1- 15 second half of Hispanic Heritage Month
1 – 31 AIDS Awareness month
Breast Cancer Awareness month
Chili Month
Family History Month
Polish American Heritage Month
1 End of Rosh Hashanah
Eid ul-Fitr
Hari Raya
World Vegetarian Day
2 World Farm Animals Day
3 Diversity Day
Music Lovers Day
4 Feast of St. Francis
Taco Day
World Animal Day
Vodka Day
5 World Teachers’ Day
6 Druga Puja
Children’s Day
7 Chung Yeung Festival
8 Yom Kippur
9 Drussehra
Leif Erikson Day
12 Clergy Appreciation Day
13 Canadian Thanksgiving
Columbus Day
Sukkot
17 Black Poetry Day
18 Karva Chauth
Sweetest Day
19 Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Day
21 Simchat Torah
23 Mole Day
24Black cat Day
International Forgiveness Day
United Nations Day
28 Diwali
29 Internet’s Birthday
30 Bhai Dooj
Candy Corn Day
31 Halloween
Samhain
Magic Day
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Book Count: September
Number of books read: 11
Pages read: 2794
Average number of days to read a book: 3
Average number of pages read in a day: 93
Number of more books to read to reach goal: 19
Pages read: 2794
Average number of days to read a book: 3
Average number of pages read in a day: 93
Number of more books to read to reach goal: 19
A Book in Review - America Eats!
Book count: 81
America Eats! by: Pat Willard
Non-fiction: food, history 290 pages 2008
This book is the story of one writers attempt to find the foods and celebrations that were written about in an unpublished book called " America Eats!" that was being written during the Great Depression as part of the WPA. The WPA was the works progress administration that was one of the groups set up by the government to provide jobs to people during the Great Depression. The America Eats! project was an attempt to create a book on the different regional dishes and celebrations of America without being a cookbook or about foreign foods. As such, it was a very limited look as American food including much off the prejudices of the day. Also as it wasn't finished a large part of the work was never sent in to Washington, and is either in state or local archives, in the writer's possession, or lost. Working with what was in the national archives the author found a number of the events still happening and a number long gone. She included some recipes and stories of her own.
America Eats! by: Pat Willard
Non-fiction: food, history 290 pages 2008
This book is the story of one writers attempt to find the foods and celebrations that were written about in an unpublished book called " America Eats!" that was being written during the Great Depression as part of the WPA. The WPA was the works progress administration that was one of the groups set up by the government to provide jobs to people during the Great Depression. The America Eats! project was an attempt to create a book on the different regional dishes and celebrations of America without being a cookbook or about foreign foods. As such, it was a very limited look as American food including much off the prejudices of the day. Also as it wasn't finished a large part of the work was never sent in to Washington, and is either in state or local archives, in the writer's possession, or lost. Working with what was in the national archives the author found a number of the events still happening and a number long gone. She included some recipes and stories of her own.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
A Book in Review -the Mullet
Book Count: 80
the Mullet: Hairstyle of the Gods by: Mark Larson & Barney Hoskyns
Non-fiction: humor, fashion 128 pages 1999
This is a book on all things mullet and mullet like. It includes the history of the mullet starting with the dawn of civilization. It also brakes down the different styles of mullets. And has a comic of Milletman interspersed in it's chapters. It was a fun read.
the Mullet: Hairstyle of the Gods by: Mark Larson & Barney Hoskyns
Non-fiction: humor, fashion 128 pages 1999
This is a book on all things mullet and mullet like. It includes the history of the mullet starting with the dawn of civilization. It also brakes down the different styles of mullets. And has a comic of Milletman interspersed in it's chapters. It was a fun read.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
A Book in Review -Alligators in the Sewer and 222 other Urban Legends
Book Count: 79
Alligators in the Sewer and 222 other Urban Legends by: Thomas J. Craughwell
Non-fiction: pop culture 280 pages 1999
This book is a collection of urban Legends. Most of them were well known, for a few ones that have been around for centuries it was noted when the story started. For everything else there is no information. One or two are based on stories found to be true from other experts on urban Legends and/or modern myths. A number I do not think belong in this book as they are not really urban legends. For example there is a part on aliens that talks about crop circles. Which are real, the only question is who / how they are made. And the part wasn't about stories about how they were made so much as that they are. Over all it is not a book I would recommend.
