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Monday, May 23, 2011
Judge sentences couple to stand in paddling pool wearing life jackets
Painesville Municipal Court Judge Michael Ciccconetti has a reputation for handing out unique sentences. His latest was no exception. On Thursday, Cicconetti sentenced Grace Nash, 20, of Thompson, and Bruce Crawford, 22, of Chardon, for misconduct during an emergency.
Police said the two were on a raft in the Grand River without life jackets during severe flood conditions. Witnesses called police after seeing the duo get washed away in the current. Rescue crews were called and started searching the area.
But Nash and Crawford had managed to get safely out of the river. When rescue crews found them, the report says, they lied about being swept away. So search crews continued to look for hours. It was eventually determined that they were safe and authorities were notified to call off the search.
Cicconetti gave the couple two options: go to jail or face a public and embarassing punishment. They chose the latter. On Saturday Nash and Crawford stood in a paddling pool for two hours, wearing life jackets, handing out water safety literature.
Police said the two were on a raft in the Grand River without life jackets during severe flood conditions. Witnesses called police after seeing the duo get washed away in the current. Rescue crews were called and started searching the area.
But Nash and Crawford had managed to get safely out of the river. When rescue crews found them, the report says, they lied about being swept away. So search crews continued to look for hours. It was eventually determined that they were safe and authorities were notified to call off the search.
Cicconetti gave the couple two options: go to jail or face a public and embarassing punishment. They chose the latter. On Saturday Nash and Crawford stood in a paddling pool for two hours, wearing life jackets, handing out water safety literature.
Sheep and goats act as guide for blind horse
Michelle Feldstein was prepared to provide special accommodations for the blind horse she recently added to the flightless ducks, clawless cats and homeless llamas inhabiting her animal shelter in Montana. But nothing could prepare her for the 40-legged, seeing-eye entourage that accompanied "Sissy," a sightless, 15-year-old quarter horse.
"Sissy came with five goats and five sheep - and they take care of her," said Feldstein, the force behind Deer Haven Ranch, a private rescue facility she runs with her husband, Al, on 300 acres north of Yellowstone National Park. The seeing-eye sheep and guard goats are never far from the white mare, and they never lead her astray. They shepherd Sissy to food and water, and angle the horse into her stall amid blowing snows or driving rains.
"They round her up at feeding time and then move aside to make sure she gets to the hay," Feldstein said. "They show her where the water is and stand between her and the fence to let her know the fence is there." The animals might have been marked for death had Feldstein not intervened when another rescue facility in western Montana folded this winter. "I only take animals that others consider throwaways," said Feldstein, 66.
Feldstein and her husband, a retired editor of Mad Magazine, underwrite their rescue operation. It can cost as much as $50,000 a year for feed, veterinarian services, and winter-time heating of barns and water troughs for a total of 200 animals. The couple also run a guest house for humans whose profits are poured into the animal sanctuary. Feldstein said she marvels at the blind mare and her barnyard attendants. "There's a magic involved in sheep, goats and a horse becoming best friends," she said. "When you watch them, you have to wonder, why can't people do that?"
"Sissy came with five goats and five sheep - and they take care of her," said Feldstein, the force behind Deer Haven Ranch, a private rescue facility she runs with her husband, Al, on 300 acres north of Yellowstone National Park. The seeing-eye sheep and guard goats are never far from the white mare, and they never lead her astray. They shepherd Sissy to food and water, and angle the horse into her stall amid blowing snows or driving rains.
"They round her up at feeding time and then move aside to make sure she gets to the hay," Feldstein said. "They show her where the water is and stand between her and the fence to let her know the fence is there." The animals might have been marked for death had Feldstein not intervened when another rescue facility in western Montana folded this winter. "I only take animals that others consider throwaways," said Feldstein, 66.
Feldstein and her husband, a retired editor of Mad Magazine, underwrite their rescue operation. It can cost as much as $50,000 a year for feed, veterinarian services, and winter-time heating of barns and water troughs for a total of 200 animals. The couple also run a guest house for humans whose profits are poured into the animal sanctuary. Feldstein said she marvels at the blind mare and her barnyard attendants. "There's a magic involved in sheep, goats and a horse becoming best friends," she said. "When you watch them, you have to wonder, why can't people do that?"
Doe gives birth to fawns after being killed in car crash
Two fawns are lucky to be alive after a tragic beginning. Early on Thursday morning, their mother, still carrying the twins, was struck by a car and killed in Bluffton, South Carolina. "She was hit right at term," said Dr. Ben Parker, of the Coastal Veterinary Clinic. "The babies appeared to be in great shape and survived the impact of the car, where the mother did not. I suspect the uterus and all of the fluid in there acted like an air bag and protected these babies and kept them from being killed."
"When our guys arrived on scene, the baby deer, or fawns were trying to stand up. They were kind of wobbly legged," said Capt. Randy Hunter, of Bluffton fire rescue. Firefighters and law enforcement officers called upon the staff at Coastal Veterinary Clinic for help. Parker and his staff have helped rescue fawns and other animals before, they say this is a unique situation.
"This is the first time we've had a deer killed by a car and the babies survived," said Parker. "For them to look as good as they do six to eight hours after the fact is amazing. They're both eating and drinking. I think they'll both survive." The team is going to continue to nurture the twin fawns, giving them a chance at a normal life.
"What we're going to do for the next few months is we need to bottle feed them until they are weaned at about two to three months of age, and then we'll try to find a place to release them and hopefully they'll be adopted by a herd of deer in the local area and be protected and live a full life," Parker said. Bluffton firefighters say they remained at the scene, protecting the fawns until the staff from Parker's office arrived.
"When our guys arrived on scene, the baby deer, or fawns were trying to stand up. They were kind of wobbly legged," said Capt. Randy Hunter, of Bluffton fire rescue. Firefighters and law enforcement officers called upon the staff at Coastal Veterinary Clinic for help. Parker and his staff have helped rescue fawns and other animals before, they say this is a unique situation.
"This is the first time we've had a deer killed by a car and the babies survived," said Parker. "For them to look as good as they do six to eight hours after the fact is amazing. They're both eating and drinking. I think they'll both survive." The team is going to continue to nurture the twin fawns, giving them a chance at a normal life.
