Oil Paintings,Van Gogh Oil Painting,Bouguereau Oil Paintings – Unpersons Home

November 30, 2010

A Review of Flaubert’s Parrot by Julian Barnes

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 5:52 pm

Flaubert’s Parrot by Julian Barnes is a book I have had queuing up to read for some time. I don’t know why I have never got round to reading it. Perhaps it’s because of the overtly “literary” tag that was attached to it when it was short-listed for the Booker Prize. I am not against “literary” fiction. Far from it: indeed I aspire to write it, after a fashion. My avoidance of Flaubert’s Parrot was never conscious, but was probably a result of thinking that I knew what to expect – word play, experimentation with form, biography, dissection of the writer’s role, relationship between art and life, in fact all the mundane things that your average novelist has for breakfast. The less than average ones, by the way, always have corn flakes. It is their convention. Having just finished the book, I can declare that I found all I expected and much, much, much more.

Julian Barnes has his character, a doctor called Geoffrey Braithwaite, consider various literary ideas. One, which only really applies to writing prose fiction, is the relation between form and content. Most novels, certainly most pulp fiction, never address this, since the authors usually present apparently literal material merely literally or, perhaps even more commonly, fantastical material literally. Generally within some recognisable genre, these offerings tend to preoccupy themselves with simple narration. In effect, most novels are presented in pictorial form, like a comic strip running a frame at a time through the author’s mind, with only minimally extended commentary. Their presentation is invariably linear, with the writer’s aim to spoon-feed the reader with bite-sized chinks of easily digestible plot in a context aimed at simplifying the experience.

Flaubert’s Parrot is the polar opposite of this. The only plot is Flaubert’s life, both physical and intellectual, alongside that of his enthusiastic intended biographer, the doctor, Geoffrey. Geoffrey’s research, notes, speculations and musings provide the book’s utterly original form. Since the adultery of Flaubert’s fictional Madam Bovary provided the scandal that created his fame, evidence of his attitudes towards women and sex in his own life provides a fascinating backdrop against which we can assess the author’s motives and desires. The death and revealed adultery of the narrator’s own wife provides motive for his obsession with Flaubert and his femme fatale, and, quite unexpectedly, this culminates in a truly moving moment of emotional empathy that the author, Barnes, not Flaubert, not the narrator, evokes in his reader.

This emotional intensity developed as a real surprise towards the end of the book. Through it, Julian Barnes achieves a perfect marriage of form and content, the finest I have ever encountered. No matter how much we analyse the creative process, it is our emotional lives that provide the stuff of art. The writer moulds it, contextualises it, formalises it, but eventually the rawness of the experience, the chasm of bereavement, the hollow of betrayal, the consonance of love that makes us laugh or weep as we read, and Julian Barnes provokes both responses in this beautiful book.

There are some stunning moments of virtuosity. There are, for instance, three concatenated chronologies of Flaubert’s life – an encyclopedia of success, a record of failure and a personal diary. This is a masterstroke, effectively answering the rhetorical question of why we remain interested in the author, even when we consider a work as iconic as Madame Bovary. The narrator’s dissection of “correctness” in fiction is utterly poignant, especially so when we cannot even agree on the detail of reality. And so what if the writer decides to change things around? Isn’t it supposed to be fiction?

But the enduring memory of Flaubert’s Parrot is that masterstroke of marrying motives via Falubert’s real life, whatever that was, the imagined world of his femme fatale and the apparently real life of Geoffrey Braithwaite, with its own experience of adultery and bereavement. And then, of course, we have Geoffrey’s obsession with Flaubert, through which we reflect on the ideas of the self and its selfishness. Stunningly beautiful.

And the parrot? Probably a fake. Or perhaps just faked. Or then again….

The Talented Ms Highsmith and Tom Ripley, Part Two

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , — admin @ 5:00 am

In Part Two of my assessment of the Patricia Highsmith Ripley canon, I review the third and fourth novels in the series. Tom in “Ripley’s Game” demonstrates a homicidal streak that could well put him in the ranks of professional hit men.

“Ripley’s Game”

“Ripley’s Game” is the third in Patricia Highsmith’s five novel Ripley series. Readers may be reminded of her book “Strangers on a Train” because in that book and movie a stranger gets talked into committing a murder. At the beginning of the book we see Reeves, the shady fence, and Jonathan Trevanny much more than we see Tom Ripley. Ripley has set up Trevanny for Reeves.

