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maulthots · 3 years ago

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Read in July (2/2)

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros Category: Set in a city or urban area Acclaimed by critics, beloved by readers of all ages, taught everywhere from inner-city grade schools to universities across the country, and translated all over the world, The House on Mango Street is the remarkable story of Esperanza Cordero. Told in a series of vignettes – sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes deeply joyous–it is the story of a young Latina girl growing up in Chicago, inventing for herself who and what she will become. Few other books in our time have touched so many readers. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones Category: Set on a farm or rural location Seamlessly blending classic horror and a dramatic narrative with sharp social commentary, The Only Good Indians follows four American Indian men after a disturbing event from their youth puts them in a desperate struggle for their lives. Tracked by an entity bent on revenge, these childhood friends are helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

War of the Foxes by Richard Siken Category: The author shares a name with a loved one In this long-awaited follow-up to Crush, Yale Series of Younger Poets prize-winner Richard Siken turns toward the problems of making and representation, in an unrelenting interrogation of our world of doublings. In this restless, swerving book simple questions—such as, Why paint a bird?—are immediately complicated by concerns of morality, human capacity, and the ways we look to art for meaning and purpose while participating in its—and our own—invention. ⭐⭐

Less by Andrew Sean Greer Category: A book of satire PROBLEM: You are a failed novelist about to turn fifty. A wedding invitation arrives in the mail: your boyfriend of the past nine years now engaged to someone else. You can’t say yes--it would all be too awkward--and you can’t say no--it would look like defeat. On your desk are a series of half-baked literary invitations you’ve received from around the world. QUESTION: How do you arrange to skip town? ANSWER: You accept them all. If you are Arthur Less. Thus begins an around-the-world-in-eighty-days fantasia that will take Arthur Less to Mexico, Italy, Germany, Morocco, India and Japan and put thousands of miles between him and the problems he refuses to face. What could possibly go wrong? ⭐⭐⭐

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Category: A book recommended by a friend After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region. Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemí’s dreams with visions of blood and doom. Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness. And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Annihiliation by Jeff VanderMeer Category: Book that was made into a movie Area X has been cut off from the rest of the world for decades. Nature has reclaimed the last vestiges of human civilization. The first expedition returned with reports of a pristine, Edenic landscape; the second expedition ended in mass suicide, the third in a hail of gunfire as its members turned on one another. The members of the eleventh expedition returned as shadows of their former selves, and within weeks, all had died of cancer. In Annihilation, the first volume of Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach Trilogy, we join the twelfth expedition. The group is made up of four women: an anthropologist; a surveyor; a psychologist, the de facto leader; and our narrator, a biologist. Their mission is to map the terrain, record all observations of their surroundings and of one another, and, above all, avoid being contaminated by Area X itself. They arrive expecting the unexpected, and Area X delivers—but it’s the surprises that came across the border with them and the secrets the expedition members are keeping from one another that change everything. ⭐⭐⭐

The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner Category: A book you read in high school New York Times-bestselling author Megan Whalen Turner’s entrancing and award-winning Queen’s Thief novels bring to life the world of the epics and feature one of the most charismatic and incorrigible characters of fiction, Eugenides the thief. Megan Whalen Turner’s Queen’s Thief novels are rich with political machinations and intrigue, battles lost and won, dangerous journeys, divine intervention, power, passion, revenge, and deception. The brilliant thief Eugenides has visited the Queen of Attolia’s palace one too many times, leaving small tokens and then departing unseen. When his final excursion does not go as planned, he is captured by the ruthless queen. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#reading list #personal #long post

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mistymark · 6 years ago

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the one with the unexpected help. [1]

nakamoto yuta x reader // 3.0k words // enemies to lovers!au //university!au

summary: in which a group project causes tension between you and your partner, yuta

warnings: swearing

It was practically silent as everyone listened to the professor at the front of the large room, the PowerPoint slides switching as fast as you could blink, and you barely had enough time to type out your notes.

Everyone listened with respect, the soft sound of typing filling the room, but also the annoying tap tap tap sound of someone’s pen whacking the desk as its owner watched the presentation. Sitting two desks away from you, Nakamoto Yuta sat, his chin resting against his palm as he looked on boredly, his pen hitting the table rhythmically. You tried to focus on your notes, but it felt like the tapping sound was all you could hear.

You’d never spoken to him before - but had heard enough rumours to realise that blowing up at him for his annoying habits would not be a good introduction - and decided to block it out. You didn’t need an enemy in the one class that you were already failing.

“And your project groups have been posted outside my office - and online -, if you would like to organise some meetings to begin your brainstorming,” your professor continued, “and which I strongly advise that you do.” He winked at the crowd of students as he began to pack up his laptop and notes.

A group of people you’d met on your first day walked past you in a hurry, excited to see the groups, but you opened up your laptop to check online instead. Upon seeing your name - or more specifically, the name directly under it - you glanced around to find your group member but he was already looking at you with narrowed eyes.

When you did nothing but stare at him, mouth agape, he rolled his eyes and grabbed his backpack from beside his seat, walking over to you. He leant down onto your desk, “Look, this is my best class and I know it’s definitely not yours, so you can just leave it to Wong and I.”

Someone called out to him, and you assumed it was Wong Yukhei, your other group member. Yuta glanced over his shoulder and looked back at your shocked face, “I’ll see you around, Y/L/N.”

You were so shocked by his attitude that you didn’t have enough time to react, and by the time you had worked up an outburst that wouldn’t get you kicked off campus, he had left the room.

“is this y/n?” Your phone buzzed in your back pocket and you pulled it out, eating your burrito one-handed (which Johnny called your hidden talent).

“yeah, who is this?” You typed back, puzzled.

“oh sorry this is yukhei, ur friend jisoo’s in my psych class and she gave me ur number,” the person typed back, and you realised it was your group member for the big project. “you can call me lucas”

“ok,, hey lucas whats up,” you laughed at the awkwardness of the conversation, causing Johnny to look over at you from the other side of the couch and raise his eyebrows in question. “It’s one of the guys from my group project,” you explained. “But I didn’t know it was him.”

“nothing much I just wanted to tell u we’re having a meeting for the project tomorrow at 4.”

“oh lit, where?”

“the cafe on the North Lawn the one with the pink fence. u know the one?”

The next day, you grabbed your laptop bag from the floor next to your cubicle in the library and headed out, walking the short distance to the North Lawn and instantly spotting the cafe Lucas had described. You’d never been there because it was on the wrong side of campus for you, and it was always really busy.

It was really busy when you walked in, too. You spotted Yuta and Lucas talking happily in a booth to the side of the restaurant, and you made your way over to them. When Lucas looked up to greet you, you pretended you hadn’t noticed Yuta’s exaggerated eye roll, a cap covering his blonde hair as he leant his head back against the booth.

Once you were seated next to Lucas, a waitress came over to take your order, “What can I get you guys?”

You noticed that she seemed to be mainly looking at Yuta, who smiled at her warmly from his seat.

You finished ordering your coffees, and the girl began to walk away, but Yuta sent her a quick wink, making you quietly cringe in disgust, “Ugh.”

Lucas choked on his water and playfully hit you for making him laugh, but Yuta just looked longingly outside, as though he really didn’t want to be there. “So, I was thinking that today we could just do a super quick brainstorm, like throw out a few ideas and then tomorrow we can meet at the library to research them and decide then,” Lucas explained, fiddling with one of his rings. “I have a meeting with one of my professors at 5, so I thought we could make this one quick?”

You smiled at Lucas and the unsure nature with which he concluded his sentence, “Yeah, that works for me. What ideas have you guys come up with?”

Yuta leant forward, his elbows resting on the table, “I was thinking nanotechnology, like exploring cancer treatment and such using nanotubes and other delivery systems.”

He looked expectantly at Lucas, and Lucas just shrugged in response, “To be honest, I hadn’t really thought of anything yet, but I’m happy to go with that.”

You opened your mouth to present your idea, but Yuta had already stood up, digging around in his back pocket for change to cover his coffee, “Great, then it’s settled. We’ll do our project on nanotech. T-”

“Actually, -” Your eyes narrowed as you interrupted him, “- I was thinking about investigating a different application of nanotechnology. I mean, the theory behind cancer treatment has been explored excessively in recent journals, which you would know, I’m sure, because this class is your ‘best subject’?”