"What we're going to do for the next few months is we need to bottle feed them until they are weaned at about two to three months of age, and then we'll try to find a place to release them and hopefully they'll be adopted by a herd of deer in the local area and be protected and live a full life," Parker said. Bluffton firefighters say they remained at the scene, protecting the fawns until the staff from Parker's office arrived.
Virgin Mary found on turtle
The painted turtle was wandering across a parking lot in Streamwood, Illinois, when Gricelda Chavez tried to move it to the safety of a pond.
But the turtle flipped over as she reached down, revealing the Virgin Mary on the bottom of its shell. The reptile, now nicknamed Holy Turtle, was taken home and is temporarily living in a new container and has been offered a bit of food.
But the turtle flipped over as she reached down, revealing the Virgin Mary on the bottom of its shell. The reptile, now nicknamed Holy Turtle, was taken home and is temporarily living in a new container and has been offered a bit of food.
Comedian performs stand-up routine to field of cows
Comedian Milton Jones has performed a stand-up routine to a field of cows in an experiment to prove they can laugh. Jones was joined by cow expert Bruce Woodacre on a Hertfordshire farm to test the reaction of a herd of fresians.
Jones said: ‘Writing comedy for cows was very different to my day job but a comedian plays to his audience, so I wrote a raft of new material to really get under their hides. They were a tough crowd to begin with, although I’ve played to tougher, and whilst I tried not to milk it too much when I was up there, in the end I can say hand on heart they were udderly brilliant.’
He performed his set of visual and verbal jokes while Mr Woodacre monitored the cows’ reaction. Mr Woodacre, who has studied cow behaviour for more than 40 years, said: ‘Happy cows are more productive and there’s a chance we’ve stumbled across something here. Most of the herd crowded closely round the stage and jostled for a good position.
YouTube link.
‘They had their mouths open and their ears laid back, indicating they were relaxed and content. Not everyone was entertained though – I definitely heard some low heckling moos and there were even a few walk-outs.’
Jones said: ‘Writing comedy for cows was very different to my day job but a comedian plays to his audience, so I wrote a raft of new material to really get under their hides. They were a tough crowd to begin with, although I’ve played to tougher, and whilst I tried not to milk it too much when I was up there, in the end I can say hand on heart they were udderly brilliant.’
He performed his set of visual and verbal jokes while Mr Woodacre monitored the cows’ reaction. Mr Woodacre, who has studied cow behaviour for more than 40 years, said: ‘Happy cows are more productive and there’s a chance we’ve stumbled across something here. Most of the herd crowded closely round the stage and jostled for a good position.
YouTube link.
‘They had their mouths open and their ears laid back, indicating they were relaxed and content. Not everyone was entertained though – I definitely heard some low heckling moos and there were even a few walk-outs.’
Sanctuary condemns handbag dogs stupidity
The celebrity-led craze of carrying pet dogs in handbags has been branded "cruel stupidity" by the manager of an animal sanctuary. Neil Martin of Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary, near Ramsbottom, said the number of 'trophy dogs' being brought in had quadrupled over five years. The latest victim, a Chihuahua called Camilla has lost half her hair and bites everyone except her owner.
Mr Martin said that dogs treated like toys suffered physically and mentally. "I can't say categorically that Camilla was carried about all the time in a handbag, but she was certainly not treated like a proper dog, which is the problem with all these animals who are treated like toys by their owners," said Mr Martin.
"People see celebrities behaving like this and it is just cruel stupidity. In Camilla's case she has a severe allergy-related condition that has caused her to become semi-bald and she has been conditioned to bite anybody except her owner. Dogs need to be treated like dogs. They are not things to show off and to make their owners look adored," said Mr Martin.
"People need to show some common sense and understand that a dog is not a fashion accessory or status symbol." Camilla is being trained by sanctuary staff to try and teach her to stop biting people and investigations are under way into the cause of her condition.
Mr Martin said that dogs treated like toys suffered physically and mentally. "I can't say categorically that Camilla was carried about all the time in a handbag, but she was certainly not treated like a proper dog, which is the problem with all these animals who are treated like toys by their owners," said Mr Martin.
"People see celebrities behaving like this and it is just cruel stupidity. In Camilla's case she has a severe allergy-related condition that has caused her to become semi-bald and she has been conditioned to bite anybody except her owner. Dogs need to be treated like dogs. They are not things to show off and to make their owners look adored," said Mr Martin.
"People need to show some common sense and understand that a dog is not a fashion accessory or status symbol." Camilla is being trained by sanctuary staff to try and teach her to stop biting people and investigations are under way into the cause of her condition.
Miracle escape for baby hit on head by cricket ball
A baby has escaped serious injury after being hit on the head by a stray cricket ball. Theo Manderson was struck by a ball that went for six, bounced over the pavilion wall - and flew through an open door of his home.
The four-month-old was in the arms of his mother at their home in Coronation Street, Darfield, Barnsley, when he was struck during Darfield Cricket Club’s home tie with Brodsworth Main. He was taken to Barnsley Hospital and kept in for observation, but is thought to have suffered nothing more serious than bruising to his forehead.
Club chairman David Wainwright said: “It was a freak accident. The ball was struck, bounced over the wall outside the pavilion, went through the door, bounced up again and unfortunately struck the baby while his mum was holding him.
“I’m told the cricketer was upset, and I imagine he was, as he’s a family man himself.” The game a week last Sunday was abandoned after the accident, and the two teams split the points between them.
The four-month-old was in the arms of his mother at their home in Coronation Street, Darfield, Barnsley, when he was struck during Darfield Cricket Club’s home tie with Brodsworth Main. He was taken to Barnsley Hospital and kept in for observation, but is thought to have suffered nothing more serious than bruising to his forehead.
Club chairman David Wainwright said: “It was a freak accident. The ball was struck, bounced over the wall outside the pavilion, went through the door, bounced up again and unfortunately struck the baby while his mum was holding him.
“I’m told the cricketer was upset, and I imagine he was, as he’s a family man himself.” The game a week last Sunday was abandoned after the accident, and the two teams split the points between them.
Girl wins right to listen to iPod during exams to help her concentrate
A schoolgirl has won the right to listen to an iPod while sitting her exams after threatening to sue her school. The pupil claimed listening to music helps her concentrate during exams. At first the sixth former's demand was rejected by Edinburgh's Mary Erskine School and the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).
