Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Will Ebooks Spell the End of Personal Libraries?

One good (or bad) thing about ebooks is that they take up no shelf space. Whether that's good or bad thing depends on how you look at it. You can free up a lot of shelf space in your home by reading only ebooks. And e-readers make it possible to travel with lots of books that take up no room in your suitcase.

However, one possible downside according to this article is that ebooks can't be displayed in personal libraries. For my own part, as much as I love my Kindle, printed books are sometimes more than just good reads. For instance, I keep all my autographed copies of books.

And, while it's true I haven't read every single book on my shelves, I've read most of them. And, unlike the article's author suggests, I don't see it as fraudulent to display books I've read (or hope to, eventually). I think of my books as keepsakes. I store them anyway I can and wherever they'll fit. If guests see them, they may provide a small window into my soul or the basis for a conversation. So, as I see it, books are much more than mere decoration.

But then, I don't live in a house with a personal library. Nor do I live in "a gaudy trophy home in the Hamptons," where "the crowd [is] blond and beautiful and the conversation dull and dutiful." (Photo by Ahndraya Parlato)

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Mural Graffiti Letters de Amor on Wall

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Monday, August 30, 2010

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Trying to Walk Away From a War by 'Going After Cacciato'

Review: GOING AFTER CACCIATO (Dell Publishing 1979)
Author: Tim O'Brien

My first Tim O'Brien book was THE THINGS THEY CARRIED, a collection of stories based on his experiences as a soldier in the Vietnam War. I was so taken with his writing I decided to read JULY, JULY next. A novel about a class reunion that I thought might be too much like The Big Chill – but it wasn't.

So, knowing (I thought) what to expect, I picked up GOING AFTER CACCIATO. I guess I was expecting something like Saving Private Ryan, but it's not even close to that. In this book, O'Brien once again drew on his experiences in Vietnam, but unlike THE THINGS THEY CARRIED, this is a novel. And unlike either of the other books, this one delves into the realm of "magical realism."

The story in sum is that Cacciato is a young, seemingly slow, rather goofy soldier that no one in his unit takes seriously. One day, Cacciato simply disappears – walks away from the war. He says he's going to walk west until he reaches Paris, France.

News of Cacciato's plans are met by the troops with a mixture of disbelief, wonder and perplexity. So, what to do? Cacciato is guilty of desertion, so the lieutenant in charge says they have to follow and apprehend him. They end up going after him, catching glimpses of him from time to time, but somehow he keeps eluding them.

The story (while flashing back and forth in time) takes the troops on a kind of spiritual journey, as well as a mission. It's told from the point of view of Paul Berlin, who undergoes his own personal journey along the way, after the troops encounter a group of Vietnamese refugees. (People who are fleeing the war – symbolic much?) One of them is a beautiful young woman who Berlin falls for and who provides her own unique perspective on the situation. As the troops who seek Cacciato get further and further from the front, the notion of actually reaching Paris becomes less and less like a dream and more like a possibility.

The story has plenty of symbolism, but to discuss it might reveal some spoilers. Suffice it say, it's clever and deepens the story's meaning without making it less engrossing or too pedantic.

During the journey, the soldiers undergo hardships that include all sorts of suspenseful situations (even dire ones). It's an enthralling and well-written tale that will keep you hooked up until the big finish. (Again, to say more about the end would be saying too much.)

Do they make it to Paris? Do they ever find Cacciato? And, if they do, what should they do with him? Take him back? Cut him loose and leave the war behind, too? These questions and moral dilemmas are raised throughout the story.

While simply walking away from a war may be a dream, GOING AFTER CACCIATO presents it as a hope and even a possibility.

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Friday, August 27, 2010

Making Graffiti On The Walls Of Your Home

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This is the art of graffiti alphabet wall in Washington DC. Graffiti is the art of crawling into the gallery and private collections in the DC area. You can get your own original work of graffiti art custom-made for your home. create graffiti on the walls of your home with your own style. differences in graffiti make beautiful art.

