For 2012 NaNoWriMo, I signed up for NaNo Swap, where you agree to send small care packages to fellow WriMos. I got two swap buddies, both of whom won NaNo and both of whom sent endearing care packages. As part of the package I sent to them, I created a finger labyrinth with some of the most unusual words I could find. My thought was that the simple act of tracing the labyrinth could provide the small brain break needed to get your imagination back in gear, or you could find an unusual word to use as inspiration to set off in a fresh direction.
In case it might help or amuse anyone else, here it is. Feel free to download and print for the next time you get blocked! Good luck!
The first post of this series, “Respect the Work: Republishing Public Domain Works” called for those who republish materials in the public domain to honor the original author with an authentic, faithful reproduction of their work. The post was prompted by the controversy that arose over the inappropriate choice of cover model used in a republication of Anne of Green Gables, by Lucy Maud Montgomery.
I first learned about the controversy when a friend posted a link to the article in the Guardian on his Facebook timeline. His post was scathing, and his friends visibly disappointed and angry in their comments. Their reaction to what had been done to the image of the character of Anne was comparable to what I might expect if they were talking about a close friend in real life whose image and character had been maligned. The intensity of their reaction was also reflected by commenters in the reviews left for the edition on Amazon.com.
This energetic reaction to a poor cover image for a story originally published in 1908 should serve as fair warning to publishers who elect to republish materials in the public domain: readers care. Read More
A child of about eleven, garbed in a very short, tight, very ugly dress of yellowish-gray wincey. She wore a faded brown sailor hat and beneath the hat, extending down her back, were two braids of very thick, decidedly red hair. (The reader first meets Anne Shirley, in Anne of Green Gables, by Lucy Maud Montgomery)
The availability of self-publishing services offers the exciting opportunity to recapture books long out of print, to be enjoyed again by contemporary readers. For works that are in the public domain, there are a number of means available to capture the text and rapidly re-publish the work. Amazon, a driving force in the emergence of self-publishing, provides Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) for their Kindle series of electronic readers, and CreateSpace (CS) for hard copy publishing.
The steps needed to capture a public domain work and publish it on KDP or CS are: 1) capture the text, 2) format the book, 3) compile using services provided by KDP and CS, 4) decide on pricing and distribution, and 5) publish! The Amazon services offer help, recommendations and templates for every step of the process. You can add a specially designed cover for your republished book, or choose one of the templates or generic versions offered by KDP and CS. The entire process can be somewhat time consuming depending on the care taken in capturing the work or designing the format, but it is straightforward, and ultimately not very difficult. Read More
As an enthusiastic proponent of strengths-based leadership, I often recommend to my colleagues that they take the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment. I also try to encourage them to learn more about the foundation of the concept, by reading First, Break All the Rules and Now, Discover Your Strengths. For many of them, taking the time to complete the assessment is all they’re able to squeeze into their schedules, so many of them end up asking, “Now what?” Here is a rapid-fire, almost stream of consciousness answer that I gave a colleague who asked today.
Glad to hear you took the test. And now you’re asking in what ways can you use the information?
1. Print it out and keep it close at hand to review, should you ever feel underappreciated. This has proven to be most useful to several young women that I have worked with who have found themselves feeling underappreciated. When your contributions are being called into question at every turn, reviewing the report from your StrengthsFinder assessment is a great way to give your morale a boost and remind yourself of the gifts you bring to an organization. Read More
“If you are elected, what could you both give to this country as a man, as a human being, that no one else could?” Martha Raddatz to Vice President Joe Biden and Congressman Paul Ryan, Vice Presidential Debates, 2012
In 2008, when then-Presidential candidate Barack Obama picked Senator Joe Biden as his Vice Presidential running mate, there were questions as to Biden’s suitability for the job. Questions were raised about his age, his free-wheeling style of communications, his religion, whether it made more sense to pick someone who could help deliver key swing states in the election. But Senator Joe Biden was a masterful choice for Vice President and has served the country well for four years, gaffes and all.
But among the reasons that he picked the avuncular Biden, I can’t help wonder if President Obama had one other unthinkable reason. No doubt, Obama recognized he faced a significant possibility of being targeted for assassination. No doubt, he understands that such a tragedy would cause immeasurable damage to the country. And no doubt, it would fall to whomever he selected for Vice President to lead the country through dark and difficult times. Biden survived the unbearable heartbreak of the death of his wife and daughter in a car accident; it was a devastating tragedy that shaped the man of compassion and caring that he is today. Of all the candidates President Obama might have considered, there could be none better than Vice President Joe Biden if he were called on to lead the country back from grief and anger and hatefulness – to healing. Read More
The Seattle Seahawks played their first game of the regular 2012 NFL season on September 9th at Arizona. Coming off of four wins in preseason and a surprising announcement that rookie Russell Wilson had won the competition for starting QB, expectations were high going in to the game. Coming out of the game, statistics for the two teams, except for asymmetry in rushing and passing, were surprisingly close. With replacement officials, several of the calls in the game were questionable, favoring both sides back and forth. There were some excellent plays – kick returns by Leon Washington and Richard Sherman making what seemed like a nearly impossible interception, and even the long snapper, Clint Gresham getting in on the action with a textbook tackle at a critical point. The game came down to the last drive when Seattle had several chances to go ahead, and despite aggressive play by Wilson and his receivers, Seattle lost.