But they were forced to back down after being threatened with legal action under the Equalities Act. The pupil, who hasn't been named, suffers from autism and attention deficit disorder. She'll sit in a separate area so the noise doesn't disturb other pupils. Teachers will load her favourite tracks on to a new iPod to ensure it doesn't contain study notes.
A source at the private £10,000-a-year school said: "The implications of this are massive. It would be a nightmare if we had to put music on every pupil's iPod." Nick Seaton, of the Campaign for Real Education, added: "This is ridiculous. Exams lose their integrity if some children are treated differently from the others."
Linda Moule, deputy head of Mary Erskine School, said they lifted the restriction due to a "special arrangement". An SQA spokesman said: "This decision sets no precedents. The candidate has a disability and could be disadvantaged if not able to listen to music during exams. We treat all requests for special arrangements on their individual merits."
But they were forced to back down after being threatened with legal action under the Equalities Act. The pupil, who hasn't been named, suffers from autism and attention deficit disorder. She'll sit in a separate area so the noise doesn't disturb other pupils. Teachers will load her favourite tracks on to a new iPod to ensure it doesn't contain study notes.
A source at the private £10,000-a-year school said: "The implications of this are massive. It would be a nightmare if we had to put music on every pupil's iPod." Nick Seaton, of the Campaign for Real Education, added: "This is ridiculous. Exams lose their integrity if some children are treated differently from the others."
Linda Moule, deputy head of Mary Erskine School, said they lifted the restriction due to a "special arrangement". An SQA spokesman said: "This decision sets no precedents. The candidate has a disability and could be disadvantaged if not able to listen to music during exams. We treat all requests for special arrangements on their individual merits."
Landlords sacked for hosting sex parties at family pub
By day the Crystal Fountain is a genteel child-friendly pub, set in a quiet suburban neighbourhood. But by night the Grade II listed boozer, just a stone’s throw from two primary schools, has been the setting for sordid swingers parties. Landlord Kevin Scott and partner Kat have been running the secret events since taking over in October – without the knowledge of pub owners, Enterprise Inns.
Now the couple have been given their marching orders by the brewery and are being kicked out of the pub in Cannock, Staffordshire. Kevin and Kat, 30, described themselves online as “committed doggers” and posted a revealing picture from a Halloween bash at the Crystal Fountain. Kevin, 54, insists full sex does not take place on the premises but admitted other sexual acts might at the event – which has a ‘no knickers policy’.
He said: “It’s just a social event, you won’t see any shagging or anything like that, although you never know, you will probably see someone getting a b*** j** or some other kind of play. We have all sorts coming from straights to gays to bi-sexuals to transvestites to transsexuals. You name it and they will be there. But it’s not seedy, it is not like the 1970s or something.
“It is just a place for like-minded people to get together and meet other people without any pressure – although I do have a no knickers rule which I always enforce. That helps to keep the atmosphere jovial.” But unfortunately for Kevin time has now been called on his stay at the Crystal Fountain. A spokesman for Enterprise Inns revealed the couple had been dismissed.
Now the couple have been given their marching orders by the brewery and are being kicked out of the pub in Cannock, Staffordshire. Kevin and Kat, 30, described themselves online as “committed doggers” and posted a revealing picture from a Halloween bash at the Crystal Fountain. Kevin, 54, insists full sex does not take place on the premises but admitted other sexual acts might at the event – which has a ‘no knickers policy’.
He said: “It’s just a social event, you won’t see any shagging or anything like that, although you never know, you will probably see someone getting a b*** j** or some other kind of play. We have all sorts coming from straights to gays to bi-sexuals to transvestites to transsexuals. You name it and they will be there. But it’s not seedy, it is not like the 1970s or something.
“It is just a place for like-minded people to get together and meet other people without any pressure – although I do have a no knickers rule which I always enforce. That helps to keep the atmosphere jovial.” But unfortunately for Kevin time has now been called on his stay at the Crystal Fountain. A spokesman for Enterprise Inns revealed the couple had been dismissed.
'Tiger' police swoop caught on force helicopter video - Update
Video footage has been released of the moment a police helicopter swooped in on a life-sized tiger toy in Southampton believing it to be an animal on the loose.
Previously.
How to cook Chicken manjuriyan recipe
Ingredients:
Preparation of Chicken manjuriyan recipe:
- 1 kg small pieces of chicken
- soy sauce - 300 grams
- 200 grams ginger cut into small pieces
- 300gms Garlic cut into small pieces
- coriander leaves
- 1 onion cut into long pieces
- All purpose flour - 200 grams
- Egg - 1
- pepper - 1 cut into small pieces
- Agin-o-motto - a pinch
- chili powder, salt, black pepper, to taste
Preparation of Chicken manjuriyan recipe:
- Mix all purpose flour, beaten egg, ginger garlic paste, salt, chili powder, make a paste.
- Place chicken in lime and leave it for 45 minutes
- Heat some oil in a pan and fry chicken.
- Heat a little oil in a saucepan and cook onion, pepper, ginger and garlic pieces.
- Add soy sauce and cook
- Add the fried chicken to the boiling mixture.
- Add Agin-o-motto and coriander leaves.
How to cook Chicken manjuriyan recipe
Ingredients:
Preparation of Chicken manjuriyan recipe:
- 1 kg small pieces of chicken
- soy sauce - 300 grams
- 200 grams ginger cut into small pieces
- 300gms Garlic cut into small pieces
- coriander leaves
- 1 onion cut into long pieces
- All purpose flour - 200 grams
- Egg - 1
- pepper - 1 cut into small pieces
- Agin-o-motto - a pinch
- chili powder, salt, black pepper, to taste
Preparation of Chicken manjuriyan recipe:
- Mix all purpose flour, beaten egg, ginger garlic paste, salt, chili powder, make a paste.
- Place chicken in lime and leave it for 45 minutes
- Heat some oil in a pan and fry chicken.
- Heat a little oil in a saucepan and cook onion, pepper, ginger and garlic pieces.
- Add soy sauce and cook
- Add the fried chicken to the boiling mixture.
- Add Agin-o-motto and coriander leaves.
Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipes
Ingredients:
Procedure:
- 1 / 2 c. butter
- 1 / 3 c. Brown Sugar Twin
- 1 egg
- 1 1 / 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 1 / 3 c. all purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 / 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 / 2 tsp. salt
- 3 / 4 c. milk
- 1 / 2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
Procedure:- Cream butter, brown sugar twin, vanilla and egg mix together.
- Sieve all dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.
- Add the milk, dry ingredients and chocolate chips to creamed mixture.
- Drop cookie sheet. Bake at 325-350 degrees for 7 to 10 min. or until lightly browned .
Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipes
Ingredients:
Procedure:
- 1 / 2 c. butter
- 1 / 3 c. Brown Sugar Twin
- 1 egg
- 1 1 / 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 1 / 3 c. all purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 / 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 / 2 tsp. salt
- 3 / 4 c. milk
- 1 / 2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
Procedure:- Cream butter, brown sugar twin, vanilla and egg mix together.
- Sieve all dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.
- Add the milk, dry ingredients and chocolate chips to creamed mixture.
- Drop cookie sheet. Bake at 325-350 degrees for 7 to 10 min. or until lightly browned .
Maggie Rainey-Smith visits Cuba
Maggie is a Wellington-based writer and poet and part-time bookseller. She recently visited Cuba with her partner John, fell in love with the place, read Sebastian Faulks, found a talented local poet, wrote some poetry of her own, and generally had a spectacular holiday.
She has written about all this on her blog and included some of the marvellous photographs John took.
I warmly recommend her blog report to you.
Author Peter Wells has been awarded the $100,000 Creative New Zealand Michael King Writers’ Fellowship
Peter Wells plans to research and write a non-fiction book titled 'Sparrow on a Rooftop'. The book looks at the months of December 1871 and January 1872 when Kereopa Te Rau was brought to Napier, put on trial for the murder of the Reverend Volkner and hanged.
The Creative New Zealand Michael King Writers’ Fellowship is one of New Zealand’s largest writing fellowships and supports established writers to work on a major project over two or more years.
Suspected of spying by Te Whakatohea, the missionary Carl Volkner was hanged from a willow tree outside his own church in Opotiki during the height of the land wars in New Zealand. Kereopa Te Rau swallowed Volkner's eyes and became infamous. On the run for seven years, he was eventually captured, tried and hanged in Napier.
'At the time Kereopa Te Rau was regarded as a kind of Osama Bin Laden being brought to justice,' Wells says. ' But there were other points of view. William Colenso published an impassioned tract saying 'Hear the other side' of the story. Sister Aubert visited Kereopa Te Rau in his cell and tried to comfort him. 'Sparrow on a Rooftop' is as much a portrait of a time as an event. You have to remember it was Christmas and New Year and in the small colonial town of Napier there were theatrical events, adulteries, lost property, fights. Meanwhile inside a room, a man waits for his death…'
'This story allows me to sink into the rich compost of local history, which is where the small truths - and deceptions - lie, ' Peter Wells says. 'The 19th century was the furnace in which contemporary New Zealand was forged. It's a great privilege to get this support so I can take my own time to go back to a crucial moment.'
A writer of fiction and nonfiction, and a writer/director in film, Peter Wells’s first book, Dangerous Desires, won the Reed Fiction Award, the NZ Book Award, and PEN Best New Book in Prose in 1992. His memoir won the 2002 Montana NZ Book Award for Biography, and he has won many awards for his work as a film director. He is co-founder of the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival. In 2006, Wells was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to literature and film. This year he is bringing out The Hungry Heart, a contemporary look at the 19th century dissident and polymath, William Colenso.
Creative New Zealand Chief Executive, Stephen Wainwright said that the applications for this fellowship were high and of exceptional calibre.
“I look forward to reading this tale that with Peter’s interesting and innovative way of narrative will not only highlight the personal story of Kereopa Te Rau but also regional New Zealand – colonial Napier - in the nineteenth-century.”
Wells will be the ninth recipient of the Michael King fellowship since its inauguration in 2003. It was renamed in recognition of the late Michael King for his contribution to literature and his role in advocating for a major fellowship for New Zealand writers.
The selection panel for the award, administered by Creative New Zealand, was Geoff Walker, Fiona Farrell and David Hill.
Previous recipients of the Creative New Zealand Michael King Writers’ Fellowship are Owen Marshall, Vincent O’Sullivan, CK Stead, Rachel Barrowman, Neville Peat, Dame Fiona Kidman, Philip Simpson and Kate De Goldi.
THE CONDUCTOR
By Sarah Quigley
Vintage, $39.99
Reviewed by Nicky Pellegrino
It’s an extraordinary book set during the siege of Leningrad and weaving fact with fiction. Quigley follows three men: celebrated composer Dmitri Shostakovich, orchestral conductor Karl Eliasberg and a fictional musician Nikolai Nikolayev.
Central to the plot is Shostakovich’s struggle to compose his Seventh Symphony as his orchestra is sent to Siberia, his family starves and the city he loves is destroyed by war. From the selfishness of the creative process to the domestic trivia of his life and his war work as a fire-watcher, this is a convincing portrayal of a man who was the most famous composer in Russia at the time. But the story equally belongs to Eliasberg the conductor who lifted the spirits of his fellow citizens by bringing the completed symphony to the people of Leningrad with the help of the few members of his orchestra who hadn’t starved to death or been killed in battle. Quigley paints him as repressed, awkward and ultimately heroic.
These are two driven, exacting men but the third character, the good-humoured Nikolai grieving for the daughter who has disappeared, adds a more ordinary humanness to the mix.
Reading The Conductor I felt utterly transported to a place and a time - Leningrad in the grip of winter and the brutal siege that saw its citizens stripped of hope and dignity, eating boiled shoe leather to survive, the life slowly being crushed out of them. It’s powerful material that might have been misused by a more heavy-handed writer but Quigley has a lightness and clarity both in the way she uses words and story. She deserves to be mentioned alongside writers like Jane Smiley, Andrea Levy and Rose Tremain who strive for literary honesty rather than pretension.
As a bonus, tucked into the back cover there is a recording of Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony so you can experience the powerful music he composed as Nazi troops closed around his beloved Leningrad.
