#we talk about Amanda’s victim blaming era

[vivaciousoceans]

It’s so fucked up how Olivia let her moms alcoholism effect her judgement so many times. I can definitely see how this Olivia benson is the same one who couldn’t tell that Burton was grooming her

[jaydonsjam]

Morbius II

Here we are again to talk about the first five issues of Vampire Tales specifically the five Morbius stories! I know I keep saying it but these horror comics are enthralling and engrossing in the best way. Plus, following a villain is a lot more interesting than your run-of-the-mill superheroes. I did some research after noticing the non-existent stamp of the Comics Code Authority and found out (thanks Wikipedia) that since Vampire Tales was published as a magazine it didn’t fall under their judgement. Which is why there’s more violence and all around edgier content in VT than most Marvel comics of that era. After reading these five issues, Morbius has definitely jumped up the list of my favorite Spidey villains. Morbius’ struggle for humanity in the face of his endless need to feed on humanity makes him so interesting to me. I love the writing here because they manage to keep Morbius villainous and yet put forth other villains for him to face that make you root for him. The art is all in black-and-white but I think it really suits the horror genre and makes it feel like a 30’s universal horror film. My experience with black-and-white comics are really only with manga or The Walking Dead series.

“Morbius”

Steve Gerber wrote the first Morbius story in Vampire Tales #1 and Pablo Marcos did the art which looked absolutely beautiful with an eerie sinister undertone with a bit of watercolor effects. I love the fact that these comics actually have blood, because seeing the bites happen makes it more horrific. Also Morbius is seriously terrifying to look at. Morbius is searching for his love Martine and meets a girl named Carolyn so she leads him to Madame Laera who might be able to find out her location. They look through a crystal ball and Morbius sees Martine stabbed through the chest and throws the crystal ball shattering it. A demon named Nilrac is freed and fights Morbius but Michael defeats it. He tries to feed on it but finds there’s no blood so he attacks Laera and feeds on her, killing her. Carolyn, a child of Satan, is fascinated by this and takes Morbius to her place. Morbius leaves so that he doesn’t feed on her. I liked the fight with Nilrac but it wasn’t anything special. The best part of this issue was how good of a vehicle it served for Morbius and it even references previous stuff we had seen in Marvel Team-Up with the X-Men. I love how the story opens on an unsuspecting person walking down LA and they look up and just see Morbius pouncing them. Another thing that is referenced several times (and it’s a little unbelievable) is the fact that Morbius looks like a bat faced crazy man and when people ask him why he’s wearing a mask, he always says, it’s not a mask. It’s funny but I don’t buy the fact that people just think it’s a mask. One of the things that make Morbius so interesting is the idea that he doesn’t want to feed on people and when he does, he hates himself for it. He’s got a piece of humanity but he just can’t fight his hunger. He’s of course a monster but there’s something else there too.

“The Blood Sacrifice of Amanda Saint!”

The next Morbius story in Vampire Tales #2 was written by Don McGregor and pencilled by Rich Buckler and inked by Pablo Marcos. I love the title page (pictured above) with a bat serving as the background but at the same time resembling the shape of a human heart. One technical issue I had with this scan on Marvel Unlimited was the fact that some of the lettering was hard to read and there was like a pixelated look to some of the images. I don’t blame the art cause I think it’s just a digital scan issue. Anyways, Morbius decided on his next victim Amanda Saint, who has also been chosen by a satanic cult named Demon-Fire as a sacrifice. Morbius leaps down, feeds on one of her would-be captors and stops the kidnapping, saving his victim from her fate. There’s a cool fight that he has with one of the cloaked figures who’s wields a scythe. Morbius disarms him and then runs away with Amanda. They come to her house and her sister, Catherine is waiting for her. We find out that Amanda is with a man named Justin and he planned for her to get kidnapped and sacrificed but Morbius stopped it. Catherine looks an awful like a female masked figure that we saw earlier in the issue (we find out in a later issue that her sister was that figure). Justin has roommates who are involved in drugs (which comes back later). Morbius feeds on a taxi driver and Amanda gets kidnapped by Demon-Fire. Morbius tries to stop it but is thrown out of a two-story window and is forced to flee.

“Demon Fire”

The third Morbius story was written by Don McGregor and pencilled by Rich Buckler and inked by Klaus Janson. This issue had the same technical problem as the last one where the digital scan made some of the lettering hard to read. Morbius heads to the place where the cult took Amanda and finds a coffin that serves as a secret entrance to an underground lair. We get the Catherine reveal here along with Justin revealing himself to Amanda. At the top of the atrium in this underground lair is a giant demonic spider named Arachne with which they sacrifice people to. It’s quite ironic that Morbius fights a spider in this issue with his superhero nemesis being Spider-Man. I loved how creepy and sinister the black and white art added to the giant spider. It webs Michael and takes a bite but then runs away dying from whatever is in Morbius’ blood. The spider’s death throes cause the whole lair to start falling apart and Morbius escapes with Amanda as the whole cult is crushed except for sweet, silly Justin. We get an epilogue of police brutality. They were trying to hit Justin’s drug dealing friend but instead hit Justin and it ends with the cops dragging his unconscious body out of the apartment. Overall I dug this issue a lot. It’s ironic that Amanda is saved by the vampire who wanted to feed on her. It’s also funny that she didn’t know everyone around her was involved in a cult (including her mother and sister and boyfriend). I really felt bad for the taxi driver who was in the midst of a Watergate rant when he was killed by Michael. It’s also interesting that Amanda has no idea Morbius is a vampire even though he’s leaping and moving with obvious powers and he has a bat face. I just find that unbelievable. I get that she’s often not paying much attention or indisposed every time but I really feel like she should’ve known by the time she actually does find out.

“Lighthouse of the Possessed”

This issue in Vampire Tales #4 was written by Don McGregor and pencilled and inked by Tom Sutton. This issue opens with one of the most brutal kills Morbius does in these issues yet (pictured above). They really do a great job of showing that you’re reading a story about a villain. Morbius with Amanda has started staying at a boarding house. There’s a really weird eugenics mention after Morbius sees two grotesque people living there. I was taken aback but then I remembered that Michael is a murderous psycho so whatever. We also meet two characters one named Brock Kilbride an idealistic politically minded guy and his friend Arlene Randolph who spends both issues trying to make Brock see that the politician, Duke Mannery isn’t what he seems. We also meet another sect of Demon-Fire but this time they are led by a mysterious being called Blood-Tide. We also meet Amanda’s mother who was mentioned before having her husband leave her because she was a member of a cult (Demon-Fire) but there’s a reveal about that later. Amanda is prattling on and on about politics to Morbius but they are interrupted by Oliver barging in trying to cut them with his hook hand. Morbius throws him out of a window and he’s cut by shards of glass. Morbius with his bloodlust taking over feeds on poor Oliver. Amanda sees him and realizes he’s a vampire and freaks out. This is a big reveal but again, it makes Amanda seem kinda dumb for not already figuring it out. She runs out the door right into an axe swing from Mrs. Agnes. They are then mobbed by seafarers who are trying to kill them. At this point they run into Brock and Arlene knocking them over as they are chased by a giant mob of people. Mrs. Agnes catches Morbius still swinging her axe. Morbius flings the axe away and then slams Agnes’ head into the axe. It’s definitely the most brutal death in these five issues for sure. Morbius takes off Mrs. Agnes’ mask and it’s revealed to be Amanda’s mom. Like a true scoundrel, Morbius takes her wedding band and plans on giving it to Amanda someday. Lots of action in this issue and also plenty of dirty deeds done by Morbius. Reading these issues really makes me realize that while they call Man-Thing a monster or Jack Russell a monster, the real monster here is Morbius. You guys know I see him as a tragic figure but he is a murderer who constantly feeds on innocents (also bad people). I also appreciate the idea that is he trying to save Amanda to wipe out the stain of all the evil he’s done as a living vampire? It’s a good question.

“Blood Tide!”

The next Morbius story from Vampire Tales #5 was written by Don McGregor and pencilled by Rich Buckler and inked by Ernie Chua (he was also credited under Ernie Chan in his career). I gotta start off by saying the art is the best in this issue out of the five stories. The scan was fantastic and I had no issues reading this one (same with the last one). Morbius and Amanda see a film and get attacked by Blood-Tide! Brock and Arlene investigate a shadowy figure who works with the politician and it leads them to the same theater. There’s a cool moment where Blood-Tide and Morbius fight behind the screen and he tosses Morbius through the projection. There’s a moment where he’s about to pierce Michael with his staff but Brock kicks him in the head and leads Morbius and Amanda out of the theater. In a conversation with Arlene and Brock we get another moment where Morbius tells them it’s his face that looks like that not a mask. I’m starting to like this throughline joke. They follow The Godfather character to outside the lighthouse and Morbius decides to be stealthy and try to sneak into the lighthouse. There’s a cool fight between Morbius and Blood-Tide!

Blood-Tide has a really cool design with glowing eyes that seem to control people. There seems to be merit because of the mob of people who all want to kill Morbius and Amanda. He uses his gaze to freeze Morbius in place and is about to stab him with his staff when Brock distracts him. Morbius takes advantage of the distraction (he’s also freed from the gaze) by throwing one of the cult members out of the lighthouse window. He takes down Blood-Tide and unmasks him revealing him to be Duke Mannery the politician that Brock believed in. The guy is so taken aback and disgusted that he doesn’t realize that Duke has a pistol. In another gruesome kill, Brock has his brains blown out.

I was shocked by the gore in this moment but we did see Amanda’s mom get axed in the head last ish so maybe I shouldn’t have been so surprised. I actually felt bad for Brock cause he did seem like he had his heart in the right place just supported the wrong guy. I will say that I’m not super into the Scooby Doo type reveals with both Blood-Tide and Mrs. Agnes. I feel like that trope got overused in this story especially in such quick succession. Overall though, Vampire Tales was a fun read and definitely the goriest, bloodiest and darkest Marvel comics I’ve read from this era so far. Marvel does horror really well. Like I said, I’m glad it’s not colored cause the black and white art adds so much to the horror genre. I’d love to read a black and white Man-Thing comic now. Next up we’re back to Adventure Into Fear #17-18! Thanks for reading this whole thing. I hope you enjoyed my moronic thoughts about funny books!

[isslibrary]

New Library Material December 2019 - April 2020

Bibliography

Sorted by Call Number / Author.

155.9 T

Turkle, Sherry. Life on the screen : identity in the age of the Internet. New York, NY : Simon & Schuster, c. 1995. Introduction : identity in the age of the Internet -- pt. 1. The seductions of the interface -- A tale of two aesthetics -- The triumph of tinkering -- pt. 2. Of dreams and beasts -- Making a pass at a robot -- Taking things at interface value -- The quality of emergence -- Artificial life as the new frontier -- pt. 3. On the Internet -- Aspects of the self -- TinySex and gender trouble -- Virtuality and its discontents -- Identity crisis.

230 L

Lewis, C. S. (Clive Staples), 1898-1963, author. The C.S. Lewis signature classics. First Harpercollins Paperback Edition published 2001. Set contains 8 vols: 1)Mere Christianity; 2)The Screwtape Letters; 3)Miracles; 4)A Grief Observed; 5)The Great Divorce; 6)The Problem of Pain; 7)The Abolition of Man; 8)The Four Loves.