Jonathan, a picture framer, is a major character almost eclipsing Ripley. Nearing death from cancer, he agrees to murder in order to provide his wife and son with a future.

Ripley believes in the power of positive thinking, unfortunately with a crooked bent. He always feels justified. It’s a very exciting twist to the story when Ripley, pro-active and self-confident, surprisingly shows up on a train to practice his killing skills and to rescue Trevanny from failure.

Highsmith continually demonstrates her ability to create unnerving suspense and shock readers. Reading a lot of Highsmith, you get the impression that Ripley’s amorality and dodginess are part of her own cosmic view of life; she’s cynical about traditional morality. Ripley operates outside of normal codes of morality, beyond the limits and the norms of “civilized” society.

Ripley is like today’s TV anti-hero Dexter who also flaunts the law, kills, and gets away with it. Highsmith liked, probably admired Ripley as a character and sometimes used the name Tom as her own signature. Ripley, always skating on thin ice, thinks up ridiculous half-baked and half-mad schemes, felonious games.

Highsmith has an eye for homey details which enrich her narrative skill, giving the story a sense of authenticity, ordinariness. Heavy on exposition, she usually tells rather than shows, ignoring the dictum of writing teachers, but she does it so well, it pays off.

Why do people turn to Tom for solutions to their problems when he can’t solve his own insoluble messes? Heloise is the ideal wife for Tom, uncritical, amoral, self-absorbed. She glosses over what she is told even though she knows he’s dodgy.

The last section of the book really doesn’t make much sense, but it’s fun. Nothing is ever easy in a Ripley novel. Ripley’s only code of morality is survival. To others he is a tainted person, a leper.

Up until this book Ripley has committed three murders and engineered a suicide. He kills five Mafiosa in this book, and goes free to show up in the fourth novel.

“The Boy Who Followed Ripley”

In “The Boy Who Followed Ripley,” the fourth in Patricia Highsmith’s five-novel series about Tom Ripley, her engaging hero continues life as a homicidal psychopath still walking free, contented, and dangerous. Frank Pierson, a sixteen-year-old boy from a wealthy family, has run away from the States, read about Tom (his shaky reputation is well-known), and seeks him out at Tom’s villa in France. Frank’s father died either by suicide, an accident, or by his son’s hand. The two are drawn together by a common bond, rather dubious consciences. Later, Susie, an old Pierson retainer, intimates that Frank and Tom are cut from the same cloth of evil and malice.

Tom later admits to Frank that he’s killed men and had no qualms or despair over it. To him it’s a fact of his life. He kills when he feels it’s necessary.

If I were Heloise, Ripley’s wife, I’d be suspicious of the close relationship between the two males, but Heloise has always been self-absorbed, an enabler for Tom and uncritical of her husband’s shady character. She even asks her husband if the boy is gay. She is so into herself that she doesn’t seem to care what her husband is up to.

Tom gets along well with Heloise. He’s not that interested in heterosexual relations, and she is not sexually demanding. She’s like his beard except he never seems to be involved in sex with males.

Tom becomes Frank’s idol, mentor and his doppelganger; he’s the young Tom. They become too chummy. Young Frank stays at the Ripley house, travels all over with him. Readers know that Ripley has homosexual tendencies, and they may wonder about this intimate connection. There is always a gay undertone in Ripley’s life, and more of it is seen in this volume than in the second and third books. In Berlin the two visit a gay bar like lovers. Tom even gets in drag, supposedly as a disguise to rescue a kidnapped Frank, but he seems to love it.

Tom in the kidnapping episode does foolish things with the ransom money, and he can put one more notch on his killing belt. (probably nine so far in the series)

Tom has loyalties to his friends but no moral compass toward humankind in general. Tom is queasy about killing lobsters but not human beings. Tom had never felt guilt about his homicides. He always takes more risks than he should, flirts with danger and discovery.

Tom is always doing a lot of traveling, The trip to Hamburg could have easily been dropped from the book.

Tom goes back to the States with Frank to accompany him home, strange behavior for a married man of his age. Tom trips a noisy brat on the plane which brings out the meanness in his make-up. Tom wondered about Frank, “The boy adored him. Tom knew that. But love was strange too.”

This is not the best book of the series; the plot is diffuse and loose; still it’s a very good, exciting book that increases our knowledge of Tom by giving us a mirror image to bring out features of his character.