You could feel Lucas’ surprise radiating from him from beside you, but you kept eye contact with Yuta as he set his jaw and stood up straighter, “What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about environmental cleanup,” you deadpanned. “Using nanotechnology to remove gases from the atmosphere, harmful substances from groundwater, bringing a little bit of international ethics into our project.”

“That’s a really good idea,” Lucas practically shouted in excitement. “We could discuss the possibilities of impacts on developing countries and health ratings, compare them to that of our own!”

Yuta turned his head towards the door before checking his watch nonchalantly, “Fine. We do Y/N’s idea. Tomorrow, library, same time?”

You nodded and he began to walk away, but Lucas immediately turned to you, “Okay, I know I just met you, but you’re officially my favourite person.”

Two weeks later and you’d been meeting up with your research group almost every night at 4 at the library to investigate your topic. Lucas had loudly named you the group leader, which you despised until you saw how annoyed Yuta became by it, and then talking about yourself as the leader in third person just to piss him off further.

You and Yuta had not gotten along well at all since being grouped together, and you chose mostly to discuss with Lucas about your group project. You’d see him during the few lectures you shared with him, but most of the time he’d just glare at you as he sat down and then ignore you for the rest of the session.

Group meetings were awkward, with the tension often being thick enough that only Lucas could break it with his positivity and loudness. You would bicker about almost every decision for the project, and often argued about one rewriting and editing another’s contribution.

During one session at the library, Lucas informed you that he had to leave for a date, and you smiled understandingly as you bid him goodbye, leaving only yourself and Yuta at your table.

“Can you read this for me?” Yuta cleared his throat before passing you his laptop, with information stretching over thousands of words. You began reading, and at the height of your tiredness, almost burst out with laughter at the presence of many swear words in a particularly lengthy paragraph. You began to edit them out for him, knowing he would not wish to hand in his work with that many profanities. However, he took your laughter to be at his offence, and tried to snatch his laptop away, scowling.

“No, no! Wait, I’m almost done with this paragraph,” you smiled at the laptop screen, deleting another word.

He watched you grinning at his work and felt a bit of pride, pushing thoughts of how beautiful you were to the side as he realised you were deleting parts, “Hey! What do you think you’re doing?”

Your eyes flicked to his over the laptop and you huffed, “Okay, let me read this to you, and tell me if you'd like to keep all aspects of this sentence. Dr. T.J. Edinburgh, founder and representer of the fucking science department at...fuck...Yale? I dont know-” You looked up at this and realised he was trying to hold back his laughter. “How much sleep did you get when you were writing this?”

“I don’t even know, holy shit,” he pulled his laptop towards himself and began to read. “I dont even remember writing this.”

His eyes caught yours, “I only wanted you to read the last paragraph because it sort of morphs into your point.”

You instantly moved backwards in surprise, leaning against your chair as you began to fiddle with your hair, “Oh, I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine,” Yuta dismissed your apology. “Hey, what time is it? I want to go get some dinner before the restaurant outside closes. Oh, and before I forget, who’s doing the conclusion?”

You checked your watch and saved all your documents as you began to pack up, “It’s just past nine. I’m doing the conclusion, we decided ages ago who was doing what.”

“Shouldn’t I write it, if my point is first and kind of sets up your point?”

You sighed, knowing that it was too good to be true for you guys to get along for more than two minutes, “My point is completely independent of yours, and it would make more sense for me to write the conclusion since my point concludes our reasoning for the entire thing.”

You walked to the entrance of the library with him beside you, and continued your argument all the way to your car, “I don't see how you can possibly think you’re a better writer than I am!”

“Does it fucking matter, Yuta? I got given conclusion, you got introduction, it’s basically the same thing!”

“Any idiot can write an introduction, a good conclusion can make or break a report,” he fumed, his chest rising and falling as he breathed heavily.

“Okay, you know what, fuck this. I’m going home now, so talk to Lucas about it, if he agrees with you, we can switch,” you shoved your bag into the backseat of your car and slammed the door, ignoring him as you drove away.

When you got home, and retrieved your phone from between the front seats of your car (the worst thing ever), you realised you had a text from an unknown number.

“who were you with at the library?”

“I'm sorry, your number isn't saved into my contacts. who is this?”

“wow, y/n, you deleted my number?”

“guess so :/ who is this?”

“it’s-”

As soon as you read his name, you stopped walking. It couldn’t have been him, and if it was, why did he care that you were with someone at the library? Why was he texting you? You had broken up with him months ago, and had no excuse to talk to him afterwards.

“why are you texting me?”

“I was just curious. I was walking Rose home and saw a guy walking you to your car at the library,, just wondering if you’ve finally moved on.” You rolled your eyes. This guy was an asshole, and you hated the fact that you’d ever dated him.

Of course, as soon as you’d broken up, he’d begun dating a stunning girl from one of your classes but you hadn’t dated anyone since him, just because you hadn't found anyone that interested you. But, by God, he hung that fact over you like he owned you.

“you mean my boyfriend?” You don't know why you did it, maybe you were just sick of constantly being belittled by him or maybe you just wanted to prove that he meant jack all to you, but you didn't regret saying it.

“since when do you have a boyfriend lol”

“since two weeks ago” It wasn't a total lie, that was when you had first met your group members, and yeah, you weren’t exactly dating one of them, but he didn’t have to know that.

“what's his name then?”

“okay I dont understand what you're trying to do here but this is really none of ur business so pls stop texting me” (perhaps you snapped)

Sighing, you threw your phone to the side of the room and flopped into bed, grabbing your laptop out.

The next day, after a three hour class, you met your teammates in the library for your second last session of the week, meaning after tomorrow, you wouldn’t have to see Yuta’s scowling face for four days.

You sat silently for the first hour, focussed on your individual work before having an impromptu half hour coffee break initiated by Lucas, who couldn't function after back to back classes. He insisted on buying you and Yuta coffees for interrupting your session, but explained that he felt like passing out from exhaustion.

He had left you alone with Yuta. Again.

Without a word, you returned to your open laptop and hoped on ignoring him. When he opened his mouth, you stood up, holding a book up, announcing, “I’m going to return this book.”

He raised an eyebrow at you but followed you as you stood up, unable to see you roll your eyes as you walked in front of him, “I talked to Lucas, and he said he really doesn't give, and this is a direct quote, a rats ass about who writes the conclusion, unless-”

You froze in front of him, eyeing the entrance to the library from where you were standing. Yuta, oblivious and still talking about the conclusion of your report, bumped into you, unaware that you had stopped walking.

“-with- why’d you stop?”

You watched as your ex-boyfriend looked around the library and you quickly turned to Yuta, “Look, I know we’re not the greatest of friends but my ex walked in and he’s a real dick and I mayormaynothavetoldhimwe’redating so please just go with this.”

Yuta looked confused as you put one arm around his waist and clutched your book tightly in the other hand as you walked back to your table. Instantly spotting you, your ex guided his latest conquest, a dark haired girl you’d never seen before but equally as attractive as the last girl you saw clutching his arm, over to your table with a smile on his face. Yuta stepped away from you to lean down into his backpack and retrieve his phone and you put on the fakest smile you could muster, “Hey.”

Your ex eyed Yuta for a moment before introducing himself, “I’m-.”

But Yuta stood up, tucking his phone into his jean pocket with one and slinging the other arm around you shoulders, “I know who you are.”

You shot Yuta what you hoped was a grateful smile and he tightened his grip on your shoulder in response, “Um, Yuta this Jae. Jae this Yuta.”

Yuta stuck his hand out, “Y/N’s current boyfriend.”

Jae’s eyes narrowed at his comment and he pulled his hand back as soon as Yuta had let go, motioning for his girlfriend to leave. Before exiting the library, he called out to you, “Nice to know you're finally moving on, Y/N! I thought you were going to pine after me for another six months!”

Immediately, Yuta moved to follow him, but you grabbed his hand, “I told you he’s a dick. Don’t worry about him, he’s all talk.” But as Yuta looked at your face, he could tell that you were extremely embarrassed over being called out in the library in front of god knows how many people, and you looked ashamedly down at your fidgeting hands.

He didn’t point any of this out, instead only saying, “I can’t believe you even dated that idiot. I thought I had bad taste.”

You laughed in a self-deprecating way that made Yuta afraid for a moment thinking you were crying, “Well, I guess I still have bad taste if I’m dating you.”