302 G

Gladwell, Malcolm, 1963- author. Talking to strangers : what we should know about the people we don't know. First edition. Introduction : "Step out of the car!" -- Part I. Spies and diplomats : two puzzles. Fidel Castro's revenge ; Getting to know der Führer -- Part II. Default to truth. The queen of Cuba ; The holy fool ; Case study : The boy in the shower -- Part III. Transparency. The Friends fallacy ; A (short) explanation of the Amanda Knox case ; Case study : The fraternity party -- Part IV. Lessons. KSM : what happens when the stranger is a terrorist? -- Part V. Coupling. Sylvia Plath ; Case study : The Kansas City experiments ; Sandra Bland. In this thoughtful treatise spurred by the 2015 death of African-American academic Sandra Bland in jail after a traffic stop, New Yorker writer Gladwell (The Tipping Point) aims to figure out the strategies people use to assess strangers-to "analyze, critique them, figure out where they came from, figure out how to fix them," in other words: to understand how to balance trust and safety. He uses a variety of examples from history and recent headlines to illustrate that people size up the motivations, emotions, and trustworthiness of those they don't know both wrongly and with misplaced confidence.

305.42 G

Gates, Melinda, 1964- author. The moment of lift : how empowering women changes the world. Introduction -- The lift of a great idea -- Empowering mothers: maternal and newborn health -- Every good thing: family planning -- Lifting their eyes: girls in schools -- The silent inequality: unpaid work -- When a girl has no voice: child marriage -- Seeing gender bias: women in agriculture -- Creating a new culture: women in the workplace -- Let your heart break: the lift of coming together -- Epilogue.

306.3 A

Anderson, S. E. (Sam E.). The Black holocaust for beginners. Reprint ed. Danbury, CT : For Beginners LLC, c1995.

306.36 H

Hurston, Zora Neale, author. Barracoon : the story of the last "black cargo" First edition. Foreword : Those who love us never leave us alone with our grief: reading Barracoon: the story of the last "black cargo" / by Alice Walker -- Introduction -- Barracoon : Preface -- Introduction -- The king arrives -- Barracoon -- Slavery -- Freedom -- Marriage -- Kossula learns about law -- Alone -- Appendix : Takkoi or Attako: children's game ; Stories Kossula told me ; The monkey and the camel ; Story of de Jonah ; Now disa Abraham fadda de faitful ; The lion woman -- Afterword and additional materials / edited by Deborah G. Plant -- Founders and original residents of Africatown -- Glossary. "In 1927, Zora Neale Hurston went to Plateau, Alabama, just outside Mobile, to interview eighty-six-year-old Cudjo Lewis. Of the millions of men, women, and children transported from Africa to America as slaves, Cudjo was then the only person alive to tell the story of this integral part of the nation's history. Hurston was there to record Cudjo's firsthand account of the raid that led to his capture and bondage fifty years after the Atlantic slave trade was outlawed in the United States. In 1931, Hurston returned to Plateau, the African-centric community three miles from Mobile founded by Cudjo and other former slaves from his ship. Spending more than three months there, she talked in depth with Cudjo about the details of his life. During those weeks, the young writer and the elderly formerly enslaved man ate peaches and watermelon that grew in the backyard and talked about Cudjo's past--memories from his childhood in Africa, the horrors of being captured and held in a barracoon for selection by American slavers, the harrowing experience of the Middle Passage packed with more than 100 other souls aboard the Clotilda, and the years he spent in slavery until the end of the Civil War. Based on those interviews, featuring Cudjo's unique vernacular, and written from Hurston's perspective with the compassion and singular style that have made her one of the preeminent American authors of the twentieth-century, Barracoon masterfully illustrates the tragedy of slavery and of one life forever defined by it. Offering insight into the pernicious legacy that continues to haunt us all, black and white, this poignant and powerful work is an invaluable contribution to our shared history and culture."--Publisher's website.

342.73 C

The Founding Fathers & Paul B. Skousen. The Constitution & The Declaration of Independence. Salt Lake City, UT : Izzardink, 2016; 2017.

342.73 P

The Know your Bill of Rights book. First edition. United States : Oculus Publishers, Inc, 2013.

364.1 H

Hate crimes. 1. Hate as part of society : -- Defining hate -- What we investigate -- FBI releases 2018 hate crime statistics -- Learn more about hate crimes -- The U.S. finally made lynching a Federal crime -- Hate-crime violence its 16-year high, FBI reports -- Mail bombs, hate crimes, and he meaning of terrorism -- 2. Causes and responses : -- Entering an era of rising hate crimes -- Trump and racism: what do the data say? -- American Islamophobia in the age of Trump: the global war on terror, continued? -- Steve Scalise: don't blame Trump for mass shootings -- Did counties hosting a Trump rally in 2016 see a 226% spike in hate crimes? -- "We need to evolve": police get help to improve hate crime tracking -- The FBI's new approach to combating domestic terrorism: straight talk -- Congressman Serrano and Senator Casey introduce the Stop Hate Act to address the rise in hate crimes through social media -- 3. Hate laws and the Constitution : -- The limits of Free Speech -- Is the cure of censorship better than the disease of hate speech? -- The limits of Free Speech for White Supremacists marching at the Unite the Right 2, explained -- Hate speech and hate crime -- the El Paso shooting revived the Free Speech debate. Europe has limits -- Portland considers Antimask Law aimed at Antifa violence -- Free Speech can be messy, but we need it -- Should we treat domestic terrorists the way we treat ISIS? -- 4. Prevention, outreach, and training : -- Schools as safe places for learning -- Hate crime in America policy summit -- Hate in schools: an in-depth look -- Political correctness and anti-Jewish bias mar first draft of California's Ethnic Studies curriculum -- Justice Department commemorates 10th anniversary of Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act -- 5. The role of the media and big tech : -- The connected society -- How Journalists cover mass shootings: research to consider -- In Congressional hearing on hate, the haters got their way -- A campus murder tests Facebook clicks as evidence of hate -- The media botched the Covington Catholic story -- Hate speech on social media: global comparisons -- How Big Tech can fight White Supremacist terrorism: it has the tools- it just needs to use them.

364.15 K

Kantor, Jodi, 1975- author. She said : breaking the sexual harassment story that helped ignite a movement. The first phone call -- Hollywood secrets -- How to silence a victim -- "Positive reputation management" -- A company's complicity -- "Who else is on the record?" -- "There will be a movement" -- The beachside dilemma -- "I can't guarantee I'll go to DC" -- Epilogue: The gathering. For many years, reporters had tried to get to the truth about Harvey Weinstein's treatment of women. Rumors of wrongdoing had long circulated. But in 2017, when Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey began their investigation into the prominent Hollywood producer for the New York Times, his name was still synonymous with power. During months of confidential interviews with top actresses, former Weinstein employees, and other sources, many disturbing and long-buried allegations were unearthed, and a web of onerous secret payouts and nondisclosure agreements was revealed. These shadowy settlements had long been used to hide sexual harassment and abuse, but with a breakthrough reporting technique Kantor and Twohey helped to expose it. But Weinstein had evaded scrutiny in the past, and he was not going down without a fight. He employed a team of high-profile lawyers, private investigators, and other allies to thwart the investigation. When Kantor and Twohey were finally able to convince some sources to go on the record, a dramatic final showdown between Weinstein and the New York Times was set in motion. Nothing could have prepared Kantor and Twohey for what followed the publication of their initial Weinstein story on October 5, 2017. Within days, a veritable Pandora's box of sexual harassment and abuse was opened. Women all over the world came forward with their own traumatic stories. Over the next twelve months, hundreds of men from every walk of life and industry were outed following allegations of wrongdoing. But did too much change -- or not enough? Those questions hung in the air months later as Brett Kavanaugh was nominated to the Supreme Court, and Christine Blasey Ford came forward to testify that he had assaulted her decades earlier. Kantor and Twohey, who had unique access to Ford and her team, bring to light the odyssey that led her to come forward, the overwhelming forces that came to bear on her, and what happened after she shared her allegation with the world.

512 A

Lead authors: John A. Carter, Ph.D., Gilbert J. Cuevas,Ph.D., Roger Day, Ph.D., NBCT, Carol Malloy, Ph.D.; Program Authors: Dr. Berchie Holliday, Ed.D., Ruth Casey, Dinah Zike, Jay McTighe; Lead Consultant: Viken Hovsepian. Algebra 2. Glencoe/McGraw-Hill Education, 2012. Columbus, OH : McGraw-Hill Companies, c. 2012.

612 B

Bryson, Bill, author. The body : a guide for occupants. First U.S. edition. How to build a human -- The outside: skin and hair -- Microbial you -- The brain -- The head -- Down the hatch: the mouth and throat -- The heart and blood -- The chemistry department -- In the dissecting room: the skeleton -- On the move: bipedalism and exercise -- Equilibrium -- The immune system -- Deep breath: the lungs and breathing -- Food, glorious food -- The guts -- Sleep -- Into the nether regions -- In the beginning: conception and birth -- Nerves and pain -- When things go wrong: diseases -- Then things go very wrong: cancer -- Medicine good and bad -- The end. "Bill Bryson, bestselling author of A Short History of Nearly Everything, takes us on a head-to-toe tour of the marvel that is the human body. As compulsively readable as it is comprehensive, this is Bryson at his very best, a must-read owner's manual for everybody. Bill Bryson once again proves himself to be an incomparable companion as he guides us through the human body--how it functions, its remarkable ability to heal itself, and (unfortunately) the ways it can fail. Full of extraordinary facts (your body made a million red blood cells since you started reading this) and irresistible Bryson-esque anecdotes, The Body will lead you to a deeper understanding of the miracle that is life in general and you in particular. As Bill Bryson writes, "We pass our existence within this wobble of flesh and yet take it almost entirely for granted." The Body will cure that indifference with generous doses of wondrous, compulsively readable facts and information"--. "From the bestselling author of A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING, a head-to-toe tour of the marvel that is the human body"--.

801.95092

Barish, Evelyn, 1935-. The double life of Paul de Man. First Edition.

812.54 K

Kushner, Tony. Angels in America : Part One and Two. 2007. London : Nick Hern Books, 2007. Reprinted 2015. pt. 1. Millennium approaches -- pt. 2. Perestroika.

812.54 W

Williams, Tennessee, 1911-1983. The glass menagerie. New Directions Book. New York, NY : New Directions Publishing, 1999. The embattled Wingfield family: Amanda, a faded southern belle, abandoned wife, dominating mother, who hopes to match her daughter with an eligible "gentleman caller;" Laura, a lame and painfully shy, she evades her mother's schemes and reality by retreating to a world of make-believe; Tom's sole support of the family, he eventually leaves home to become a writer but is forever haunted by the memory of Laura. The only single edition now available of this American classic about a mother obsessed with her disabled daughter.

812.6 B

Barron, Clare, author. Baby screams miracle. A freak storm knocks down all the trees in town and brings a prodigal daughter rushing home. But has she come for reconciliation? Or as an angel of vengeance? A comic new play about love, forgiveness and family struggling to operate in a relentlessly chaotic and violent world.

812.6 D

DeLappe, Sarah, author. The wolves : a play. 1st ed. "The Wolves follows nine teenage girls as they warm up for their indoor soccer games. From the safety of their suburban stretch circle, the team navigates big questions and wages tiny battles with all the vim and vigor of a pack of adolescent warriors. As the teammates warm up in sync, a symphony of overlapping dialogue spills out their concerns. By season's and play's end, amidst the wins and losses, rivalries and tragedies, they are tested and ready--they are The Wolves." -- Back cover.