Never boring her readers, Highsmith always plunges right into the heart of her stories. She can create a feeling in the reader of deep foreboding; something awful about to happen. She doesn’t pull any punches. The reader lives on the edge, in a state of unease and apprehension, feeling afraid of what she’s going to have her characters do next.

This book ends in tragedy, but in the fifth volume it doesn’t seem to have had any deep impact on Tom.

November 29, 2010

Review About NetMLMProfits eBook For Your Network Marketing Business Opportunities

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: — admin @ 3:52 pm

This review about NetMLMProfits eBook for your network marketing business opportunities that I am going to do has an objective. And that is to share with you what I have learn from this new found resource that was recommended by my mentor who generated $10,000 over in sales within 24 hours.

Before I dwell on to what I have found useful in this guide, I think that there is a need and with all due respect to introduce to you the author of NetMLMProfits ebook.

He is non other then 揟he King Of Never Calling A Single Lead?Daegan Smith.

From EzinesArticles.com, the resource box that Daegan uses, this is how he is being described:

揇aegan Smith is an expert Internet Network Marketer and the “King Of Never Calling A Single Lead”. If you want to grow your network marketing business at an explosive rate. He’s your man!?/p>

Personally I have met him during one of our training session when he was flown in from USA to Singapore to conduct a training workshop for our local team. I believe he is only in his late twenties, a young man.

Now you know abit about him, let us find out what I have found useful in his NetMLMProfits ebook that I have invested a few days back.

7 Tips or should I say learnings that I got from NetMLMProfits by Daegan Smith

1. Focus all your efforts on ONE target if you really want to succeed.

This really ring a bell for me. Focus is key and if you are doing online marketing for awhile, you know that it can be a challenge.

2. Using the Internet to recruit people into my Network Marketing Business

This couldn’t be more true in this information age and the increasing power of the internet.

I was told by another mentor that, billions are using the internet and with the internet, you have an international market.

This is vital if you are looking to expand your business.

3. The 7 Myths about the MLM industry that will KILL your business if you fall victim to them

These 7 myths opened my eyes to the network marketing industry a little wider.

One of them is this: (Myth #5) Buying and calling leads is the only way to really grow a network marketing organization

I was nodding my head furiously when I read this.

You may laugh about it.

But really, when you first start your network marketing business, one of the first advice that you get is along this line:

“Come up with a list of 100 names and start calling them. Start with your warm market, your friends and family….”

This was the exact advice I had previously!

*4. By focusing on only recruiting people I was missing out on a lot of income.

The reason why I included a * at this point is that this is new to me and I believe it may be new to you too.

Read again…

By focusing on only recruiting people I was missing out on a lot of income?

This is contradicting to me.

Until I was enlightened by Daegan in this guide that recruiting people is just 1 way and the recruitment of people gives you the passive side of income.

In the step-by-step system that he shared.

Offering a one-time ebook or teaching material that can solve your prospects agony and problems. (Front-end product)

People are more open to one-time deals because many are afraid of committing to your business.

WOW! This concept is new to me.

5. Chapter 1: The Truth About Network Marketing

Network marketing is not a get rich quick business.

And he added that:

Truthfully, it’s not your fault you probably think you can create a long term passive income quickly and easily with Network Marketing. Network marketing is built on financial hopes and dreams.

*6. How do you create a front-end profit while at the same time growing your network marketing downline?

YES! Another * point. This point is in line with Tip No. 4

The answer to the above question:

You create a front-end online profit generator that is completely in line with your business building efforts.

And Daegan in his ebook guides you step-by-step on what needs to be done.

7. since this is the last point, I like to share with you the topics of the remaining chapters so you will have a better idea what NetMLMProfits is before you decide if you want to invest in it.

Chapter 2: Essentials To Your Success

Chapter 3: Search Engine Optimizaonti: The Ultimate Secret To Internet Network Marketing Front End Profits And Free Passive Lead Generation

Chapter 4: “How To Start A Profitable Passive Lead Generating Long Term Internet Network Marketing Business.The Right Way!”

Chapter 5: The Little Known Secret to Absolutely Guarantee Your Internet Network Marketing Success.You’ve been Reading it all Along?

Chapter 6: The MOST Important Step to Gaining Internet Network Marketing Success, Using a Perfect Internet Network Marketing System!

Chapter 7: My REAL Secret to Success. Exposed!