“I just rescued you from that asshole ever commenting on you ‘not moving on’ ever again, I think I’m quite worthy of being called a good boyfriend,” Yuta retorted.

“Are you really trying to prove to me that you’re my best boyfriend?” You cocked an eyebrow in challenge.

“Wouldn’t be that hard,” he mumbled, pulling out his chair as Lucas happily walked up to your table with four cups of coffee.

“Oh, is someone joining us?” You asked, looking at the two extra large cups of coffee in the tray.

Lucas clapped his hands loudly, making a girl at the desk beside you jump in fright, “Nope, these two are for me.” He grinned at you as he began to open up his laptop again, “So, did I miss anything interesting?” He had meant the comment to be a joke, but you glanced at Yuta, who had looked at you at the same time, and shook your head, confirming that no, nothing of interest had happened while he was gone.

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architectnews · 3 years ago

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"Tadao Ando's equivalent of what a dog does to a lamppost"

The redesign of Paris' Bourse de Commerce in Paris by architect Tadao Ando is a "complete disaster" of sterile concrete that turns the building into a monument to French colonial violence, says Aaron Betsky.

A billionaire and an architect walked into a bar. "What will you have?" the bartender asked. "Something to forget the evil origins of capitalism," the billionaire replied. "I need something to make me feel big and important," said the architect.

"I have the perfect thing for you," the bartender responded; "A concrete martini. It is round, dry, aseptic, and big enough to make you feel like you own the world."

"Make mine a double," the architect responded with enthusiasm.

That is how I imagine the origin story of the Pinault Collection's new venue in the Bourse, Paris' former stock exchange. It features a concrete ring whose functions, such as they are, appears to be to support two spindly staircases and some air outlets.

But its real nature seems to be architect Tadao Ando's equivalent of what a dog does to a lamppost, it is an example of money trying to transform itself into art and architecture at a gigantic scale. As a display space for a pretty good collection of contemporary art, it more or less succeeds. As an example of contemporary architecture, it is a complete disaster.

It is an example of money trying to transform itself into art and architecture at a gigantic scale.

The Bourse is a building of note. Its basic structure is that of the Halle aux blés, the grain exchange that it housed between 1767 and 1873. After its wooden dome burned down in 1802, Jean Francois Belanger redesigned it to offer not only a functional interior clothed with a classical exterior of great refinement but also to show off the new structure of iron and glass (ferrovitreous architecture, for the nerds) with great panache.

When it became the stock exchange in 1885, Henri Blondel redesigned it in a simpler manner, while five different artists added paintings around the central rotunda that glorified French colonial power. After years of neglect and misuse, the Bourse fell into the hands of one of France's two Titans of Luxury (the other being Bernard Arnault, who, although controlling the greater empire of LVMH, had to console himself with a somewhat better Frank Gehry building on the outskirts for his LVMH Foundation).

Pinault actually has an eye – or has eyes who work for him – and has thus built up a collection of contemporary art that is not only strong but also consistent, concentrating on representational work that ranges from the surreal to the evocative to the hyper-realistic. He collects in depth, and the galleries with work after work by Peter Doig, Marlene Dumas, David Hammons, or Kerry James Marshall are enough to make you forgive many (if not all) sins.

Unfortunately, Pinault also loves Tadao Ando, the former boxer whose work always photographs much better than it is. Ando, in turn, loves concrete and pure geometry. He does not seem to care where he puts his circles and squares. He works with clients, such as Pinault, who can help him assure that the concrete is as fine as marble. The two already strutted their stuff in Venice's Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana, but now they have plunked themselves down in the heart of Paris.

It should have been a job of restoration and that effort has been done with great care by Pierre Antoine Gatier (France's Director of Historic Buildings) and a studio called NeM. The building and its decoration look as if they were finished a few days ago, and most new services have been tucked away with all the skill that good design and money can afford.

The only evidence of friction is the battalion of new lights hanging from the ceilings and the light that, despite scrims, rakes paintings with light. In the basement, the concrete continues as the walls of a small auditorium that is intimate and pleasant, while visitors have the chance to explore the original air conditioning equipment, which is as intricate and beautiful as any of the works of art on display above.

Obscuring everything but the dome, the circle creates a central space that I am sure will be great for parties.

If Ando had shown his generosity by concentrating on how all that worked and by adding those touches that would form an apt counterpoint to the existing structure, it would have been enough. However, he felt it necessary to follow up the work he did for Pinault in Venice by inserting the concrete walls that are his trademark. Here, they mainly take the form of a circle he erected on the former trading floor.

Obscuring everything but the dome, the circle creates a central space that I am sure will be great for parties, and that currently house a few nicely ironic sculptures that turn out to be melting candles, created by Urs Fischer.

Their other function is to provide a secondary staircase to the upper levels, and an outlet for air. The latter causes a lip to protrude that manages that only to ruin one's view of the architecture from the floor but does the same from the balconies above. There is no art hung on these massive walls.

Do we really have to look at Black people serving and doing obeisance to their conquerors one more time?

What that space really needs is not some Ando-ness, but some context or relativizing of the frieze on the dome above it. Do we really have to look at Black people serving and doing obeisance to their conquerors one more time, especially if it is in what is not a particularly good painting? Do we really need to stand in a sanitised place of exploitation through money, ironised only by wry sculptures, but monumentalised by architecture?

The artists whom Pinault has collected can hope that their messages, which are critical, evocative, and in some cases powerful beyond any Gucci bauble the billionaire can sell us, will cut through the conditions in which they are shown –although the white walls, fancy lights, and aestheticizing an in-your-face artist such as David Hammons confronts here makes you wonder about that.

The architect could have done a much better job digging, excavating, exposing, and confronting the two centuries of material present here. Instead, Ando not only drank his concrete martini but created an affectless tomb for all those who suffered and died to make this display possible.

The main photo is by Patrick Tourneboeuf.

Aaron Betsky is director of Virginia Tech School of Architecture and Design and was president of the School of Architecture at Taliesin from 2017 to 2019. A critic of art, architecture, and design, Betsky is the author of over a dozen books on those subjects, including a forthcoming survey of modernism in architecture and design. Trained as an architect and in the humanities at Yale University, Betsky was previously director of the Cincinnati Art Museum (2006-2014) and the Netherlands Architecture Institute (2001-2006), and curator of architecture and design at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (1995-2001). In 2008, he directed the 11th Venice International Biennale of Architecture.

The post "Tadao Ando's equivalent of what a dog does to a lamppost" appeared first on Dezeen.

#Architecture – Dezeen

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raybizzle · 5 years ago

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joshuamshea84 · 6 years ago

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7 Ways Holy Land Tours Will Refresh Your Faith

View of Jerusalem’s Old City in Israel

Join us on a journey of a lifetime on a Holy Land tour to refresh your faith in Jesus and the Bible!

Is deepening your understanding of an authentic Christian lifestyle by experiencing Biblical history with your own eyes one of your lifelong dreams? Is your imagination longing to see what the apostles saw, traveling through a Holy Land tour with Jesus, filled with awe and wonder as the passages you’ve studied suddenly come alive in front of you?

Experiencing God’s Word come alive in the Holy Land of Israel and the surrounding Mediterranean is a beautiful way revitalize your walk with the Lord and enhance your vision as you study the Bible with leading scholars & archaeologists! Even if you’ve been to Israel before, our assurance is that our stunning Christian cruises and life-changing Christian tours are truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunities!

Here are seven ways our one-of-a-kind Holy Land tours will refresh your Christian faith:

1. Follow the Footsteps of Jesus

Be filled with awestruck wonder as you walk where Jesus walked! Visit incredible destinations made famous by the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ ministry, including the Mount of Olives, the Sea of Galilee, the site of Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist, Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth, the remains of the ancient city of Jericho, the Garden tomb where we believe Jesus was buried, the classic city of Jerusalem, and many more!

Journey through the biblical narrative in the remains of the Galilean towns where Jesus taught and performed his miracles. Follow the Gospel accounts with your own eyes and feet. Study the Words of Jesus on the Mount of Beatitudes, imagining yourself listening to the Messiah give His Sermon on the Mount. Make your way through the streets of Jerusalem and reflect on the sacrifice He gave in this city that changed the world. You will visit countless amazing places where Jesus walked, was baptized, hung on a cross, convicted and born.