822.914 B

Butterworth, Jez, author. The ferryman. Revised edition. Rural County Armagh, Ireland, 1981. The Carney farmhouse is a hive of activity with preparations for the annual harvest. A day of hard work on the land and a traditional night of feasting and celebrations lie ahead. But this year they will be interrupted by a visitor.

940.54 L

Larson, Erik, 1954- author. The splendid and the vile. First edition. Bleak Expectations -- The Rising Threat -- A Certain Eventuality -- Dread -- Blood and Dust -- The Americans -- Love Amid the Flames -- One Year to the Day -- Epilogue. "The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Devil in the White City and Dead Wake delivers a fresh and compelling portrait of Winston Churchill and London during the Blitz On Winston Churchill's first day as prime minister, Hitler invaded Holland and Belgium. Poland and Czechoslovakia had already fallen, and the Dunkirk evacuation was just two weeks away. For the next twelve months, Hitler would wage a relentless bombing campaign, killing 45,000 Britons. It was up to Churchill to hold the country together and persuade President Franklin Roosevelt that Britain was a worthy ally-and willing to fight to the end. In The Splendid and the Vile, Erik Larson shows, in cinematic detail, how Churchill taught the British people "the art of being fearless." It is a story of political brinkmanship, but it's also an intimate domestic drama set against the backdrop of Churchill's prime-ministerial country home, Chequers; his wartime retreat, Ditchley, where he and his entourage go when the moon is brightest and the bombing threat is highest; and of course 10 Downing Street in London. Drawing on diaries, original archival documents, and once-secret intelligence reports-some released only recently-Larson provides a new lens on London's darkest year through the day-to-day experience of Churchill and his family: his wife, Clementine; their youngest daughter, Mary, who chafes against her parents' wartime protectiveness; their son, Randolph, and his beautiful, unhappy wife, Pamela; Pamela's illicit lover, a dashing American emissary; and the cadre of close advisers who comprised Churchill's "Secret Circle," including his lovestruck private secretary, John Colville; newspaper baron Lord Beaverbrook; and the Rasputin-like Frederick Lindemann. The Splendid and the Vile takes readers out of today's political dysfunction and back to a time of true leadership, when-in the face of unrelenting horror-Churchill's eloquence, courage, and perseverance bound a country, and a family, together."--.

940.54 P

Purnell, Sonia, author. A woman of no importance : the untold story of the American spy who helped win World War II. The dream -- Cometh the hour -- My tart friends -- Good-bye to Dindy -- Twelve minutes, twelve men -- Honeycomb of spies -- Cruel mountain -- Agent most wanted -- Scores to settle -- Madonna of the mountains -- From the skies above -- The CIA years. "The never-before-told story of one woman's heroism that changed the course of the Second World War In 1942, the Gestapo sent out an urgent command across France: "She is the most dangerous of all Allied spies. We must find and destroy her." This spy was Virginia Hall, a young American woman--rejected from the foreign service because of her gender and her prosthetic leg--who talked her way into the spy organization dubbed Churchill's "ministry of ungentlemanly warfare," and, before the United States had even entered the war, became the first woman to deploy to occupied France. Virginia Hall was one of the greatest spies in American history, yet her story remains untold. Just as she did in Clementine, Sonia Purnell uncovers the captivating story of a powerful, influential, yet shockingly overlooked heroine of the Second World War. At a time when sending female secret agents into enemy territory was still strictly forbidden, Virginia Hall came to be known as the "Madonna of the Resistance," coordinating a network of spies to blow up bridges, report on German troop movements, arrange equipment drops for Resistance agents, and recruit and train guerilla fighters. Even as her face covered WANTED posters throughout Europe, Virginia refused order after order to evacuate. She finally escaped with her life in a grueling hike over the Pyrenees into Spain, her cover blown, and her associates all imprisoned or executed. But, adamant that she had "more lives to save," she dove back in as soon as she could, organizing forces to sabotage enemy lines and back up Allied forces landing on Normandy beaches. Told with Purnell's signature insight and novelistic panache, A Woman of No Importance is the breathtaking story of how one woman's fierce persistence helped win the war"--.

943.086 B

Bergen, Doris L., author. War and genocide : a concise history of the Holocaust. Barnes & Noble, 2007. Preconditions : antisemitism, racism, and common prejudices in early-twentieth century Europe -- Leadership and will : Adolf Hitler, the National Socialist German Workers' Party, and Nazi ideology -- From revolution to routine : Nazi Germany, 1933-1938 -- Open aggression : in search of war, 1938-1939 -- Experiments in brutality, 1939-1940 : war against Poland and the so-called euthanasia program -- Expansion and systemization : exporting war and terror, 1940-1941 -- The peak years of killing: 1942 and 1943 -- Death throes and killing frenzies, 1944-1945.

946.9 H

Hatton, Barry, 1963- author. Queen of the sea : a history of Lisbon. "Lisbon was almost somewhere else. Portuguese officials considered moving the city after it was devastated by what is believed to be the strongest earthquake ever to strike modern Europe, in 1755, followed by a tidal wave as high as a double-decker bus and a six-day inferno that turned sand into glass. Lisbon's charm is legendary, but its rich, 2,000-year history is not widely known. This single-volume history provides an unrivaled and intimate portrait of the city and an entertaining account of its colourful past. It reveals that in Roman times the city was more important than initially thought, possessing a large theatre and hippodrome. The 1147 Siege of Lisbon was a dramatic medieval battle that was a key part of the Iberian reconquista. As Portugal built an empire spanning four continents, its capital became a wealthy international bazaar. The Portuguese king's cort©·ge was led by a rhinoceros which was followed by five elephants in gold brocade, an Arabian horse and a jaguar. The Portuguese were the world's biggest slavers, and by the mid-16th century around 10 percent of the Lisbon's population was black, imbuing the city with an African flavour it has retained. Invasion by Napoleon's armies, and the assassination of a king and the establishment of a republic, also left their marks. The city's two bridges over the River Tagus illustrate the legacy of a 20th-century dictator and Portugal's new era in Europe."--Publisher's description.

955.05 I

Iran. Detroit : Greenhaven Press, 2006. Presents all sides to several issues concerning Iran, including debates about global security, human rights, and nuclear weapons.

973.092

Chernow, Ron. Alexander Hamilton. Prologue: The Oldest Revolutionary War Widow -- The Castaways -- Hurricane -- The Collegian -- The Pen and the Sword -- The Little Lion -- A Frenzy of Valor -- The Lovesick Colonel -- Glory -- Raging Billows -- A Grave, Silent, Strange Sort of Animal -- Ghosts -- August and Respectable Assembly -- Publius -- Putting the Machine in Motion -- Villainous Business -- Dr. Pangloss -- The First Town in America -- Of Avarice and Enterprise -- City of the Future -- Corrupt Squadrons -- Exposure -- Stabbed in the Dark -- Citizen Genet -- A Disagreeable Trade -- Seas of Blood -- The Wicked Insurgents of the West -- Sugar Plums and Toys -- Spare Cassius -- The Man in the Glass Bubble -- Flying Too Near the Sun -- An Instrument of Hell -- Reign of Witches -- Works Godly and Ungodly -- In an Evil Hour -- Gusts of Passion -- In a Very Belligerent Humor -- Deadlock -- A World Full of Folly -- Pamphlet Wars -- The Price of Truth -- A Despicable Opinion -- Fatal Errand -- The Melting Scene -- Epilogue: Eliza. Ron Chernow tells the story of a man who overcame all odds to shape, inspire, and scandalize the newborn America. Few figures in American history have been more hotly debated or more grossly misunderstood than Alexander Hamilton. Chernow's biography argues that the political and economic greatness of today's America is the result of Hamilton's countless sacrifices to champion ideas that were often wildly disputed during his time. Chernow here recounts Hamilton's turbulent life: an illegitimate, largely self-taught orphan from the Caribbean, he came out of nowhere to take America by storm, rising to become George Washington's aide-de-camp in the Continental Army, coauthoring The Federalist Papers, founding the Bank of New York, leading the Federalist Party, and becoming the first Treasury Secretary of the United States. Historians have long told the story of America's birth as the triumph of Jefferson's democratic ideals over the aristocratic intentions of Hamilton. Chernow presents an entirely different man, whose legendary ambitions were motivated not merely by self-interest but by passionate patriotism and a stubborn will to build the foundations of American prosperity and power. His is a Hamilton far more human than we've encountered before -- from his shame about his birth to his fiery aspirations, from his intimate relationships with childhood friends to his titanic feuds with Jefferson, Madison, Adams, Monroe, and Burr, and from his highly public affair with Maria Reynolds to his loving marriage to his loyal wife Eliza. And never before has there been a more vivid account of Hamilton's famous and mysterious death in a duel with Aaron Burr in July of 1804.

973.921 W

Wicker, Tom. Dwight D. Eisenhower. First edition. New York : Times Books, 2002. An American hero at the close of World War II, General Dwight Eisenhower rode an enormous wave of popularity into the Oval Office seven years later. Though we may view the Eisenhower years through a hazy lens of 1950s nostalgia, historians consider his presidency one of the least successful. At home there was civil rights unrest, McCarthyism, and a deteriorating economy; internationally, the Cold War was deepening. But despite his tendency toward "brinksmanship," Ike would later be revered for "keeping the peace." Still, his actions and policies at the onset of his career, covered by Tom Wicker, would haunt Americans of future generations.

976.1 K

Kennedy, Peggy Wallace, author. The broken road. The bridge -- In the beginning -- Romance in the air -- Coming home -- The race -- Into the darkness -- The broken road -- You got what you wanted -- The victory is ours -- 1963 -- Picture perfect -- A storm's a-comin' -- Success is to succeed -- Dynasty -- For you -- Stand up -- Things just change -- Buckle my shoes -- The book of lamentations -- 'Til death do us part -- In tents -- Testify, brother Wallace! -- Stepping down -- Benched -- The end of an era -- Doors -- Letters from Baghdad -- Back to the bridge. "From the daughter of one of America's most virulent segregationists, a memoir that reckons with her father George Wallace's legacy of hate -- and illuminates her journey towards redemption. Peggy Wallace Kennedy has been widely hailed as the 'symbol of racial reconciliation' (Washington Post). In the summer of 1963, though, she was just a young girl watching her father stand in a schoolhouse door as he tried to block two African-American students from entering the University of Alabama. This man, former governor of Alabama and presidential candidate George Wallace, was notorious for his hateful rhetoric and his political stunts. But he was also a larger-than-life father to young Peggy, who was taught to smile, sit straight, and not speak up as her father took to the political stage. At the end of his life, Wallace came to renounce his views, although he could never attempt to fully repair the damage he caused. But Peggy, after her own political awakening, dedicated her life to spreading the new Wallace message -- one of peace, penance, and compassion. In this powerful new memoir, Peggy looks back on the politics of her youth and attempts to reconcile her adored father with the man who coined the phrase 'Segregation now. Segregation tomorrow. Segregation forever.' Timely and timeless, The Broken Road speaks to change, atonement, activism, and racial reconciliation"--.

977 McC

McCullough, David G., author. The pioneers : the heroic story of the settlers who brought the American ideal west. First Simon & Schuster hardcover edition. The Ohio country -- Forth to the wilderness -- Difficult times -- Havoc -- A new era commences -- The Burr conspiracy -- Adversities aplenty -- The cause of learning -- The travelers -- Journey's end. "Best-selling author David McCullough tells the story of the settlers who began America's migration west, overcoming almost-unimaginable hardships to build in the Ohio wilderness a town and a government that incorporated America's highest ideals"--.

