Wiedemer Words

Wilder's French War Fantasy

2011-09-01T21:08:00.002-04:00

My French Whore by Gene Wilder

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This novelette started of quaint and sweet. The language was simple, but the characters had depth and charm. The story took a turn when the hero began playing himself off as a German spy. It was a little suspenseful, but ultimately still felt like a charming lark. Which is why the abrupt ending was so unnerving for me. I felt like I had been on a happy little carousel ride that ended in the steep drop of a roller coaster.

"My French Whore" was entertaining light reading. It would be a great beach/vacation book, or something to distract on the plane.

View all my reviews

Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers

2011-08-10T18:33:00.004-04:00

Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers by Robert M. Sapolsky

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Robert Sapolsky is one of my favorite science writers. I generally find his work engaging, informative, and conversational, and “Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers” is no exception. This book is dense! It is jam packed with information on how your body reacts to and copes with stress. By the end of it, I found my self wondering if there was anything that glucocorticoids couldn't screw up. Though parts of it did drag a bit (for me), on the whole I found the chapters in this book to be interesting and full of useful information. I was a bit disappointed with the last chapter, however. I was hoping for more concrete suggestions on how to deal with and lessen stress. But perhaps that was an impractical expectation on my part.

I would recommend this book to anyone who worries about what effect their stressful life might be having on their mind and body. This book will clearly lay out those effects in detail, and knowing what's going on (why you aren't sleeping, why you are gaining weight, for example) is the first step to stopping it.

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"A Long Way Down" Felt Like a Long Way To Nowhere

2011-08-07T15:21:00.005-04:00

A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

This book was a struggle to get through from the beginning. Generally, I consider myself a fan of Nick Hornby. I don't think he's God's gift to literature or anything, but his novels are usually entertaining and satisfying like a particularly well constructed romantic comedy movie.

"A Long Way Down" however lacked charm, substance, and narrative arc. It went nowhere, slowly. I kept waiting for the characters to develop into people I could give a shit about, but that never happened. In fact, I found them so boring and unlikeable that I hoped that they would all just jump off of that rooftop and end the misery for all of us.

Only my dogged tenacity and hope that Hornby would somehow redeem the story in the end kept me reading. It turns ou, that there was no payoff in finishing this mind-numbing, nose-picking, navel-gazing slop. I would not recommend it to anyone.

View all my reviews

The Big Day!

2010-09-10T17:47:00.003-04:00

Friday, September 24, 2010, will be a big day for the Dannika White Fund, as it is the day that we will hold our wine-tasting and silent auction event at the Wine Warehouse of St. Augustine. Planning this event has been an extraordinary experience for Kaurie and me. We have witnessed an outpouring of love from so many members of our community. With their help, this event is going to be a night to remember for everyone who participates.

So save the date! Join us at the Wine Warehouse on A1A in St. Augustine (about a block south of the Oasis) on Friday, September 24th at 5:30. The Wine Warehouse will be providing a variety of international wines to enjoy; there will be a live band, a prize raffle, and best of all, the silent auction.

All of the arts and services up for auction have been generously donated by the talented members of our community. We will have gorgeous works of art by renowned artists, Rachel Thompson and Louise Austin; we will have spa packages, vacation packages, and even pet packages in the auction! There will be something for everyone, and it will be a great opportunity to pick up something special for a loved one.

Five dollars of each ticket and all of the proceeds from the prize raffle and the auction will go directly toward providing Dannika with the life-saving surgery she requires. Tickets are $15 at the door and space is limited, so come early!

And before I close, I would like to personally thank all of our donators to this event:

The Wine Warehouse
The Print Shop
Old Towne Trolley Tours
Park Avenue Paws
The Rachel Thompson Gallery
Louise Austin
Book Warehouse
Panache Aveda Salon and Spa
La Cocina Restaurant
Discount Grocery: Scratch and Dent
Paradise Poochie
Putnam State Bank
The Pet Camp
Small Indulgences European Day Spa and Salon
Robert’s Feed
Hot Shot Bakery
Ripley’s Believe It or Not
The Alligator Farm

Without these generous individuals, this event would not be possible. Thank you so much for your generosity.

And lastly, if you’d like to keep up with the latest news from the Dannika White Fund, follow me on Twitter. I’m @AWriteWord and I tweet updates on the latest items going into the auction and a whole host of other news items, musings, and thank yous.

See you on the 24TH!

