative to CNG is given below:
|Price Per KG
|Cost Per 1000 KM


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ERP Power LLC (ERP), a leading provider of small, smart and efficient LED drivers for the lighting industry, has signed a distribution agreement with Berkshire Hathaway's Mouser Electronics, Inc., the industry's leading New Product Introduction (NPI) distributor.
"It's exciting to be literally powering the change to LED lighting across all types of businesses," said Andy Williams, ERP executive vice president. "Mouser's excellent customer service caters to engineers and the lighting design community, making online purchases quick and easy when designing unique, next generation LED lighting fixtures."
ERP LED drivers deliver an industry-leading combination of compact size, embedded intelligence, extensive dimmer compatibility, wired/wireless controls, programmable outputs, and high efficiency – all at a competitive cost.
"LED lighting reduces utility costs, improves safety, creates ambiance, and enables interactive experiences wherever there are people," said Keith Privett, Mouser Electronics VP Supplier Management. "ERP and Mouser want to collaborate with lighting fixture designers as we introduce new bright ideas for packing more power into smaller footprints – delivering cost savings for each application."
© 2017 David Mazor
Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.


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Overall Rating
Senior Friendly Features
Cool Factor
Senior Friendly Features
Digital Camera Type :
LCD size :
3 in or more
Image Stabilizer :
Weight :
4 oz to 8 oz
Quick Specs
Canon's new PowerShot ELPH 530 HS Wi-Fi Enabled Digital Camera offers a very clean 10.1 megapixel image, Canon's latest DIGIC 5 image processor, face recognition and tagging, AND wireless uploads straight from the camera using Canon's proprietary iMAGE GATEWAY to let you upload to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or your computer, tablet or smartphone.
A 12x zoom in a tiny camera is amazing, and the 530 has it. Optical image stabilization, Canon's own IS, is built-in. There's a dedicated movie button to make shooting 1080p HD video really easy. It shoots 1080p at 24 frames per second, or 720p video at 30 fps.
It's available in white or black. For more information or to purchase a Canon PowerShot ELPH 530 HS Wi-Fi Enabled Digital Camera, visit Amazon.com.
Read our Senior-Friendly Guide to Digital Cameras.


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James Bond audiobooks available on CD from WF HowesJanuary 30th, 2015 by David Leigh
The James Bond audiobooks are now available as CDs from WF Howes, the UK's leading publisher of unabridged audiobooks. The new editions feature the same striking cover designs as the digital editions from Audible, inspired by the work of artist Saul Bass. Each recording comes with a bonus interview with the celebrity narrator. Corinne Turner, MD […]>> read article


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That's a quote from Mother Teresa while caring for a dying man. Brad's sermon today was part of his Living Free series on the fruit of the Spirit. Today was "faithfulness."
I love it when Brad uses examples from C.S. Lewis. Today he talked about the scene in The Last Battle where the dwarves don't see the beauty around them in new Narnia, and when they have a feast from Aslan they complain that they're eating dried cow dung. I love the imagery and theology of the The Last Battle.
Alex led a reading, too, from The Message, Galatians 5.16-26. As we were following along, he said to look for things that seemed significant to us. I noted the phrase "life of the Spirit." After the Festival of Faith & Writing I told myself I was going to try to live more a life of letters -- of writing and reading. I hope that will be more a life of the Spirit, too.
I also highlighted this: "That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives." I like that, "far more interesting things to do with our lives." Good thing to remember when comparing myself to others more talented, or beautiful, or successful, or whatever. I have far more interesting things to do with my life!


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Making The Move
Our pre-resignation support involves weekly transition calls with the advisor to identify tasks which need completion, to address outstanding items and to answer any questions he or she may have. The advisor is provided with an outline of the transition process so that he is aware of the steps involved and timing of those steps. This will keep the transition process proceeding smoothly and on track so that he will be fully prepared for his license transfer on resignation day. Our transition team at Stratos will provide the advisor with repapering support, preparing and mailing the client paperwork on the day his securities licenses transfer to LPL. The team also provides the advisor and his staff with a Best Practices call just prior to resignation. On this call, we discuss dos and don'ts, familiarize them with LPL account paperwork and answer any questions they may have.