Literally following the footsteps of Jesus was incredibly eye-opening for Shari! Here is what she experienced:

“Thank you for making this trip to Israel an enlightening experience. Not only did the trip increase my knowledge of the Bible and ancient history, it had a profound impact on my beliefs about and understanding of Christianity. Prior to the trip, my beliefs were primarily based on blind faith. However, I’ve returned with a softened heart and sharpened mind, both of which have opened the door to Christ.” – Shari D.

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We are blessed to have exclusive access to many cutting-edge discoveries and locations which further prove the inerrancy of many Biblical text accounts! Now you will have opportunities to witness intriguing locations first-hand, including the Temple of Tel-Arad, the real Mount Zion with our exclusive archaeologist guide Eli Shukron who recently discovered the Pool of Siloam, helped excavate the Temple drainage tunnels, area G of the City of David, and discovered “Temple Zero” with the standing stone where we believe Melchizedek and Abraham offered sacrifices to God. All of our locations are verified genuine and authenticated by Israel’s leading archaeologists and international Biblical scholars – not just the usual “traditional” sites created by man as a visual representation of the text.

Our Christian tours of Jordan and Israel bring life and meaning to your favorite Bible passages! Experience marvelous destinations, monuments, attractions, and natural wonders including thousands-of-years of history, culture, religions, and civilizations.

Monica was thrilled with the authentic historic locations she experienced on her journey through Israel’s Holy Land:

“It’s been about a month since I returned from Israel, so it is way past time to thank you for putting together a true trip of a lifetime! It was all and more than I expected … and I have about 500 photos to prove it. And Roman was a fantastic guide! He was a wealth of knowledge — biblical, messianic, archaeological, historical, cultural…he gave us all some new and exciting perspectives!” ~ Monica H.

3. Enjoy Unique Experiences in the Holy Land

Explore the Holy Land in a unique and hands-on way with adventures such as our Dig-for-a-Day program where we dig, sift, and examine pottery. The more adventurous among us can do some exciting exploration of unexcavated cave systems that are accessed through leather straps. Would you enjoy a helicopter ride over unique vistas, affording fantastic views of the rare crater-like landscape? We also visit Ein Gedi and the Dead Sea. How about a dip in the mud? Enjoy a nice float and coat yourself in the natural mud at the bottom of the mineral rich lake.

Christian visitors on one of our Holy Land tours will not be disappointed with the continual wellspring of extraordinary activities – both physical and spiritual all around!

youtube

4. On-Site Bible Study with Renowned Scholars

One incredible perk of traveling with Living Passages is our collective of highly qualified Bible teachers and world-renowned scholars which will provide incredible insight and scriptural teaching as you travel through the Holy Land. We guarantee our speakers will bring a fresh perspective to your existing insight of both the Old and New Testament.

Here are just a few of our exceptional guides, speakers, and teachers:

Dr. Craig A Evans is a distinguished scholar, author and speaker who has extensively studied the Gospels, Dead Sea scrolls and archaeology of the New Testament. He is a Distinguished Professor of Christian Origins at Houston Baptist University in Texas, and the author and editor of more than 70 books and hundreds of peer-reviewed articles, Professor Evans has given lectures at locations such as Cambridge, Oxford, Durham, Yale, and distinguished museums worldwide. He is a Fox News opinion contributor and also regularly lectures at popular conferences and retreats on the historical Jesus, archaeology, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Bible.

Eli Shukron is the chief archaeologist in the City of David and a leading expert on the archaeology of Jerusalem for the Israeli government and Israel Antiquities Authority. Shukron first discovered and directed the excavation of the Pool of Siloam, the ancient city of Bethlehem, the Jerusalem Pilgrim Road from the Second Temple Period, and numerous other historical artifacts which continuously prove the inerrancy of the Bible.

Dr. Adolfo Roitman is the curator of the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum, which houses the remarkable Dead Sea Scroll collection in Jerusalem, one of the world’s leading archaeological museums. Dr. Roitman is a senior lecturer at the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem, Dr. Roitman lectures widely on early Jewish literature, the history and significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls and biblical interpretation.

Dr. Frank Turek is a dynamic speaker and award-winning author & coauthor of many books, including: Stealing from God: Why Atheists Need God to Make Their Case. As the President of CrossExamined.org, Frank presents powerful and entertaining evidence for Christianity at churches, high schools and at secular college campuses that often begin hostile to his message.

5. Christian Fellowship on a Holy Land Adventure

You will share inspiring fellowship along your journey with other Christian believers. Many of our travelers who meet along their adventure become life-long friends after their Holy Land tour ends. You may choose to visit Bethany, where we end our day at the quiet and reflective Garden Tomb to share communion together. Review the fantastic testimonials of our past travelers and join the ranks of our seasoned Biblical adventurers!

As with all of our tours and cruises, the unparalleled spiritual gathering of fellow Christian believers who travel and study together, will make this an unforgettable life-changing and faith-shaping adventure.

“I also want to thank you for the prayer time we had together. That was very special for me and I have no doubt God heard our prayers. I enjoyed this tour so much, that I’d like to do it again sometime, maybe in the Spring season. Our group enjoyed each others’ company so much that we are having a reunion party coming up on Monday the 21st!” ~ Janet

6. Luxurious Holy Land Accommodations

Along your adventure, stop and relax in Israel’s most prestigious beach-side hotels with spectacular views. Every detail is carefully considered when making your stay as memorable as possible. The hotels are pristine and modern, clean and beautifully appointed. Your experience has been designed in impressive detail, with every item carefully selected to provide maximum pampering and comfort, fulfilling the needs and desires of all guests. Look for spas, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, saunas, fitness rooms, and massages. Enjoy rich regional gourmet food in each location.

“I travel frequently – but this tour was the adventure of a lifetime! Everything was first class: the hotels, the ship, the food, the guides and the teaching!” ~ Anonymous

7. Exclusively Designed and Operated

Don’t take an ordinary Holy Land tour or cruise! Living Passages luxury Christian cruises and inspirational biblical tours are intended to educate and uplift as you uncover and explore the history of the Bible first-hand. Our Holy Land tours are expertly planned, down to the finest detail. With over 20 years of experience, owner and founder Rhonda Sand arranges exclusive tours and elite excursions that are not typically offered on ordinary Israel tours. A Living Passages representative will travel with your group to quickly handle any issues, should they arise.

Be Spiritually Refreshed on an Adventure of a Lifetime in the Holy Land of Israel!

Is this your season to be spiritually refreshed! Will you join us on one of our in-depth Christian Israel tours?

There is sure to be the perfect tour that will will leave you feeling invigorated in your faith. Join others in fulfilling the dream of walking where Jesus walked. Bring life and meaning to your favorite passages by experiencing first-hand historic Bible locations as you journey through Israel’s Holy Land. Take a look at all our available tours and cruises!

Join us on the Christian trip of a lifetime today! Please call us for more information at 1-888-771-8717 or write us at [email protected].

The post 7 Ways Holy Land Tours Will Refresh Your Faith appeared first on Living Passages.

source https://livingpassages.com/7-ways-holy-land-tour-will-refresh-faith/ from Living Passages https://livingpassages.blogspot.com/2019/03/7-ways-holy-land-tours-will-refresh.html

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marymperezga · 6 years ago

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7 Ways Holy Land Tours Will Refresh Your Faith

View of Jerusalem’s Old City in Israel

Join us on a journey of a lifetime on a Holy Land tour to refresh your faith in Jesus and the Bible!

Here are seven ways our one-of-a-kind Holy Land tours will refresh your Christian faith:

1. Follow the Footsteps of Jesus

Literally following the footsteps of Jesus was incredibly eye-opening for Shari! Here is what she experienced:

2. Visit Authentic Biblical Locations

Monica was thrilled with the authentic historic locations she experienced on her journey through Israel’s Holy Land:

3. Enjoy Unique Experiences in the Holy Land

Christian visitors on one of our Holy Land tours will not be disappointed with the continual wellspring of extraordinary activities – both physical and spiritual all around!

youtube

4. On-Site Bible Study with Renowned Scholars

Here are just a few of our exceptional guides, speakers, and teachers:

5. Christian Fellowship on a Holy Land Adventure

6. Luxurious Holy Land Accommodations

“I travel frequently – but this tour was the adventure of a lifetime! Everything was first class: the hotels, the ship, the food, the guides and the teaching!” ~ Anonymous

7. Exclusively Designed and Operated

Be Spiritually Refreshed on an Adventure of a Lifetime in the Holy Land of Israel!