Save the Date (Sept. 24th) and a Call for Goods and Services

2010-08-16T11:46:00.001-04:00

The Dannika White Fund has been busy over the last month planning a fun-filled community fundraising event, and we are finally ready to make it official. The Dannika White Fund has partnered with the Wine Warehouse in Saint Augustine Beach to hold a wine-tasting and silent auction on the evening of Friday, September 24th. We will have live music, hors d’oeuvres, and a prize-filled raffle, in addition to the Wine-Warehouse’s superior selection of world wines and a silent auction that features the arts and services of our extremely gifted community.

This is where the request comes in. I know that all of our friends are tremendously generous and have excellent goods and services that they provide our community. If any of you would like to donate a service or item for our raffle or auction, please contact us at DannikaWhiteFund@gmail.com. To help to thank you all for your donations we would like to advertise your business on our flyers, posters, press-releases, blog articles, tweets, etc. And the sooner you make a donation, the more we will be able to advertise your awesomeness to all of North Florida.

Please help us make this vital event a success. Invite all of your friends to attend and help us get the word out about it. All proceeds will go directly to the fund and toward Dannika’s surgeries. We need to raise about $10,000 just to get her healthy and out of danger. Anything you can donate will help us reach this goal. Thank you all again for your support,

Erin Wiedemer
The Dannika White Fund

Update on Dannika and a Request

2010-06-10T19:24:00.004-04:00

The Dannika White Fund has been busy exploring new and interesting avenues of fundraising. We've joined Chip In! (http://dannikawhitefund.chipin.com/the-dannika-white-fund) on the web, and have been collecting amazingly generous donations through our collection jars that are placed in local St. Augustine businesses. Our Modest Needs campaign has been steadily growing toward the goal, but we are running out of time to fund it. If we don't reach the goal in time, we will have to reapply and try again. Lastly, we also have some amazing collectibles up for auction on our Ebay store: http://stores.ebay.com/Dannika-White-Fund.

Dannika had a health set-back over the Memorial Day weekend. An abscess burst and nearly sent her to the hospital. Luckily, her dentist was able to order her antibiotics and pain killers right away. It took nearly a week for her health to improve enough for Dr. Oxford to consider taking out the infected teeth, but in the end she had two teeth removed and the fund had collected enough money to cover this small surgery.

Removing these two teeth should provide us a little more time to tackle raising the necessary 6K. We are hoping to be able to get Dannika into surgery by the end of the summer. So here's our request: please help us with our fundraising campaign by posting our Chip In! widget on your blogs, Facebook page, and any other online community to which you belong. Simply copy the script and paste it where you'd like it placed. This widget will facilitate the placement of funds into the Dannika White Fund Paypal account and is 100% secure.

Thanks for helping us spread the word. I'll write again soon with some more good news about our progress!

A Quick Thank You and a Call to Bid

2010-05-13T16:10:00.000-04:00

I wanted to send out a quick thank you to Diane’s Natural Market (http://www.dianesnaturalfoods.com/) on SR 312. They have generously agreed to help us collect donations for the Dannika White Fund. Diane’s has been a St. Augustine fixture for many years (winning St. Augustine Best Health Food Store 11 years in a row!). They are a true gem of the community and we are so grateful for their help.

The Dannika White Fund now has collection containers placed in Roberts Feed (Master’s Drive), Discount Groceries Scratch and Dent (on SR 16), Coffee Creations in the Cobblestone Plaza (on SR 312), and now Diane’s Natural Market. Please patronize these businesses to help us thank them for placing our containers.

Lastly, the Dannika White Fund Ebay store has two new auctions listed. Up for bidding this week is an original watercolor painting by renowned Florida artist, Leah Wiedemer, and a unique, beaded, clutch-style purse. The painting is a one-of-a-kind floral piece that is matted and framed – ready for hanging. The purse is a beautiful, intricately beaded accessory that would be a boon to any couture collection. Go to http://stores.ebay.com/Dannika-White-Fund to bid.

$500 Raised in Two Weeks

2010-05-10T10:47:00.002-04:00

The Dannika White Fund is so pleased to announce that with your help it has raised nearly $500 in two weeks! Coffee Creations in the Cobblestone Plaza (best coffee in the city!) http://www.myspace.com/coffeecreations, Discount Groceries Scratch and Dent (on SR 16) http://discountgroceriesandmore.com/, and Robert’s Feed (on Master’s Drive) http://tinyurl.com/285as9z have generously allowed us to place collection containers in their businesses. Please help us thank them by patronizing their businesses.