92 O'Connor

Thomas, Evan, 1951- author. First : Sandra Day O'Connor. Prologue -- Lazy B -- Stanford -- The golden couple -- Majority leader -- Arizona judge -- The President calls -- Inside the Marble Palace -- Scrutiny -- FWOTSC -- Cancer -- A woman's role -- Civil religion -- Bush v. Gore -- Affirmative action -- End game -- Labor of love. "Based on exclusive interviews and access to the Supreme Court archives, this is the intimate, inspiring, and authoritative biography of America's first female Justice, Sandra Day O'Connor--by New York Times bestselling author Evan Thomas. She was born in 1930 in El Paso and grew up on a cattle ranch in Arizona. At a time when women were expected to be homemakers, she set her sights on Stanford University. When she graduated near the top of her class at law school in 1952, no firm would even interview her. But Sandra Day O'Connor's story is that of a woman who repeatedly shattered glass ceilings--doing so with a blend of grace, wisdom, humor, understatement, and cowgirl toughness. She became the first-ever female majority leader of a state senate. As a judge on the Arizona State Court of Appeals, she stood up to corrupt lawyers and humanized the law. When she arrived at the Supreme Court, appointed by Reagan in 1981, she began a quarter-century tenure on the court, hearing cases that ultimately shaped American law. Diagnosed with cancer at fifty-eight, and caring for a husband with Alzheimer's, O'Connor endured every difficulty with grit and poise. Women and men today will be inspired by how to be first in your own life, how to know when to fight and when to walk away, through O'Connor's example. This is a remarkably vivid and personal portrait of a woman who loved her family and believed in serving her country, who, when she became the most powerful woman in America, built a bridge forward for the women who followed her"--. At a time when women were expected to be homemakers, Sandra Day O'Connor set her sights on Stanford University. When she graduated near the top of her class at law school in 1952, no firm would even interview her. She became the first-ever female majority leader of a state senate, a judge on the Arizona State Court of Appeals, and arrived at the Supreme Court in 1981 to begin a quarter-century tenure on the court. Thomas provides a vivid and personal portrait of a woman who loved her family, believed in serving her country, and built a bridge forward for the women who followed her. -- adapted from jacket.

ACT Manual

Stern, David Alan. Acting with an accent : a step-by-step approach to learning dialects. Lyndonville, VT : Dialect Accent Specialists, c1979-1987. [v. 1.] Standard British -- [v. 2.] Cockney -- [v. 3.] New York City -- [v. 4.] American Southern -- [v. 5.] Irish -- [v. 6.] Scottish -- [v. 7.] Spanish -- [v. 8.] Italian -- [v. 9.] French -- [v. 10.] German -- [v. 11.] Russian -- [v. 12.] Yiddish -- [v. 13.] Texas -- [v. 14.] Boston -- [v. 15.] Down east New England -- 16. Upper class Massachusetts or "Kennedy-esque" -- [v. 17.] Chicago -- 18. Mid-west farm/ranch -- 19. Polish -- [v. 20.] Arabic -- [v. 21.] Farsi (Persian) -- [v. 22.] Norwegian & Swedish -- [v. 23.] West Indian & Black African -- [v. 24.] British north country -- [v. 25.] Australian. Step-by-step instruction and practice in learning to speak English in various domestic and foreign dialects.

DVD For

Forbidden Hollywood collection. Turner Classic Movies Archives. Burbank, CA : Turner Entertainment Company and Warner Brothers Entertainment Inc. Disc 1: Other Men's Women; The Purchase Price. Disc 2: Frisco Jenny; Midnight Mary. Disc 3: Heroes for Sale; Wild Boys of the Road. Disc 4: Wild Bil: Hollywood Maverick; The Men Who Made the Movies: William A. Wellman. Other men's women: Grant Withers, Regis Toomey, Mary Astor, J. Farrell MacDonald. The purchase price: Barbara Stanwyck, George Brent, Lyle Talbot. Frisco Jenny: Ruth Chatterton, Louis Calhern. Midnight Mary: Loretta Young, Ricardo Cortez, Franchot Tone, Andy Devine. Heroes for sale: Richard Barthelmess, Aline MacMahon, Loretta Young, Gordon Westcott. Wild boys of the road: Frankie Darro, Dorothy Coonan, Rochelle Hudson, Edwin Phillips. Wild Bill: Hollywood maverick - narrator, Alec Baldwin. Disc 1: Other men's women: Bill and Jack are railroad men. When Bill comes to stay with Jack and his wife, Bill and Lily fall in love. Jack confronts Bill about his suspicions and the two fight, leaving Jack seriously injured. The purchase price: Joan Gordon is a singer tiring of her relationship with Eddie. She flees to North Dakota to become a mail-order bride. Happiness is threatened by her stubborn husband, a lecherous neighbor and the appearance of Eddie. Disc 2: Frisco Jenny: Jenny was orphaned by the 1906 earthquake and fire and has gone on to become the madame of a prosperous bawdy house. After putting her son up for adoption, he becomes a district attorney dedicated to closing down such houses. She kills an underling who wants her son dead and is now facing execution. Midnight Mary: A mistaken arrest, a prison term, and lack of employment leads to a young woman's involvement with gangsters. In a brothel she meets a wealthy lawyer who falls in love with her. He helps her turn her life around, but her past catches up with her. Now she is on trial for murder. Disc 3: Heroes for sale: A man stands up during a WWI battle and becomes a hero, but he doesn't get the credit. He becomes injuried and soon gets hooked on morphine, causing him to fall apart when he returns home. He eventually marries, but soon the Depression hits. Wild boys of the road: Tom and Ed are high school students whose parents, thanks to the Depression, have lost their jobs. Wanting to help make money, they set off on the rails looking for work. They finally end up in New York and Ed thinks he might have foud a job. Disc 4: Wild Bill: Explores the life and directorial times of William A. Wellman. The men who made the movies: Wellman shares many stories and speaks bluntly of the producers with who he has worked and describes his remarkable star-making and star-spotting abilities. He was responsible for helping actors win Oscars and discovered such notable actors as James Cagney and Gary Cooper.

DVD Gra

The grapes of wrath. [DVD version includes: commentary by Joseph McBride and Susan Shillinglaw; prologue from British version; Biography. Darryl F. Zanuck : twentieth century filmmaker; 3 drought reports from 1934 Movietone news newsreels; outtakes; still gallery; featurette entitled Roosevelt lauds motion pictures at Academy fete; restoration comparison; English and Spanish tracks and subtitles]. Henry Fonda (Tom Joad); Jane Darwell (Ma Joad); John Carradine (Casy); Charley Grapewin (grandpa); Dorris Bowdon (Rosasharn); Russell Simpson (Pa Joad); O.Z. Whitehead (Al); John Qualen (Muley); Eddie Quillan (Connie); Zeffie Tilbury (grandma); Frank Sully (Noah); Frank Darien (Uncle John); Darryl Hickman (Winfield); Shirley Mills (Ruth Joad); Roger Imhof (Thomas); Grant Mitchell (caretaker); Charles D. Brown (Wilkie); John Arledge (Davis); Ward Bond (policeman); Harry Tyler (Bert); William Pawley (Bill); Charles Tannen (Joe); Selmar Jackson (inspection officer); Charles Middleton (leader); Eddie Waller (proprietor); Paul Guilfoyle (Floyd); David Hughes (Frank); Cliff Clark (city man); Joseph Sawyer (bookkeeper); Frank Faylen (Tim); Adrian Morris (agent); Hollis Jewell (Muley's son); Robert Homans (Spencer); Irving Bacon (Roy); Kitty McHugh (Mae); Arthur Aylesworth (father); Norman Willis, Lee Shumway, Frank O'Connor, Tom Tyler, Harry Cording, Ralph Dunn, Paul Sutton, Pat Flaherty, Dick Rich (deputies); Mae Marsh (Muley's wife); Herbert Heywood (gas station man); Harry Strang (Fred); Walter Miller (border guard); Gaylord Pendleton, Ben Hall, Robert Shaw (gas station attendants); George O'Hara (clerk); Thornton Edwards (motor cop); Russ Clark, James Flavin, Philip Morris, Max Wagner (guards); Trevor Bardette (Jule); Jack Pennick (committee man); Walter McGrail (leader of gang); William Haade (deputy driver); Ted Oliver (state policeman); Gloria Roy (waitress); George Breakstone, Wally Albright (boys); John Wallace (migrant); Erville Alderson, Louis Mason, Shirley Coates, Peggy Ryan, Georgia Simmons, Harry Holden, Hal Budlong, John Binns, Harry Wallace, L.F. O'Connor, Cliff Herbert, Joe Bordeaux, Tyler Gibson, Leon Brace, Harry Matthews, Frank Newberg, Jack Walters, Bill Wolfe, Delmar Costello, Bill Worth, Frank Atkinson, James Welch, Charles Thurston, Jules Michaelson, Waclaw Rekwart, Sidney Hayes, E.J. Kaspar, D.H. Turner, David Kirkland, C.B. Steele, Frank Watson, Al Stewart, Henry Barhe, Scotty Brown, Charles West, Dean hall, Walton Pindon, Charles W. Hertzinger, W.H. Davis, Scotty Mattraw, Chauncey Pyle, Walter Perry, Billy Elmer, Buster Brodie, Barney Gilmore, Cal Cohen, Nora Bush, Jane Crowley, Eleanor Vogel, Lillian Drew, Cecil Cook, Helen Dean, Pearl Varvell, hazel Lollier, Emily Gerdes, Rose Plummer, Mrs. Gladys Rehfeld, Edna Hall, Josephine Allen.

DVD It

It happened one night. Full screen. [Culver City, Calif.] : Columbia Pictures ;, c2008. Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Walter Connolly, Roscoe Karns, Jameson Thomas, Alan Hale, Arhtur Hoyt. When her father threatens to annul her marriage to a fortune-hunting playboy, spoiled heiress Ellie Andrews hops a cross-country bus to New York, where she plans to live happily ever after with her handsome new hubby. Romantic complications soon arise, however, when she's befriended by fellow passenger Peter Warne, a brash and breezy reporter who offers his help in exchange for her exclusive story.

DVD Mar

The Marx brothers collection. Warner Brothers Home Video. Set includes: 1) A Night at the Opera; 2) A Day at the Races; 3) A night in Casablanca; 4) Room Service; 5) At the Circus; 6) Go West; 7) The Big Store.

DVD Sca

Scarface. Paul Muni, Ann Dvorak, Karen Morley, Osgood Pergkins, C. Henry Gordon, George Raft, Vince Barnett, Boris Karloff, Purnell Pratt. "An exciting story of organized crime's brutal control over Chicago during the prohibition era. This compelling tale of ambition, betrayal and revenge is a groundbreaking masterpiece that influenced all gangster films to follow."--Container.

DVD Swi

Swing time. DVD special edition. Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Victor Moore, Helen Broderick, Eric Blore, Betty Furness, Georges Metaxa. "In this irresistible musical, the legendary dancing duo Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers are at the pinnacle of their art as a feckless gambler and the shrewd dancing instructor in whom he more than meets his match. Director George Stevens laces their romance with humor and clears the floor for the movie's showstopping dance scenes, in which Astaire and Rogers take seemingly effortless flight in a virtuosic fusion of ballroom and tap styles. Buoyed by beloved songs by Dorothy Fields and Jerome Kern--including the Oscar-winning classic 'The Way You Look Tonight'--Swing Time is an exuberant celebration of its stars' chemistry, grace, and sheer joy in the act of performance"--Container.