Is this your season to be spiritually refreshed! Will you join us on one of our in-depth Christian Israel tours?

Join us on the Christian trip of a lifetime today! Please call us for more information at 1-888-771-8717 or write us at [email protected].

The post 7 Ways Holy Land Tours Will Refresh Your Faith appeared first on Living Passages.

from Living Passages https://livingpassages.com/7-ways-holy-land-tour-will-refresh-faith/ from Living Passages https://livingpassages.tumblr.com/post/183774630140

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livingpassages · 6 years ago

Text

7 Ways Holy Land Tours Will Refresh Your Faith

View of Jerusalem’s Old City in Israel

Join us on a journey of a lifetime on a Holy Land tour to refresh your faith in Jesus and the Bible!

Here are seven ways our one-of-a-kind Holy Land tours will refresh your Christian faith:

1. Follow the Footsteps of Jesus

Literally following the footsteps of Jesus was incredibly eye-opening for Shari! Here is what she experienced:

2. Visit Authentic Biblical Locations

Monica was thrilled with the authentic historic locations she experienced on her journey through Israel’s Holy Land:

3. Enjoy Unique Experiences in the Holy Land

Christian visitors on one of our Holy Land tours will not be disappointed with the continual wellspring of extraordinary activities – both physical and spiritual all around!

youtube

4. On-Site Bible Study with Renowned Scholars

Here are just a few of our exceptional guides, speakers, and teachers:

5. Christian Fellowship on a Holy Land Adventure

6. Luxurious Holy Land Accommodations

“I travel frequently – but this tour was the adventure of a lifetime! Everything was first class: the hotels, the ship, the food, the guides and the teaching!” ~ Anonymous

7. Exclusively Designed and Operated

Be Spiritually Refreshed on an Adventure of a Lifetime in the Holy Land of Israel!

Is this your season to be spiritually refreshed! Will you join us on one of our in-depth Christian Israel tours?

Join us on the Christian trip of a lifetime today! Please call us for more information at 1-888-771-8717 or write us at [email protected].

The post 7 Ways Holy Land Tours Will Refresh Your Faith appeared first on Living Passages.

from Living Passages https://livingpassages.com/7-ways-holy-land-tour-will-refresh-faith/

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angrycollectordaze-me-blog · 6 years ago

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Paper代写：Dark Brutalities of World War I

本篇paper代写- Dark Brutalities of World War I讨论了第一次世界大战的黑暗残暴。第一次世界大战的黑暗残暴，首先可以从那些在西线作战的士兵对军事生活的恐惧和堑壕战中看出。事实上，战壕生活的现实可以用��腥、残酷、破碎和丑陋来形容，这对那些士兵来说是难以忍受的。此外，战争的黑暗残暴也可以通过士兵和将军之间的不平等体现出来。本篇paper代写由51due代写平台整理，供大家参考阅读。

Introduction

Patriotic proclamation has it that war is the representation of courage, glory and honor and the great majority of people regard war as glorious during the period of World War I. And most people only know the glamour and glory of those heroes in the battlefield while people do not know the sufferings those heroes have experienced when they fight in the war. However, Generals Die in Bed, a powerfully anti-war novel by Charles Yale Harrison, belies the war’s savage realities regardless of its military victories. War is not a glorious endeavor but instead it is quite chilling and horrible full of dark brutalities, which can be seen from the horrors of military life and trench warfare, the inequality between the soldiers and the generals as well as the descent of civilization.

Dark Brutalities of World War I

The dark brutalities of war can be firstly suggested by the horrors of military life and trench warfare of those soldiers fighting on the Western Front. As a matter of fact, the realities of life in the trenches can be described as bloody, brutal, shattering and ugly and it is quite unbearable for those soldiers. To put it more specifically, the living conditions in France for those soldiers are unsanitary and they are exposed to gigantic rats, lice, poison gas and flesh-rotting rainfalls. Just take the lice as an example, Harrison states that “We are supposed to be resting, but rest is impossible; we are being eaten alive by lice. We cannot sleep for them. We sit and talk, and dig feverishly in our chests, under our arms, between our legs. Our rambling conversation is interrupted by sharp little cracks as we crush the vermin between our thumbnails. A tiny drop of blood spurts in one’s face as they are crushed” (Harrison, Chapter 2), from which the inability for the soldiers to rest can be easily detected. Harrison uses first person to narrate and he is narrating in such a detail that the audience can even get a clear picture about the rage of lice. Soldiers will undoubtedly be exhausted and used-up due to their fighting in the battlefield and how fervent they desire for a rest can be unconsciously identified. Rest is very important toward the ordinary people that do not participate in the war, let alone those soldiers who fight with all their might. Apart from that, Harrison has claimed the havoc of rats and lice is the nightmare of those soldiers at the same time, which can be seen from the sentences that “The same rats, fat and sleek with their corpse-filled bellies, the same gleaming gimlet eyes. The same lice which we carry with us wherever we go. In and out, in and out, endlessly, sweating, endlessly, endlessly…”(Harrison, Chapter 4). These sentences have involved in the use of several “the same” and the repeated use of “in and out” and “endlessly” can all enable us to know that those rats and lice are with the soldiers all the time no matter where they are and they can not get themselves rid of the bothering from those unpleasant rats and lice.

Moreover, the dark brutalities of war can also be embodied via the inequality between the soldiers and the generals. Detailed speaking, the soldiers have to undergo countless unimaginable sufferings in the trench including emptiness, horrific deaths, hunger lice, mud, rats, etc. and they may even die in the trench in the end. But what is different for the generals is that they are not fighting in the front and they only know the war on maps, leading their being able to die in the bed. In order to better illustrate the inequity between the soldiers and the generals, Harrison uses cynicism to show the differences between the treatment toward the soldiers and the generals. As for the soldiers, “It is months since we have been out of clothes. We talk of the last time we slept between sheets. A flood of reminiscences begins. Brown forgets his hatred for Clark for the moment and rhapsodizes over his last night in a real bed” (Harrison, Chapter 3), from which we can know that it is rare for the soldiers to sleep in the bed when they are fighting in the trench. In the opposite, the generals do not come to the front very often and they know little about the war, “Yeah, but do the generals know it, that’s what I wanna know. / Better write’ em a letter about it. They might forget the date” (Harrison, Chapter 6). Reading this, it is quite ridiculous that the generals do not take part in the war themselves in the front and they even forget the date. What is more cynic can be predicted from the expressions that “Oh, the generals have a bloody good time fifty miles behind the line” (Harrison, Chapter 7) and that “God, no. Generals die in bed” (Harrison, Chapter 7), which has indicated that the generals are not only far away from the frontline and they are able to die in bed. Obviously, the use of cynicism has vividly depicted the differences between the generals and the soldiers so that the dark brutalities of war can be readily predicted.

Last but not the least comes that the descent of civilization can as well powerfully justify for the dark brutalities of war. The descent of civilization can be understood by the fact that what the soldiers care most about is their personal survival but not the glory the war can bring in the due time. Those soldiers have to deal with their meals in the trench on their own and the sentence that “We find a piece of hard, moldy bread- we share it among ourselves and eat it” (Harrison, Chapter 11) shows that it is hard for them to feed themselves. From what has been experienced by those soldiers in the trench, the existence of dehumanization can be deeply felt in that those soldiers have actually been seen as the tools to bring glory while they have to struggle in a barbaric and senseless war. There is no doubt the descent of civilization can help claim the dark brutalities of war, which suggests that the war should be prevented to a certain degree.

Conclusion

To sum up, a reasonable conclusion can be drawn that there is no glamour and glory in war but endless dark brutalities within it. Thus a fair knowledge can be obtained that people should spare no efforts to prevent the incidence of war in whatever possible way so that the soldiers have no need to suffer from the war in the due time. It is hoped that a peaceful world without war can be formed due to the joint efforts of people all over the world.

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theconservativebrief · 6 years ago

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Bill Burck, an attorney for the George W. Bush library and a longtime Republican, is a key linchpin in the process for reviewing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s lengthy paper trail. In fact, he’s running the show — and Democrats see his involvement as yet another sign of how far norms have shifted in the way the Republican majority has conducted Kavanaugh’s confirmation process.

