Showing posts with label Movies Music and Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Movies Music and Books. Show all posts

28 August 2017

The Pendant - A Gothic Romance Novel (Reblog) | History and Women

Sharing a link from one of the most gorgeous and informative blogs about women and for women on the worldwide web! The blog publisher writes book reviews but is also an author. This is one of her books.


A lost ancient treasure. 
A 100 year family feud. 
And a woman with a passion richer than the bloodstone pendant she wears around her neck!


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18 August 2017

World Music : Spotlight on Zaho, Algerian R&B Singer


Have always thought Algerian music had a moody, exotic, sensual vibe. Right? So tried to sign up at a site (a while back) to listen to Algerian radio stations. Could get other stations from other countries but for some reason could never get to hear music played on Algerian stations. Gave up trying!


Started watching foreign films with my SO (significant other) many moons ago and also began listening to singers from other countries or rather “world music”. You could say he opened up a new world for me; a fantastic point of view. :) But long before we ever met each other, the sound of people speaking in French has always captivated me. Mattered not what they were saying or singing – they could have been cussing at me - if it was in French it sounded way better than in English. Even people who RAP in French sound better!!



 
My SO (significant other) let me listen to this female singer called Zaho. Liked her sound. Did a little extra research on her. 

Zehira Darabid (born on May 10, 1980), known by her artistic name Zaho, is an Algerian R&B singer. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaho
 
Algerian? Yeah. Uh huh. That figures. Oh well! At least access to her videos wasn't cut off from the American audience.


[ Content previously published at Bubblews, Mar 20, 2015. ]

Zaho Music; available in MP3 or Unlimited Streaming with Amazon Music App


YouTube video url


17 August 2017

The Black Girl in Search of God and Some Lesser Tales

The Black Girl in Search of God and Some Lesser Tales


The title piece in this anthology is a parable on the nature of religious belief. When first published in 1932 it caused quite a stir and I wondered whether the intervening 75 years might have rendered it something less of a shocker. I found that, apart from one violation of current political correctness and a few inevitable stylistic issues, the message had lost none of its poignancy and perhaps little of its ability to shock.




"The Black Girl in Search of God" (free eBook) is not a novel or a novella. It is not really a short story either. I choose to describe it as a parable because others have, but equally, it could be classed alongside Plato's symposium as a vehicle for examining a philosophical idea. It's not a discourse, but it could be a meditation, albeit a rather energetic one. The idea in question, of course, is the nature of religious belief.

The Black Girl of the title is only cast as such, I think, to provide Bernard Shaw, the author, with a literary vehicle to convey his otherwise naïve questions about Christianity. To this end, The Black Girl is presented as a "noble savage", and thus a tabula rasa. It is here - and only here - that Shaw violates current correctness. The character could have been cast as a child, but then she could not have threatened to wield her knobkerrie, her weapon, and nor could she have been portrayed as bringing no tradition of her own. We must accept, therefore, that there remains a functionality about the role of this character. She does not represent anything, except her ability to ask the questions she is required to ask.

The Black Girl has been converted to Christianity by a young British woman who has taken delight in amorously jilting a series of vicars. She then becomes a missionary, despite her clearly thin grasp of the subject matter. She is, perhaps, an allegory of colonial expansion. She goes abroad to teach others despite not having achieved fulfillment or knowledge in her own life. It might be important that the teacher and the taught are both women.

When her convert starts asking questions, fundamental questions that the missionary herself has never heard asked, never mind answered, she reverts to invention, not scholarship. Shaw's intention is clear. She invents myth to mystify myth. And this cloak satisfies the curiosity of the average Christian, but not The Black Girl, who thus goes off in search of God.

And, guided by snakes, she finds Him. And not just once, because there is more than one God in the Bible she carries. There is the God of Wrath, who demands the sacrifice of her child. When she cannot comply, He demands she find her father so he can sacrifice her. A good part of the Bible thus disappears from her new-found faith.

She meets an apparent God of Love, but he laughs at Job for being so naively and blindly devout. More of her book blows away.

She meets prophets who, one by one, deliver their different messages, most of which conflict and communicate individual political positions or bigotry rather than personal revelation.

On the way, she belittles Imperial power and male domination. She learns that most "civilized" countries have given up on God and hears a plea that people like her should not be taught things that the mother country no longer believes.

Scientists offer her equally conflicting opinions. They are careful only to describe, never to conclude or interpret. In a way, they are just modern prophets, each with their own interested positions.

There is an amazing episode where a mathematician implores her to consider complex numbers, the square root of minus x, which The Black Girl hears as Myna sex or perhaps its homophone minor sex, and is clearly a reference to feminism. Along with economic power and male dominance, The Black Girl sees guns as the highest achievement of white society. This anticipates the description of colonialism's trinity in Ngugi's Petals of Blood.