Footnote:
Nicky Pellegrino, a succcesful Auckland-based author of popular fiction, The Italian Wedding was published in May 2009, Recipe for Life was published in April, 2010, while her latest The Villa Girls, was published last month and is riding high on the NZ bestseller list.
She is also the Books Editor of the Herald on Sunday where the above review was first published on 22 May, 2011
The Bookman shares Nicky Pellegrino's enthusiasm for this novel. My review here.
She is also the Books Editor of the Herald on Sunday where the above review was first published on 22 May, 2011
The Bookman shares Nicky Pellegrino's enthusiasm for this novel. My review here.
Michele Amas showcased on Tuesday Poem this week
The poem 'home to you' by award-winning Wellington poet Michele Amas which won her second place in the Caselberg Poetry Prize 2011 is on Tuesday Poem this week. Judge of the Caselberg prize Bernadette Hall said of the poem,
‘home to you’ by Michele Amas, is wicked, there’s no doubt about that. It’s also elegant and quick and clever. You have to be alert as you’re jumped from line to line. Above all it’s an audacious love poem, circling, gathering, exploding in that unforgettable last line.
How could you possibly miss it? Go here, to read the poem, and then investigate the sidebar where the Tuesday Poets post poems by themselves or poems they've selected. You'll find an astonishing range, from the ongoing epic poem by poet Zireaux which this week features a stanza about TV star Pamela Anderson, to a poem on a raven that isn't by Edgar Allen Poe, to a poem on a father's ritual with a boiled egg by Sarah Holland-Batt, to a poem for composer Gillian Whitehead called Taonga Puoro, to a poem by Tim Jones on a rugby league game - and that's only the beginning. But the best place to start is with Michele's poem which begins...
one husband lost
playing a game
of tennis serving
or returning his heart ...
playing a game
of tennis serving
or returning his heart ...
alhamdulilah. wishlist no 1 dah lepas.
gaji pertame..... kedua ketiga keempat. huhu.
tp, still alhamdulilah dah pakai akhirnye :)
TAMING THE TIGER - a personal encounter with manic depression
Michael Morrissey
Polygraphia Ltd.- RRP $39.00
This is the story of one man's experience of manic depression.
In a well-written, revealing and compelling story much-published author/poet Michael Morrissey gives readers a frank account of his journey through two serious bi-polar episodes.
Readers may well find their attitudes to mental illness challenged.
Polygraphia Ltd.
P.O.Box 167 Westpark Village,
Auckland 0661.
www.polygraphianz.com
Review from NZ Society of Authors Chapbook #5, May 2011:
In 1999, author Michael Morrissey experienced two manic depressive episodes which he has written about in his new book Taming The Tiger. The first occurred in Auckland, the second in Malaysia.
He describes the first episode as mysterious, beguiling, exhilarating, creative and mystical. His mind was filled with schemes to either make huge amounts of money or to help people. With the $100 billion he hoped to make from a simple diet scheme, he intended to save every endangered species on the planet, end burglaries and save children from TV addiction. He also was convinced – briefly – that he was the Messiah. Alas, no miracles were performed.
During the second episode, he created social embarrassment at a Chinese wedding, and had a night of hallucination which prompted him to think the spirit of his mother resided in the statue of the Goddess of Mercy. On his return to Auckland, he succeeded in saving 4000 books from being pulped but also experienced the darker side of mania – he suffered from severe paranoia and thought his wife had been taken over by an evil spirit. This delusion resulted in a short stay in psychiatric unit where he rapidly regained his sanity.
Soon after, he began writing Taming the Tiger. While these early episodes resulted in a creative ferment that prompted the writing of poetry and a novel, later episodes resulted in abusive and anti-social behaviour. Consequently, he has resumed lithium medication.
Polygraphia Ltd.- RRP $39.00
This is the story of one man's experience of manic depression.
In a well-written, revealing and compelling story much-published author/poet Michael Morrissey gives readers a frank account of his journey through two serious bi-polar episodes.
Readers may well find their attitudes to mental illness challenged.
Polygraphia Ltd.
P.O.Box 167 Westpark Village,
Auckland 0661.
www.polygraphianz.com
Review from NZ Society of Authors Chapbook #5, May 2011:
In 1999, author Michael Morrissey experienced two manic depressive episodes which he has written about in his new book Taming The Tiger. The first occurred in Auckland, the second in Malaysia.
He describes the first episode as mysterious, beguiling, exhilarating, creative and mystical. His mind was filled with schemes to either make huge amounts of money or to help people. With the $100 billion he hoped to make from a simple diet scheme, he intended to save every endangered species on the planet, end burglaries and save children from TV addiction. He also was convinced – briefly – that he was the Messiah. Alas, no miracles were performed.
During the second episode, he created social embarrassment at a Chinese wedding, and had a night of hallucination which prompted him to think the spirit of his mother resided in the statue of the Goddess of Mercy. On his return to Auckland, he succeeded in saving 4000 books from being pulped but also experienced the darker side of mania – he suffered from severe paranoia and thought his wife had been taken over by an evil spirit. This delusion resulted in a short stay in psychiatric unit where he rapidly regained his sanity.
Soon after, he began writing Taming the Tiger. While these early episodes resulted in a creative ferment that prompted the writing of poetry and a novel, later episodes resulted in abusive and anti-social behaviour. Consequently, he has resumed lithium medication.