Alligators in the Sewer and 222 other Urban Legends by: Thomas J. Craughwell
Non-fiction: pop culture 280 pages 1999
This book is a collection of urban Legends. Most of them were well known, for a few ones that have been around for centuries it was noted when the story started. For everything else there is no information. One or two are based on stories found to be true from other experts on urban Legends and/or modern myths. A number I do not think belong in this book as they are not really urban legends. For example there is a part on aliens that talks about crop circles. Which are real, the only question is who / how they are made. And the part wasn't about stories about how they were made so much as that they are. Over all it is not a book I would recommend.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
A Book in Review – The Catholic Verses
Book Count: 78
The Catholic Verses : 95 Bible Passages That Confound Protestants By: Dave Armstrong
Non-fiction: Religion, Bible study, apologetics 225 pages 2004
First, I like that this book was written with a realistic goal in mind, that goal being to hopefully create understanding for Protestants on where in the Bible various things deemed Catholic come from. (A number of the things talked about some Protestant groups would agree with already like the role of baptism and a few only reasontly have Protestants and Catholics started disagreeing on like contraception.) It also reminds Catholic reader of the problems with any attempt to talk with other Christians on these things. And does so in a fair way, by pointing out while some people will not agree with you on anything just because its what Catholics think and there for is automatically wrong, many are just used to understanding things a certain way, making it hard for them to see what your ideas are. (I found this especially nice having to deal many times with the second issue and a few with the first. My favorite one being some one who argued that Bible quoting wasn’t even to be used in showing what you believe as anyone could randomly throw out quotes, not that I was misinterpreting the Bible, just in her “Just Jesus and me, faith alone” mindset even the Bible was suspect if it didn’t agree with her.) It also set about to use 95 passages as a sort of response to Martin Luther’s 95 thesis, so many of that number are supporting text that most people agree on the meaning that use the same word, style, or mirror the text in question to show that a consistent translating or understanding would mean X. (X being the Catholic idea on what this means.) It also quotes the leaders of the Reformation a lot, which is where it gets a bit confusion, as sometimes the quotes are used to show modern Protestant thought on a subject and sometime to show that even the leaders of the Reformation agreed with Catholic thought on a passage. The book is divided into 16 chapters, each covering an area of disagreement. Those areas are: the church, divisions and denominationalism, Bible and tradition, the Papacy, justification and salvation, judgment and good works, baptism, the Eucharist, penance, the communion of saints, relics and sacramentals, purgatory and prayers for the dead, Mary, clerical celibacy, divorce and contraception. And because as soon as I saw the book, I had to ask “So, what are these verses, besides the book of James and a good part of the 6th chapter of the Gospel of John?” Here are some of them if you are curios too. (Note: I’m writing this while feeding the baby, so it’s possible I’ll typo a number or two. If you turn to a passage and it doesn’t seem to relate to anything, that’s most likely a typo.)
Acts 16:4, Galatians 1:1-6, John 17:20-23, Romans 16:17, 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, Acts 8:27-31, 2 Peter 1:20, 2 Thessalonians 2:15, Matthew 16:18-19, James 2:24, Luke 18:18-25, Philippians 2:12-13, Hebrews 5:9, Matthew 7:16-27, 2 Corinthians 5:10, Acts 16:3, John 3:5, Luke 22:19-20, John 6:47-66, Matthew 26:27-28, 1 Corinthians 10:16, Romans 8:17, Hebrews 12:1, Revelation 6:9-10, 2Kings 13:20-21, Acts 19:11-12, 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, 2 Timothy1:16-18, Luke 1:28, Matthew 19:12, Matthew 19:9, Genesis 38:9-10.