Chapter 8: The Little Known Email MLM Success Formula That’s So Simple You’ll Kick Yourself

Chapter 9: The Simple Mechanics Of Successful Email MLM Marketing

With more extra teachings. From this it really tells me that Daegan over delivers and we will be glad that he did.

By the way if you are keen on getting or finding out more about NetMLMProfits eBook, you can check out: http://www.ExpertMLMTips.com

You can read it at no risk because Daegan is offering a 30 Days Money Back Guarantee.

I hope you have benefited from this review about NetMLMProfits eBook for your network marketing business opportunities.

My Wife Has Me Reading the Twilight Series

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , — admin @ 3:39 am

I am a 28 year old man who isn’t much for reading fictional novels. Unless it has to do with business ventures, or my church, I am not usually interested. I remember in high school having reading assignments in my English classes where we read books like, “Wuthering Heights,” “Pride and Prejudice,” and many other classics. The torture was horrible. But, somehow, I made it through.

I have to admit that when my wife kept suggesting that I start reading the Twilight series I thought to myself, “Are you crazy?” Why would a man in his late 20s want to read a book that has captured teenage girls’ hearts the world over. I was curious, though, from her tremendous interest and how involved she got. I think she read each book within 2 days.

She got through all four books in a little over a week and it seems like the conversation she had with her sisters for the next month was all about Twilight. It was a heavy topic of discussion for quite some time. I actually got a little sick of hearing about Edward, the perfect man (or monster) and the love stories between Bella and Edward, and Bella and Jacob. I kept telling my wife that I was pretty sure I was never going to read the books and encouraged her to just tell me about what she was reading (to get it out of her system). Well, she refused. Even after watching the movie that came out and how much of a let down that was for her. She still did not let me in on the story line of the other books.

So, a couple of weeks ago, with her encouragement, I picked up book one and began to read. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I found the book intriguing and the style of the author definitely kept your attention. Since I had seen the movie, I wasn’t all that surprised about the twists and turns that the book presented. After a couple of weeks I finished the book and immediately started book two.

Right now I am towards the last half of the book and have really enjoyed the story. Yes, I am one of those guys who likes chick flicks. So, I guess it isn’t that strange for me to have liked this story. I am anxious to get through the rest of the book and on to the next two books in the series. I am reading much slower than my wife, but it sure is enjoyable to be able to talk to her about what I have read and get her insight and share opinions. It seems like she is just dying to spill the beans on what is just around the corner, but she does a good job holding it in.

November 28, 2010

Interview with Sister Mary Elizabeth Lloyd, Author of "AIDS Orphans Rising"

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , — admin @ 4:26 pm

Sister Mary Elizabeth Lloyd has been helping the orphans and the Child Headed Households of the missions of the Religious Teachers Filippini for the past 12 years. Her experiences in Albania, Brazil, Ethiopia, Eritrea and India have spurred her on to produce this work. Sister Mary Elizabeth holds a doctorate degree in Nutrition and Public Health from Columbia University.

Tyler: Thank you for joining me today, Sister Mary Elizabeth. I’m excited to have you here today. The number of children who are orphans because of the AIDS epidemic isn’t a topic many people have probably considered. To start, would you tell us just how serious this situation is?

Sr. Mary Elizabeth: The U.N. predicts that there will be 25 million orphans from AIDS by 2010-Every 14 seconds a Child Headed Household is formed! You are right Tyler, very few are aware of the staggering statistics. When I say CHH-Child Headed Household-I mean little brothers and sisters usually 5 to 8 of them under 18 years of age trying to survive without a mother and father.

Tyler: Sister Mary Elizabeth, how did you become interested and concerned with the issue of orphans who were left parent less because of AIDS?

Sr. Mary Elizabeth: My first encounter with these orphans was in 1995 at our mission in Adigrat, Ethiopia. At that time 50% were orphans from war and the other 50% from HIV/AIDS. We had to figure a system to help these children.

Tyler: What specifically led to your desire to bring this matter to the public eye by writing “AIDS Orphans Rising”?

Sr. Mary Elizabeth: I fear for these children and the world. The numbers are staggering, when you walk through villages that were once filled with families you find only children, or just abandoned huts…More than 75% of the orphans are girls with no education and nowhere to go. Most have only prostitution to turn to.

Tyler: Where is this situation most prevalent? Is it where the AIDS epidemic is especially bad?