Then, in a strange section, an Arab discusses belief with a conjuror. These appear to be a pair of major prophets in thin disguise. But their discussions merely confuse the girl and their words skirt her questions.

And so she meets an Irishman, marries and settles down. She devotes herself to him, their coffee-colored children and the fruits of their garden. Note that she does not devote herself to herself. She projects out, does not analyze within. And in this utterly humanist universe she finds not only personal happiness, but also fulfillment and, with that, answers to her own metaphysical questions that religion per se could not even address.

And so, as the parable closes, we ponder whether the Irishman she marries is Shaw, and whether The Black Girl is the questioning, non-racist, non-sexist, socialist and humanist vision of the future he has personally espoused.

And as for the Lesser Tales, they are generally lesser. Don Giovanni explaining himself was fun and the Death of an Old Revolutionary Hero was prescient of the role of the Socialist Workers' Party adopted in maintaining Margaret Thatcher in power in the 1980s. A great, historical and fundamentally contemporary read.



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Author Bio
Philip Spires
Author of "Mission", an African novel set in Kenya
www.philipspires.co.uk

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01 August 2017

War Movie Classics: The Dirty Dozen

Some say the movie “Inglorious Basterds” was inspired by "The Dirty Dozen". This classic starred some of my favorite actors: Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson, Telly Savalas and Jim Brown, to name a few.  Bad guys turned Patriots?  You really wanted these "dirty" guys to survive.

The Dirty Dozen, Clint Walker, Telly Savalas, Jim Brown, Trini Lopez, et al, 1967 Allposters.com








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08 July 2017

The Death Game: Book Review by Chris Longmuir

Found the link below because it was shared in a Writers, Readers, Researchers & Reviewers Group on Facebook.  I prefer historical romance novels myself but the reviewer seemed to be really enthusiastic about this historical mystery.  It has peaked my interest in exploring other historical mysteries.

The Death Game by Chris Longmuir | wendyhjones





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30 June 2017

Movies That Suck With Sequels : The Expendables (2010)

Question. Why is that the movies that you can most assuredly live the rest of your life without ever watching, have sequels??

Continue reading:  Virily.com







26 June 2017

Book Suggestions : Classic Literature: Francois-Marie Arouet (1694 - 1778) aka Voltaire

Francois-Marie Arouet (1694 - 1778), who later took the name of Voltaire, was once hailed as “the wittiest writer in an age of great wits”, and Candide (or Optimism) was considered “his wittiest novel”. The topic he chose to exercise his wit upon in this novel was the problem of human suffering.


Candide (or Optimism) was written in 1758. At that time, Voltaire was 64 years old. Most consider this his most important work — representative of The Enlightenment (1650-1800). The personal suffering he had endured in his own lifetime, and his study of history convinced him that there is no such thing as Divine Providence directing all human affairs.

Brief Bio of Voltaire and Intro to Candide - HUBPages.com

HubPages


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Image credit: Mind power
© Photographer: Icefields | Agency: Dreamstime.com


Interesting Link:
Long-lost letters reveal the young Voltaire | The Cotton Boll Conspiracy :  More than a dozen letters penned by French Enlightenment figure Voltaire nearly 300 years ago have been uncovered recently and are now being studied by a British professor …



10 June 2017

Book Suggestions: Political Thrillers by F. C. Etier

On November 7, 2012, with the official publication of a political thriller entitled The Tourist Killer, Frank C. "Chip" Etier added - Published Author - to an already impressive list of accomplished career objectives. The novel is a fast-paced thriller with political overtones, conspiracy and intrigue. The main character, Claudia Barry is "The Shooter", a female professional assassin, who is about to retire. But before she can complete her last assignment, close out a 30-year career and fade into the sunset, she just has to answer a simple question: Can a leopard change her spots?


Finding the answer to the question may prove to be somewhat complicated.

Blogcritics.org states that "The Tourist Killer is a strong first novel by a promising author." Other reviewers have described this book as: "exhilarating", "intense", "surprisingly good", "electrifying", "a refreshing angle". But you know you've got a really satisfied audience of readers, when they start hinting about what a great movie it would be.  Mr. Etier shared a snippet of his novel as his weekly contribution to the Weekend Writing Warriors project.

The Presidents Club
A Weekly Serial Novel by Chip Etier


Mr. Etier ended 2012 on a positive note with the release of his first book and brought in the new year of 2013 with his second novel, The Presidents Club, which is being presented as a weekly serial novel by Venture Galleries, a publishing house that promotes the works of independent authors. The novel will soon be available on Amazon as an e-book and a trade paperback. Soon!