Burck’s name may sound familiar because he’s a deeply entrenched player in Republican legal circles. Not only is he reportedly a longtime friend of Kavanaugh’s, he’s also more recently represented at least three current or former Trump White House officials — Don McGahn, Reince Priebus, and Steve Bannon — regarding special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. He’s currently a co-managing partner at the law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan.

Burck’s representation of McGahn has particularly raised eyebrows, since McGahn is the main Trump White House official in charge of getting Kavanaugh confirmed. It’s also prompted questions given the potential role that Kavanaugh himself could have in ruling on elements of the Mueller investigation, if he advances to the high court.

What’s more, Burck and Kavanaugh were once colleagues in the Bush White House. He was a former special counsel and deputy counsel to President George W. Bush, while Kavanaugh served as White House counsel and staff secretary for the same administration. Certain Democrats argue that his ties across all these venues make him “triply conflicted,” per the Washington Post.

Democrats have also questioned why Burck — a private attorney as well as a very politically charged figure — has now been authorized to analyze and filter through all of Kavanaugh’s former White House records, documents that could include damning evidence about the nominee’s involvement in decisions on wiretapping, torture, and the detention of enemy combatants.

Critics see the two men’s personal relationship muddling what’s normally a neutral and rigorous evaluation process. The New York Times points out that even their résumés are strikingly similar: “Yale for their undergraduate and law degrees, clerkships with Justice Anthony M. Kennedy and Judge Alex Kozinski, brief stints as prosecutors, and jobs in the Bush White House.”

If Burck was not running the documents analysis, the politically neutral National Archives and Records Administration would be leading the process. Because NARA has said it would take until the end of October for it to comb through all the documents that Republicans have requested, the Bush White House library offered up a parallel track for digging through some of these archives via a Burck-led team of 50 reviewers. (Former presidents have access to their own administration’s records via the Presidential Records Act.)

That parallel track has been marred by a hefty lack of transparency, however.

This past weekend, the White House cited executive privilege and directed Burck to withhold 100,000 documents from public release, with very little clear justification. Additionally, Burck dumped a trove of 42,000 documents to the Judiciary Committee shortly before the start of Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing on Tuesday. A series of such documents have also been deemed ��committee confidential,” meaning that lawmakers aren’t able to discuss them during the public hearing.

As NARA has noted, the handling of the vetting process in this way is something “that has never happened before.”

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) called out Burck’s power over the confirmation process on Tuesday. “Who is Bill Burck? … This mysterious Bill Burck who is filtering these documents. … Who’s paying him?” he said.

Durbin pointed out that the Constitution says Supreme Court justices are appointed with ”the advice and consent of the Senate. It doesn’t include Bill Burck. … By what authority is this man holding back hundreds of thousands of documents?”

According to the Post, the “Burck process” could even set a precedent for future confirmations moving forward. Burck’s involvement signals just how much the confirmation process has changed this time around.

Original Source -> Who is Bill Burck? Meet the former Bush attorney vetting Kavanaugh documents.

via The Conservative Brief

#IFTTT #The Conservative Brief

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coturesocial-blog · 7 years ago

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Okay, so whilst we are not in the habit of gossiping but, we just can’t help ourselves this week. We have just got to ask the question; the burning question on everyone’s lips. Who is Lisa Bloom? Although this woman has been around for decades, she has recently exploded onto our social media channels and the hype is unquestionable.

Whilst you’ve been waiting for more information about the mysterious group of people attempting to bring Usher down, we’ve been doing some digging! On this occasion, we are putting a stop to presenting you with glamorous lifestyles of our social celebrities. Instead, we’ve put our investigative skills to the test. We’ve done some digging to find out more about Lisa Bloom, the lawyer defending the case against the R&B star Usher.

Who is the celebrity lawyer ‘moving mountains’?

Lisa Bloom is a 55-year-old American civil rights attorney working in both New York and California. Above all, the majority of her work is carried out within her law company, The Bloom Firm. In addition to this, she is currently behind the lawsuit against Usher, claiming his ‘failure to inform sexual partners of his STD‘. However, Usher has never publicly announced an illness like this, which has got us all questioning if it’s even true! There have also been speculations as to whether it could all be for publicity? Album to promote anybody? Usher has been in the studio…laterly!

Lisa has got a fair bit of experience in her field. As a celebrity lawyer, it’s not unusual for others to question your intentions. Having also fought for Chyna’s restraining order against Rob, high-profile cases like these can make lots of money. This lady has a controversial yet interesting past.

The Current Case With Usher

Presently, Lisa is representing all three of the alleged sexual partners. This includes 21-year-old Quantasia Sharpton along with another woman and man. With her aim to reach ‘justice and accountability’ Lisa is ruthlessly powering through this case but this trial is anything but simple because Usher is now allegedly claiming that he didn’t even sleep with the named victim because she isn’t his type.

The investigated event apparently happened when Quantasia was just 19 which was years ago and she has no physical proof of being with him. Let us also just note that, Usher was engaged and then later married that same year to the gorgeous Grace Miguel. Consequently, people are suggesting that the named plaintiff is only in it for the fame and fortune.

The Additional Info

Lisa Bloom is hungry for success and willing to take on most challenges. With lots of speculation, there is also the issue of her client actually testing negative for herpes. There are so many different reports, there’s no telling what’s true and what is not. Quantasia was actually caught out for mentioning needing money via social media around the time she filed the allegations. There is also speculation that back in April Usher allegedly paid off another accuser.

With rumours that Usher will NOT be making any payments to settle the STD lawsuits, could it be a matter of Bloom’s team eventually dropping the case? We know that she’s clever as she has won cases in the past so it’s a matter of how ruthless she is willing to be in hope to get the outcome she wants. Who will come out on top in the end? You can predict that for yourselves.

Lisa has lots of work and preparation to do if she wants to ensure the official suing takes place. However, with Usher potentially fighting back could this spark, even more, determination? If he chooses to sue not only his accusers but their legal representation too, her career could blow up and not in a good way. Who do you think will take the final fall?

What experience does Lisa actually have?

Lisa once worked for client Katrina Yeaw who wanted to join the Boy Scouts of America. Despite having unsuccessfully sued the organisation for sex discrimination, she doesn’t seem to let this past event hold her back. On the other hand, she’s had successful cases including a child sexual abuse suit against the Roman Catholic Church. In addition to this, she has even sued the LAPD – multiple times. Some rather controversial battles, right?

Lisa Bloom has also worked closely with famous clients including comedian, Kathy Griffin. In this case, she was defending the woman who used props during her set to mimic a gruesome and hateful attack against Donald Trump. We know a lot of people have mixed views on the U.S.A’s President. However, this case went to show that Lisa has no problem revealing her political views as long as she can add to her success.

As mentioned previously, she helped Chyna file a temporary restraining order against Rob Kardashian as a result of ‘revenge porn’. Again, another controversial case as her client Chyna has had her own fair share of drama!

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Is Lisa Bloom fully-qualified and experienced?

We know that some of Ushers’ fans are accusing her of being underqualified, but actually…..paused…She isn’t! Lisa has carried out quite a bit of work as a television legal analyst. This means that she often has opportunities to work on shows including CBS News, CNN and Dr. Phil. You also might find her record of education of some interest. Lisa has a bachelor’s degree from UCLA and a doctorate in law from Yale. Was the undermining of her work actually just a group of music fans taking a dig at her?

Secondly, she also has a career in writing with a range of books regarding the different issues in today’s society. She’s a smart woman and she’s clearly very knowledgeable but in regards to the case with Usher should she be preparing to meet her match on the other side? Lisa also delivers talks on a variety of topics too. This means she’s got skills in the explanation and persuasion departments… Whether she is talking about combatting joblessness, school failure or thug culture, she knows how to come across with elegance and class.

What are your thoughts now?

Do you think there is enough evidence for Lisa to win her case despite many things just not adding up? We don’t blame Usher for keeping what his plans and thoughts are on the down-low. This is because he needs time to do what is best. Imagine if all the accusations have no truth, this will all have been unnecessary damage to everyone’s careers. Not to mention the negative publicity towards those genuinely affected by herpes. Can you image how afraid and stigmatised they must now feel about the way all this has been handled and the negative effect it has on those suffering from the disease.

Here is a thought: If the plaintiffs claim that he failed to inform them of having an STD at the time of exposure, with him still not having addressed whether he has herpes or not, what really made them decide to file a case years later? money, Fame, Publicity…With so much at stake, only time will tell….

