2010 October

Tales From the Big Durian

The Durian is a contentious fruit; loved by many whilst others are disgusted by its strong smell, and strange appearance. Jakarta, one of South-east Asia’s largest and least known Cities, is aptly nicknamed the “Big Durian.” Tales from the Big Durian, is a collection of true stories and experiences, that cross lines of “normality,” and takes readers in the surreal life of a mega-city torn between western modernization, and traditional beliefs.

The book starts with a short story about the differences in cultural beliefs, were locals prefer skin whitening creams to exposing themselves in the hot, tropical Indonesian sun. It leads onto a collection of bizarre, and funny tales were expatriates and locals mix, leading to a chaotic mix of misunderstandings, that end up as confusing as they first started.
?br>As爕ou travel through a growing ultra-modern City to the crumbling tenements, and shacks of the poor. Where a society lives on the edge of earthquakes, and floods, whilst millions of people somehow find a way to make a living.
?br>Onto the streets of this teeming City, were luxurious Shopping Malls collide with street hawkers selling everything imaginable, and Porsches battle with the most dangerous buses in East Asia, for space on Jakarta’s gridlocked roads.
?br>Stories are often “human” stories; the anonymous street food seller outside a western-style bar, or the residents of a crumbling apartment block, that has a reputation of being haunted. People who exist but often are the nameless characters that make the City of Jakarta, so interesting.
?br>Each page Invites you to a very real World, you can experience first hand by flipping through an assortment of stories, which 爀ither confuse, bring joy or plain old disgust.
?br>Welcome to the surreal, and yet very real World of the “Big Durian.”
?br>“Tales from the Big Durian,” is available in ebook form, through Fultus Books..

A Review of A S Byatt’s A Whistling Woman

A S Byatt’s A Whistling Woman is a strange book. At one level it’s a straightforward account of university life, with its politics, affairs and academic pursuit. But then there’s the suspicion that none of this is ever satisfying for those involved. They yearn for something bigger, whilst at the same time trying to deny its significance in their lives. Another strand is the career of Federica, one of the book’s principal characters. Almost by default, she finds herself host of a BBC2-style arts review or in-depth discussion. She is forced via the subject matter of her programmes to re-examine a whole host of assumptions. So while the scientists try to identify a mechanism by which memory is both stimulated and fixed by means of electrical stimulation, Federica, via her television shows, offers apparently ever more arcane subject matter, leaving us confused as to what we think we might believe – or even remember.

And these are just some of the strands of plot and characterization in A Whistling Woman, certainly one of the more complex novels I have read in many years. I have not read the previous three works in the series. This may have been why I found a number of loose ends that seemed to have strayed and frayed from elsewhere.

And then there’s the alternative university that establishes itself near to the conventional campus of the University of North Yorkshire, whose acronym, obviously, is UNY, implying generality. The alternative people adopt true nineteen sixties postures, preferring question to answer, experience to knowledge, heuristics to instruction. When we recall this hippy, flower power, professedly liberated, free thinking era, it is wise to bear in mind that this is also the generation that elected Ronald Reagan, tolerated support for death squads in central America and felled the consumer boom of the later eighties. But at the time, these revolutionaries sought something transcendent in their anti-university and found it in a self-destructing religious sect.

But no matter what people profess, no matter what they research, they still sleep with one another, still get pregnant, still need mutual support. The 1960s complicated all of these things with a superimposed need for personal, transcendental fulfillment and expression, whilst, at the same time, destroying perhaps permanently any possible recourse to established religion. In A Whistling Woman, A S Byatt captures this confusion and dissects it, but she offers us no neat packages of analysis, no simple results by which we might identify its elements.

Article Marketing Domination Review

My favorite free Internet marketing strategy is article marketing. I’ve been using this technique since 1995 online and offline with great success. Many e-books (including mine) cover this topic but Article Marketing Domination goes one step further to maximize your article marketing efforts.

Article Marketing Domination by Joshua Spaulding is unique in that it focuses on advanced strategies for article marketers with some experience. Joshua is the CEO of Spaulding Marketing, Inc. an internet marketing firm that provides top-notch marketing services to small business owners.