‘Twilight: The Graphic Novel’ Volume 2 to Be Released in the Fall
Yen Press will release the second volume of Twilight: The Graphic Novel in October. Young Kim illustrated both volumes. Volume one featured chapters one through thirteen of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight. Comicsbeat.com reported that the first volume sold 66,000 copies in one week.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, actor Robert Pattinson gave a peek at The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1: “It’s just a horror movie. I’ve seen a few bits, and I just can’t see how it’s going to be PG-13 … unless they cut everything out.” Do you feel that Pattinson’s “horror movie” description is apt? (via TwilightSource.com)
DESERT SURGEONS
NEW ZEALAND'S MOBILE SURGICAL UNIT IN WORLD WAR II
ISBN: 978-0-9864685-1-3
| New Zealand’s Mobile Surgical Unit in the Western Desert developed concepts and practice of early surgical treatment by small teams close to the battle front, based partly on the experience of New Zealand surgeon Douglas Jolly during the Spanish Civil War. Lessons learned by the Mobile Surgical Unit were taken up by field medical units in other Allied armies during the war. The researcher and author, Michael Shackleton, is a retired surgeon himself who combed through official records and many personal letters and diaries to create this fascinating account of one of the less-known Kiwi activities in World War II. He had first-hand experience of treating soldiers in a later war: in 1963 he led the first civilian surgical team to Vietnam and wrote about the experience in Operation Vietnam, published by Otago University Press in 2004. The book includes dramatic descriptions of times when the Mobile Surgical Unit was operating while fighting swirled around them. They found themselves working for both sides in the conflict and were praised by Rommel himself for their care of German soldiers following this incident: "Wilson looked up from the operating table, to see, framed in the doorway of the theatre tent, a German officer armed with a large Luger pistol. In perfect English he addressed the theatre staff saying, 'Gentlemen you are now my prisoners but please continue with your work.'" Most would later escape, in a breakout organised by Colonel Kippenberger. The book's extensive selection of illustrations includes ten colour reproductions of paintings by war artists Peter McIntyre and Austen Deans. "This book fills a gap in our understanding of where we have come from. It is a fascinating and enjoyable read, and I congratulate Michael in capturing this important piece of military medical history." (Lt Colonel Andrew Dunn, Director Medical (New Zealand Army) • paperback - $34.95 • 140 pages • 76 illustrations The many photos in the book, are from the collection at the Army Museum, Waiouru.  Footnote: The cover photo (above) was designed by John MacGibbon on an iPad using an app called SketchMee to turn a very average photo into an interesting piece of "artwork".Possibly the first time in NZ cover art has been done on an iPad? |
Google eBooks Now Sold at 250 Indie Bookstores
By Jason Boog on Galley Cat, May 23, 2011
Google eBookstore launched in December with one hundred participating independent booksellers, but now over 250 bookstores are selling digital books through Google.
The company now counts over 7,000 participating publishers, a 40 percent increase in half a year. In addition, Google Books counted 2.5 million downloads of the eReading app for iOS, Android and Chrome tablets. The 250th bookstore added was Old Harbor Books in Alaska.
Old Harbor Books co-founder Don Muller blogged the milestone: “Based in Sitka, Alaska, Old Harbor Books was opened 35 years ago last week by a group of devoted book lovers including myself. Old Harbor is an independent bookstore specializing in Alaskana, Native American and Alaska Native, children’s, ecology, travel, natural history, philosophy and, of course, nautical books. And starting today, we also sell Google eBooks on our website … In a town with a population of less than 9,000, we’re proud to provide personal service to the readers and explorers who visit our store.”
THE HARE WITH AMBER EYES TAKES THE £10,000 RSL ONDAATJE PRIZE
2011 judges: Don Paterson, Ali Smith and Sarah Waters
Edmund de Waal has won the £10,000 Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize, awarded annually to a work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry evoking the spirit of a place.
Sarah Waters called the book ‘a very worthy winner of this important literary prize – a stunning piece of writing, conjuring up one memorable location after another with economy and grace’.
Don Paterson admired de Waal’s use of the history of a family heirloom – a collection of delicate netsuke – ‘as a device to trace the growth of the anti-Semitism that led to the horror of the holocaust. It is pitch-perfect in its haunting evocation of time and place, and never slips into sentimentalism; his book is as smooth and perfect as his own ceramic works’.
Edmund de Waal is Professor of Ceramics at the University of Westminster and lives in London with his family. Apprenticed as a potter, he studied in Japan and read English at Cambridge. His porcelain is shown in museums around the world, and he has recently made installations for the V&A and Tate Britain.
For further information see www.rslit.org
Daily Telegraph Review.
Review in The Independent.
Business Insider Review.
MasterChef New Zealand
First up and published just a few days after the final episode is MasterChef New Zealand The Cookbook Volume Two. And then later, probably around April 2011 we will have the MasterChef NZ winner's own book.
I guess winner Nadia Lim will be working on the book now. I did suggest to the publishers that they might also consider publishing a book by the runner up, Jax Hamilton.
MasterChef New Zealand The Cookbook Volume Two (what a mouthful!) is now in the shops and I have made my first dish from it.
While the book is essentially a cookbook it also introduces us to the final 10 contestants with photographs and potted biographies. We also get photographs and somewhat longer biographies of the three judges and there are lots of great photos taken from the TV series.
The first recipes featured are the contestants audition recipes which I plan to work my way through. Following those come a variety of recipes from both contestants and judges (guest judges too) by topic named after the MasterChef topics - BBQ, Italian, Dinner Party, Spanish Tapas, Cooking for Crowds, Some Like it Hot, Gourmet Comfort Food, Kiwi Classics, Game On concluding with Extra For Experts (tricky recipes for those wanting a challenge) and Cooking Notes.
This is a sumptuous and greatly appealing book with gorgeous food photography by Aaron McLean.
The publishers have kindly agreed to let me reproduce on the blog two recipes from the book.
Chicken Wrapped in Bacon with Ricotta & Baby Spinach Filling
Recipe by Stu Todd
Preparation time: 30 minutes : Cooking time: 30 minutes : Serves 2
1 chicken breast‚ boned and skin removed400g streaky bacon‚ rind removed
3 tbsp ricotta
1½ cups baby spinach
¼ cup diced red onion
salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 red king potatoes‚ peeled and chopped
100–200ml milk
1–2 tbsp butter
freshly ground white pepper
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp canola oil
½ cup white wine
½ cup cream
1 cup green beans‚ trimmed
To prepare the chicken parcel‚ place a large piece of tinfoil on a chopping board. Overlap the strips of bacon on the foil‚ so there are no gaps. Butterfly the chicken breast by making several cuts along the length of the breast and fan out so the meat is a thin‚ uniform thickness. Place between 2 sheets of clingfilm and flatten with a rolling pin. Remove from the clingfilm and place the chicken on top of the bacon.
Mix together the ricotta‚ baby spinach‚ onion‚ and salt and pepper. Place the mixture along the middle of the chicken breast in a cylindrical shape.
Use the tinfoil to roll the bacon up over the chicken breast‚ encasing the ricotta mix inside. Make sure there is enough overlap of foil so the parcel can be sealed tightly. Twist the ends of the foil to seal. The parcel should look like a large foil-wrapped sausage.