DVD Wil

Wild boys of the road. Warner Bros., Home Video, 1950s. In the depths of the Depression, two teenage boys strike out on their own in order to help their struggling parents and find life on the road tougher than expected.

EQUIP

Digital Voice Recorder : Multi-function stereo recorder. Olympus Model WS-852. Tokyo: : Olympus Corporation; Olympus America, Inc., PA, 2015.

F Cum

Cummins, Jeanine, author. American dirt. First U.S. edition. "También de este lado hay sueños. Lydia Quixano Perez lives in the Mexican city of Acapulco. She runs a bookstore. She has a son, Luca, the love of her life, and a wonderful husband who is a journalist. And while there are cracks beginning to show in Acapulco because of the drug cartels, her life is, by and large, fairly comfortable. Even though she knows they'll never sell, Lydia stocks some of her all-time favorite books in her store. And then one day a man enters the shop to browse and comes up to the register with four books he would like to buy-two of them her favorites. Javier is erudite. He is charming. And, unbeknownst to Lydia, he is the jefe of the newest drug cartel that has gruesomely taken over the city. When Lydia's husband's tell-all profile of Javier is published, none of their lives will ever be the same. Forced to flee, Lydia and eight-year-old Luca soon find themselves miles and worlds away from their comfortable middle-class existence. Instantly transformed into migrants, Lydia and Luca ride la bestia-trains that make their way north toward the United States, which is the only place Javier's reach doesn't extend. As they join the countless people trying to reach el norte, Lydia soon sees that everyone is running from something. But what exactly are they running to? American Dirt will leave readers utterly changed when they finish reading it. A page-turner filled with poignancy, drama, and humanity on every page, it is a literary achievement."--.

F Fre

Freudenberger, Nell. The dissident. 1st ed. New York : ECCO, c2006.

F Fre

Freudenberger, Nell, author. Lost and wanted. First Edition. "Told from the perspective of a female physicist in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a story that explores the nature of friendship, romantic love, and motherhood"--.

F Gla

Gladstone, Max, author. Full fathom five. First Trade paperback edition. "On the island of Kavekana, Kai builds gods to order, then hands them to others to maintain. Her creations aren't conscious and lack their own wills and voices, but they accept sacrifices, and protect their worshippers from other gods--perfect vehicles for Craftsmen and Craftswomen operating in the divinely controlled Old World. When Kai sees one of her creations dying and tries to save her, she's grievously injured--then sidelined from the business entirely, her near-suicidal rescue attempt offered up as proof of her instability. But when Kai gets tired of hearing her boss, her coworkers, and her ex-boyfriend call her crazy, and starts digging into the reasons her creations die, she uncovers a conspiracy of silence and fear--which will crush her, if Kai can't stop it first"--.

F Gla

Gladstone, Max, author. Last first snow. First Trade paperback edition. "Forty years after the God Wars, Dresediel Lex bears the scars of liberation--especially in the Skittersill, a poor district still bound by the fallen gods' decaying edicts. As long as the gods' wards last, they strangle development; when they fail, demons will be loosed upon the city. The King in Red hires Elayne Kevarian of the Craft firm Kelethres, Albrecht, and Ao to fix the wards, but the Skittersill's people have their own ideas. A protest rises against Elayne's work, led by Temoc, a warrior-priest turned community organizer who wants to build a peaceful future for his city, his wife, and his young son. As Elayne drags Temoc and the King in Red to the bargaining table, old wounds reopen, old gods stir in their graves, civil blood breaks to new mutiny, and profiteers circle in the desert sky. Elayne and Temoc must fight conspiracy, dark magic, and their own demons to save the peace--or failing that, to save as many people as they can"--.

F Gla

Gladstone, Max, author. Three parts dead. First Trade Paperback Edition. "A god has died, and it's up to Tara, first-year associate in the international necromantic firm of Kelethres, Albrecht, and Ao, to bring Him back to life before His city falls apart. Her client is Kos, recently deceased fire god of the city of Alt Coulumb. Without Him, the metropolis' steam generators will shut down, its trains will cease running, and its four million citizens will riot. Tara's job: resurrect Kos before chaos sets in. Her only help: Abelard, a chain-smoking priest of the dead god, who's having an understandable crisis of faith. When the dou discovers that Kos was murdered, they have to make a case in Alt Coulumb's courts--and their quest for the truth endangers their partnership, their lives, and Alt Coulumb's slim hope of survival."--from publisher's description.

F Gla

Gladstone, Max, author. Two serpents rise. First Trade paperback edition. "Shadow demons plague the city reservoir, and Red King Consolidated has sent in Caleb Altemoc--casual gambler and professional risk manager--to cleanse the water for the sixteen million people of Dresediel Lex. At the scene of the crime, Caleb finds an alluring and clever cliff runner, crazy Mal, who easily outpaces him. But Caleb has more than the demon infestation, Mal, or job security to worry about when he discovers that his father--the last priest of the old gods and leader of the True Quechal terrorists--has broken into his home and is wanted in connection to the attacks on the water supply. From the beginning, Caleb and Mal are bound by lust, Craft, and chance, as both play a dangerous game where gods and people are pawns. They sleep on water, they dance in fire ... and all the while the Twin Serpents slumbering beneath the earth are stirring, and they are hungry."--.

F Gla

Ruin of angels. First edition, 2017. New York, NY : Tor, c.2017. "The God Wars destroyed the city of Alikand. Now, a century and a half and a great many construction contracts later, Agdel Lex rises in its place. Dead deities litter the surrounding desert, streets shift when people aren't looking, a squidlike tower dominates the skyline, and the foreign Iskari Rectification Authority keeps strict order in this once-independent city--while treasure seekers, criminals, combat librarians, nightmare artists, angels, demons, dispossessed knights, grad students, and other fools gather in its ever-changing alleys, hungry for the next big score. Priestess/investment banker Kai Pohala (last seen in Full Fathom Five) hits town to corner Agdel Lex's burgeoning nightmare startup scene, and to visit her estranged sister Lei. But Kai finds Lei desperate at the center of a shadowy, and rapidly unravelling, business deal. When Lei ends up on the run, wanted for a crime she most definitely committed, Kai races to track her sister down before the Authority finds her first. But Lei has her own plans, involving her ex-girlfriend, a daring heist into the god-haunted desert, and, perhaps, freedom for an occupied city. Because Alikand might not be completely dead--and some people want to finish the job."--Amazon.com.

F Gri

Grisham, John, author. The guardians. First edition. In a small Florida town, a young lawyer, Keith Russo, is shot to death as he works late. A young black man, a former client, named Quincy Miller is charged and convicted. For 22 years, Miller maintains his innocence from inside prison. Finally, Guardian Ministries takes on Miller's case, but Cullen Post, the Episcopal minister in charge, gets more than he bargained for. Powerful people murdered Russo-- they do not want Miller exonerated, and will kill again without a second thought. -- adapted from info provided and jacket info.

F Hil

Hilderbrand, Elin, author. Summer of '69. First edition. Welcome to the most tumultuous summer of the twentieth century. It's 1969, and for the Levin family, the times they are a-changing. Every year the children have looked forward to spending the summer at their grandmother's historic home in downtown Nantucket. But like so much else in America, nothing is the same: Blair, the oldest sister, is marooned in Boston, pregnant with twins and unable to travel. Middle sister Kirby, caught up in the thrilling vortex of civil rights protests and, determined to be independent, takes a summer job on Martha's Vineyard. Only-son Tiger is an infantry soldier, recently deployed to Vietnam. Thirteen-year-old Jessie suddenly feels like an only child, marooned in the house with her out-of-touch grandmother and her worried mother, each of them hiding a troubling secret. As the summer heats up, Ted Kennedy sinks a car in Chappaquiddick, man flies to the moon, and Jessie and her family experience their own dramatic upheavals along with the rest of the country.

F Jen

Jenoff, Pam, author. The lost girls of Paris. Library Exclusive Edition. "From the author of the runaway bestseller The Orphan's Tale comes a remarkable story of friendship and courage centered around three women and a ring of female secret agents during World War II.1946, Manhattan. One morning while passing through Grand Central Terminal on her way to work, Grace Healey finds an abandoned suitcase tucked beneath a bench. Unable to resist her own curiosity, Grace opens the suitcase, where she discovers a dozen photographs--each of a different woman. In a moment of impulse, Grace takes the photographs and quickly leaves the station. Grace soon learns that the suitcase belonged to a woman named Eleanor Trigg, leader of a network of female secret agents who were deployed out of London during the war. Twelve of these women were sent to Occupied Europe as couriers and radio operators to aid the resistance, but they never returned home, their fates a mystery. Setting out to learn the truth behind the women in the photographs, Grace finds herself drawn to a young mother turned agent named Marie, whose daring mission overseas reveals a remarkable story of friendship, valor and betrayal. Vividly rendered and inspired by true events, New York Times bestselling author Pam Jenoff shines a light on the incredible heroics of the brave women of the war and weaves a mesmerizing tale of courage, sisterhood and the great strength of women to survive in the hardest of circumstances"--Publisher's description.

F Jen

Jenoff, Pam, author. The orphan's tale. Sixteen-year-old Noa, forced to give up her baby fathered by a Nazi soldier, snatches a child from a boxcar containing Jewish infants bound for a concentration camp and takes refuge with a traveling circus, where Astrid, a Jewish aerialist, becomes her mentor.

F Maa

Sharon Maas. The Girl from the Sugar Plantation. 23 Sussex Road, Ickenham, UB10 8PN, United Kingdom : Bookouture.

F Maa

Sharon Maas. The Violin Maker's Daughter. Carmelite House, 50 Victoria Embankment London EC4Y 0DZ : Bookouture, 2019.

F Maas

Sharon Maas. The Lost Daughter of India. 23 Sussex Road, Ickenham, UB10 8PN United Kingdom : Bookouture.

F Mak

Makkai, Rebecca, author. The great believers. "A dazzling new novel of friendship and redemption in the face of tragedy and loss set in 1980s Chicago and contemporary Paris, by the acclaimed and award-winning author Rebecca Makkai. In 1985, Yale Tishman, the development director for an art gallery in Chicago, is about to pull off an amazing coup, bringing in an extraordinary collection of 1920s paintings as a gift to the gallery. Yet as his career begins to flourish, the carnage of the AIDS epidemic grows around him. One by one, his friends are dying and after his friend Nico's funeral, the virus circles closer and closer to Yale himself. Soon the only person he has left is Fiona, Nico's little sister. Thirty years later, Fiona is in Paris tracking down her estranged daughter who disappeared into a cult. While staying with an old friend, a famous photographer who documented the Chicago crisis, she finds herself finally grappling with the devastating ways AIDS affected her life and her relationship with her daughter. The two intertwining stories take us through the heartbreak of the eighties and the chaos of the modern world, as both Yale and Fiona struggle to find goodness in the midst of disaster"--.

F McC

A Peirogon : a novel. First Edition. New York, NY : Random House, 2020.

F Mic

Michaelides, Alex, 1977- author. The silent patient. First International Edition. Alicia Berenson's life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London's most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word. Alicia's refusal to talk or give any kind of explanation turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the spotlight of the tabloids at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London. Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His search for the truth leads him down a terrifying path and threatens to consume him.

F Ng

Ng, Celeste, author. Little fires everywhere.

F Old

Older, Daniel José, author. The Book of Lost Saints. First edition. "The spirit of Marisol, who vanished during the Cuban Revolution, visits her nephew, Ramon, in modern-day New Jersey, and her presence prompts him to investigate the story of his ancestor, unaware of the forces driving him on his search"--.