The chapters of this 29 page, single spaced e-book include:

Introduction

About The Author

What You Must Know

Effective Article Creation

Effective Article Distribution

Studying EzineArticles.com

Marketing Your Article Marketing

Latent Semantic Indexing

Conclusion

89 E-Zines Where You Can Publish Your Articles

Valuable Resources

Closing Thoughts

Joshua opens the e-book by focusing on the changes in article marketing over the past few years. He offers his perspective as an article directory owner an as an article marketer.

Joshua covers keyword selection that will help article marketers stress less about keyword use and density. He also focuses on title creation and how to create an effective resource box.

An after submission strategy created by Joshua helps article marketers get the most out of their submissions. This strategy is truly unique and worth the price of this e-book.

Joshua closes his e-book with a list of e-zines that accept article submissions on the topics of health, home business, travel and home and family. He then suggests some valuable resources and closes with inspiring quotes.

Included as a bonus to your purchase of Article Marketing Domination is the software “Article Submitter” and an e-book “Write Like A Maniac”.

Joshua and I have different opinions on only two points: the importance of proper grammar and spelling in articles and the recommended length. On all other points we agree and Joshua even taught this long-time article marketer a thing or two!

I found Article Marketing Domination to be an excellent resource for article marketers who are looking for an edge over their competition.

The Lost Symbol

Dan Brown’s latest historical mystery novel, The Lost Symbol, follows up on the success of The Da Vinci Code, and Angels and Demons.

Following the life of protagonist Robert Langdon, a Harvard symbolist, Brown’s latest adventure/mystery spans a twelve hour time period covering 2000 years of world history. The plot, following the same construction fans have come to expect, knits together a historical account and a tense thriller. This type of storyline construction is a feat that Brown does better than any other writer.

Well-researched and tightly crafted, Dan Brown’s books are phenomenons with his raving fans, on book best-seller lists and at the box-office. The Da Vinci Code, directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks, raked in an astounding $748 million. His latest installment, scheduled for publication on September 15, 2009, should be no exception. Following the typical tense "real-time" style his fans have come to expect, Brown weaves mystery, intrigue and humor into a plot that is both riveting and unforgettable.

In the author’s words, "Weaving five years of research into the story’s twelve hour timeframe was an exhilarating challenge. Robert Langdon’s life clearly moves faster than mine."

Will The Last Symbol live up to the extremely high precedent that its predecessors have set? All signs are pointing to yes. Brown’s latest installment is leading "Amazon’s Top 25 Most Popular Preorders" list.

With The Da Vinci Code being the bestselling hardcover novel of all time, the recent release of the film Angel and Demons starring Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon, The Lost Symbol will be fresh in people’s minds and ready to convert new readers and fans.

Snakehead – The Journey to Australia

Known for exciting children novels such as the “Alex Rider” and the “Diamond Brothers” series, Anthony Horowitz, the celebrated English author and scriptwriter now brings the “Snakehead”, the 7th novel in the “Alex Rider” series. The book has been already released in Australia and it’s going to be released in the UK and the USA on this coming 13th November. Those who went through the earlier “Alex Rider” series including “Stormbreaker”, “Point Blank”, “Skeleton Key”, “Eagle Strike”, “Scorpia”, “Ark Angel”, they need not wait more, the excitement of adventure is coming soon.

The plot of Snakehead revolves around the Alex who lands in Australia after falling from space who is eventually picked up by ASIS (Australian Secret Intelligence Service). Alex meets three friends working for ASIS namely X-Ray, Scooter and Texas. Alex accompanies his friends to the beach to attend a wonderful barbecue but is abandoned through a forest discovering himself on a training facility. Alex stands on a bomb which is supposed to be blasted within 15 minutes. But Alex jumps of it immediately and later come to know that the trap was made on him by ASIS to judge his calibre. The story starts like this and moves further with Alex getting recruited by ASIS to infiltrate one of the ruthless gangs operating across South East Asia. Known as snakeheads, the gangs smuggle drugs, weapons, and worst of all, people. Alex accepts the assignment, in part for the chance to work with his godfather and learn more about his parents. What he uncovers, however, is a secret that will make this his darkest and most dangerous mission yet… and that his old nemesis, Scorpia, is anything but out of his life.