Once the advisor is officially onboard with LPL, the Stratos transition team continues support for him and his staff for up to 60 days. Our support involves assisting with account opening and tracking their change of broker dealer request to be sure the direct business accounts network to the LPL accounts. We provide both on-site support and virtual support during that 60 day period.
Jennifer Isaacs
Dir. of HR & Business Services
Jennifer and her daughter have recently relocated to the Cleveland area and in her spare time she enjoys volunteering with dog rescue organizations, kayaking, reading, and is an avid college basketball fan.
Kate Sweetman
Senior Business Services Associate
Kate joined Stratos Wealth Partners as a Transition Specialist in 2016. Prior to joining Stratos, Kate was a licensed Insurance Agent and Registered Representative with Farmers Financial Services. She currently holds her FINRA Series 6 and 63 registrations with LPL Financial.
Kate has developed a keen understanding of the challenges and concerns faced by Small Business Owners after working closely with them for over 13 years. A passion for small business and commitment to Customer Service make the Transitions Team a great fit.
Kate is located in our San Diego location and lives with her husband and two children. She spends most of her free time on the sidelines of her kid's soccer and baseball games or at the beach.
Stephanie Spillman
Business Services Associate
Stephanie Spillman joined Stratos Wealth Partners as a Transitions Specialist in June 2015. She brings 13 years of financial industry experience including banking and investments. Prior to joining Stratos Wealth Partners, Stephanie worked for National City Bank (PNC), Huntington National Bank/Huntington Investment Company, and The Community Bank.
Stephanie is a graduate of Muskingum University with a BA in Business and Economics. She enjoys traveling, health & fitness, attending sporting events, and spending time with family and friends. Stephanie and her husband Mark recently relocated to the Cleveland area and enjoy the activities and dining this area provides.


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FREE! Feyland: The First Adventure
The Dark Realm: Book 1
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The Twilight Kingdom: Book 3
Spark: Book 4
Royal: Book 5
Marny: Book 6
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How to Babysit a Changeling
Trinket: A Feyland Tale
Brea's Tale: A Feyland Novella
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Tag Archives: .99 cent ebooks
The Complete Feyland Trilogy on sale!
Until August 28th, scoop up the first three Feyland books in one epic digital bundle for only .99 cents! Called "Ready Player One with Faeries," the world of Feyland is filled with treacherous magic, high-tech computer gaming, and a dash … Continue reading
Chronicle Worlds: FEYLAND – More adventures await!
Buy on AMAZON in both print and ebook! This groundbreaking new collection from editor Samuel Peralta, in collaboration with author Anthea Sharp, features twelve brand-new tales from top authors in the SFF genre, all set within the world of Feyland. Whether … Continue reading
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Do you dare go into the woods?
ONCE UPON A CURSE is here! Seventeen magical stories from NY Times and USA Today bestsellers and award-winning authors that will entice you to the darker side of … Continue reading
Urban Fantasy Sale!
NIGHTSHADE is a collection of 17 paranormal romance and urban fantasy short stories featuring witches, ghosts, vampires, gods, and more. Each story is a perfect apéritif for paranormal romance and urban fantasy readers. But the authors of the set don't … Continue reading
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NEW Nightshade Anthology
I have a brand new FEYLAND short story in this fabulous anthology! Brea's Tale: Arrival takes place right before Royal, and gives a glimpse into how this faerie girl came to the mortal world and found her bearings. **Only $2.99 … Continue reading
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New Free Book Bundle!
*FREE* Future Tense: Twelve First-In-Series Young Adult SciFi Novels From twelve USA Today, Amazon and award-winning authors comes Future Tense, an electrifying YA sci-fi boxed set. Inventive first-in-series novels featuring modified humans, sexy alien romance, Martian pioneers, cyborg gunslingers, unusual … Continue reading
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New Feyland Novella!
I have a surprise for all my readers – a new Feyland novella! I wanted to get into Marny's perspective a bit before starting to write her novel, and the story How to Babysit a Changeling is the result. This … Continue reading


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Nobody has championed Donald Trump based on his character. The argument I keep hearing is, "This is our last chance to save conservative values…We need to shake up the system…We need to make our voice heard…Trump will fight back…" etc.