Sr. Mary Elizabeth: India and China are the places to watch. This year alone it is estimated that there will be 3,700,00 orphans from AIDS in India. China has not come up with a number, but I am certain it beats India. 4 million children walking around without a mother, father, little food, poor shelter…picture if Al Qaeda befriends them before good people do!

Tyler: Why should readers in the United States be concerned about AIDS in foreign countries?

Sr. Mary Elizabeth: We are all in this world together. When anyone on earth suffers we should all be concerned. No matter your belief I think the world is beginning to realize whether it is a Tsunami, hurricane, earthquake or assassination…we are all affected and we all have a responsibility to help each other. All countries are pulling together for global warming…let’s pull together to help the children…they need love most of all, then food and education.

Tyler: What about AIDS overseas do people in the United States especially need to understand? How is the situation in foreign countries different from in the Western World?

Sr. Mary Elizabeth: Access to good effective medicines is the key. We are so lucky in America. Remember when Pope John Paul II would kiss the ground when he would arrive at a destination. We should all kiss the ground of our great country. Just travel to a foreign country and get sick; you will quickly see the difference. And traveling to remote parts of Africa, India, Asia…the children do not stand a chance. There are just too many to treat. The International Community ignored the issue from 1991-1997 hoping they could stop the epidemic! It was too late.

Tyler: Sister Mary Elizabeth, these children whose parents die from AIDS are often left as child-headed households. Why is that? Don’t most of these children get adopted or go to foster homes?

Sr. Mary Elizabeth: At first that is exactly what happened. Most children went to extended family members. But the extended families are either maxed out, or died out. Many countries, like Guatemala, are halting international adoptions for political reasons. One grandmother I met in Ethiopia had ten children. They all grew up and got married and had children. All of her ten children have died, all of their spouses have died and she has more than 50 grandchildren to care of! She is not the only grandmother in this predicament. In the book there is a chapter on adoption and what’s best for the children.

Tyler: Will you tell us more about the political reasons for why many of these children cannot be adopted?

Sr. Mary Elizabeth: Many say the children should not leave their native land and that the adoptions are draining the country from its future leaders. Usually it is the brightest child who will get adopted. These kids are clever-they get all prepared when they know people are coming to the orphanage to look for a child. In the book “There is No Me Without You,” the author Melissa Faye Green does a great job showing this side of the children.

Tyler: Are there possibilities to adopt these children? If so, what difficulties might an American adult face in adopting a child?

Sr. Mary Elizabeth: It seems right now in Ethiopia you might have a good chance of adopting the child, but the window of opportunity is a narrow one. The book has several sites that would help you in obtaining a child. The trick I feel is to do all the paperwork, do your research, and pray. I have seen so many times that often an adoption will fall through, but the next one the couple applies for is just fine. Be patient, God knows what child you should receive. I heard a beautiful explanation of the difference between a real birth child and an adopted child…the adopted child is conceived in the heart!

Tyler: Sister Mary Elizabeth, are many of the orphans whose parents die of AIDS carrying the HIV virus themselves?

Sr. Mary Elizabeth: There are many, but thousands more are disease free. Usually the youngest child will die either before the mother or shortly after and all the other children are healthy. That’s why these children can succeed if good people like yourself will help them.

Tyler: How do child-headed households manage to survive? How does a child under eighteen manage to care for several younger siblings?

Sr. Mary Elizabeth: These children are resilient. You have to see it in action. With the proper help and schooling these children can rise to greatness. At our mission the CHH that has an older child leading them live out in the city. We pay their rent, give them food and education until they can start providing for themselves. The book gives several of these stories but let me give an example. One CHH has 4 members, a 17 year old girl, a 15 year old girl, and two boys 13, and 11. The boys go to school all day. The girls attend elementary school in the morning and then our home-ec school in the afternoon. In the program, they work at our Pizza and Gelato Caf? They make enough money that soon they will be able to support themselves. But for now we pay the rent, help feed them and provide all their education. These girls are on their way to one day owning their own caf?! The boys will receive an elementary education and enter a local vo-tech high school where they will learn marketable skills.

Tyler: Sister, will you tell us a little bit about these children? What are their daily lives like?

Sr. Mary Elizabeth: The children all want to go to school; they know it is important. They all want to learn a trade; they know this is vital. Each classroom has about 60-70 children and they sit perfectly still and do all their school work as they know if they misbehave a child who is listening at the window will jump in and take their place. You see the school has only so many desks so children who are not admitted into the school sit outside the windows hoping to hear some lessons and learn that way! These are not your street orphans! Yes, they exist and that is another whole book. But the CHH are fighting desperately to stay as a family, get educated and grow into normal adulthood.