The Catholic Verses : 95 Bible Passages That Confound Protestants By: Dave Armstrong
Non-fiction: Religion, Bible study, apologetics 225 pages 2004
First, I like that this book was written with a realistic goal in mind, that goal being to hopefully create understanding for Protestants on where in the Bible various things deemed Catholic come from. (A number of the things talked about some Protestant groups would agree with already like the role of baptism and a few only reasontly have Protestants and Catholics started disagreeing on like contraception.) It also reminds Catholic reader of the problems with any attempt to talk with other Christians on these things. And does so in a fair way, by pointing out while some people will not agree with you on anything just because its what Catholics think and there for is automatically wrong, many are just used to understanding things a certain way, making it hard for them to see what your ideas are. (I found this especially nice having to deal many times with the second issue and a few with the first. My favorite one being some one who argued that Bible quoting wasn’t even to be used in showing what you believe as anyone could randomly throw out quotes, not that I was misinterpreting the Bible, just in her “Just Jesus and me, faith alone” mindset even the Bible was suspect if it didn’t agree with her.) It also set about to use 95 passages as a sort of response to Martin Luther’s 95 thesis, so many of that number are supporting text that most people agree on the meaning that use the same word, style, or mirror the text in question to show that a consistent translating or understanding would mean X. (X being the Catholic idea on what this means.) It also quotes the leaders of the Reformation a lot, which is where it gets a bit confusion, as sometimes the quotes are used to show modern Protestant thought on a subject and sometime to show that even the leaders of the Reformation agreed with Catholic thought on a passage. The book is divided into 16 chapters, each covering an area of disagreement. Those areas are: the church, divisions and denominationalism, Bible and tradition, the Papacy, justification and salvation, judgment and good works, baptism, the Eucharist, penance, the communion of saints, relics and sacramentals, purgatory and prayers for the dead, Mary, clerical celibacy, divorce and contraception. And because as soon as I saw the book, I had to ask “So, what are these verses, besides the book of James and a good part of the 6th chapter of the Gospel of John?” Here are some of them if you are curios too. (Note: I’m writing this while feeding the baby, so it’s possible I’ll typo a number or two. If you turn to a passage and it doesn’t seem to relate to anything, that’s most likely a typo.)
Acts 16:4, Galatians 1:1-6, John 17:20-23, Romans 16:17, 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, Acts 8:27-31, 2 Peter 1:20, 2 Thessalonians 2:15, Matthew 16:18-19, James 2:24, Luke 18:18-25, Philippians 2:12-13, Hebrews 5:9, Matthew 7:16-27, 2 Corinthians 5:10, Acts 16:3, John 3:5, Luke 22:19-20, John 6:47-66, Matthew 26:27-28, 1 Corinthians 10:16, Romans 8:17, Hebrews 12:1, Revelation 6:9-10, 2Kings 13:20-21, Acts 19:11-12, 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, 2 Timothy1:16-18, Luke 1:28, Matthew 19:12, Matthew 19:9, Genesis 38:9-10.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
A Book in Review – The House That Cleans Itself
Book Count: 77
The House That Cleans Itself: Creative Solutions for a Clean and Orderly House. . . in Less Time than You Can Imagine! By: Mindy Starns Clark
Non-fiction: household tips, spirituality 234 pages 2007
This is a book for people that need Divine Intervention in order to clean there house. (Really, it has more Bible quotes and talking about God then a number of books of religious fiction.) Also, even after setting everything up it in no way is a self cleaning house. It requires more cleaning then many people with clean houses do, but teaches you to do it faster and more effective. It also points out how to make your house look cleaner then it is. For example arranging a room so that when you first walk in you see the cleaner things first so that by the time you see the messier parts in your mind you are already thinking, “This is a clean room.”
The House That Cleans Itself: Creative Solutions for a Clean and Orderly House. . . in Less Time than You Can Imagine! By: Mindy Starns Clark
Non-fiction: household tips, spirituality 234 pages 2007
This is a book for people that need Divine Intervention in order to clean there house. (Really, it has more Bible quotes and talking about God then a number of books of religious fiction.) Also, even after setting everything up it in no way is a self cleaning house. It requires more cleaning then many people with clean houses do, but teaches you to do it faster and more effective. It also points out how to make your house look cleaner then it is. For example arranging a room so that when you first walk in you see the cleaner things first so that by the time you see the messier parts in your mind you are already thinking, “This is a clean room.”
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
A Book in Review – The Big Bento Box of Unuseless Japanese Inventions
Book Count: 76
The Big Bento Box of Unuseless Japanese Inventions By: Kenji Kawakmi translated by: Dan Papia
Non-Fiction: humor 303 pages
This book is all about Chindogu, which is a word invented by the author to explain inventions that are real, work, seam like a good idea at the time, but are for all practical purposes useless. These are things like a solar powered flashlight and a giant Swiss Army Knife like tool for gardening. This book looks at 200 such things including a picture or two of the item working and information on it. Most of the items were comically useless. One or two had a note that they may not be Chindogu as they have heard of people actually selling the item which makes it no longer a Chindogu. One thing, the telescoping spoon, actually seamed like a useful thing. There is also an International Chindogu Society made up of people that make these things for fun.