Two things:
First, if that scenario is true–if we're in a position where we need some desperate last ditch effort of a president to save us–then it's already too late. We are completely and utterly doomed.
Second–and this is specifically for my fellow believers out there–it is wrong to put our trust in the arm of flesh. And yes, that's exactly what Trump's religious supporters are doing.
"But we have to be involved citizens and vote," you say, and I agree, but that does not mean going along with the options presented by a corrupt mainstream. A third party vote or (as I'm doing) a vote for "none of the above" is also a moral choice. I suspect that our efforts as citizens will be most useful on the names and issues at the local levels of our ballots now, anyway.
Yes, issues and policies are important, but none of them–or all of them put together–are as powerful as God. The "wrong" person winning an election or the "wrong" law being passed will not break our country.
The success or failure of our country is decided by the strength of the hearts and homes of our people. God will deliver us or not based on the daily lives of those who constitute the society, who create the culture, not the artificial landmarks of that society and culture. By focusing on politics, we're obsessing over the outer appearance of virtue in America, instead of the inner core of who we as a people really are. We're trying to become "like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness" (Matt. 23:27).
We will never save American at the ballot box, especially not while our families are falling apart as we make such a fuss about this vote. The late conservative journalist Andrew Breitbart knew this truth when he said that politics is downstream from culture.
"So what?" you might say. "Don't we still need to elect good leaders and then we can fix our communities, too?"
No. You said yourself that Donald Trump is a desperate measure. He is not a good candidate. And by putting such value in his election, by suggesting that his winning would somehow empower us, you are looking for a worldly, secular deliverance, instead of doing the more important things we've been taught to do, and trusting in God.
Supporting Trump just because of some superstitious belief that he'll somehow help Christians is, in short, a form of idolatry.


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Chapter 917 - Allheaven's Counter-attack
Those 18 balls of blood descended and an oppressive aura covered the area. This oppression had no effect on the Allheaven cultivators, and they all glowed red in response to it.
However, for the Alliance cultivators that had charged over, their minds all trembled!
At this moment, all the Alliance cultivators felt an unimaginable pressure, as if the entire world was crushing them from all sides. Their blood flowed rapidly through their bodies. It was as if all sounds aside from their pounding heartbeats were cut off.
Even their visions blurred.
The 18 balls of blood were made of blood gathered by the two families from ancient times over tens of thousands of years. The blood was slowly refined after many sacrifices over the countless years. It was one of the two family protection treasures they had.
This object was very famous in the ancient cultivation world!
It was named the 18 Lou Fu!
Lou Fu was a cultivation mountain in ancient times. However, one night, the mountain mysteriously collapsed and all the cultivators in the mountain died the violent deaths of having all their blood drained.
Their blood gathered at Mount Lou Fu and formed a ball of blood 100 feet wide!
This was the origin of Lou Fu. After that, a lot of ancient cultivators came to study it. Although they couldn't understand the cause, they gained an understanding of the ball of blood. Thus the spell for the Lou Fu blood ball came to be.
However, this ball of blood was too vicious and the rate of formation was not high. Although it had mysterious powers, it couldn't be mass refined.
The power of the 18 Lou Fu was their pressure. One Lou Fu would give one layer of pressure, so 18 Lou Fu would create an unimaginable degree of pressure.
In addition, if a cultivator merged some of their blood into the 18 Lou Fu, then not only would they not be pressured, their cultivation level would also increase for a short period of time.
The Black Fiend Devil Saint's expression was gloomy and he was about to charge out to destroy the 18 Lou Fu. However, just at this moment, Blood God appeared from the void and blocked the Black Fiend Devil Saint with a laugh.
Master Flamespark's face was expressionless while he pointed backward. This point seemed to be able to penetrate the void. It tore through the spatial cracks covering the western region and entered the tunnel connecting to the Allheaven Star System.
In the Allheaven Star System, there were tens of thousands of cultivators with their cultivation activated. There was one object between them!