It is not easy. Let me speak about something as simple as getting water. At one of our missions where there are hundreds of orphans trying to make it on their own, there was a terrible drought. The World Food Program came and left a huge canvas sack filled with water, and containers were given to the adults! So the kids had no way of getting the water. One of the children ran up and tried to drink from the spigot; he almost got killed by adults beating him away with sticks. Thank God we were able to dig a well solely for the children.

Tyler: “AIDS Orphans Rising” provides many resources for readers to use to help Orphans of AIDS. What are some of these resources?

Sr. Mary Elizabeth: Some advice -Always help a group that will give 100% of your donation to the children. The Religious Teachers Filippini is the only group I have found that can give you that promise.

Frank McKinney’s Caring House and Habitat for Humanity are great for providing housing for the children.

And I would recommend setting up your own family foundation-that way the money goes for the area you are most interested in. Jillian Coleman Wheeler has many resources and ideas for setting up your own foundation.

Another great way to help the children is to use the talents you have. If you love to run, run for the kids. Get sponsors; send them the money. Lisa Smith Batchen has raised thousands of dollars just for food for these children. Go to her site; she can help you get started: http://www.dreamchaserevents.com/

Marshall Ulrich climbed Mt. Everest and the seven highest mountains in the world for the children. Go to his site and see all the good he has accomplished for the children of this world: http://www.marshallulrich.com/

Tyler: How do you use the money raised for the orphans?

Sr. Mary Elizabeth: Food, clothing and education. Most of the children eat one roll a day! We are working to provide a hot lunch program for them. Do you know what ended hunger in the USA? The school hot lunch program. This is a big priority for us but an expensive one. Many say why don’t you get these big groups to help you? We have tried and their answer is always, “We only help the Government. You have to get the food from them.” Many of these Governments have their own agendas as to what to do with the food. In Eritrea the World Food Program is forbidden to distribute its food.

Tyler: Sister, where do you personally find the courage to carry on your work, despite a situation that must at times seem overwhelming?

Sr. Mary Elizabeth: These children are not giving up and they have been the ones facing incredible suffering. How could you not help them? God does provide. Sometimes He makes you wait, but He always comes through. Just look, you are interviewing me, not by chance, God sent you, and some good person will read this interview, then read the book and then take action to help these children. Faith gets you through all difficulties!

Tyler: What do you foresee for the future? Will the AIDS epidemic become worse, or are more people being educated about it?

Sr. Mary Elizabeth: It seems to be getting worse but will peak. The medicines in the developed nation allow parents and children to live many productive years even though they have the illness. And the work of research scientists, I am praying, will soon pay off with a vaccine. Education is the clue. But just not about disease and how you can catch it. These children are in need of basic education and more. The government can teach you, but they don’t love you and they are not going to start teaching morals. So it is up to NGOs and religious groups, and just good people to get out there to help educate these children. If you have never been loved, do you think you could love? Picture the world without love.

Tyler: Sister Mary Elizabeth, thank you so much for joining me today and allowing me to help spread your message. Before we go, will you please let our readers know about your website and what additional information can be found there?

Sr. Mary Elizabeth: Thank you so much Tyler.

The book “AIDS Orphans Rising” can be purchased at Amazon or your local bookstore.

Loving Healing Press also offers an ebook version of the book that allows you to access all of the sites mentioned in the book. I would recommend this to anyone doing formal research in this area.

Tyler: Thank you, Sister Mary Elizabeth, for joining me today. My best wishes are with you as you carry on your important work.

Ian Fleming’s Doctor No Deconstructed – James Bond – 007 Intransitive Hero

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , — admin @ 4:39 am

From the examples that follow -culled from Ian Fleming’s novel Doctor No–you will realize that in all cases, Fleming uses an abundance of intransitive verbs, and many of them as sentence openers.

In a novel where the hero is an action hero, this is understandable. By definition, ‘intransitive verbs’ express a doable action. And the action hero is always doing something–never inactive.

Bond stiffened.
M snorted.
Bond persisted.
Bond grinned.
The drinks came.
The food came.
The girl smiled.
Quarrel nodded.
The centipede stirred
Quarrel whistled.
He stiffened.
She blushed.
Bond smiled.
Silence fell.
Bond laughed.
She giggled.
Bond shrugged.
Bond paused.
Bond shivered.
The Governor grunted.