So, wait for some time more and get a copy of this adventurous novel by Anthony Horowitz. Adventure and excitement will surely run into your blood!

Cheap Books and Fiction Books – The Best Friends and Companions of the People

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers”, this is the quotation of a famous writer and professor Charles W. Eliot. Very true, books are really the best friends and companions of a person. These are on one side give the excellent information, on other hand, these are the good sources of enjoyment also. Every educated person knows about the importance of books.

I personally like to read these in my spare time in order to enhance my knowledge and writing skills. But, I know that one problem, many of us feel is about the cost of these. But don’t worry, you can get the cheap books with ease from many online and offline stores. There are several markets, that are specially meant for selling of publications. You can get the special discounts on many of these shops.

On the other hand, with the advancement of technology, a new version of these has come in limelight which is called e-book that is the soft copy of the book. Many of these can be found totally free of cost on websites on the Internet. For some of them, you have to pay some money, but that is very low as compared to the paperbacks.

Publications and e-books on several themes are in the market, that are meant for the readers of different interests. Fiction books and romance books are the attractions that are prominent in the market. Fiction is categorised into science fiction and some other type of fiction such as stories of magicians etc. Books based on fiction are very popular among children also, because of the interesting nature of such publications. Romance books are those which are based on some love stories that may be real or or based on fiction. These consist of a different type of sweetness that attract the adults.

Cheap Books on some other topics, such as science, politics, current affairs, religion, spirituality are also being read by the number of people. It is for sure that the books will always be the best counselors of the people in the coming years.

Paradise Lost – The Garden Of Eden

John Milton was born on 9th December, 1608 in London. Milton very nicely blends the Renaissance and Reformation movement in his great literary works. Some of his literary contributions are “Ode on The Morning of Christ’s Nativity,” Paradise Lost,” “L’Allegro” and “II Penseroso” (1633), “Comus ” (1634), “Lycidus” (1637), “Paradise Regained,” “Samson Agonisttes.”

Milton’s “Paradise Lost” is a great epic. It is one of the greatest English epic of all ages. It brings out the poet’s strong intellectual and creative energy. “Paradise Lost” mainly deals with God, Satan, Adam, Eve, battle for heaven between God and Satan, creation of our first man and woman – Adam and Eve, their happy hours in the Garden of Eden.
We get a very vivid and accurate description of Garden of Eden in Book 4 of “Paradise Lost”. Milton very nicely shows the beauties of Paradise. We get to know that Milton’s Garden of Eden and earthly Paradise are planted by the Almighty God in East of Eden. He writes:

“Eden stretched her line
From Auran eastward to the royal town
Of great Seleucia, built by Grecian kings,
Or where the sons of Eden long before
Dwelt in Telessar”

Ever single object of the Garden of Eden is nice, full of freshness and natural. Every trees of Eden is full of fruits and flowers. There are very beautiful. We get to know about TREE of KNOWLEDGE and TREE OF LIFE. Different kinds of trees like cedar, pine fir create a very nice picture. These trees form a natural boundary for the Garden of Eden. Each and every tree is fruit laden. Every trees of the Garden carry fruits and flowers which are shinning brightly as sun’s rays’ fall on them.

The trees of the Garden are full of fruits which are really tasty and full of richness. These trees are not planted artificially. They are full of natural richness and qualities. Eden is full of natural treasures. There are lawns, glades, valleys, where cattle are grazing freely and happily. The whole nature has given all are treasures to decorate the Paradise. There are various flowers of different colors and smells. Adam and Eve often take rest in the shady caves of the Garden.