This object was a piece of wood. However, this piece of wood was 100,000 feet long and 10,000 feet wide!
Heaven Piercing Wood! This was found by the Thunder Celestial Temple 30,000 years ago. Rumor had it that it was a celestial tree that supported the Ancient Celestial Realm. Only the Thunder Celestial Realm was able to keep theirs relatively intact. The other three realms lost theirs during the collapse of the Celestial Realms.
A powerful surge of celestial spiritual energy appeared. After the Thunder Celestial Temple found it, they hid it away. Now it was taken out as a powerful method of attack against the Alliance.
The tens of thousands of cultivators that were surrounding this giant piece of wood shouted in unison. These tens of thousands of cultivators were mercilessly pushing this giant piece of wood forward! There were even old monsters, like the Xiang family ancestor and the middle-aged man from the Gongsun family, at the back. With their help, this giant piece of wood moved toward the tunnel ahead with a thunderous rumble.
This giant piece of wood had the power to pierce anything slowly gained speed. It accelerated until it formed a storm as it went through the tunnel and appeared in the western region of the Alliance Star System.
It was so fast that the whistling sound it created could shake one's mind. The power contained within it was unimaginable. The barrier created by the spatial rifts couldn't resist the force of this impact at all. As the endless rumbles echoed, large amounts of ripples spread in every direction. At the center of the ripple, the giant piece of wood charged through and forcibly opened a passage.
A large amount of Allheaven cultivators followed around and behind the giant piece of wood, charging into the Alliance filled with killing intent!
The expressions of the Alliance cultivators that arrived through transfer arrays changed greatly. They wanted to dodge, but due to the impact of the giant piece of wood, they couldn't dodge at all. Even though they were very far, they were sucked in by the powerful storm formed by the giant piece of wood.
There were some cultivators that were hit directly by the piece of wood. Their bodies and origin souls were destroyed, leaving behind a mist of blood. However, compared to the size of the wood, this blood was insignificant.
The 18 Lou Fu was the first great treasure the Allheaven cultivators had prepared, and this giant piece of wood was the second, but this still wasn't the end!
The giant piece of wood opened the path through the barrier formed by the spatial cracks. Ripples spread across the barrier and a roar that shook the entire western region came from the tunnel to Allheaven Star System.
This roar tore through the western region and violently shook the Alliance cultivators. Some of them even bled from their orifices due to the vibrations.
An extreme sense of violence came from the tunnel. A giant cultivation planet appeared in the tunnel between the two systems. It was surrounded by white gas and was very strange.
The moment it came out, the mist around the planet quickly withdrew until it all disappeared, then a crack appeared in the middle of the planet. The planet opened up and countless tentacles stretched out. This was the Moongazer Serpent!
The Moongazer Serpent's eyes were bloodshot and were filled with endless anger, enough for it to go crazy. Its tentacles waved like crazy as it charged out.
The Moongazer Serpent's mouth opened, and along with its roar, a powerful impact shot out. This roar turned into a storm and shot forward. In an instant, those spatial cracks were pushed back like pieces of torn paper!
However, as the roar closed in on the giant piece of wood, a barrier of yellow light appeared. It was like an egg shell that allowed the roar to pass along side it without any resistance.
The angry roar of the Moongazer Serpent was so intense that it even caused space to collapse. The space before the giant piece of wood twisted and a white-robed old man was forced out in a somewhat sorry state.
His face was extremely gloomy and his gaze seemed like it would penetrate space. When he saw the giant Moongazer Serpent come out from the tunnel, he retreated without any hesitation, but just at that moment, the giant piece of wood arrived.
The old man was one of the four saints, the Heavenly Dao Origin Saint. He let out a sigh as he shook his head and retreated even faster.
However, just as he started retreating, the Xiang family ancestor and the Gongsun family's middle-aged man charged out from the giant piece of wood toward the white-robed old man.
"Fellow Alliance cultivator, why are you in such a rush to leave?" The Xiang family ancestor laughed as he waved his sleeves. A red wind quickly appeared and surrounded the surrounding 5,000 kilometers.
This great battle began in the western and northern regions and quickly spread. The battle was fierce, and various magical treasures flashed across the battlefields!