Poach the parcel in a large saucepan of simmering water for 15–20 minutes until cooked through. Remove from the foil and rest for 10 minutes. Reserve the juices from inside the parcel.
Meanwhile‚ place the potatoes in a large saucepan of boiling salted water. Simmer until just cooked‚ then drain. Return the potatoes to the pan and place over very low heat and mash. Add some milk‚ butter‚ salt and white pepper and mix until smooth‚ adding more milk and butter as necesary. Set aside and keep warm.
Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add the butter and oil. Place the chicken parcel in the frying pan and fry all over until the bacon is crispy. Remove from the pan and rest for 5 minutes.
To make the sauce‚ place the white wine‚ cream and reserved parcel juices in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and reduce until thick‚ approximately 4 minutes.
Place the beans in a medium-sized saucepan of boiling salted water. Simmer for a few minutes until just tender. Drain and pat dry.
To serve‚ slice the chicken into medallions. Place spoonfuls of mash on a plate and top with 2 medallions of chicken and a few green beans. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and around the plate.
If you want to impress your friends and family, this is the dish that will do it. It’s got chicken, it’s got bacon and mashed spud — what’s not to love?! This was the audition dish that started my MasterChef journey. Walking up to give this dish to the judges for the first time was so nerve racking, but once they tasted the dish it was smiles all around. All three of the judges loved it — I was over the moon. The MasterChef apron was mine and the journey was about to begin.
Saffron Potato with Paprika-infused Egg
Recipe by Fiona Read
Preparation time: 10 minutes : Cooking time: 10 minutes : Serves 1
1 Agria potato‚ peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic
3½ tbsp olive oil‚ plus extra for drizzling
1 pinch of saffron threads
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
½ tsp red chilli‚ deseeded and finely chopped
⅛ tsp sweet smoked paprika
½ tsp grated orange zest
1 egg
extra-virgin olive oil for serving
½ tsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley for garnish
Place the potato and garlic in a small saucepan of salted water and bring to the boil. Simmer until the potato is cooked. Drain‚ then return the potatoes to the pan over the heat to dry out. Remove the soft garlic from its skin and add to the potato.
While the potatoes are cooking‚ gently heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil with the saffron in a small saucepan for 2 minutes. Stand to infuse until ready to use. Add to the potato and mash until smooth. Season with salt and pepper‚ and stir in the chopped parsley.
Line a small teacup or ramekin with 2 layers of clingfilm‚ allowing plenty of overhang. Drizzle in the remaining olive oil and add the chilli‚ paprika and orange zest. Gently break in the egg. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bring the ends of the clingfilm together and tie with string.
Bring a small saucepan of water to barely a simmer. Lift the wrapped egg out of the cup‚ carefully place into the water and cook for 8 minutes. Carefully remove from the water and place back in the teacup or ramekin.
To serve‚ place the saffron mash in the centre of a plate. Carefully place the unwrapped egg on top of the potato. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with parsley.
Creating dishes for Peter Gordon and the MasterChef judges was an absolute honour — albeit a nerve-racking one!
As the challenge to create four Spanish tasting plates was laid down, Peter’s technique for flavour-infused eggs immediately came to mind. But should I really attempt this world-renowned chef’s very own technique for the first time in the chaos and pressure of the MasterChef kitchen? Am I mad? Could this be the dish that sends me home?
I decided I wasn’t in the competition to play it safe, but rather show creativity and flare. The result? Success! I’ve now tried this technique with other flavour combinations for brunch dishes and appetisers. It never fails to impress.
Why books will survive
For those who enjoy reading, no other device can deliver the pleasures of the printed page
When Amazon released its first Kindle in 2007, many people said reading was about to change forever. Were they right?
I think not. While Amazon announced last week that it now sells more e-books than printed ones, plenty of readers still prefer the old-fashioned printed page to an electronic screen, and for good reason.
Of course there are advantages to being able to retrieve countless volumes of electronic information at the touch of a button. But it's important not to confuse retrieving information with reading. Many sources of information are not intended to be read. They're meant to be checked or scanned, or browsed or inspected. They've been created to leaf through, to glance at, to skim. No one reads a telephone directory.
I suspect that many people prefer spending time with their iPads not because they find reading with an iPad easier than with a traditional book, but because they prefer using it for something other than reading. For people who would rather check their e-mail, or play a video game, or run the latest app, an iPad or Play-Book is clearly the way to go.
But for people who genuinely enjoy reading, a fondness for traditional books will remain. Partly this comes from efficiency. For many people, reading a traditional book is preferable to reading on an iPad for the same reason that proofreading your written work is done more effectively using hard copy. Users say they find it easier to read and comprehend things when they're printed on paper.
As technology improves, perhaps this will change. Perhaps new screens will be just as easy on the eyes and just as easy to fold and put into your pocket as a piece of paper. Amazon's Kindle is intended to be easier to read than a backlit screen, for example.
But even if technology continues to improve, there's still a case to be made for the paperbound book.
At the top of most people's list is the so-called fondle factor. While reading, most people still prefer the touch and feel and look and smell of the printed page. This is something that's unlikely to change, despite advances in technology.
There's also the permanence factor. One advantage traditional books have over electronic screens is that a book will still be able to be read decades or even centuries after being printed. This isn't true of any other technology.
Full piece at Edmonton Journal.
I think not. While Amazon announced last week that it now sells more e-books than printed ones, plenty of readers still prefer the old-fashioned printed page to an electronic screen, and for good reason.
Of course there are advantages to being able to retrieve countless volumes of electronic information at the touch of a button. But it's important not to confuse retrieving information with reading. Many sources of information are not intended to be read. They're meant to be checked or scanned, or browsed or inspected. They've been created to leaf through, to glance at, to skim. No one reads a telephone directory.
I suspect that many people prefer spending time with their iPads not because they find reading with an iPad easier than with a traditional book, but because they prefer using it for something other than reading. For people who would rather check their e-mail, or play a video game, or run the latest app, an iPad or Play-Book is clearly the way to go.
But for people who genuinely enjoy reading, a fondness for traditional books will remain. Partly this comes from efficiency. For many people, reading a traditional book is preferable to reading on an iPad for the same reason that proofreading your written work is done more effectively using hard copy. Users say they find it easier to read and comprehend things when they're printed on paper.