Fleming chooses his intransitive verbs so that they end the sentence. Nothing follows these intransitive verbs (as shown above). In other words, the sentences lack objects.

Why would this author continuously use this pattern of sentences? The answer is simple: he uses the sentence that follow as the object of the brief intransitive sentences.

Bond could feel it questing amongst the first hairs. It tickled. The skin on Bond’s belly fluttered (65).

The pithy, intransitive sentence, “It tickled,” has no object. But we can infer that its object will be found in the sentence that follows. We observe this pattern throughout the novel. Here are a few more examples:

Those are the odds against it, one in a million. I lived. By sheer will power I survived the operation and the months in the hospital (164).

I wrote offering a huge sum to buy it. They refused. So I studied these birds (168).

Bond lurched and his bruised shoulder hit the metal. He screamed. He went on screaming, regularly, with each contact of hand or knee or toes (192).

They could certainly kill animals, but how mortal to men were these giant spiders with the long soft fur or a borzoi? Bond shuddered. He remembered the centipede (195).

The machine gave a sideways lurch. The kiss ended. They had hit the first mangrove roots at the entrance to the river (222).

‘Superintendent, you will know what to do.’ The Governor rose. He inclined his head regally in the direction of Bond.

By using intransitive verbs, Ian Fleming makes his narration agile, quirky, athletic, befitting his action hero, James Bond-007. Less experienced and less artistic authors, unlike Ian Fleming, resort to the use of fragments, a trick that detracts from an even-paced and elegant narration.

November 27, 2010

Tweet For Business – An Internet Marketing Book Review For You!

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 5:00 pm

Have you ever wondered what the value in Tweeter is or how you might use it to promote your business? Well, if so, then you might want to try it out, sign up and of course, educate yourself a little. It is a very interesting scheme, and although most baby boomers don’t get it, well, they should not let that stop them from cashing in on its potential uses. It is for this reason that I am going to have to recommend a very good book to you. The name of the book is:

“How to Dominate Your Market One Tweet at a Time” by Joel Comm. Published by John Wiley and Son’s; Hoboken, NJ; 2009.

This book offers you insight into the workings of the famous ever expanding Internet sensation; Twitter. Have you ever wondered why twitter works, how it works, why it’s so popular, and how you can leverage this technology to help your business? If you need to buy this book and follow the tips and instructions, such as how to Design a Cool Profile, and advice on Picking a Great Picture.

Next, you will need to learn how to build a solid following, and a little on Tweet etiquette, along with all the Twitter terminology. Once you get this done you can work on developing Twitter Teams. In enjoyed this book because it explained the need to creating a story to go along with your tweeting persona. As well as various third party tools and applications, which are incredible, and will help you build quickly.

The last section of the book is rather important, something you may not have considered but perhaps should; the Legal issues. There is whole section dedicated to this which explains defamation, copyright, trademarks, negligence, and interference with business relationships. So, why not learn how to create a 30-day plan for your tweeter marketing roll-out.

Children’s Book Review – Lion Makes Friends

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , — admin @ 4:13 am

Sometimes it is tough as a parent getting your children to understand why it is important to eat their food and be nice to others. Well, what if I told you that you can use a children’s book as a tool to solve these problems through the stories inside? Well, it just so happens that I have got a great idea for a book you can read to your child. The name of the book is:

“Tawny the Scrawny Lion” by Kathryn Jackson, with pictures by the famous Gustaf Tenggren; A Golden Book Series Book of New York and Published by Western Publishing in Racine Wisconsin in 1980.

The Little Golden Series is always wonderful for your child. I think every parent knows this. This series is probably one of the best selling children’s book series of all times. This story is especially good for young children who begin to realize that they are smaller than everyone else, and wish they were bigger and this story helps boost their self esteem with a strong positive lesson in between.

In the story, Tawny the Scrawny Lion goes about his day. He’s always hungry and has a tough time catching his next meal. Eventually the other animals get upset from being chased and one offers the lion a meal, at first Tawny doesn’t want to eat the food, but eventually agrees, and therefore goes from scrawny to strong, which reminds your children to eat all the food on their plate! I really liked the story and the inherent lessons too.