Ripples of spells spread and affected countless areas!
During this intense slaughter, if any Alliance or Allheaven cultivator was careless, they would immediately die. The angered Moongazer Serpent seemed to be able to differentiate between Alliance and Allheaven cultivators. It would rarely affect Allheaven cultivators but often slaughtered Alliance cultivators.
Due to this, the Alliance cultivators were at an immediate disadvantage!
At this moment, Wang Lin was in the western region. Lei Ji's body, which was a lot smaller, only 30 feet tall, was opening the way. The big-headed boy was behind him. As for Ta Shan, he still had a cold expression as he observed his surrounding.
Wang Lin's gaze was calm. Along the way, he had met several Alliance cultivators. Whenever they saw Wang Lin, their expressions changed due to Wang Lin's group's cultivation levels. They turned around and ran without any hesitation.
However, there were several people that thought they were strong enough or thought they had enough people. They attacked Wang Lin's group after some hesitation. But all of them were directly killed by Wang Lin without any exception.
The smell of blood covered their path through the western region. The further he went, the more Alliance cultivators he met, but there weren't many that were willing to fight him.
Wang Lin's body didn't give off any killing intent. However, whether it was Lei Ji, the big-headed boy, or Ta Shan, all three of them were filled with killing intent. They charged forward like sharp swords leading the way.
As they made their way, Wang Lin watched their surroundings. The familiar surroundings had all collapsed and spatial cracks would whistle by. All of this showed that the western region was now completely deserted. However, these cracks before Wang Lin were moved to the side by some mysterious force.
If an old monster at the second step who was at the Nirvana Cleanser stage saw this, they would be shocked. This was the sign of starting to control law. Although Nirvana Scryer cultivators comprehended law, comprehending and controlling were very different things. Controlling law was something only Nirvana Cleanser cultivators could do. Wang Lin had not reached the Nirvana Cleanser stage, but with the help of the heaven defying bead, he had a sliver of aura similar to that of a Nirvana Cleanser cultivator, though this aura was very faint.
Just at this moment, a beautiful woman wearing purple was fleeing among the stars with a bitter smile. Her sword light was faint, as if she could fall at any time. Behind her was a group of Alliance cultivators. Among them was a middle-aged man with a sneer on his face that was rapidly chasing after her.
"It's her…" With Wang Lin's divine sense, he was able to immediately see the woman in the distance.


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This was published 11 years ago
Coffee has spoiled the tea party
ARE we tea drinkers second-class citizens? Let me elaborate. I'm an eight-cups-a-day tea drinker. No milk, no sugar, simply black. Orange pekoe, Darjeeling first flush, oolong and then green tea.
Yet most cafes and restaurants have menus with endless variations of coffee. You know the usual trendy drinks such as lattes, mugacino, cappuccino, espresso macchiato and cafe con leche. But where's the tea? If you are lucky there will be one or two types listed at the bottom of the blackboard - usually English breakfast or Earl Grey.
If you want further proof of our lower ranking on the citizenship scale, watch what happens after you have had your meal. The waiter always asks if anyone wants coffee. Do they ever ask if anyone would like tea? Rarely. And how about the look they give when you are the only one in your group who says "Can I have some tea?" They look in shock and puzzlement and say, "Yes, I think we may have English breakfast and Earl Grey." You go for the English breakfast because daring to ask for Darjeeling is likely to offend.
And then observe who gets served first. That's right - the coffee drinkers. Out comes their little cups of froth decorated with designs of fern or eucalypt leaves, or something that resembles a love heart.
And then out comes the tea. I would say nine out of 10 times out comes a tea bag stuck in the small cup (to really make matters worse watch how often it is served in a glass mug … is there no shame?) Of course you may be lucky and have it served in a pot with the tea-bag label dangling out for all to see.
But occasionally you get the five-star service you really want and deserve. Real tea leaves in a white china pot and a petite fine china cup and saucer. But such quality is rare. So let me put forward 10 simple rules for eateries:
1. Offer the same number of teas as you offer coffees. A minimum of 10 is acceptable.
2. Display these prominently on the blackboard.
3. Always use tea leaves.
4. Display the tea leaves in large glass jars.
5. Never use tea bags.
6. Use a pot, preferably china.
7. Provide a cup and saucer.
8. Never provide glass cups.
9. Train your staff to always ask if people want tea or coffee.
10. Serve tea drinkers first.
Follow these rules and tea drinkers will be considered equal citizens.