The Dannika White Fund Ebay Store has also had a successful launch. We have lovely collectables, art, clothing, and every day items that have been donated for the Ebay store. We are uploading new items on there every day, so please stop by frequently to see what’s new. http://stores.ebay.com/Dannika-White-Fund

Our Modest Needs account has reached 3% of its goal and we have high hopes that between direct donations to this account http://tinyurl.com/2afj2gg and the donations collected through the Dannika White Fund Putnam Bank account (http://www.paypal.com/ to dannikawhitefund@gmail.com), we will meet our goal. We have about 45 days to reach our goal, so time is of the essence!

And soon we will have a huge announcement about our upcoming community fundraiser. We are planning an event that will be a fun for all while raising money for Dannika’s oral surgeries. We are very excited about it and can’t wait to make the announcement. As soon as all the Ts are crossed and Is are dotted, we’ll send out the announcement through this blog and many media outlets.

Thank you all again for your unfailing support,

The Dannika White Fund

Charity Auction Going On Now

2010-05-03T11:23:00.001-04:00

The Dannika White Fund has opened an auction to raise money toward Dannika's surgeries. The first item up on the block is a rare, French crystal Baccarat bull. The bull is a true collectors item and it is in pristine condition. Check it out here. http://tinyurl.com/2ex2zhb

And let the bidding begin!

The Dannika White Fund

2010-05-02T10:54:00.007-04:00

Have you ever had that nightmare where all of your teeth start crumbling and falling out of your mouth? That horror is a reality for Dannika White. Dannika was born with the genetic disorder, Amelogensis Imperfecta (AI). AI causes abnormal enamel formation, and can have varying degrees of affect on those afflicted with it. Unfortunately Dannika has a very severe form of this disorder. She has had 12 surgeries since her infancy, simply to maintain a low level of oral function. These oral surgeries and dentistry are no longer maintaining her fragile teeth. Her teeth are cracking and breaking into shards. They have incurred dangerous infections that threaten her life. She can longer chew food, and is in constant, debilitating pain.

Dannika needs oral surgery immediately. She needs to have all of her teeth removed, her infections treated, her bones seeded to prevent collapse, and dentures implanted. Because amelogenesis imperfecta is such a rare genetic disorder, very few oral surgeons have experience in treating it. Dannika has found an experienced oral surgeon, Dr. Gregory Oxford, in St. Augustine, who has developed a treatment plan for her. Though Dr. Oxford has generously discounted his work, the first phase of the treatment has a cost of nearly $7,000.

Dannika is a high school student. She does not qualify for health insurance, Medicaid is not accepted by the Oxford Dental Group, and she has been turned down for lines of credit. She is in desperate need of these surgeries, but has no way to pay for it. Family and friends have organized the Dannika White Fund to help her raise the money she needs to get started. Donations to the fund are gratefully accepted at all Putnam State Bank locations, the Paypal Donate button to the right of this post, as well as through the http://www.modestneeds.org/ application ID #150838. The Fund is also raising money through its auctions at its Ebay Store, http://tinyurl.com/2ex2zhb .

URGENT REQUEST -- HELP NEEDED

2010-04-14T10:49:00.003-04:00

Hello All,

I am writing on behalf of my dear friend, Kaurie, because she is in desperate need of your generosity. Her daughter has Amelio Genesis Imperfecta. This is a genetic disorder that caused her teeth to form without enamel. Her teeth are crumbling which has triggered a life-threatening and incredibly painful infection. She needs immediate oral surgery to remove all but six of her teeth, the bone prepped for preservation, and eventually dentures. This will cost $7,000, which is far more than Kaurie has been able to save. Kaurie has applied for and been denied for credit to pay for this operation, so her last resort is a grant from ModestNeeds.org.

Modest Needs is a non-profit organization that takes in donations and uses the funds to provide grants for people in need. Kaurie’s grant request has been accepted by Modest Needs, but it still requires funding from people like us. When you make a tax-refundable donation to Modest Needs, your account is credited with points (1 point per dollar donated) and you can apply those points to any grant request in their network. Kaurie needs 6,598 points to receive her grant for her daughter’s surgery.

Any contribution is gratefully received. Kaurie’s daughter needs this surgery as soon as possible. If you can make a small donation to this cause, please review Kaurie’s request here Application 150838. After registering with Modest Needs you can make a tax-deductable donation to the organization and the corresponding points will be allocated to your Modest Needs account. Please then apply these points to application #150838.

Kaurie, her daughter, and I thank you in advance for your generosity. Your donations will go directly to saving a young woman’s life and giving her an opportunity to live her first pain-free days in nearly a decade.