Even the caves are decorated with fruit laden trees and grape vines. The water-falls provide a soft and murmuring sound. The water is clear like mirror. The birds are singing very sweetly from trees. The air of the Paradise is pure and full of sweet fragrance. In the lap of such beautiful nature God’s two most beautiful creation are nurturing their relationship. They are unaware of every odd plans of Satan.
Milton has given a vast description of the world of flora and fauna. The whole world of flora contributed in the decoration of the Paradise. There are different species of roses and jasmines are peeping from here and there in the Garden. These flowers are of different smell and color. Crocus, hyacinth decorate the floor of the Garden. Even the animal kingdom is very described by Milton. There are bears, tigers, elephants and other species of animals. As a whole it is very difficult top describe such a nice atmosphere.

The sky, the land, the horizon, the river, the waterfall are full of sweet smell and sound. It is really difficult to find the counterpart of such a great garden like Garden of Eden. The sounds of the bird are delightful to the ears of the human. The sunrise and sunsets of the Garden are really one of the most wanted and most beautiful scenes.

Thus Milton very accurately gives us the detailed description of the Garden of Eden. Milton is the second great poet of England stands next only to Shakespeare in bringing the nature in the words and sentences before the readers. Milton is the lover of Nature. In Book 4 he narrates a glowering description of nature and also the charms of Adam and Eve. Milton always deals with stately and majestic themes. Milton’s concepts are high and grand. “Paradise Lost “is born out of his pure imaginative mind. He blends both modernity and ancient and mythological themes, incidents and character which are larger than, life.

A Caregiver’s Guide to Alzheimer’s Disease

燗 Caregiver’s Guide to Alzheimer’s Disease: 300 Tips for Making Life Easier, authored by Roger Brumback, Patricia Callone, Connie Kudlacek, Janaan Manternach and Barbara Vasiloff, was recommended to me by Natalie Davis, who instructs activity director certification courses, and whose father died of Alzheimer’s disease a year ago.?The book is divided into three sections: tips for making life easier during the progression of the disease, helpful information about Alzheimer’s and related dementia, and resources for people with Alzheimer’s as well as their caregivers and loved ones.

The book identifies seven key functions of the brain in the pre-Alzheimer’s stage. These functions deal with memory, language, complex tasks, social skills, judgment and reasoning, ambulation, and the senses. During the normal aging process, a person experiences a slowdown in these functions. Dementia, however, causes a progressive loss in all of these areas. The caregiver must nurture the skills that remain, whether they are cognitive, social or physical.牋

In addition to the pre Alzheimer’s stage, A Caregivers Guide to Alzheimer’s Disease breaks down the stages of the disease and discusses the changes that occur in the brain, which affect behavior. The book also offers practical tips for maintaining quality of life as much as possible, and mentally engaging a person with Alzheimer’s to help slow cognitive decline. The recommendations below have been excerpted from the book.牋 Following are some games that can help preserve the cognitive abilities of a person who has Alzheimer’s.

Try engaging that person’s memory by having him or her:?Verbally identify household objects in order to promote language skills. Identify people and objects in photographs. Spend time doing activities enjoyed before the onset of the disease. Play games that involve movement, such as bean bag tossing and following exercise tapes. Decorate for the holidays. Not only will this make the environment more stimulating, but it will also cue the patient to the season.牋

The ability to perform complex tasks that were learned early in life can remain late in the disease progression. Help the person with Alzheimer’s by nourishing the skills that remain. Some of these may involve:?Long-term memories. Watch films or listen to music from that persons youth, discuss books he or she has read, past vacations, favorite family members or past personal achievements – use your imagination! Interests or hobbies learned before the disease. Invite the Alzheimer’s patient to participate in activities that involve using skills he or she still has; this could include working on a jigsaw puzzle, playing a musical instrument, or playing card games.?/p>

Socializing. Encourage participation in any activity that involves other people, such as adult day care programs, entertainment events, socials, neighborhood associations, friends and family. Early Alzheimer’s patients in particular may feel inferior because of their cognitive losses. They should be reassured that they can continue to be included in social gatherings. Sensory perception. Try painting different colors in a single room, or different rooms in various colors. Increasing lighting can improve the patient’s concentration and may also reduce the risk of falls. Decorate the house, windows and table settings.