The Big Bento Box of Unuseless Japanese Inventions By: Kenji Kawakmi translated by: Dan Papia
Non-Fiction: humor 303 pages
This book is all about Chindogu, which is a word invented by the author to explain inventions that are real, work, seam like a good idea at the time, but are for all practical purposes useless. These are things like a solar powered flashlight and a giant Swiss Army Knife like tool for gardening. This book looks at 200 such things including a picture or two of the item working and information on it. Most of the items were comically useless. One or two had a note that they may not be Chindogu as they have heard of people actually selling the item which makes it no longer a Chindogu. One thing, the telescoping spoon, actually seamed like a useful thing. There is also an International Chindogu Society made up of people that make these things for fun.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
A Note to Self: Fletch, Too
Book Count: 75
Fletch, Too, By: Gregory McDonald
Fiction: Mystery 249 pages 1986
First, although the title may make you thing it, it is not the second book of the series it is well into the series. And from what I remember of the movies, this takes place before them. In this book investigator reporter Fletch gets married and goes on his honeymoon. First, the wedding was a one of a kind memorial event; in which, the groom shows up late wearing jean, most everyone but him kisses the bride and he ends up leaving with his mother. Oh, and he gets a letter from his father that he thought died when he was a baby asking to meet him in Kenya. And from there things start to get odd.
Fletch, Too, By: Gregory McDonald
Fiction: Mystery 249 pages 1986
First, although the title may make you thing it, it is not the second book of the series it is well into the series. And from what I remember of the movies, this takes place before them. In this book investigator reporter Fletch gets married and goes on his honeymoon. First, the wedding was a one of a kind memorial event; in which, the groom shows up late wearing jean, most everyone but him kisses the bride and he ends up leaving with his mother. Oh, and he gets a letter from his father that he thought died when he was a baby asking to meet him in Kenya. And from there things start to get odd.
¾ of the way there!!
Although we at Weird News B.N.I. are not the best with math, as we just finished our 75th book of the year it appears that we only have 25 more books to read and 3 ½ months to read them in!!!! YAHHHHH!!!!! After reading that many books we have waaaayyyy too many facts and information in our heads and so the last 25 books shall all be about fashion and pirates! Just kidding, although we may enjoy some lighter reads now that we know everything we ever wanted to know on global economics and Victorian politics. Anyway, we just thought we’d post an update on how things are going.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
A Book in Review -you're too Smart for This
Book count: 74
You're too Smart for This: Beating the 100 Big Lies about Your first Job By: Michael Ball
Non-fiction Business, advice 330pgs. 2006
This book was designed for people getting out of school & starting their first "real" job in an office. It both made me glad to not be the people in the book & miss the fun of hating your job. It has information on all aspects of being a cube dweller, It is also full of fun, useful quotes from every one from Mark Albion to Zig Ziglar . And other tidbits of information on business.
You're too Smart for This: Beating the 100 Big Lies about Your first Job By: Michael Ball
Non-fiction Business, advice 330pgs. 2006
This book was designed for people getting out of school & starting their first "real" job in an office. It both made me glad to not be the people in the book & miss the fun of hating your job. It has information on all aspects of being a cube dweller, It is also full of fun, useful quotes from every one from Mark Albion to Zig Ziglar . And other tidbits of information on business.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
A Book in Review – Setting Limits with your Strong-Willed Child
Book Count: 73
Setting Limits with your Strong-Willed Child: Eliminating Conflict by Establishing CLEAR, Firm, and Respectful Boundaries By: Robert J. MacKenzie, Ed.D.
Non-fiction: parenting, psychology 264 pages 2001
This book was helpful. Although, like most parenting books the author seams to think that their idea will work much better then it realistically would in the real world it does point out that there will be issues with starting this and it may take 3-4 months until your children act like the examples he gave of how well it works. Plus, it requires less work then most any other method you are using that isn’t working, so at the very least it’s easier. The main idea of the book is that most people learn ineffective methods of disciplining kids from their childhood and repeat them. Either they are permissive and have kids that don’t do what they want or they are punitive and have kids that hate and/or fear them or they do both. This book is about getting kids to do what you want in a way that is respectful to them. This is done mainly by clearly stating what to want them to do, what will happen if they don’t do it once and then following threw when they don’t behave with punishments that make sense and are not too weak or harsh. An example would be telling a child to pick up their toys on the living room floor before dinner starts at 6 or they will be taken away until Saturday and at 6 putting all toys on the floor in a box. (Like I said earlier at least it is not a lot of work to do this method.) It also getting into teaching kids problem solving and child psychology.
Setting Limits with your Strong-Willed Child: Eliminating Conflict by Establishing CLEAR, Firm, and Respectful Boundaries By: Robert J. MacKenzie, Ed.D.