Thank you again,
Erin

PS: Please forward this request to as many people as possible. The more who can help, the faster Kaurie's daughter can get her opperations.

Free Speech Needs Your Help

2010-01-28T09:41:00.003-05:00

There is a movement to reform England's draconian Libel Laws, but they need your help. The Libel Reform Campaign is collecting signatures for a petition to parliament. Currently the laws require the writer or speaker to carry the burden of proof of malicious intent instead of the accuser. This means that anyone who posts their work in England OR ON THE INTERNET can be sued for libel in England's courts and will have to pay thousands, sometimes millions of pounds to defend themselves.* This creates an atmosphere of fear. Reporters, bloggers, even essayist must consider the fact that they could be sued into poverty at any moment if they anger the wrong person or group with their work. Please take a moment to sign this petition and protect Free Speech http://www.libelreform.org/

*This has happened to Investigative Science Reporter, Simon Singh. To learn more about his story go to: http://www.senseaboutscience.org.uk/index.php/site/project/340 & http://www.senseaboutscience.org.uk/index.php/site/project/333/ &

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/oct/14/simon-singh-chiropractors-appeal

Phantoms in the Brain

2009-08-05T10:20:00.004-04:00

I just picked up, Phantoms in the Brain, by V.S. Ramachandran. Dr. Ramachandran is Director of the Center for Brain and Cognition and Professor with the Psychology Department and Neurosciences Program at the University of California, San Diego, and Adjunct Professor of Biology at the Salk Institute. He is best known for his study of visual perception and behavioral neurology. Phantoms in the Brain delves into both of these areas as Ramachandran explores the mysteries of the mind.

What I have found most amazing about this book so far is the fact that the adult brain is so malleable. Damage may be reversed, or at least compensated for by other areas. Neural pathways are not set in stone. Scientists are just beginning to understand how our brains perceive ourselves and our environment, and this understanding will open doors only previously imagined. With further understanding, doctors may one day be able to treat stroke patients by building new neural pathways that will allow sectors of the brain to take up the cues and commands of the damaged portions.

Furthermore, Dr. Ramachandran has discovered that visual cues play a significant role in our perceptions. Sight can dictate our perceptions ourselves as well as the outside world. He found that amputees' experiences of phantom limbs had a direct correlation to their sight-induced body image. If the limbs were paralyzed before amputation, he found that many of the patients experienced paralyzed phantoms, and that this was caused and (in about 50% of cases) could be cured by visual cues.

As a reader with little scientific training, I found this book both fascinating and easy to understand. Dr. Ramachandran writes for a lay audience as opposed to neurologists. The book also contains numerous images and diagrams to aid in understanding, as well as very detailed end-notes and bibliography. Science may be generations away from explaining the inner workings of the mind and perception, but Phantoms in the Brain is an important stop along that road.

Congratulations Neil Gaiman!

2009-01-26T20:59:00.003-05:00

Neil Gaiman, incidentally one of my all-time favorite authors, just won the Newbery Medal for, The Graveyard Book. This book is one of the most unique stories I have ever read, and I loved the addition of the illustrations by Dave McKean. If any of you have not read, The Graveyard Book, a story about a boy who is raised in a graveyard and protected from assassins by members of the spiritual realm, then you must, must get a copy and read it. Now!

Congratulations Mr. Gaiman. You thoroughly deserve this prestigious honor.

Book Review: When You Are Englufed In Flames

2008-07-30T10:58:00.002-04:00

I have been a dedicated David Sedaris fan ever since I first discovered his book, Naked. Sedaris writes so candidly about his life and inner monologue that the reader feels like s/he knows the writer intimately. He lays himself bare with only a glamour of dry wit to cover the truth.

The vingettes in When You Are Engulfed In Flames discuss Sedaris' insecurities and discomforts, his relationship with his long-time boyfriend, Hugh, his travels, and his quest to quit smoking in Japan. Wry and always slightly self-conscious, Sedaris will make you smile and cry all in the same story. I always feel his books end too quickly, and this one was no different, but as I closed its cover, I felt deeply satisfied. "When You Are Engulfed In Flames," is an entertaining and self-reflecting read. Well-balanced and thoughtful, it's words will remain with you long after you have finished reading the last page.