Play music for stimulation during activities or to provide calm at rest times.牋 Here are a few caregiver tips for making life easier when caring for an Alzheimer’s patient:?Label the contents of drawers and cupboards. Mark the passage of time on calendars by drawing an X爋n the days that have passed. Write down events to be looked forward to in the future. Preserve private time for yourself. Dementia patients become dependent on their caregivers, and can become distressed when you are absent. Set privacy limits before this happens. Establish a hygiene routine. Although the importance of hygiene diminishes for dementia patients, being clean and well dressed increases their dignity and self-esteem.

Keep a log of behavior disturbances. Make a note of what may have triggered the behavior, the time of day it occurred, and any other details you think are relevant. Look for patterns so you can avoid them in the future. Delegate tasks now to prepare for the time when you will need help.?Lower the pitch of your voice. Don;t shout, as it may cause agitation.?/p>

Allow extra time for daily tasks to compensate for slowed reactions and reduced abilities. Don;t rush, as this can create a stressful situation unnecessarily.?Use easy-to-manage clothing, such as items that close in front rather than over the head, and use Velcro fastenings when possible. Serve food in plates or bowls with a lip or rim (like a pie plate) to make it easier to get food on the fork.

Attaching foam rubber to utensil handles will make them easier to grip. Keep finger foods on hand for snacks. Consider getting a pet. Small animals such as birds, fish and gerbils can bring joy and the satisfaction of being needed to the dementia patient, and they are relatively easy to care for. Childproof the environment. Install childproof locks on cabinets, put cleaners and sharp objects out of reach, remove objects that can be easily swallowed, and hide breakable valuables.牋

To My Senses – By Author Alexandrea Weis – Book Review

People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. It seems there is always a purpose if we seek it out. Alexandrea Weis’ novel, “To My Senses” reminded me of that. It also reminded me that we need to follow our heart抯 desires. What more can you ask of a good read? Romance, lush New Orleans settings, intrigue, conspiracy, art… it’s a very fulfilling book.

Nicci Beauvoir isn抰 really into the whole debutante life. She抯 done that, grown up in it, and now she wants to settle into being a nurse. She抯 completing her studies and will soon be ready to make a difference in the world. Her father would prefer she take over the family scrap metal business. But one evening, while attending a lawn party, she comes face to face with an inviting diversion. David Alexander is a struggling artist, obligatorily under the firm grasp of his benefactor, Sammy. There is something to be explored here.

Nicci is swept off her feet, slowly, through a day of fishing, a visit to a coffee shop, and a collapse on David抯 couch, where he proceeds to capture her image on the canvas while she sleeps. He is passionate in his art, in life. He is just what Nicci needs in hers. There is trouble though. Nicci抯 father抯 business is in need of diversification. A plan is under way for a take over. Warnings are given and a possible saving grace is discovered. Somehow, David knows all about it.

Nicci turns to Dr. Michael Fagles, a 搒afe,?controlling man who only wants a wife to be exactly as he sees fit. He directs Nicci, and she allows him. Her passion is gone, for Michael has none to share. Will she be doomed to spend her life under the thumb of this loveless moron? Will she find herself again, and find the raw emotional life she needs to embrace her true goals?

Alexandrea Weis paints an artistic, character driven novel, set in pre-Katrina luscious New Orleans, and offers life lessons to readers along the way. The pages are filled with self examination, romance, intimacy, hints of connections to the crime worlds, and lavish parties. My favorite scenes involve delightful cottages that leave me aching to explore New Orleans. A fantastic book to curl up with and get lost in, Weis introduces readers to characters that will linger in the mind like a sultry summer night. I trust there will be more from this author in the future, and I look forward to that prospect.

Unpersons Home

I Love Simple

Tales From the Big Durian

A Review of A S Byatt’s A Whistling Woman

Article Marketing Domination Review

The Lost Symbol

Snakehead – The Journey to Australia

Cheap Books and Fiction Books – The Best Friends and Companions of the People

Paradise Lost – The Garden Of Eden

A Caregiver’s Guide to Alzheimer’s Disease

To My Senses – By Author Alexandrea Weis – Book Review

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