As technology improves, perhaps this will change. Perhaps new screens will be just as easy on the eyes and just as easy to fold and put into your pocket as a piece of paper. Amazon's Kindle is intended to be easier to read than a backlit screen, for example.
But even if technology continues to improve, there's still a case to be made for the paperbound book.
At the top of most people's list is the so-called fondle factor. While reading, most people still prefer the touch and feel and look and smell of the printed page. This is something that's unlikely to change, despite advances in technology.
There's also the permanence factor. One advantage traditional books have over electronic screens is that a book will still be able to be read decades or even centuries after being printed. This isn't true of any other technology.
Full piece at Edmonton Journal.
WH Smith and Focus named as worst stores on the high street
by Ruki Sayid, Daily Mirror 21/05/2011
High street giant WH Smith and troubled DIY chain Focus have been named as the lousiest stores in Britain.
Larry Kirshbaum to Lead New Amazon Publishing Operation In New York
PublishersLunch
Amazon announced to a group of agents Sunday night that Larry Kirshbaum will leave agenting and return to publishing, serving as vp and publisher for Amazon Publishing's New York office, effective immediately (officially starting July 5). Kirshbaum, who celebrates his birthday on Monday, says, "On my sixty-seventh birthday, I'm reinventing myself."
Reporting to Amazon's Jeff Belle, Kirshbaum is charged with building something that will look like a general trade publisher, with "a specific focus on non-fiction, but also literary fiction," Belle says, since Amazon has already been rolling out other imprints focused on genre fiction. In the note to agents, they write "Larry will be building out a publishing team in New York and will found new imprints under the Amazon Publishing umbrella, with a focus on acquiring the highest quality books in literary and commercial fiction, business and general non-fiction."
Kirshbaum tells us "the aim is not just to produce books that work, but also to innovate. What really excites me about this opportunity is the idea that we can help build electronic publishing and digital distribution as an even bigger force in publishing." Kirshbaum is "reluctantly turning my literary agency over to Megan Thompson and Susanna Einstein" (which he founded in 2005, after stepping down as ceo of what was then Time Warner Books, shortly before the company was purchased by Lagardere). But he notes that "this has been a deferred dream for me" after starting Time Warner Electronic Publishing in the 90s and iPublish thereafter. "It was way too early," Kirshbaum notes. "The problem was there was no Kindle."
A launch date, target title counts and even a name for the new line are among the many details still to be resolved. "We have a lot of work to do," Belle said. Kirshbaum indicates Amazon "is going to back this significantly" and frames the ambitions as "more in the vein of a major publishing house, such as the one that I ran." To his publishing colleagues, he notes "we're going to compete at one level," but "my hope is that our ability to innovate and help build a digital audience is going to benefit everybody. We're colleagues in trying to build readership. Clearly electronic readers and digital devices offer us great hope for the future of our business."
Kirshbaum also says "bookstores are still a major part of the business and we'll be doing print books for that reason." Exactly how the print side of the new operation will work still seems open to question, with the emphasis of acquisitions by Kirshbaum's team on the ebook side. Kirshbaum pointed to Amazon's relationship with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt as one route the titles he acquires might take to print. Jeff Belle said "we look forward to continuing to work with HMH when possible, or with someone else when a better fit might exist." Noting "it's possible that [HMH] may be interested in print rights," Belle indicated there is no firm plan yet and they will decide on the proper route to print "on a case-by-case basis."
Kirshbaum will be recruit an "editorial-focused team of a handful of people to begin with," Belle said. In general, Belle says "our goal is to continue to innovate on behalf of authors and readers to make our bookstore better. Our having an in-house publishing business has been very helpful in that regard." Belle added "we are thrilled to have Larry on board. I think we have found the perfect person for this role given his deep experience in the business and his strong leadership and creativity."
Reporting to Amazon's Jeff Belle, Kirshbaum is charged with building something that will look like a general trade publisher, with "a specific focus on non-fiction, but also literary fiction," Belle says, since Amazon has already been rolling out other imprints focused on genre fiction. In the note to agents, they write "Larry will be building out a publishing team in New York and will found new imprints under the Amazon Publishing umbrella, with a focus on acquiring the highest quality books in literary and commercial fiction, business and general non-fiction."
Kirshbaum tells us "the aim is not just to produce books that work, but also to innovate. What really excites me about this opportunity is the idea that we can help build electronic publishing and digital distribution as an even bigger force in publishing." Kirshbaum is "reluctantly turning my literary agency over to Megan Thompson and Susanna Einstein" (which he founded in 2005, after stepping down as ceo of what was then Time Warner Books, shortly before the company was purchased by Lagardere). But he notes that "this has been a deferred dream for me" after starting Time Warner Electronic Publishing in the 90s and iPublish thereafter. "It was way too early," Kirshbaum notes. "The problem was there was no Kindle."
A launch date, target title counts and even a name for the new line are among the many details still to be resolved. "We have a lot of work to do," Belle said. Kirshbaum indicates Amazon "is going to back this significantly" and frames the ambitions as "more in the vein of a major publishing house, such as the one that I ran." To his publishing colleagues, he notes "we're going to compete at one level," but "my hope is that our ability to innovate and help build a digital audience is going to benefit everybody. We're colleagues in trying to build readership. Clearly electronic readers and digital devices offer us great hope for the future of our business."
Kirshbaum also says "bookstores are still a major part of the business and we'll be doing print books for that reason." Exactly how the print side of the new operation will work still seems open to question, with the emphasis of acquisitions by Kirshbaum's team on the ebook side. Kirshbaum pointed to Amazon's relationship with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt as one route the titles he acquires might take to print. Jeff Belle said "we look forward to continuing to work with HMH when possible, or with someone else when a better fit might exist." Noting "it's possible that [HMH] may be interested in print rights," Belle indicated there is no firm plan yet and they will decide on the proper route to print "on a case-by-case basis."
Kirshbaum will be recruit an "editorial-focused team of a handful of people to begin with," Belle said. In general, Belle says "our goal is to continue to innovate on behalf of authors and readers to make our bookstore better. Our having an in-house publishing business has been very helpful in that regard." Belle added "we are thrilled to have Larry on board. I think we have found the perfect person for this role given his deep experience in the business and his strong leadership and creativity."
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