It was a disappointing loss. It gave those who didn’t agree with the surprising QB competition decision ample chance to sound off about how Coach Carroll should reconsider and put the more experienced veteran Matt Flynn into the position. It was difficult to imagine how any new quarterback would be able to do what Coach Carroll expects of his team: put it behind him so he could focus on the next week. Read More
There is a particularly hateful article that has been posted on a number of blogs and recently on facebook that I find stunning in its bigotry. [Update June 8, 2013: I had posted the text of the article before but have discovered that people were linking to it directly. I have removed it so that it is no longer associated with my blog.] The article, “An American Citizen’s Response” attempts, poorly, to take President Obama to task for recognizing that Islam has always been a part of America’s history. It asks questions, apparently with the expectation that there are no answers. Here are my answers…
Have you ever seen a Muslim hospital?
Not exactly (see Shriners Hospitals below), but there are a greater percentage of Muslim physicians in America than would be suggested by demographics. Among them is cardiothoracic surgeon and TV personality, Dr. Oz.
Have you heard a Muslim orchestra?
New York Arabic Orchestra; I haven’t heard them play, but last year they played to a packed house to glowing reviews at the Lincoln Center in New York. Incidentally, I can’t think of the last time I heard of a Baptist Orchestra, or a Catholic Orchestra; have you?
Have you seen a Muslim band march in a parade?
Have you ever seen a Shriner riding around in a little tiny car at the parade? The Shriners, originally known as “Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine”, are a charitable group from the Masons (or Freemasons) an organization that has had a play in American politics from the founding days. The group is a fraternity, not a religion; it is not formally tied to Islam. But the group was the product of an early Mason who attended a party by an Arabian diplomat, and the activities of the Shriners were copied from the example made by the Arabian diplomat. The derivative work of that group includes the Shriners Hospitals, of course, which has provided life-saving care for countless American children.
Have you witnessed a Muslim charity?
Here, lmgtfy. Check out CharityNavigator.com. There are some that pop up, like Islamic Relief USA and the National Council on US-Arab Relations, both of which have 4-star reviews (the maximum) for financial performance, accountability and transparency.
Have you seen Muslims?
Yes, I’ve worked closely with Muslims, Americans and Muslim professionals from other countries. In particular, I worked with emergency police, fire and medical personnel who came to America after 9/11 to work with us on responding to incidents of mass destruction. More recently, I’ve traveled to countries overseas with populations that include Muslims to work together to improve international security.
Have you shaken hands with a Muslim Girl Scout?
I haven’t shaken the hand of Muslim Girl Scout that I know of, but I can’t tell you the last Girl Scout I met of any religious belief. The Girl Scouts celebrate and recognize girls of many different faiths, have a “My Promise/My Faith” pin that the girls can work toward, and entire programs geared specifically to different faiths that American Girl Scouts believe, including Islam. I am not involved in Girl Scouting anymore; possibly some who feel the way the author of this list feels are involved with Scouts. My question: would you make an American Muslim girl feel welcome and valued in your troop?
Have you seen a Muslim Candy Striper?
Really, do they still have “Candy Stripers”? And even if they did, how would I know a Muslim from any other American?
Have your seen a Muslim do anything that contributes positively to the American way of life ???
Really?! Oh, where to start? How about Muhammad Ali? Or Shaquille O’Neal? Kareem Abdul Jabar? Casey Kasem – my favorite Top 40 DJ growing up! Snoop Dog? Mr. Old Spice and former Seattle Seahawk, Isaiah Mustafa? Yusef Islam, previously known as Cat Stevens? Shahzia Sikander, artist and recipient of a MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Award? David Bowie’s wife Iman? Mike Tyson? Fareed Zakaria?
My favorite recently is the comic, Dean Obeidallah. Wait did I say comic, how about former practicing attorney who now does stand-up comedy and writes for CNN on issues of importance in Arab American relations. As he says, he’s just “trying to change the world for the better”.
But I must say that my favorite contribution by Muslims to the American way of life falls close to home. In 2008, I was becoming increasingly discouraged about the way the Republican Party, which I had supported my entire adult life, was going. I decided it was time that I became involved in politics at a local level. I attended my first Democratic Precinct Caucus. It was held in the Activity Room of the Islamic Center in my tiny little town. That caucus was the first time I had a chance to cast a vote for Barack Obama. For that American, civic minded contribution, I am deeply grateful!
The rest of the article is too far over the top and too ignorant of history or geography for a response.
With apologies in advance — I try to keep my commentary as neutral as possible, respectful, and generally dispassionate. This is not one of those posts.
In an amazing article, Mother Jones reports that Governor Romney told a group of wealthy supporters what he really thinks of Obama supporters. MoJo quotes:
There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that’s an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what…These are people who pay no income tax.
As for me… dependent on government? It is true I worked for the federal government helping to secure the nations interests – a job that ONLY the federal government can be responsible for – but I always did my best to ensure that the tax payers got more than their dollars’ worth from my efforts.
I am not a victim and I hope the government doesn’t need to care for me, but I do believe that as a citizen, we have a collective responsibility to care for those among us who are struggling without hope.
Entitled? I think that ironic coming from you, but, nope, have always (so far) bought my own health care, food, housing, and if by “you name it” contraception, that too!
Whatever I thought before I saw this report, after seeing what you think about me and a large number of Americans – and are willing to say to your millionaire and billionaire buddies — yes, I WILL vote for this president no matter what.
And as for taxes, every year since President Barack Obama took office, I paid approximately 19% of my salary in taxes. What did YOU pay since 2008, Mitt Romney? Who exactly pays no income taxes?!
I have a two word salutation I’d offer in closing, but will resist. Use your imagination. Excuse me while I go send more of my not-on-unemployment-after-being-laid-off-after-30-years-of-work savings to the Obama campaign.
Stepping off soapbox engulfed in flames now…