Readers are invited to send 450 words on what makes their blood boil to email@example.com. Include your daytime phone details.


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Training in Cardiology12 April 2002
The curriculum is currently under review with the intention of bringing it into line with best educational practice. This will probably have little effect on overall content but there are likely to be changes of emphasis and more importantly there will be a change in style.
In common with all the medical specialties, there will be a move towards an objective-based curriculum of which the main components will be:
Whilst there will be little difficulty in defining the background, aims, objectives and subject matter, there will be greater difficulty in giving clear direction regarding teaching and learning methodology and assessment.
Proposals are being put to government that consultant time must be made available to allow greater participation in teaching and particularly in one-to-one assessments of trainees during clinical activity such as ward rounds, clinics and practical procedures.
The following information is available from JCHMT where a web site is currently being developed:
Joint Committee On Higher Medical Training,
5 St Andrews Place,
Regent's Park,
Telephone: 020 7935 1174
There are still some training programmes yet to be submitted for approval.
In the medium term, the Specialist Training Authority is planning to refuse applications for CCSTs from trainees that have been employed within programmes that have not received formal approval.
Trainees are strongly advised to check with their Regional Specialty Adviser whether their programme has received this formal approval.
All training programmes will be inspected and a five year cycle is being planned. Inspections are intended to allow trainees a major opportunity to voice their suggestions as to how training could be improved and clinical work organised within a particular department to ensure that the clinical exposure obtained matches the requirements of the trainee at each stage of his/her training.
The SAC is occasionally asked for advice regarding problems during training but it is the Postgraduate Deans, taking advice from the local training committee, who have prime responsibility in dealing with poor performance of an individual trainee.
The SAC appoints a representative to attend each PYA and report back to JCHMT reporting any particular problems and to alert the office that there will be a need, soon, to help the trainee apply for a CCST and submit an application to the STA.
It is vital that trainees come to these assessments well prepared and it is entirely his/her responsibility to ensure that both the JCHMT Record of Training and the BCS/BCIS Logbook of Practical Procedures are fully up to date.
Unless these documents are available, legible and up to date, the SAC representative will not be able to sanction the trainee's entry into the final year of training.
Conversely, PYAs can be very useful occasions where the trainee can elicit the help of the SAC representative to ensure that his/her specific training requirements are met during the final year.
It has been difficult during transition to the new programme to determine precise CCST dates for individuals, due to varied interpretation of the rather complex rules surrounding posts held prior to transition, contribution of time spent in clinical work during research and time spent in "senior" SHO posts.
As a result the date offered by the trainee after discussion with his local training committee has often differed from that suggested at the JCHMT. It is important to remember that the STA audits at least one in ten of the applications with the power to challenge and alter the date of the CCST.
It is vital, therefore, that an individual's CCST date can be justified and backed up with evidence of progress during training (from the RITA process). It is far better to argue about a precise date earlier rather than later and better to debate it rather than risk an alteration at a very late stage.
New arrangements are being set up relating to CCST dates. The steps will be as follows:
Foreign doctors or British subjects that have trained overseas face quite a complex process in order to gain direct access to the Specialist Medical Register.
A non-refundable administrative charge is made.
In essence the following is required before an application can be considered:
Full or limited registration with the GMC or eligibility for same;
Telephone: 020 7935 1174
Many of the current posts approved for higher medical training in cardiology are currently filled by registrars holding LAT contracts. Most are hoping to move on to a SpR post with a number.
Please note that only ONE YEAR of time spent as a LAT can be counted towards training except in very exceptional circumstances (so far only one has been allowed to count more than one year).
Also, please remember that LATs must also enrol with JCHMT. This is in everyone's interest since the office can use the collective data so gained to help with manpower planning and for the individual, it means that their CV is entered into the JCHMT database saving time later once a post is acquired.
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