Makes Me Smile

2008-07-21T13:57:00.001-04:00

more cat pictures

Age Banding Discussed at Upcoming Conference

2008-07-16T15:25:00.005-04:00

Thankfully, Philip Pullman is not giving up on trouncing the proposed age-banding of youth books in the UK. He will be part of a session being held during The Society of Authors' Cambridge Children's Writers & Illustrators Conference (August 29-31), along with Libby Purves, Anne Fine, Graham Marks (of Publishing News), and Beck Stradwick (the UKHQ Children's Buyer from Borders). Publishers have been invited to join this session, and the Society of Authors have expressed their desire to hear all views on the subject.

I am sure that we will hear more from Philip Pullman after the Conference, but if you'd like to find more information on the society and the conference you can visit: www.societyofauthors.org.

More News on the Age-Banding Conflict

2008-07-08T15:37:00.007-04:00

Here is a update from Phillip Pullman on the meeting he recently had with some of the major book publishers:

On Thursday 3 July I met with representatives of the publishers: Simon Juden, Chief Executive of the Publishers Association, Philippa Dickinson of Random House, and Elaine McQuade of Scholastic. Also present were Mark Le Fanu (General Secretary) and Celia Rees (Chair of the Children's Writers and Illustrators Group) from the Society of Authors. Anna Ganley of the SoA was taking minutes.

I have to say that this report is based on my personal recollections, because Anna Ganley's minutes are not quite ready yet. If her record conflicts with anything I say here, I shall of course correct it.

Simon Juden opened by acknowledging in guarded and cautious terms that the presentation of this matter from their side had perhaps not been ideal, but that he and the publishers were very anxious to stress that their intention had never been to impose age-guidance (that is the term they prefer to use) on authors without full consultation, and that he thought it would be a good idea to take some of the emotion out of the discussion and simply deal with the facts.

I replied that I'd rather call it passion, and that I'd rather it stayed in, thank you very much, because the sheer volume and intensity of the anger caused by the proposal was entirely part of what we wanted to express. I went on to ask various questions about the research - full details of which had only reached me the evening before on my return from a conference in Sweden, so I had only the morning of the 3rd to digest several hundred pages. But what struck me very forcibly was that not once in all those pages was it acknowledged that authors and illustrators had a point of view that might be worth listening to; and in particular that not once were the concerns of teachers about the effect of printed age-figures on children, which have since been very vividly and cogently expressed, even considered.

Their answer to this was that of course authors and illustrators were immensely important, but that this was simply a market survey based on what customers thought, and that the concerns of the people who created the books were not of direct relevance to that. I then asked why all the excellent and varied reasons against the proposal, which so many of you have sent to us, were not put honestly to the respondents, so that they might have a true idea of the range of the issues involved. I can't recall their answer to that, except that it didn't seem to me to deal with the matter.

The discussion continued with the publishers' saying that they had had a very supportive response from "most" of their authors, with no problems being expressed. In support of that claim they produced a pile of books with age-banding figures on the covers. We didn't examine them closely, but one of them, as Celia Rees and I agreed afterwards when we were talking about it, was a copy of Neil Gaiman's 'Coraline'. This was a surprise to us, because Neil Gaiman is a signatory to this statement. Philippa Dickinson has since admitted to me that they were American editions, "which all carry age-guidance information".

Celia then pointed out the oddness of their claim that "most authors" were in favour of it, because a very recent survey of the members of the Children's Writers and Illustrators Group (with a very large response) showed that 77% were against age-banding, 6% were for it, and 17% were undecided. How could their claim and those figures be reconciled? No answer.
The central issue became this: we wanted them to agree that no book should be age-banded without the author's consent. They refused to agree to this, but offered "full consultation" instead. We pointed out that every author in the world knows what "consultation" means: it means the publishers saying "This is the cover of your new book," and our saying "Well it's horrible," and their replying "Well, tough." "Full" consultation, I suppose, would mean that plus lunch.

Their point was that the cover of the book has traditionally, or by convention, or contractually, been the publisher's domain, just as the text inside has been the author's, and they had the right to put the age-figure there if they wanted to, and they weren't going to agree to anyone having a veto. Our response to that was that while that has been true for everything that normally goes on a cover - artwork, typography, back cover copy, author photo, all that - the age-figure was an entirely new and previously unconsidered thing, and that when any earlier convention or contractual arrangement had come into being, it hadn't existed, so it was quite wrong to claim that age-guidance would automatically be covered by any previous agreement.

They said they thought we were wrong. We said we thought they were wrong.
So in the end we came up with this statement:

'At a meeting involving The Publishers Association, the Society of Authors, and Philip Pullman (on behalf of the signatories of the online statement), the publishers were happy to confirm that there has been, and remains, no question of age guidance being added to a book without full consultation with the author. The remaining point of difference, which is to be considered further, was that those speaking for authors feel strongly that authors should have the right to refuse to have age guidance on their books.'