F Rem

Remarque, Erich Maria, 1898-1970. The road back. Random House Trade Paperback Edition, 2013. New York, NY : Random House Publishing, 2013.

F Ser

Rebecca Serle. The Dinner List. First U.S. Edition, September 2018. New York, NY : Flatiron Books, 2018.

F Ser

Serle, Rebecca, author. In five years : a novel. First Atria Books hardcover edition. "A striking, powerful, and moving love story following an ambitious lawyer who experiences an astonishing vision that could change her life forever"--. "When Type-A Manhattan lawyer Dannie Cohan is asked this question at the most important interview of her career, she has a meticulously crafted answer at the ready. Later, after nailing her interview and accepting her boyfriend's marriage proposal, Dannie goes to sleep knowing she is right on track to achieve her five-year plan. But when she wakes up, she's suddenly in a different apartment, with a different ring on her finger, and beside a very different man. The television news is on in the background, and she can just make out the scrolling date. It's the same night -December 15 -but 2025, five years in the future. After a very intense, shocking hour, Dannie wakes again, at the brink of midnight, back in 2020. She can't shake what has happened. It certainly felt much more than merely a dream, but she isn't the kind of person who believes in visions. That nonsense is only charming coming from free-spirited types, like her lifelong best friend, Bella. Determined to ignore the odd experience, she files it away in the back of her mind. That is, until four-and-a-half years later, when by chance Dannie meets the very same man from her long-ago vision."--Publisher website.

F Van

Vanderah, Glendy, author. Where the forest meets the stars. First edition. A mysterious child teaches two strangers how to love and trust again. After the loss of her mother and her own battle with breast cancer, Joanna Teale returns to her graduate research on nesting birds in rural Illinois, determined to prove that her recent hardships have not broken her. When a mysterious child who shows up at her cabin, barefoot and covered in bruises, Joanna enlists the help of her reclusive neighbor, Gabriel Nash, to solve the mystery of the charming child. But the more time they spend together, the more questions they have. How does a young girl not only read but understand Shakespeare? Why do good things keep happening in her presence? And why aren't Jo and Gabe checking the missing children's website anymore? Though the three have formed an incredible bond, they know difficult choices must be made.

F Vuo

Vuong, Ocean, 1988- author. On earth we're briefly gorgeous : a novel. "Brilliant, heartbreaking, tender, and highly original - poet Ocean Vuong's debut novel is a sweeping and shattering portrait of a family, and a testament to the redemptive power of storytelling. On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Written when the speaker, Little Dog, is in his late twenties, the letter unearths a family's history that began before he was born--a history whose epicenter is rooted in Vietnam--and serves as a doorway into parts of his life his mother has never known, all of it leading to an unforgettable revelation. At once a witness to the fraught yet undeniable love between a single mother and her son, it is also a brutally honest exploration of race, class, and masculinity"--.

F Whi

Whitehead, Colson, 1969- author. The nickel boys : a novel. First edition.

[Fic]

Gladstone, Max, author. Four roads cross. First edition. "The great city of Alt Coulumb is in crisis. The moon goddess Seril, long thought dead, is back--and the people of Alt Coulumb aren't happy. Protests rock the city, and Kos Everburning's creditors attempt a hostile takeover of the fire god's church. Tara Abernathy, the god's in-house Craftswoman, must defend the church against the world's fiercest necromantic firm--and against her old classmate, a rising star in the Craftwork world. As if that weren't enough, Cat and Raz, supporting characters from Three Parts Dead , are back too, fighting monster pirates; skeleton kings drink frozen cocktails, defying several principles of anatomy; jails, hospitals, and temples are broken into and out of; choirs of flame sing over Alt Coulumb; demons pose significant problems; a farmers' market proves more important to world affairs than seems likely; doctors of theology strike back; Monk-Technician Abelard performs several miracles; The Rats! play Walsh's Place; and dragons give almost-helpful counsel."--Syndetics.

R 943.086

The Holocaust chronicle. Lincolnwood, Ill. : Publications International, Ltd, 2009; 2017. The Holocaust Chronicle, written and fact-checked by top scholars, recounts the long, complex, anguishing story of the most terrible crime of the 20th century. A massive, oversized hardcover of more than 750 pages, this book features more than 2000 photographs, many of which are in full color and most are published in book form for the first time. The 3000-item timeline of Holocaust-related events is unprecedented in its scope and ambition and detailed caption-text is rich with facts and human interest.

SC Rus

Russell, Karen, 1981- author. Orange world : and other stories. First edition. The prospectors -- The bad graft -- Bog girl: a romance -- Madame Bovary's greyhound -- The tornado auction -- Black Corfu -- The Gondoliers -- Orange world. "From the Pulitzer finalist and universally beloved author of the New York Times best sellers Swamplandia! and Vampires in the Lemon Grove, a stunning new collection of short fiction that showcases her extraordinary gifts of language and imagination"--.

SC Rus

Russell, Karen, 1981-. Vampires in the lemon grove : stories. 1st ed. New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2013.

SC S

Smith, Zadie, author. Grand union : stories. The dialectic -- Sentimental education -- The lazy river -- Words and music -- Just right -- Parents' morning epiphany -- Downtown -- Miss Adele amidst the corsets -- Mood -- Escape from New York -- Big week -- Meet the President! -- Two men arrive in a village -- Kelso deconstructed -- Blocked -- The canker -- For the King -- Now more than ever -- Grand union. "A dazzling collection of short fiction, more than half of which have never been published before, from the multi-award-winning author of White Teeth and Swing Time Zadie Smith has established herself as one of the most iconic, critically-respected, and popular writers of her generation. In her first short story collection, she combines her power of observation and inimitable voice to mine the fraught and complex experience of life in the modern world. With ten extraordinary new stories complemented by a selection of her most lauded pieces for The New Yorker, The Paris Review, and Granta, GRAND UNION explores a wide range of subjects, from first loves to cultural despair, as well as the desire to be the subject of your own experience. In captivating prose, she contends with race, class, relationships, and gender roles in a world that feels increasingly divided. Nothing is off limits, and everything--when captured by Smith's brilliant gaze--feels fresh and relevant. Perfectly paced, and utterly original, GRAND UNION highlights the wonders Zadie Smith can do"--. In her first short story collection, Smith combines her power of observation and inimitable voice to mine the fraught and complex experience of life in the modern world. She explores a wide range of subjects, from first loves to cultural despair, as well as the desire to be the subject of your own experience. In the stories Smith contends with race, class, relationships, and gender roles in a world that feels increasingly divided. -- adapted from jacket.

[beinglibertarian]

The Case For The Second Amendment

1. Gun ownership, support of the Second Amendment, or “gun culture” do not lead to higher murder rates

There are three major things to compare when addressing a correlation between guns and loss of life: statistics across US states, statistics across countries and statistics over time, and I intend to address all three. First, let’s agree to use the homicide rate, not the gun death rate, for two reasons: gun death rate includes suicides, which, while equally tragic, aren’t related to the topic of guns and domestic violence, seeing that suicide has existed since the beginning of time and it doesn’t include murders by non-firearms. If a city banned guns outright and gun murders went down by 1000 but knife murders went up by 2000, why would we consider that gun control law a success even if the firearm related death rate went down?

First, let’s start by comparing time periods. From 1993-2013 the gun homicide rate has plummeted by 49%, while the number of privately owned firearms went up by 56%. The two problematic issues I find with these numbers is it doesn’t adjust for population change and it only counts gun murders, not homicides as a whole. When counting for population change, homicide rate plummeted by a staggering 52.63% while guns per capita increased by 28.22%, so after improving the data, the notion that more guns equates to less crime still isn’t less true.

Unfortunately, not every country has been as lucky as America in this regard. In 1997, the United Kingdom implemented a handgun ban throughout the county, and from 1996 to 2002 alone, when crime in the US and most countries was plummeting, the homicide rate skyrocketed 51.4%. Sadly, the Washington Post article I referenced to cite the UK handgun ban failed to mention that minor detail involving a historic hike in crime, and when the author mentioned the Cumbria rampage in 2010 when 13 people were killed in Britain, it didn’t blame the laws of the land, it just said it could’ve been worse if the gun laws didn’t exist.

If we were to look nationally, there really isn’t firm evidence either way. States like Wyoming, North Dakota and Idaho have some of the highest gun ownership rates in the country and all have a murder rate lower than 2 according to the CDC, while Delaware has the lowest gun ownership rate in the country at around 5.2% and a homicide rate of 7, higher than the national average. Gun control advocates can cherry pick too and point to states like Arkansas and Louisiana as violent gun environments or to New Hampshire as a gun free utopia.

Internationally, there seems to be a much more obvious conclusion: well-armed civilian populations generally have low crime, and vice versa. Look at the numbers and you’ll find that Russia and nearby states, Sub-Saharan Africa and most of Latin-America are evidence of gun-free countries with uncontrollable crime, while Central Europe, the Gulf states and North America represent gun-loving countries with limited domestic crime. However, the best representation of 178 countries can be seen in the image I provided with facts from the UN.

2. Gun rights are a women’s rights issue

The trend of the past few decades is a spike in female gun ownership and a decline in male gun ownership. In 1980, the gender gap calculated by male gun ownership minus female gun ownership was 40.2%, which has fallen to a mere 23.4% in 2014. In 1990, that number was 42.8%, which is also the first year I can find statistics for the forcible rape rate, which was 41.2 until falling to 26.6 in 2014. (This is per 100,000 people) There’s no questioning the correlation here: a 41.8% drop in the gender gun ownership gap matches a 37.9% drop in the forcible rape rate. Correlation doesn’t mean causation, but there are a few indicators that would encourage us to assume causation.

First, are female purchases of firearms for personal protection? Women certainly think so, as female gun owners are over three times more likely than male owners to say protection is the only reason they have a gun. The same source finds that 58% of female owners never go hunting compared to 35% of men. There are many instances of this, including the case of Catherine Latta, who was raped and assaulted by her ex-boyfriend in 1990. She illegally purchased a handgun after being informed a permit would take a week to obtain, and she fatally shot her ex-boyfriend that day when he attacker her outside her home.  Amanda Collins was raped when she was a senior in college, and while she had a concealed carry permit, it is illegal to carry a firearm on campus in most states across America.

If one were to stipulate leftist and feminist talking points that a rape culture persists in America, what would the solution be to combat this? Getting liberal sexual predators like Harvey Weinstein, Louis C.K., John Conyers, Kevin Spacey and Al Franken out of power, fired or exposed brings justice. However, is this the best form of deterrence and does it prevent the vast majority of sex offenders that aren’t sitting senators or Hollywood actors from committing horrible acts? My immediate answer is no.

As much as I think it would be wonderful to snap my fingers and change the behavior of every sexual predator along with every murderer and thief, it’s unrealistic to think we can dramatically change this centuries-old phenomenon overnight. The police response time isn’t nearly quick enough to prevent most rapes and much of the far-left distrusts the police anyways. If altering the behavior of the perpetrators is unrealistic and using a third party (law enforcement) to help with prevention is just as idealistic, the objectively best solution is to help the possible victims, which is usually women. Biologically, men on average have 40% more pounds of upper body mass than women, meaning they are at a disadvantage for defending themselves with handheld melee weapons, leaving the great equalizer to be guns, not safety pins, to help prevent rape.