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Wallpaper Graffiti "Volcom" Design - Best for Your Notebook

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Thursday, August 26, 2010

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

A Butterfly Named Peace, Singleton Hippie Art

A Butterfly Named Peace (c) 2010 Singleton"For a good time,follow me"she whispered,spinning on her heels,leaving swirly, twirlypsychedelic pixie dusttrails in her shadow.And he did..."Words and Artwork (c) Singleton 2010 11 x 15" Original on 140 lb coldpress watercolor paper. Watercolors, markers, and

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Tuesday, August 24, 2010

A Book That Hits Home Like 'A Nail Through the Heart'

Review: A NAIL THROUGH THE HEART (HarperCollins e-books 2008)
Author: Timothy Hallinan

Having previously read BREATHING WATER and QUEEN OF PATPONG, I felt compelled to read A NAIL THROUGH THE HEART, not only because Timothy Hallinan did such a great job writing those books, but because I wanted to see how the series started. Boy, do I wish I'd read them in order. (I happened to pick BREATHING WATER first, only because it was being "talked about" so much online at the time.)

Now, I finally know that Poke Rafferty (the intrepid protagonist) is not only a writer, but a writer who made his mark creating travel guides for tourists looking to take a walk on the wild side of Southeast Asia (kind of the seamy, Southeast Asian version of Rick Steves, if you will). During his somewhat aimless, if interesting, travels, he walked into a strip club in the notorious Patpong Road red light district and was smitten by the sight of its most renown dancer/prostitute, the very tall and beautiful Rose. Poke took Rose off the stage and into his arms, so to speak. They ended up bringing a child into their home -- a girl named Miaow, who'd been living on the streets.

As the story begins, Poke and Rose (who's struggling to start a legitimate house cleaning business to provide a healthier career path for her stripper friends) are trying to build something resembling a stable life (a change for both of them), adopt Miaow and become more of a family. I say "more" of a family, because Rose is resistant to Poke's suggestion that they get married. These are among the interesting little details and storylines that make the characters seem so real and the give the book more depth and substance than the average thriller.

In the beginning of the book, we're also introduced to Boo (nickname: Superman), another Bangkok street urchin who's acquired a rather nasty reputation, but to whom Miaow is devoted. She convinces Poke and Rose to clean him up, take him in and (possibly) adopt him, too.

Those details (along with Hallinan's exquisite descriptions of Bangkok) provide the backdrop for the main storyline, in which Poke is hired by two very different clients to find a couple of missing people. A woman (at the suggestion of Arthit, Poke's friend and one of Bangkok's few honest cops) asks Poke to find her beloved uncle and another (not so nice) woman hires Poke to find someone who's stolen something from her. I don't think it's a spoiler to say that there ends up being a connection between the cases. The questions are, what happened to the uncle? Where is the missing thief? And what does the uncle's maid have to do with any of this?

While Poke's investigation into these matters plugs along nicely (and leads Poke into scrapes with various ruffians), problems crop up on the domestic front, between Rose's floundering business, Poke's difficulties navigating the adoption process, Superman's tendency to bite (or even kill) people and Miaow's overall sulky/defensive attitude. Not to mention the fact that Arthit's wife is dying slowly from a degenerative disease. So, there's plenty to sink your teeth into here.

The complex narrative is so seamlessly constructed and beautifully written, it's breathtaking. So is the story's pace. The plot builds in twist after twist toward a revelatory and shattering conclusion.

Also, be advised that the subject of child molestation and sexual predation is covered in some detail. When a man as worldly as Rafferty throws up after looking at photos, you know they're bad.

Needless to say, all's well that ends well, or there wouldn't be a series, would there? The matter of how matters get resolved and the moral complexities behind the resolution are what put the proverbial icing on the cake of this superb novel.

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Simple Sketch Graffiti Letters "S" Design

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Sunday, August 22, 2010

A-Z Graffiti Alphabet Letters With Black Spray Paint

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A-Z graffiti alphabet letters with black spray paint

Daim Graffiti 3D Created by Using Photoshop

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One of Daim Graffiti 3D creation using Photoshop application in the manipulation of effects and design. This makes it much more beautiful and easier without the fear of an error in their construction. Usually used to make examples of graffiti created on the design before the actual media. Can also be used for wallpaper for your notebook or smartphone.
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Saturday, August 21, 2010

A Book Room -- Literally!

I've always thought it would be cool to have one room in my house where I keep all my books. Call it a library or a book room. It would be both a storage area and shrine, of sorts, to my books. Complete with a comfy chair and a lamp where I could read them.

However, when I think of book rooms, I didn't exactly have this in mind.

It's supposed to be art (and, just as an aside, wouldn't it be better to give the books away than to create a structure from them?), but it got me thinking about what you could do with all those books you don't read anymore, but can't bear to part with.

It's an interesting curiosity, at any rate.

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Thursday, August 19, 2010

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Pink Illusion Graffiti | Graffiti Street Art

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