What that means is that the struggle will continue, and that authors and illustrators in particular should insist on this right of 'full consultation' and exert it to the utmost. The publishers did say that it was "almost inconceivable" that they would put a figure on a book if the author didn't agree, but that, of course, is no guarantee of anything: if it came to a disagreement, they would still impose it.

We should continue to gather evidence, opinions and signatures, and we shall, of course, continue to keep you informed. Thank you very much for your support. This is a fight worth having, even though it's taking up so much of our time. In the end we shall win.
~Philip Pullman

Book Banding Update

2008-06-27T10:21:00.003-04:00

I have a message from Phillip Pullman of NoToAgeBanding.org:

A meeting has been arranged with representatives of the publishers, including Simon Juden, Chief Executive of the Publishers Association, Kate Bostock of the PA, and Elaine McQuade of Scholastic. I will putting our case, and I will be joined by Mark Le Fanu and Celia Rees of the Society of Authors. The meeting will take place on Thursday 3 July at Scholastic Children's books.

There isn't an agenda yet, but the purpose of the meeting is to clarify and reiterate our objections to the age-ranging proposal and see if we can help the PA see what a blunder they've made. I would also like to discover several things about the 'research' which so far remain opaque.

All your comments and experiences have been very helpful. If there is anything in particular you would like me to raise on your behalf, do please contact me at feedback@notoagebanding.org I can't guarantee to do so, of course, because I don't know how many people will respond, but anything you can let me know in addition to what you've already communicated to us would be extremely helpful. It would be especially helpful to hear from teachers and experts in reading development, since the PA's research obviously took no account of the problems their proposal might cause in this field.

I shall report on the outcome of the meeting very soon after it's happened.
Philip Pullman

Inspiration From the World of Neurology

2008-06-27T10:04:00.003-04:00

Many of you have probably already heard of Jill Bolte Taylor. She is a neuro-scientist who had a stroke and studied her own experience to better understand the workings of the brain. She has recently released a new book about her experience entitled:
My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey. She is an eloquent speaker and has a message for humanity about consciousness and choice. Please watch her 18 minute TED lecture here. It is one of the most fascinating and inspiring talks I have ever witnessed.

UCCS Needs Research Participants

2008-06-13T11:03:00.001-04:00

The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs is conducting research via an online survey. The survey is a bit lengthy at 40-60 minutes long, but you are not required to answer every question. Participation in this survey would make you an important part of new scientific research. Richard Dawkins writes, " I strongly support this research. It is being carried out to the highest standards, and I am very much looking forward to seeing the results when they are all analysed. I shall be filling in the Survey myself and I urge others to do the same." If Prof. Dawkins had the time to fill out this survey, so do most of us. I encourage you all to click on the link below and do what you can to further scientific research.

To participate in the survey, please visit: http://recornwelllab.com/consent_form.html

Book Banding

2008-06-12T12:22:00.004-04:00

UK publishers have decided to begin age-banding their books. This means that children's and young adult books will be banded with an age level that is supposed to proclaim the appropriateness of the book for a certain age group. Books will bear a scarlet letter, declaring them fit for only those 10 +, 12+, and so on. Authors are outraged and claim that this will hurt sales and keep children from reading more challenging books, but the publisher's believe it will increase sales by directing parents to books that are at their child's age-level.

At the crux of this argument is the control that publisher's have over writers and censorship. With book-banding, publishers can now squeeze authors into tight boxes and dictate an age level at which to write. They will have margins for every age-level that will have to be met. They will be able to control content, language, voice, and vocabulary. It is a very dangerous concept, and don't think that this will end in UK. Major world-wide book publishers are leading this charge--Harper Collins, Scholastic, etc. This WILL be coming to the United States.

If you'd like to learn more about this issue and read some author's essays on the subject please read Darren Shan's essay at Soapbox and this Telegraph article about Bill Pulman's fight against the bands. If you would like to add your voice to those who are protesting, please visit: http://www.notoagebanding.org/ to sign the petition.

National Year of Reading Celebration

2008-06-12T11:50:00.004-04:00

Waterstone's, the English book-selling behemoth is celebrating the National Year of Reading by publishing a collection of very short fiction from 13 of the most famous authors of our time. Authors like Neil Gaiman, Doris Lessing, Nick Hornby, Margaret Atwood, and J.K. Rowling are contributing this book which showcases original short stories on postcards. But they are also opening the field to all aspiring writers as well. You are invited to submit your short story to the website by June 19th for the chance to win an Arvon Writing Course. As of this posting there have been 2,707 stories submitted and that number is climbing every minute!