3. Rifles aren’t normally used in murders

I would express confusion and bewilderment to the Democratic Party’s calls for bans on assault rifles or rifles in general if I wasn’t fully aware that liberals and left-wingers from Vox to Piers Morgan were excellent at cherry-picking or just blatantly ignoring data. In 2016, over 11 million firearms were produced in the United States, 48.5% were pistols or revolvers (“handguns”), 36.87% were rifles, 7.38% were shotguns, 7.25% were miscellaneous firearms. Because I don’t like to fabricate numbers, I subtracted the weapons exported and added those imported so we only count in weapons sold domestically, changing the numbers to 55.67%, 31.47%, 9.6% and 3.26% respectively. These numbers have been fairly consistent across the years and reflect the national amount.

Now, out of all the gun murders in 2016, how many were because of those awful children-killing rifles like the AR-15 that the left hates? After rounding up, 3.4%, compared to 64.57% for handguns and 2.38% for shotguns. So why are liberal politicians and organizations like “March for our lives” spreading false propaganda about rifles? I do not know. All I can tell you is that this misbelief can be added to the long list of lies from the gun control activists.

4. The Australia buyback program wasn’t successful

First off, the notion that the Australian buy-back program was respectful of any freedom that gun owners should have is ridiculous. The gun owners didn’t consent to have their 640,000 firearms taken away from them and didn’t have a role in the money given to them as compensation. In addition, to pay for this, the Australian government levied a 0.2% hike in the Medicare tax to pay for this, raising an expected $500M. (If you count for the Australian inflation rate, this would cost $833.4M today, or $1302 per firearm) Keep in mind, this only took away one third of all firearms in the country. If this were tried in the United States where there are 1.01 firearms per person based on the 2009 numbers, and a 2017 population of 324 million, and then adjusting for the US CPI of 249.62 compared to 112.1 for Australia, would cost just shy of $318B, roughly equal to the GDP of Colombia ($322B). Obviously, I don’t expect the left to care about the fiscal repercussions, but the reality is it would be a strain on the economy if that was ever adopted here.

Australia also hasn’t had a remarkably low homicide rate because there aren’t many guns. In a 2007 study taken after major buy backs, the nation ranked 42nd in the world out of 187 countries for guns per capita. Not only that, but it really didn’t prevent homicides, even though there were few homicides in Australia to begin with. In 1996 when the buyback program began, there were only 354 homicides in the country total. There would be 364 in 1997, 334 in 1998 and 385 in 1999. Did I miss the part where homicides plummeted?

5. Do these specific gun control proposals even work?

One of the biggest reductions in crime nationally in the United States occurred in the 1990s, and the authors of Freakonomics (Stephen Dubner and Steve Levitt) concluded that the data doesn’t support the claim that tougher gun laws had anything to do with it. The Brady Bill and Federal Assault Weapons Ban were the two major pieces of gun control laws from the Clinton era.

Let’s paint a picture of a country with remarkably similar gun control laws as the ones that many of these “March for our lives” protestors are calling for. This country has no right in their constitution that guarantees private firearm ownership, citizens are required to have licenses that come with automatic background checks, they are prohibited from having automatic weapons, homemade firearms, armor-piercing ammunition and long guns with shortened barrels. Owners are limited to only purchase five firearms, open carry is illegal, the country has seized at least 2000 firearms every year since 2012 and it only has 6.2 guns per 100,000 people, which is 14 times less than the United States. The country I’m thinking of? Honduras, the country with the highest homicide rate in the world at a whopping 91.6, according to the United Nations. To put that in perspective, if the US had that homicide rate in 2011 when that number was taken, an additional 270,167 people would’ve been killed that year.

6. Most perpetrators of gun crimes aren’t committed by the legal owner

This is not a controversial fact. The University of Pittsburgh found that in the 893 firearms uncovered from crime scenes, only 18% were used by the lawful owner. In a University of Chicago study, less than 2.9% of inmates that possessed a firearm purchased the weapon at a gun store, you know, the place where peaceful gun owners go to buy their firearms. Why are all of these gun control activists focusing on the marginal cases of homicide and trying to pry away guns form the owners that are disproportionately less likely to commit crimes with it?

David Hogg and Emma Gonzalez have all the passion in the world to march across the country and call for ludicrous gun control measures, yet none of the facts. Emma went on a podium to say “They say tougher guns laws do not decrease gun violence. We call BS.” Every bone in my body hopes she reads this article or really anything for that matter, and I genuinely hope she references something resembling a statistic, fact or academic journal in her future rants. I would print something from 17 year old David Hogg, but I don’t want to publish a poorly articulated collection of word vomit littered with profanity, but I’ll post the link to the data-free eye sore here. The problem is that the facts don’t support the claims or any policy proposal I’ve heard thus far. I didn’t make a natural rights argument and I don’t believe the Constitution or Bill of Rights are impeccable or sacred documents, otherwise the 7th Amendment wouldn’t have ignored the concept of inflation and the issue of slavery would’ve been dealt with. I look at the facts as objectively as I can, and I print it. I challenge David and Emma to a debate on the issue as long as it’s civil, and I warn everyone a final time: rights aside, most of these gun control measures will cause more destruction than prosperity.

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[ann-bailey142]

Rise Violence towards Asian Americans

Yesterday I read an article written about the Rising hate crimes to the Asian American community written by Cady Lang from Times Magazine. With everything happening to the Asian community this article really helped break down important statistics and fact checked many stereotypes people have about Asian Americans. It was January 28 when Vicha Ratanapakdee was out on his early morning walk. All of a sudden someone comes up to him and pushes him to the ground. That person pushed him so hard that Ratanapakdee was hospitalized and eventually died two days later. Elderly Asian people all over major cities are experiencing racism and violent hate crimes. Why might you ask? Covid. Because of our last administration using language like “China Virus” people all over America have blamed any and all Asians for the pandemic. This article introduced me to Amanda Nguyen, an asian American activist who has been very vocal in the past months about hate crimes towards the asian American community. Nguyen has been using social media to help get the word about these attacks. She used Ratanapakdees unfortunate death as inspiration to talk about other attacks that weren’t as known. In a video she posted she spoke about “the assault of a 64-year-old Vietnamese grandmother who was assaulted and robbed in San Jose, California, and the attack of a 61-year-old filipino man whose face was slashed with a box cutter on the New York subway”(Lang). These attacks have been on the rise since January but were also very prominent in the beginning of the pandemic. According to Lang, hate crimes have “jumped 1,900% in New York in 2020”. Because of the pandemic they have created a new database catered to Asian and Pacific Islanders in America called Stop AAPI Hate. The database has gotten 2,808 reports of racist incidents between March and December, but even with the new administration and the new year the violence is continuing into 2021. Because Asian people were put to blame for the pandemic asian violence has continued but it is nothing new. Asians have been projected as “perpetual foreigners” for a long time.

Something I thought was interesting and stood out most to me from this article was the explanation of how the myth of calling Asians the “model minority” has been harmful. According to Lang because of this stereotype Asians are seen as privileged and that we dont face any racism or discrimination. The model minority myth was created “during the civil rights era to stymie racial movements, suggests that Asian Americans are more successful than other ethnic minorities because of hard work, education and inherently law-abiding natures”(Lang). This myth is so harmful as it erases Asian american experiences in America and invalidates our feelings. Something new that I learned from this article was that Asians Americans experience the largest inequality gaps as an ethnic group in the U.S. and asian immigrants have the highest poverty rates in New York City. Because not much has been done to help victims of these attacks many asian celebrities have taken action and used the posters of social media to spread the word.

As an asian American this is all a lot to process. I've felt anger, frustration and sadness before but never like this. These are my people. Most of all it worries me. I have two elderly Asian grandparents that live alone. I have always trusted their abilities to take care of themselves, but in the back of my mind I worry someone might rob them on the way to the grocery store. But in relation to the Model minority myth I completely agree with this article. I hate that stereotype. Ive been warned all my life about the model minority myth and not only does it invalidate our experiences I think it creates more racism. I also think it creates a divide between Asians and other minority groups when what we need to do is stick together. This article also made me think about Asians who have been attacked in the past but their names will never be heard. One name that comes to mind is Vincent Chin. Vincent Chin was an Chinese American man that was beaten to death by two white men in 1982. They were laid off auto workers and during this time many people blamed Japanese for the decline in automotive jobs. These two men beat Vincent because they thought he and other Asians were to blame for them losing their jobs and because of that he needed to lose his life. At the end of all this neither one of the attackers faced jail time. So yes, us Asians do face discrimination its just never talked about because we are supposed to be submissive and obedient. If you want to get involved in how to stand beside asian Americans, read about people like Vincent Chin, Vicha Ratanadpadkee and many more and say their names.

This picture is a picture if a Vincent Chin, the Chinese American beat to death in 1982.

This is Vicha Ratanapakdee, the 84 year old Thai man recently attacked.

This is a link to the article I read: https://time.com/5938482/asian-american-attacks/?amp=true

[victorluvsalice]

AU Thursday: Wonderland Fuzz -- Casting Call! Part 2

Sequel to the original Casting Call! Had a chance to watch the movie again over Thanksgiving (it is awesome please go watch it) and have a think on the characters I couldn't include before because I wasn't sure about who they should be. Here's the rest of this potential AU cast list! Again, under a read-more because I’m talking spoilers.

Sandford Police Service

The Caterpillar (C. T. Pillar) as Bob Walker -- This is one where I'm fitting two people together based mainly on age -- Bob Walker is the oldest member of the Sanford Service, and Caterpillar is portrayed as an older "wise man" in the games. Bob is the least-seen member of the service (he doesn't even participate much in the main climax), and the main joke about his character is that he's incomprehensible until you get used to his accent (there's a great gag in the film where he has to translate for someone whose accent is even THICKER, and Danny translates for him to Nick). Caterpillar's more cryptic bullshit statements, particularly as the Oracle in the first game, I guess match him up decently with that.

Neighborhood Watch Alliance

Elder (Theodor) Gutknecht as Prof. Tom Weaver -- Oh, this one hurt to do a bit, as I like Elder Gutknecht, and I don't particularly like to put him on the side of evil. But, again, the fact that both characters are on the older side matches up, they're both kindly grandpa-types (at least when you first meet them), and Gutknecht stresses the importance of abiding by the rules during the climax of Corpse Bride (not letting the dead go after Barkis until after he's drunk the poison). And he's also okay with people getting "what they deserve," given he's only too happy to let the dead at Barkis once the rules aren't in the way, so. . . All those ravens he has in his tower remind me of all the cameras Weaver has access to as well (perhaps I can blame at least two fanfic authors in the CB section having him use them to gather intel on/for the main characters). And. . .well, Weaver is the only member of the NWA to explicitly die in the end. (Yes, the guy taken out by bear trap to the head AND the guy who impales himself on the replica church tower BOTH LIVE.)

Dr. Harry Wilson as Dr. Hatcher -- No, I'm not doing the long version of his name, screw that. Anyway, this is kind of a "they're both doctors, even if they're not the same kind, so. . ." And it's easy enough to interpret Wilson as a bad guy, given he is a Victorian-era psychiatrist. He'd fit decently into Hatcher's role of unofficial coroner and mild ass. He may be better than Dr. Bumby, but Alice probably wouldn't object to him suffering a few nonlethal injuries.

The Duchess (Amanda Duchess) as Amanda Paver -- one of the more minor NWA members, I decided a character who is known for moralizing in her appearance in the books would do for the headmistress of the local primary school. (Though we never see Amanda at her job, admittedly.) Also, an opening boss I still sometimes have trouble with in AMA seems a decent match for one of only two NWA members to actually HIT Nicholas in the ending firefight. (And besides, the image of her pedaling down the street on a bicycle, guns blazing, is just amusing.)