Cr: Twitter @LisaBloom Cr: Instagram @quani_sharp Cr: Instagram @Usher

Lisa Bloom, a #girlboss attorney: a hunger for success Okay, so whilst we are not in the habit of gossiping but, we just can't help ourselves this week.

#businesswoman #empowered #famous #inspiration #lifestyle

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readnowsleeplater · 8 years ago

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Bang - Excerpt

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from the publisher.

Hello, hello, everyone! I'm a bit late to the party today, but without further ado, here's an excerpt from BANG by Barry Lyga! Read on for more info about the book, which will be released on April 18, 2017. There's also a list of stores where you can pre-order the book, and a schedule of blog tour stops. Long-time readers will know I love Barry Lyga's Jasper Dent series, and I can't wait to dig into this new pageturner.

About the book

A chunk of old memory, adrift in a pool of blood.

Sebastian Cody did something horrible, something no one--not even Sebastian himself--can forgive. At the age of four, he accidentally shot and killed his infant sister with his father's gun.

Now, ten years later, Sebastian has lived with the guilt and horror for his entire life. With his best friend away for the summer, Sebastian has only a new friend--Aneesa--to distract him from his darkest thoughts. But even this relationship cannot blunt the pain of his past. Because Sebastian knows exactly how to rectify his childhood crime and sanctify his past. It took a gun to get him into this.

Now he needs a gun to get out.

Unflinching and honest, Bang is the story of one boy and one moment in time that cannot be reclaimed, as true and as relevant as tomorrow's headlines. Readers of This is Where It Ends, The Hate List, and Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock will appreciate this extraordinary novel.

''Heartbreaking and brutally compelling.'' --Kirkus Reviews, starred review ''[A] raw exploration of persistent social stigmas, a beautiful study of forgiveness, and an unflinching portrait of a parent's worst nightmare.'' -Publishers Weekly, starred review ''Lyga tackles a number of relevant issues in this heartbreaking novel, including gun control, suicide, and religious and racial prejudice. The pain and anguish Sebastian feels every day are raw and chafing, and the chemistry between Sebastian and Aneesa is tender and realistic.'' -School Library Journal, starred review ''Lyga manages his intensely emotional material well, creating in Sebastian a highly empathetic character....'' -Booklist

Excerpt

Mom says I should bring something to the party, even though there is nothing in the invitation to indicate this. “It’s polite,” she says. “It’s what people do.” And I wonder in which class do people learn this fact about modern life? What if I missed the class, skipped over it to take chemistry or biology? What other important social ingredients does my etiquette larder lack?

“And what if I don’t bother?” I ask her. “What then? Why is being a little out of step such a major felony?”

“Just do it. Don’t examine it; don’t dissect it.”

“You’d think if they wanted me to bring something, they would say so.”

“They don’t want you to. But you do anyway.”

“That makes no sense. Doesn’t it make more sense for us to agree on something, together?”

She sighs, but it’s not her annoyed sigh. It’s her my son is so goofy and so smart sigh, the much rarer variety. But since things are going well right now, I figure maybe this is a good time to broach another topic: “Like back on the last day of school. You wanted to talk and I didn’t and—”

“What do you mean?”

“When you brought up Lola and I threw up?”

Her face goes tight. “Not now.”

“Look, I just wanted to . . . I’m just thinking that maybe we need a way to talk about it. Her. You know? Isn’t it time?” Past time. I should try, I should make a real effort, before I go. Go away.

With a grimace, she flaps her hands. “You’re going to be late. Don’t be rude to these people.”

Typical. She brings it up; I recoil. I bring it up; she recoils. We’re never in sync.

And there’s no arguing with parental authority. At her insistence, I bring a two-liter bottle of soda, as well as a truly gigantic bag of potato chips. Balancing the two of them while riding my bike would be impossible, so I have no choice but to accede to Aneesa’s snarky wish and walk to her house.

The cookout is attended by maybe fifteen people, a decent enough total for a backyard barbecue, perhaps, but a poor representation of the neighborhood in general. Easily four hundred people live in this development. How many did the Fahims invite? I’m willing to bet most of them.

There’s a red, white, and blue paper tablecloth on a picnic table piled high with bags of chips and pretzels, a card table stocked with drinks and cups (to which I add my two-liter bottle, it vanishing like a chameleon among its fellows), and a large plastic tub filled with ice and bottles of water. No beer, I notice.

The grill billows forth great gusts of fragrant smoke. I take a peek—burgers and dogs, along with delicious-smelling basted barbecue chicken skewers.

“It’s Alexander the Great!” Aneesa’s dad says, spying me lurking by the grill.

“I didn’t cut your cords,” I remind him.

“More like Theseus, then,” he amends.

“Maybe more like Ariadne.” Theseus navigated the labyrinth, true, but Ariadne was the one who gave him the ball of twine and the idea in the first place, so let’s give her her due.

He laughs and slaps my shoulder, then wields his barbecue tongs with a flourish, gesturing to the grill.

“What can I get you?”

I’m not a big eater, but it smells so good that I want one of each. “I’ll try the chicken.”

“Good man!” He tongs a juicy skewer onto a paper plate for me and presents it with a little bow. “Enjoy. Aneesa’s around here somewhere. . . .”

“I’ll find her. Thanks, Mr. Fahim.”

He pauses just a moment, then says, “Call me Joe. Everyone does.”

“Okay, Mr. Fahim.”

“Joe,” he admonishes, shaking his tongs in faux outrage.

“Joe. Right.”

I step off to the side with my skewer and do what I do best: watch. Mingling has never been my strong suit. My public life began with concentrated doses of overwhelming pity (“You poor boy!”) before transitioning into a bewildered scrutiny (“He’s still around?”) and then finally settling into a resigned acceptance of my continued existence, marked mostly by tight smiles and sharp nods and general avoidance of conversation.

Most of the people in the neighborhood ought to be able to manage at least that level of politeness. I don’t need people to approach me, just as long as they don’t outright avoid me. Mr. Marchetti and his wife are here, without her son, Don. Too bad. He’s older than I am, but I could have at least made small talk about the comic book he publishes in the school lit journal. He’s probably off somewhere with his girlfriend, a noted psychotic who has spent as much time in a mental ward as at school.

The chicken is delicious, slightly cumin-y, with a hint of garlic in the sauce. It’s skewered with marinated onions and peppers, and I’m in some sort of chicken heaven, scanning the backyard for Aneesa, thinking how great it is that I can joke around with Mr. Fahim, when it hits me: The Fahims don’t know about me.

About who I am and what I’ve done.

Read more excerpts from BANG and find out more about Barry Lyga on the blog tour!

Teenreads (3/30) Novel Novice (3/31) Short & Sweet Reviews (4/3) Young Adult Books Central (4/6) Read Now, Sleep Later (4/10) Sleeps on Tables (4/12) The Cover Contessa (4/14) Mundie Moms (4/27)

Pre-order a copy of BANG

Changing Hands, Tempe, AZ http://www.changinghands.com/book/9780316315500 Books of Wonder, NYC http://www.booksofwondershop.com/bang.aspx Addendum Books, St Paul http://addendumbooks.blogspot.com Blue Willow, Houston http://www.bluewillowbookshop.com/barry-lyga-bang-pre-order BookPeople, Austin http://www.bookpeople.com/book/9780316315500 Little Shop of Stories, Decatur http://littleshopofstories.com

About the Author

Called a “YA rebel-author” by Kirkus Reviews, Barry Lyga has published seventeen novels in various genres in his eleven-year career, including the New York Times bestselling I Hunt Killers. His books have been or are slated to be published in more than a dozen different languages in North America, Australia, Europe, and Asia. After graduating from Yale with a degree in English, Lyga worked in the comic book industry before quitting to pursue his lifelong love of writing. In 2006, his first young adult novel, The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl, was published to rave reviews, including starred reviews from Booklist and School Library Journal. Publishers Weekly named Lyga a “Flying Start” in December 2006 on the strength of the debut. His second young adult novel, Boy Toy, received starred reviews in SLJ, Publishers Weekly, and Kirkus. VOYA gave it its highest critical rating, and the Chicago Tribune called it “…an astounding portrayal of what it is like to be the young male victim.” His third novel, Hero-Type, according to VOYA “proves that there are still fresh ideas and new, interesting story lines to be explored in young adult literature.” Since then, he has also written Goth Girl Rising (the sequel to his first novel), as well as the Archvillain series for middle-grade readers and the graphic novel Mangaman (with art by Colleen Doran). His latest series is I Hunt Killers, called by the LA Times “one of the more daring concepts in recent years by a young-adult author” and an “extreme and utterly alluring narrative about nature versus nurture.” The first book landed on both the New York Times and USA Today bestsellers lists. Lyga lives and podcasts near New York City with his wife, Morgan Baden, and their nigh-omnipotent daughter. His comic book collection is a lot smaller than it used to be, but is still way too big.