The 13 short stories will be available on the website for reading beginning June 11th, and the book will be available for purchase in about 56 days. You can pre-order it now, however, from Waterstone's for only 5 pounds. Go to the website and check it out. Support the National Year of Reading, and let me know what you thought of the stories!

Sam Harris Needs You!

2008-05-06T13:01:00.002-04:00

Sam Harris, author of such works as: The End of Faith, and Letter to a Christian Nation, is preparing to run an fMRI study of belief and disbelief and he needs research volunteers to help him refine his experimental stimuli. All you have to do is take some surveys! Sam will post the survey results on his website when the research is completed. Go to www.samharris.org to participate.

Library Thing

2008-05-02T22:35:00.004-04:00

I just discovered my new favorite website. Its called Library Thing, and it is a virtual catalog of your own library that is shared with the other members of the site and it is used for networking purposes as well as logging all of your books. This is exactly what I have been looking for but never knew existed until now. I got the tip from Neil Gaiman's blog. I was so immediately taken with it that I actually purchased a lifetime membership so that I could log my hundreds of books. Memberships are free for the first two hundred books you log into your library, and if you want to log more than that you can purchase a yearly membership for $10 or a lifetime membership for $25.

To log your books you just type in the title, author, or ISBN number into their search box. But if you are like me and have literally hundreds of books to log, you can purchase a cue cat from them for $15 which will scan the bar-codes and load the info into your library.
One of my favorite aspects of this website is the community it brings to you. You can immediately see other people who have the same taste in books as you! You can join online book and discussion groups, and you can get personalized recommendations based on the content of your virtual library. They even have an "advanced reader program" where you can sign up to receive advanced reader copies of the latest books for free as long as you provide a review of the book in a timely fashion.

If you are a bibliophile like me, then you have got to check it out. Go to: http://www.librarything.com/. You'll feel like you have finally found your community of book lovers.

World Without End

2008-04-25T11:47:00.003-04:00

I just finished reading Ken Follet's novel, World Without End. When I began this book, I was concerned that it was following too closely the formulae of its predecessor, Pillars of the Earth. The character structures and plot seemed eerily familiar. However, as with Pillars of the Earth, I quickly became enmeshed in the plot and characters.

Follet has written a wonderfully strong and intelligent heroine, Caris, that was a joy to follow throughout her life journey. Merthin, the hero was a little too close to Jack in Pillars for me, but he was one of the few characters that was genuinely good and enjoyable to get to know.

As with Pillars, the history of building and architecture was a prominent theme, and very interesting and eloquently described and defined. Another theme that I found fascinating was that of the spread of the plague. The black death attacks the citizens of Kingsbridge numerous times, and the nuns and physicians are forced to learn by experience how to combat it.

Follet delivers a suspenseful and engrossing plot, full of adventure, history, romance, and political intrigue. It was a true page-turner and wonderfully entertaining. I would not go so far as to consider it literature (I am always torn between being happy that relatively all ends well, and feeling a bit cheated by the neat and tidy ending), but I highly recommend it for a purely enjoyable read.

Ken Follett

2008-03-27T12:21:00.009-04:00

Over the last month I have been devoting myself to Ken Follett's major works, Pillars of the Earth and World Without End. I finished Pillars of the Earth last week and immediately began World Without End because I was so captured with the story.

When I began Pillars of the Earth I didn't know anything about the story except what was written on the back cover. It sounded engaging, and I liked the prospect of a large work of fiction being set in Medieval England. There is a lot that can be learned from this book about architecture, Medieval building practises, and Medieval culture. As it is a book written primarily about the building of a large catholic cathedral, I was expecting to learn a lot about the early church, church customs and law, and the like. However, I was not expecting the high level of violence, raping, and pillaging that is involved. A sedate read, Pillars of the Earth, is not. Parts of this book were actually hard for me to read as a woman. Even though, intellectually, I know that woman had a rough deal throughout history, it is shocking what happens to the women in this story. You feel close to them, and it is hard to read about the trials they endure

The story itself is extremely well-written, suspenseful, informative, and gripping. The characters are complex and there is a lot of mystery and motivation involved in the plot. Though the length of this tome may be daunting to some, it is such a complex story and so entertaining, that the pages turn at a rapid pace. I feel I finished it far too quickly, which is why I immediately plunged into World Without End.

