Apr

28

Alibris

April 28, 2004 | Comments Off

Thanks to Elizabeth Kennedy for reminding us about another great source for hard-to-find books, Alibris. “Alibris connects people who love books, music and movies to thousands of independent sellers around the world. Our proprietary technology and advanced logistics allow us to offer over 35 million used, new and hard-to-find titles to consumers, libraries and retailers.”

Apr

26

Abebooks.com

April 26, 2004 | Comments Off

Searching for a hard-to-find book? “Abebooks is the world’s largest online marketplace for books. Whether it’s new, used, rare, or out-of-print, you can find it here, through our community of over 12,000 independent booksellers from around the globe.”

Apr

25

Nope to NOP (Nalgene Outdoor Products)?

April 25, 2004 | Comments Off

What traveler hasn’t used a plastic water bottle to stay hydrated? Recent articles suggest that Nalgene, and even single-use plastic water bottles, may be harmful to our health. Learn more in this article by Brenna Doheny of the Oregon State Daily Barometer. Thanks to Karla Jacobs for forwarding the information.

Read the full post . . .

Apr

23

Great Good Fortune

April 23, 2004 | Comments Off

I’ve been feeling whiny lately (developed poison oak and sore muscles after a weekend of yard work), and was blessed when my parents forwarded the email below, reminding me of my great good fortune:

If you woke up this morning
with more health than illness,
you are more blessed than the
million who won’t survive the week.

If you have never experienced
the danger of battle,
the loneliness of imprisonment,
the agony of torture or
the pangs of starvation,
you are ahead of 20 million people
around the world.

Read the full post . . .

Apr

23

Metaphors

April 23, 2004 | Comments Off

I remember when I was first thinking about being a “real writer,” and figured I’d be required to start using metaphors. This was discouraging, as metaphors come to me as naturally as, as, um, donuts to bears. I even pulled out a couple of my favorite books and calculated their page-to-metaphor ratios. It was a silly exercise, but nowhere near as silly as this e-mail my parents forwarded.

Subject: Metaphors and Similes Found in High School Essays

- Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two other sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.

- His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free.

- He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it.

Read the full post . . .

Apr

13

Author Portraits

April 13, 2004 | Comments Off

Correction: I inadvertently published old prices when I mentioned that Christine Krieg does author portraits. Please contact Christine at (415) 621-6270 for the most up-to-date information. Christine’s website.

Local writer and photographer Greg Koch also provides author portraits. You can see samples of his work on his website and contact him at info@gkphotography.net

If you need a headshot, be sure to check out their sites; Greg and Christine both do beautiful work.

Apr

7

Signspotting

April 7, 2004 | Comments Off

I saw this in Lonely Planet’s online newsletter: Doug Lansky’s Sign Spotting will pay you $50 for a photo of a funny sign. See site for details and examples. Best photo of the year wins a Star Alliance ’round-the-world ticket!

Apr

5

Salon Report — Camille Cusumano at WCMFF

April 5, 2004 | Comments Off

Camille Cusumano spoke at the Writers’ Center of Marin’s First Friday event, and provided a truckload of useful information for writers who want to submit their work to Via (my notes follow). One salon attendee left with three good ideas for submissions, one of which she suggested to Camille and got the green light on.

Camille also revealed that the anthology she recently edited, France, A Love Story, received about 200 submissions, although only 20 were needed. (So don’t feel bad if your submission didn’t make the final cut!)

Read the full post . . .

Apr

3

Child Labor and Food Distribution

April 3, 2004 | Comments Off

Here’s a thoughtful article by Nicholas D. Kristof, Op-Ed columnist for the New York Times, about the realities of child labor in developing countries. It includes an excellent suggestion for improving the situation (not just a self-righteous rant). Definitely worth a read and a conversation.

It reminds me of the situation I saw in Madagascar, where education served only to take able (children’s) hands away from the rice fields that produced food; education there was certainly not a promise of employment.

Read the full post . . .

Apr

2

Euro-English

April 2, 2004 | Comments Off

This was circulating on the web a while ago, and I just saw it again. Too good not to post. I don’t know the original source:

The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European nation rather than German which was the other possibility.

As part of the negotiations, Her Majesty’s Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5-year phase-in plan that would become known as “Euro-English”.

In the first year, “s” will replace the soft “c”. Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard “c” will be dropped in favour of the k”. This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter.

Read the full post . . .