November 26, 2010

31 Days Build a Better Blog by Darren Rowse – Professional Blogging Tips Ebook

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: — admin @ 3:13 pm

Do you know how to build a better blog or improve your blog in term of traffics, readability, writing skills and etc? Many people own a blog and intend to make money from blogging, but most of them don’t know how to improve their blog and monetize their blog. Traffic is the key for you to make money blogging, if your blog doesn’t have any traffic, you won’t make money even a penny.

I’ve read a lot of ebooks in the past, most of them had similar tips and I learned the same thing even though I read 10 ebooks. Eventually, I wasted my time reading these ebooks.

So, Darren Rowse from Problogger爃ad written an ebook named “31 Days Build A燘etter Blog”.燞e is a well known Problogger in the blogosphere, I believe that you should know him too, don’t you? He wrote a lot of his personal views and awesome tips in the ebook, the ebook is a compilation of all the 31 great tips that in the 31DBBB course that he organized last month, so he wrote all the tips in an ebook and share it with all of us who missed out the course.

31DBBB燛book contains a lot of ways and step-by-step tutorials爐hat teach you how to build a better blog. By reading this ebook, you’ll be able to learn the following skills :

1) Written a variety of different types and styles of posts. By learning this writing skills, you’ll be able to improve your blog readability and attract lot of new visitor to read your blog, they may become your next loyal readers as well.

2) Learned techniques for coming up with new post ideas. We always run out of topic to write in our blog. With this tutorial, you’ll know how to prepare an article with new ideas up front. So your blog will always be up-to-dated, do you know your readers might run away if they don’t see any fresh content in your blog?

3) Promoted your blog in a variety of ways. Promoting a blog can be overwhelming, as we know there are some common ways to promote our blog, such as commenting in others blog, submit to blog directories, submit article to social bookmarking site, participating in forums, and etc. In the ebook, you’ll be getting tons of new ideas and ways for you to promote your blog.

4) Built relationships with readers. Relationship between you and your readers is very important, you have to build up your trust, your readers then will feel confident and trust what you’re sharing in your blog. That’s one of the factor that lead you to successful in affiliate program or selling your own products.

Other than these 4 things you may learn by reading the ebook, there are many more skills and tips that you’ll get to know in the ebook. I’m sure you’ll learn at least 3 new skills in this ebook and apply them to your blog. We all want to build a better blog and make money online, don’t you?

For your info, Darren is letting go the?1燚BBB Ebook with a killer price now and I believe that he will increase the price in short time due to the hot sales of this ebook. Also, he feel confident with his ebook and he offers you a 31 Days 100% Money Back Guarantee. You have nothing to lose but learn how to build a better blog and make money! Click Here!

The Last Hero Aka the Saint Closes the Case by Leslie Charteris

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , — admin @ 3:39 am

In 1929 Leslie Charteris began writing stories for a new magazine called The Thriller. Two of these stories (The Creeping Death and Sudden Death) were later combined to form The Last Hero. Although his first books had been published by Ward, Lock & Co he abandoned them for Hodder & Stoughton in the UK with the first publication of this story, the second Saint book, in May 1930. It was undated and issued in blue cloth. The Crime Club (US) published it in 1931. The 1941 Sun Dial Press issue subtitled it The Saint Closes the Case, and this was adopted as the title by Hodder & Stoughton in 1950, although Ace/Charter called it The Saint – The Last Hero in 1952, and Avon Books called it Saint and the Last Hero in 1953.

Simon Templar is working with a gang, who were based on the Five Kings Leslie Charteris had created for The Thriller. In The Thriller, the gang left four playing card kings and a joker (Simon Templar, aka the Saint, was the joker) as a calling card, but in the book it was a drawing of a stickman.

A scientist has invented a weapon called an electron cloud which can be remote-controlled and fries everything in its path. An international arms dealer named Rayt Marius (who was to become the Saint’s arch enemy) wants it for World domination, but Simon has decided it is too terrible ever to be allowed to be developed. He decides to kidnap the inventor and kill him if he refuses to drop it. Another interested party is Crown Prince Rudolph, of one of those little monarchies that existed before WWII.

This is a very exciting and enjoyable thriller with clever plot twists, lots of action, and great use of the English language. Simon Templar and his gang are at their best ably aided by Patricia Holm and Chief Inspector Claude Eustace Teal, a character developed in The Thriller. The Secret Service also join in the fun, and in the end the scientist dies along with his invention, but so does Norman Kent, one of the Saint’s gang who sacrifices himself for the others becoming the last hero.

Older Posts »

Powered by WordPress