Pris Witless as Annette Roper -- Another fairly minor role, I figure running a small shop isn't beyond Witless's talents. At the very least, it means Alice keeps giving her money. :p And I enjoy the idea of her being dragged away from sniping at Alice by Charlie and his gang of hoodies.

(James) Mayhew and Hildegarde (Mayhew) as James Reaper and Mum Reaper -- more minor roles in the NWA, Reaper and his mother are basically there to pay off a joke about everyone and their mum packing in the country, and to be the first NWA members taken out by Nicholas when he comes back for the climax. I've got nowhere better to stick Mayhew and Hildegarde -- and the idea of Alice racing at Hildegarde and kicking her in the face before she can reload a shotgun amuses me.

Humpty Dumpty (Humphrey Dumpty) as Mr. Treacher -- An extremely minor NWA member, Treacher's only purpose is to wander around in a suspiciously thick coat for a while, and then reveal a big old gun under said coat for the major firefight. He doesn't even have any lines. Using Humpty, who has little more than a cameo appearance in AMA to point out the loose brick that leads to the Blunderbuss, seems like just the ticket.

The Jabberwock (Lewis Dragon) as Lurch (Michael Armstrong) -- Okay, this one feels like a pretty big mismatch -- Lurch is a mentally disabled man who we only ever see saying "Yaaarp," while the Jabberwock is a boss who knows how to make words hurt as much as his fire breath. But they're both tough as nails, and take multiple attempts to defeat (the Jabberwock has two boss battles, Nick has to take down Michael twice), so for a lack of better options. . .

Tweedle-Dee & Tweedle-Dum (Dennis and Columbus Tweedle) as Skinner's Butcher Brothers -- A minor role, but it calls for a pair of men who look both dangerous and a bit thick, and the Tweedles fit it perfectly. And their neverending supply of cutlery in the final supermarket raid does sort of mirror the neverending supply of little Tweedles they produce in their boss fight in AMA.

Murder Victims

Wilton Radcliffe as George Merchant -- this one's based off the fact that overly-fancy houses are a thing with both of them -- Radcliffe with his townhouse stuffed floor to ceiling with Asian artifacts, Merchant with his out-of-place mansion. Martin Blower was the solicitor in the original movie, but I think I could move it to Radcliffe without a problem (it's a minor detail in what you THINK is the motive behind the murders). Also, there's an interesting bit of irony in the man who thinks Alice had something more to do with the fire in A:MR getting reduced to a fiery crisp in the AU.

The Gnome Elder (George Elder) as Arthur Webley -- the guy who Bob Walker up there had to translate for. He has a stash of illegal weaponry in his barn, the confiscation which provides Nick with the firepower he needs in the end to go up against the NWA. He ends up killed off-screen, although I'm not sure if it's because of his gun stash or because he was cutting Reaper's hedges. Either way, he's such a small role that I feel justified shoving the Gnome Elder in his position based on the fact the Gnome Elder has the right look. And does spew a fair amount of cryptic bullshit, so I guess he is a good fit as the guy Caterpillar has to translate for. . .

The White Rabbit (Robin White) as Peter Cocker -- a shoplifter who leads Nick on a hell of a chase through Sandford -- sounds appropriate for a character built around speed and being chased! Peter also ends up dead for his crime off-screen -- again, appropriate for a character whose major role in both Alice games is to get offed.

Other

Peter Ian Staker and his Swan as themselves -- what do I mean by this? Well, Peter is a gag role built around the fact that Nick mistakes him calling about his swan for a prank call (P. I. Staker = piss-taker). I'd throw someone like the Mock Turtle into this role, but Peter happens to be played by none other than Stephen Merchant.

AKA in this AU, Peter forgives Alice for thinking he was a prank caller and tells her that's why everyone calls him Wheatley. I can't bring myself to recast him, is what I'm saying. XD

As for the swan? . . .It's a swan. What do you want.

[bountyofbeads]

https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/2019/1/27/18199684/terry-crews-twitter-feud-dl-hughley?utm_campaign=vox&utm_content=chorus&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&__twitter_impression=true

Terry Crews is calling out celebrities for mocking his alleged assault

It’s just the latest example of Crews’ efforts to challenge toxic masculinity.

By Amanda Sakuma | Vox| January 27, 2019 5:07 pm |

Posted January 27, 2019 |

At a time when so many topical issues in the news seem to take root in toxic masculinity, actor Terry Crews has made a name for himself in challenging that culture — even if it means going after his own peers for falling into traps of victim-blaming and mocking allegations of assault.

On Sunday, he set his sights on actor and comedian DL Hughley, who had suggested in an old interview that Crews has himself to blame for being groped.

Back in August, Hughley told VLAD TV in an online interview that he didn’t believe it was possible that Crews could be assaulted because he was so strong and physically fit, he could easily fight back.

“Hey motherfucker, God gave you muscles so that you can say no, and mean it,” Hughley says with a laugh.

Whether Crews just found the interview or had been holding back for months out of respect for someone he says he’s supported throughout his career, he decided over the weekend to call Hughley out on Twitter.

Crews, who currently stars Brooklyn Nine-Nine, was among the first celebrities to come forward in the #MeToo era after he accused Adam Venit, a powerful Hollywood agent at WME, of groping him at an industry event in 2016. Crews filed a lawsuit against Venit within months of going public, and he later dropped WME as his agency. Then last March, prosecutors ultimately decided to not charge Venit for the alleged assault.

Hughley in the interview appears to cast broad judgment on the #MeToo movement as a whole (“Everybody is so into this notion that ‘it happened to me too,’” he says). And when pressed to see the alleged assault from Crews’ perspective, Hughley says he would never have let it happen.

Responding on Twitter, Crews asked whether Hughley was implying in the interview that he “wanted” to be touched inappropriately or that he is to blame for his own assault.

“Sir you said I should have pushed him back, or restrained him and I DID ALL THOSE THINGS... but you act like I didn’t,” he tweeted.

Still, Hughley says Crews could have done more.

“That’s different than slapping the shit outa him,” Hughley tweeted back.

Hughley is not the first high-profile celebrity to either mock Crews or question his story — nor the first one Crews publicly called out on it. He’s gone after rapper 50 Cent, who posted a crude meme on Instagram of a topless image of Crews with the text: “I got raped, my wife just watched.” He also shamed Russell Simmons, who himself has been accused of assaulting multiple women, for telling Crews to give his aggressor a pass. And just days ago, Crews and activist Tariq Rasheed got into a heated Twitter battle over toxic masculinity and what it means to be an ally to black women and victims of assault.

It’s no coincidence that Crews is confronting other black, male celebrities, many of whom (though not all), make light of his assault by objectifying his body. A former NFL player, Crews often plays characters that are largely defined by his muscled physique. But the fixation on his body — and the racially loaded assumptions that an extremely fit black man couldn’t possibly be assaulted — is exactly what Crews is seeking to challenge.

Crews has long-challenged toxic masculinity. It’s especially prescient today.

In recent years, Crews has emerged as an enforcer of sorts for cultural accountability in how we talk about sexual violence and assault, shining a harsh light on the social pressures that silence victims and allows allegations to go unreported. His voice has been crucial in pointing out that men, of course, can be victims of sexual aggression. But his activism on this front is not purely a product of #MeToo.

For years Crews has tried to challenge the roots of toxic masculinity, in part by taking a hard look at his own weaknesses and issues with manhood. He wrote a book challenging perceptions around what defines ‘manliness,’ he’s testified before Congress to advocate better protections for assault survivors, and for years, he’s publicly identified as a feminist.

Crews’ message is all the more prescient when you look at the backlash to even talking about toxic masculinity or treating it as a real issue. We saw it in the reaction to the (well-intentioned, though poorly executed) Gillette ad, which had men losing their cool over what they saw as “gender shaming” once-loyal customers. And again the issue cropped up in last week’s controversy between the Covington Catholic students and Native American elders, where early defenders for the kids felt that boys will be boys, and they did nothing wrong.

We’re often terrible at talking about toxic masculinity in a meaningful way that’s able to shift behaviors without spurring defensive backlash. But in light of extreme cases of violence and hatred toward women — it’s clear this is a conversation we need to be having. And Crews, at least, intends to have it.

[the-connection]

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By Amanda Goodman

86.

That’s how many contents from mothers I have gotten in the past 12 hours.

They’re asking for help...they’re asking me to exert my tone to keep talking about the bullying epidemic...they’re offering to help me in order to finally put an end to all of this nonsense.

But the most difficult circumstance everyone is asking me is this: Why? Why does this continue to happen?

Not everyone is going to like what I have to say. And that’s okay. But if you know me, or of me, then you know that I am unapologetically real. I have zero hours in my era to sugarcoat anything...because let’s face it, it merely wastes everyone’s time.

Ok, here it becomes: stop blaming teachers for all of the bullying.

This is not like the movies in the 80 s and 90 s where boys are getting propelled into cupboards or convening out on the playground to settle the score. It is NOTHING like it was when we were growing up. Back in the working day, Friday was the working day everything came to a honcho. By the time the weekend was done, everything had blown over.

Now, thanks to social media, Monday is the new Friday. Things build and build over the weekend...and it all conflicts in the nick of time for castes on Monday.

Our boys are bullying and bothering one another from the confines of their bedrooms. Their paws are assault weapons...typing and affixing away.

Teachers can NOT be held responsible for something that is happening in our own homes.

Here is the thing: mothers, take back your room. The privacy your child thinks they deserve? Umm...nope. Your home, your legislations, your rules.

Privacy runs when most children are “off our payroll.”

Stalk them. Know everything they’re texting. Know everything they are affixing. Know everything they are receiving. Know everything that’s being posted about them. Follow them on social media. Follow their friends. BE IN THE KNOW. Place a experience each night where every[ darn] device is turned off and turned over to you. Sure, your boys will reel their seeings at you...they’ll perhaps call you clingy or annoying.

I call it parenting.

Am I a parenting expert?[ Heck] no. Most days I have no clue what I am doing.

But I have been involved in the anti-bullying push for QUITE some time now. I’ve predicted thousands of the thousands of sends from bullies and mean daughters. I’ve read the diaries of the victims where they summarize the aching. I’ve sat down with the parents of the victims who told me they had no clue "their childrens" was striving. I’ve sat down with the parent education the bullies "whos" appalled that “little Johnny could do this! ” I have been to the FUNERALS of young children who have killed themselves because they couldn’t take it.

Let that sink in. FUNERALS of young children...because they couldn’t take it anymore.

Our minors need to learn empathy. As much as our children know that they are the center of our world...they need to understand that everything doesn’t revolve around them. Sensibilities matter...words hurt...words scar...words kill.

There are so many children who don’t have parents who are willing to be involved. We need to know who those children are...because they need us.

We, as parents, is a requirement to take off our rose-colored glasses and realize that our minor could be the imply girl...the bully. We need to stop find indebted that “at least they’re not the one get picked on.”

Our adolescents don’t need to be friends with everyone.

They don’t need to like everyone.

Not everyone is going to like them.

And that’s okay.

Because that’s how it works in the real world.

There are several people who I know who I have no plans to have a pizza party with, hold hands and sing Kumbaya.

It’s about being respectful and civil.

So to answer the question “Why is this happening? ”

I is argued that rebutted can be found in our own homes.

P.S.

No matter who you are, I will ever fight for your kids...I will still be a voice.

** This upright primarily appeared on Amanda Unfiltered.

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