Future Projects?
An Interview of Mr. Etier About His Next Career Move

The Phoenix is the writer team of Lee and Gary Jordan. The Jordans also interview authors and publish book reviews and interviews at their Phoenix Book Review Site. On January 10, 2013, they shared their conversation with Chip Etier. He discussed a little about his background - his birthplace, Louisiana; his various career paths (pharmacist, artist/photographer, writer); and mentioned that his writing influences range from Dr. Seuss to John Grisham. (That's quite a range.) He then concluded the interview by responding to questions about what led him to write the two novels, and his plans to write more.

You can tell by the tone of the interview that Mr. Etier is a very humble guy and perfectly content to live with Bob (aka Miss Bob), his "drop dead, gorgeous" wife in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. So the interview gives no indication that he's even thinking along these lines. But the fact that Mr. Etier has successfully published two outstanding thrillers should come as no surprise to anyone who has ever read anything he has written. Why not place him side by side with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle? If people are already raving about converting his first book, The Tourist Killer, into a blockbuster hit; then might as well consider adapting The Presidents Club into a TV miniseries. Maybe plans are in the works and he's just keeping it hush hush. Then again maybe he hasn't been approached on the subject. Not yet! :)

Content first published at Seekyt, Oct 2013



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ATTN STUDENTS!   Sell back text books and other books used for personal reading. Get paid fast through direct deposit! Free shipping! 

SellBackBooks.com




Stuffed Leopard - $28.95
A soft cuddly sitting plush leopard from the Realistic Plush collection at Wild Republic. 14 Inches Tall.

09 June 2017

A Week of Dickens: Resources on His Life, Works, Walks, and London : Faith, Fiction, Friends (Reblog)

Well my weekend is starting off really well. I should hashtag everything #FabFriday.  First, I found a beautiful flower pic on Tumblr. Then I plucked this gem out of the posts stream for the Authentic Blogger Group on Facebook. This post is sure to delight all lovers and loyal fans of Charles Dickens.  Did you know that if you have an Amazon Kindle, you can buy the entire collection of Dickens' works for $1.99. Good literature that's priceless and inexpensive. Can it get any better? 😄


 

11 May 2017

Celebrities : In Memory Of: Bob Marley, Reggae Music Legend (1945 - 1981) | Music

NOTE:  Apologies.  Sites where content was published no longer exists.  All broken links have been removed from this post.

Just published this quick tribute. Adding to my collection of Marley bio tidbits.


Celebrities : In Memory Of: Bob Marley, Reggae Music Legend (1945 - 1981)


♦ ♦ ♦

~ 36 years ago today, on May 11, 1981, singer/songwriter and reggae music legend, Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM (Feb 6, 1945 - May 11, 1981), died of cancer in a hospital in Miami, Florida. …

Celebrities : In Memory Of: Bob Marley, Reggae Music Legend (1945 – 1981)




~ February 6th was the singer's birthday. ... May 11th, the anniversary of Mr. Marley's death, ... remembrance. …

Bob Marley - Rastaman Trivia 2



~ by frugalrvers : Most of the world now knows what the genre of reggae is in music, mostly thanks to one man: Bob Marley. …

Myths & Facts: Bob Marley Cause Of Death, His Life And More



~ ... It's great to have musicians and players of instruments around us. …

The I-Threes: The Golden Voices Behind Bob Marley



~ BOB MARLEY: His words and prophecies through his music are taking place.  A couple of weeks ago, I wrote an article captioned "Is Belgium's Royal Family Proud Of The Horrible Crime Leopold II Committed In Africa?" ...

Understanding The Background Of The Wisdom Of Bob Marley


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17 December 2016

The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews: Five (or seven) GOOD things to come out of 2016 (Reblog)

Happy to reblog and share this Featured Post from a fellow blogger, Davida Chazan, who is a "Go To" person if you're searching for good reads. Here is her suggested reading for 2016:

The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews: Five (or seven) GOOD things to come out of 2016

Her reviews and other writings are so good I invited her to contribute to my group board on Pinterest: Freelance Writer. We crossed paths because we both contribute short posts to a site called "Daily Two Cents".  This site has a revenue-share plan for those who have a Google Ad Sense account and allows you to earn 100% of your commissions, if your post includes an affiliate referral link.  It's reasonable.  Don't you think?  This is the link to her DTC profile: drchazan aka Chocolate Lady.
(This is my DTC author profile, if you're interested: cmoneyspinner, if you're interested.)


Book lovers will probably appreciate her faves lists for previous years too!

Chocolate Lady's Favorite Books of 2015

Chocolate Lady's Favorite Books of 2014

Chocolate Lady's Favorite Books of 2013




I love her blog's tagline.  It reads:

  • Davida Chazan's Blog for mostly book reviews and literary musings (and maybe some chocolate). 