Non-fiction: parenting, psychology 264 pages 2001
This book was helpful. Although, like most parenting books the author seams to think that their idea will work much better then it realistically would in the real world it does point out that there will be issues with starting this and it may take 3-4 months until your children act like the examples he gave of how well it works. Plus, it requires less work then most any other method you are using that isn’t working, so at the very least it’s easier. The main idea of the book is that most people learn ineffective methods of disciplining kids from their childhood and repeat them. Either they are permissive and have kids that don’t do what they want or they are punitive and have kids that hate and/or fear them or they do both. This book is about getting kids to do what you want in a way that is respectful to them. This is done mainly by clearly stating what to want them to do, what will happen if they don’t do it once and then following threw when they don’t behave with punishments that make sense and are not too weak or harsh. An example would be telling a child to pick up their toys on the living room floor before dinner starts at 6 or they will be taken away until Saturday and at 6 putting all toys on the floor in a box. (Like I said earlier at least it is not a lot of work to do this method.) It also getting into teaching kids problem solving and child psychology.
Sunday, September 07, 2008
A Note to Self: The Black Cauldron
Book Count: 72
The Black Cauldron By: Lloyd Alexander
Fiction: fantasy/ youth, 229 pages
Reading this book as an adult makes one see even clearer why this book is a Newbery award winning book. Without even reading the other books in the series one is quickly drawn into the storyline and the rules of its world. It would be a great book for a kid to read that loved the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, but is not quite up to the reading level to read that series.
The Black Cauldron By: Lloyd Alexander
Fiction: fantasy/ youth, 229 pages
Reading this book as an adult makes one see even clearer why this book is a Newbery award winning book. Without even reading the other books in the series one is quickly drawn into the storyline and the rules of its world. It would be a great book for a kid to read that loved the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, but is not quite up to the reading level to read that series.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
A Book in Review – Looking for Anne of Green Gables
Book Count: 71
Looking for Anne of Green Gables: The Story of L. M. Montgomery and Her Literary Classic By: Irene Gammel
Non-Fiction: Biography 262 pages 2008
This book is a biography of L. M. Montgomery told threw the lens of finding the true history of how “Anne of Green Gables” came about. It is well researched with numerous notes at the end of the book. In it we learn about events in the authors life that affected the book, including the most important fact the she personality knew a girl orphan that was placed with a family that were expecting a boy. It also goes into other things that she read that affected the work. (Apparently, Ann was the it name for orphans at that time.) And it includes information about how that work affected other things such as; how orphans were treated and Canadian pride. Also, it includes the required speculation for all dead authors that they were secretly gay. (Excluding, openly gay authors who must be implied that they were crazy or addicted to something.) Anyway, Victorian women did a lot of things that make them look like they were lesbians today including: sleeping in the same bed, spooning, writing love poetry to each other, holding hands, and pledging themselves to each other. Anyway, back on topic, this book as you may have already guessed goes into her relationships with people and how that ended up in the book too. Over all it would be an interesting read for any adult lovers of the book who doesn’t mind hearing negatives about the writer.
Looking for Anne of Green Gables: The Story of L. M. Montgomery and Her Literary Classic By: Irene Gammel
Non-Fiction: Biography 262 pages 2008
This book is a biography of L. M. Montgomery told threw the lens of finding the true history of how “Anne of Green Gables” came about. It is well researched with numerous notes at the end of the book. In it we learn about events in the authors life that affected the book, including the most important fact the she personality knew a girl orphan that was placed with a family that were expecting a boy. It also goes into other things that she read that affected the work. (Apparently, Ann was the it name for orphans at that time.) And it includes information about how that work affected other things such as; how orphans were treated and Canadian pride. Also, it includes the required speculation for all dead authors that they were secretly gay. (Excluding, openly gay authors who must be implied that they were crazy or addicted to something.) Anyway, Victorian women did a lot of things that make them look like they were lesbians today including: sleeping in the same bed, spooning, writing love poetry to each other, holding hands, and pledging themselves to each other. Anyway, back on topic, this book as you may have already guessed goes into her relationships with people and how that ended up in the book too. Over all it would be an interesting read for any adult lovers of the book who doesn’t mind hearing negatives about the writer.
Monday, September 01, 2008
Book Count: August
Number of books read: 9
Pages read: 2225
Average number of days to read a book: 3
Average number of pages read in a day: 72
Number of more books to read to reach goal: 30
Pages read: 2225
Average number of days to read a book: 3
Average number of pages read in a day: 72
Number of more books to read to reach goal: 30
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)