I hope you'll all add Bang to your Goodreads TBR shelves and check it out when it debuts in about a week. Better yet, click on one of the pre-order links above and get ready to read!

#Barry Lyga #Little Brown

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caveartfair · 8 years ago

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8 Influential Female Art Historians You Should Know

Kathleen Gilje, Linda Nochlin in Manet’s Bar at the Folies-Bergère, 2006, oil on linen, 37 x 51 inches. Image courtesy of Francis M. Naumann Fine Art, New York.

Take a look at the syllabus of a traditional art history class and one thing remains clear: Most of the texts are written by men. The art world has long overlooked women, and the fields of art theory, criticism, and curatorial practice tend to mirror this gender gap.

But that’s not to say women haven’t made significant contributions to art history. By no means exhaustive, this list is a starting point for acknowledging the important contributions of female art historians, from classical to contemporary art. It’s also a promising view into the future of art history, and proof that women have a history of, and will continue, expanding the conversation around art.

Lucy R. Lippard

Contemporary art criticism has its iconic names and Lippard ranks high among them. After receiving her BA from Smith College and her MA from New York University, Lippard went on to become an important part of modern art as a critic and curator. As one of the founders of the nonprofit Printed Matter, Inc. in 1976—an idea that was born at her Tribeca loft while chatting with Sol LeWitt—Lippard widened the conversation surrounding artists’ books. She cofounded the Art Workers’ Coalition in 1969 and has published more than 20 books. With Six Years: Dematerialization of the Art Object from 1966 to 1972 (1968), Lippard became one of the foremost scholars on Conceptualism—but she’s a consistently important voice in more than just one art genre. She has long been a champion of feminist art, and in 2015 she won the College Art Association’s Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award for her writing.

Kellie Jones

Columbia associate professor Jones has been influential in bringing many black, African-American, and African diasporic artists who have been overlooked into mainstream art conversations. An alumnus of Amherst and Yale, Jones was the inaugural recipient of the David C. Driskell Award in African American Art and Art History from the High Museum of Art; and she became a MacArthur Fellow in 2016. Her numerous contributions to art history span curatorial work and writing; a highlight among these is the important show “Now Dig This! Art and Black Los Angeles, 1960–1980,” which was shown at the Hammer Museum and MoMA PS1 in 2011 and 2012. In a video for the MacArthur Foundation, Jones makes her mission clear: “I think it’s really important to the field of art history to finally be able to acknowledge that there are art histories that are global, and that art history isn’t just written in Europe.”

Hayden Herrera

An art historian’s job, in the most basic and purest sense, is to find artifacts, documents, and stories that shed more light on a specific person or art genre—and Herrera excels at this. With her widely acclaimed 1983 book Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo, Herrera cemented her place as a foremost scholar on Kahlo’s life and work. The biography went on to inspire the 2002 film starring Salma Hayek and Alfred Molina, and is still an important resource for learning about Kahlo’s artmaking, romances, and health issues, among other topics. Herrera has also published biographies on artists like Arshile Gorky and Joan Snyder; a Guggenheim fellowship recipient, she earned her Ph.D. at the CUNY Graduate Center.

Deborah Willis

As an artist and art historian, Willis focuses primarily on photography as both an art practice and a subject of study. It’s a deeply personal topic for Willis. In a 2013 New York Times article on her show “Framing Beauty,” the artist recalls the exact moment she first saw black people in photographs. (It was in The Sweet Flypaper of Life, a book first published in 1955 with photography by Roy DeCarava and text by Langston Hughes.) That moment made a lasting impact on Willis, who has contributed her own thoughts on black visibility and photography to the art-historical canon. With BFA, MFA, MA, and Ph.D degrees—plus countless accolades such as Guggenheim and MacArthur fellowships—Willis is proof that artmaking and art history-making can exist together in a dynamic praxis.

Linda Nochlin

No consideration of women in art history can be complete without a close reading of Nochlin’s iconic essay “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?” Originally published in 1971, it continues to inspire many critics, artists, and art historians to take a more incisive look at how the art world continually excludes female artists. Her critical work has also sparked important conversations in the genres of Realism and contemporary painting and sculpture. In 2007, Nochlin co-curated the Brooklyn Museum exhibition “Global Feminisms,” the inaugural show for the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art.

Svetlana Alpers

While the faction of art historians who focused on the Old Masters was long an elevated boys’ club, it was a woman who shook up how scholars and critics approached the genre. Alpers was best known for her influential 1983 text The Art of Describing: Dutch Art in the Seventeenth Century, which asked that art historians shift their focus from searching for symbols in paintings to considering them more widely within their socio-political context. Alpers co-founded the journal Representations Vol. 1 in 1983 and served as a professor at the University of California at Berkeley from 1962 to 1994.

Nada Shabout

The founding president of the Association for Modern and Contemporary Art from the Arab World, Iran, and Turkey, Shabout continually works to increase the visibility of art from communities that often go overlooked in the contemporary art world. She’s the author of many significant texts on the topic, including Modern Arab Art: Formation of Arab Aesthetics. Shabout also maintains a focus on ethics with articles like “The Iraqi Museum of Modern Art: Ethical Implications,” and is currently a professor at the University of North Texas. Outside of academia, she regularly contributes to conversations around Arab art for media outlets like NPR.

Taína Caragol

As the Curator for Latino Art and History at the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian, Caragol looks at Latino history through the lens of portraiture. Though currently working in a primarily curatorial capacity, she previously served in positions such as Latin American Bibliographer for the Museum of Modern Art. She has focused primarily on Latin American art from 1750 to the present and will serve as an important voice in conversations on Latino art history and contemporary art production of Latin America.

—Eva Recinos

from Artsy News

#Artsy News

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architectnews · 3 years ago

Text

"Tadao Ando's equivalent of what a dog does to a lamppost"

"I have the perfect thing for you," the bartender responded; "A concrete martini. It is round, dry, aseptic, and big enough to make you feel like you own the world."

"Make mine a double," the architect responded with enthusiasm.

It is an example of money trying to transform itself into art and architecture at a gigantic scale.

Obscuring everything but the dome, the circle creates a central space that I am sure will be great for parties.

Do we really have to look at Black people serving and doing obeisance to their conquerors one more time?

The main photo is by Patrick Tourneboeuf.

The post "Tadao Ando's equivalent of what a dog does to a lamppost" appeared first on Dezeen.

#Architecture – Dezeen

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architectnews · 3 years ago

Text

"Tadao Ando's equivalent of what a dog does to a lamppost"

"I have the perfect thing for you," the bartender responded; "A concrete martini. It is round, dry, aseptic, and big enough to make you feel like you own the world."

"Make mine a double," the architect responded with enthusiasm.

It is an example of money trying to transform itself into art and architecture at a gigantic scale.

Obscuring everything but the dome, the circle creates a central space that I am sure will be great for parties.

Do we really have to look at Black people serving and doing obeisance to their conquerors one more time?

The main photo is by Patrick Tourneboeuf.

The post "Tadao Ando's equivalent of what a dog does to a lamppost" appeared first on Dezeen.

#Architecture – Dezeen

0 notes

architectnews · 3 years ago

Text

"Tadao Ando's equivalent of what a dog does to a lamppost"

"I have the perfect thing for you," the bartender responded; "A concrete martini. It is round, dry, aseptic, and big enough to make you feel like you own the world."

"Make mine a double," the architect responded with enthusiasm.

It is an example of money trying to transform itself into art and architecture at a gigantic scale.

Obscuring everything but the dome, the circle creates a central space that I am sure will be great for parties.

Do we really have to look at Black people serving and doing obeisance to their conquerors one more time?

The main photo is by Patrick Tourneboeuf.

The post "Tadao Ando's equivalent of what a dog does to a lamppost" appeared first on Dezeen.

#Architecture – Dezeen

0 notes