What a hook!  So of course I had to find something chocolate at her blog.  Found it!

The REAL Chocolate Wars


The REAL Chocolate Wars

It's all because of Ms. Brenner's writing style. Ms. Brenner brings even the very mundane into the world of extreme interest. She makes much out of the intrigue so that although it's really economics, it's still interesting. She works her way around marketing so that it's suddenly as moving as a love scene.

12 November 2016

Suspected Terrorists, Taking Liberties, and the “Present Distress” in America

These words were shared publicly by me, Jan 20, 2012 via my Google Plus profile. Deleted the share and am republishing it via my blog because we just went through the 2016 election and now have a new President Elect. This is not about Trump. It's about Obama (who will soon be history) and about a book. Publishing the content here as it may be relevant to the “present distress” in America.

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[Yes I know I'm quoting scripture but my statement is political. Read the entire post and you will clearly understand the application. I ain't preaching. I'M SCREAMING!!]




Acts 16: 37-38  ~ But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily?nay verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out. And the serjeants told these words unto the magistrates: and they feared, when they heard that they were Romans. …

Acts 25: 11-12  ~ For if I be an offender, or have committed any thing worthy of death, I refuse not to die: but if there be none of these things whereof these accuse me, no man may deliver me unto them. I appeal unto Caesar. Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council,answered, Hast thou appealed unto Caesar? unto Caesar shalt thou go.



* I’m not really a devoted fan of cable TV. But the remote control does make it very easy for me to fall asleep. The news channels in particular are excellent for insomnia. So I was flipping the channels and came across a program called The Young Turks. I paused for a few minutes to listen to the discussion with the ACLU representative who also wrote a book called Taking Liberties. Evidently Obama signed a bill that obliterates the liberty of every American citizen – those in the USA and those who are abroad. (That’s what I heard!)



* yadda yadda ... blah blah ... Something or other about citizens suspected as terrorists being arrested and detained indefinitely. Of course, to his credit, the current POTUS said he would never do that. (Uh huh. Well that’s comforting.)

* So here’s the situation: Whether or not the current President chooses to enforce NDAA (??? not sure about the alphabets), it can be enforced.


* UM … THAT’S CRAP!!!


* If you agree or disagree, you better take the liberty to say so. Because IF ENFORCED and you get arrested and detained indefinitely as a suspected terrorist, unlike the Apostle Paul, you probably won’t be able to appeal to anybody cause WON’T NOBODY KNOW WHERE YOU AT!!


For the record: I’m not a card-carrying member of the ACLU. That’s Bruce Willis.  (joking)


{The link is to the book Taking Liberties. In the interest of disclosure, I’m an Amazon Associate, so if you purchase the book via this link I earn income. But whether you buy the book or not, the NDAA IS STILL CRAP!!!}



Movies About Being an Indian Muslim in Post 9/11 America ~

Kurbaan (2009) / My Name Is Khan (2010) / New York (2009) |

“Foxes have Holes” ~

Syrian Refugees Go Home! (An Opinion Piece) - Medium

How Crazy Horse Treated Refugees and Other Writings of White Feather ~

Bringing White Feather From the Mountain

More random thoughts plucked from my G+ post stream.

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NOTE: During 2019, the Google+ social network will close down for consumers, so I preserved these comments below.

Treathyl FOX
Shared publicly - Mar 25, 2012

On the matter of Maher versus Limbaugh versus Obama versus whatever that preacher’s name who made the remarks about God damning America versus MSNBC versus Fox news. I gotta say all the chatter made me think.

** If an individual known by reputation as a person who makes outlandish, even insulting remarks about other individuals and does this for a living – if this individual decides to donate money to a – church or mosque or temple or orphan home or hospital or community civic center or an educational institution – or any organization where other individuals either work and/or provide services to other individuals – should we demand that these organizations give back the money?

** I say … if it’s a government organization, YES!

** So … is a PAC, a super one or a non-super one - a government organization?

** Also … should every comedian and radio talk show or person who is always in the public's eye or ears - be either be barred from opening their mouths or barred from making donations with the money they earn from opening their mouths?

- It’s something to ponder. We have to think about this because nobody wants to think about not insulting people when money is a factor.

27 February 2016

Chehre Jo Dekhe Hain - What's Your Rashee? | Priyanka Chopra

My previous post about Priyanka Chopra Music Crossover Efforts was well received by my blog visitors.  So I decided to publish another one.



This post shines the spotlight on a particular music video from the movie "What's Your Raashee?".  It is one of my favorites because it shows Ms. Chopra's character range and versatility as an actress/singer/dancer.  

What say you? Agree or Disagree.




(Image credit:  Alchetron.com and MelodyBuzz.com)



What's Your Raashee (English Subtitled)

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