I am only about 150 pages into this book, but I have to say that I feel that it is a bit formulaic. It seems to be progressing with a very similar plot and very similar characters. It isn't that it is any less good than Pillars of the Earth, but having just finished it, it is fresh in my mind and I am constantly noticing the similarities between the two. Still, it is an excellent source of English history, the characters are compelling, and the story is full of violence, struggle, and intrigue. I'll have a more complete analysis when I have finished it.

Until then . . .

Neil Gaiman's, "American Gods"

2008-03-05T15:29:00.005-05:00

Neil Gaiman, one of the best fantasy fiction authors of our time (in my opinion one of the best fiction writers, period) has created a free, online version of American Gods. This book will change the way you see America. Check it out here:

Browse Inside this book

Get this for your site

Salman Rushdie

2008-02-26T16:23:00.006-05:00

Friday, February 22nd, I had the privilege to attend a lecture by Salman Rushdie at Florida State University. When I told my friends I was driving 3 hours away to see one of my favorite authors, the most common response was, "Aren't you afraid of getting bombed?" Honestly, that thought had not worried me one iota. Yes, there is a $3 million dollar bounty on his head, and Iran did just recently renew the fatwa against him, but this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to see him, and I wasn't going to let fear of terrorist keep me home.

It did not occur to me until after the event that this decision was one that Mr. Rushdie makes every day. In fact, freedom was one of the topics which he spoke about. He is a fervent proponent of the freedom of speech, and has even been in the uncomfortable position of defending the rights of the people that want to kill him. He spoke eloquently about the importance of this right and of the difficulty of supporting it. He made it very clear that if you support the right to free speech, you must support it for everyone, and that often means defending the rights of those who are abhorrent to you. I think that this point is something that is being lost in the United States right now. We love to tout our freedom of speech, but when it comes to something we disagree with, we immediately strike it down in the name of offensiveness or discrimination. Freedom of speech is freedom for everyone, and everyone includes those we'd rather not hear from.

This is a subject that bloggers and blog-readers should pay attention to. In many countries right now (Iran, Pakistan, Korea, China, etc.) it is the bloggers that are being silenced. Even in this country, bloggers who have written inflammatory things are being taken to court. Freedom of speech is one of the most fundamental rights of humanity. If we do not preserve it now, there will be no one to save it later. Please visit the following to learn more about how you can become involved in protecting your rights:
Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
50 Ways to Fight Censorship
Anti-Censorship Organizations

Book Review--"A Suitable Boy"

2007-06-12T22:18:00.000-04:00

I just finished a fantastic novel, by Vikram Seth, entitled, "A Suitable Boy." This book is not for the light reader; it is nearly 2,000 pages and involves a lot of detailed politics of the newly democratic India. However, for those who enjoy learning new things from their novels, or love novels that take the time to fully develop a whole cast of characters, this book will enchant.

"A Suitable Boy" is a generational story that takes place in India shortly after the death of Gandhi. It closely tracks the lives of several extended families who are joined together through love, honor, friendship, politics, history, and marriage. Vikram Seth delves into the minds of his heroines with an accurate intimacy and poignancy that is rare. His heroes have flaws and strengths, and before long, all of the characters in the novel begin to feel like members of your own family.

The main thread of the novel belongs to Lata Mehra. She is a college student whose mother has decided that it is time for her to marry. Her life touches the lives of nearly all of the other characters in the book. But the quest for a suitable boy for Lata is only one of the stories that unfolds. Another is the story of friendship between two families of diametrically opposing views, or the story of a young man's maturation, or the tales of love lost, of religious freedoms and tolerance, of the political evolution of one of the largest democratic countries in the world, and of every day life in India in the late 1950s.

I highly recommend reading this book. I felt lost and saddened when I came to the end of it, because I had gotten so used to spending time with the Mehras, Chattergis, and Kapoors every day, and suddenly, this relationship is at an end. So pick it up at your local book shop--you'll be glad you did. You can tell Lata and Mahn than I miss them.

Introductions

2007-05-22T20:58:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my blog!

My name is Erin Wiedemer. I am a freelance writer and editor (check out my website here) who is always looking for new challenges and opportunities. I'm a blog neophyte, but I'm enjoying the learning experience.

This blog will be my creative outlet. I plan to post drafts of short fiction, information pieces on writing and editing, book reviews, and short bits on anything that motivates me. Hopefully, you will all offer me your opinions and constructive criticisms on my writing. I want this blog to be a place of entertainment and learning for all of us. I plan to post about once a week, so keep checking on me to see what's new.

Tootles for now :)
e.