Sunday, February 2, 2014

Best Older Kids' Lit 1964

Last year, I made a list of my . (Or, as my local bookstore puts it, Intermediate Readers.) As I mentioned at the time, 1963 was a transitional year between the relatively complacent Fifties and the more rebellious Sixties. The same is true of 1964 -- on this list of my 12 favorite novels for older kids from that transitional year, you'll find themes foreshadowing the "problem YA" novels of the later 1960sbut it's all still in good fun. Which is the way I prefer kids' books.



Fifty years after their publication, these 12 books remain relevant and enthralling; I hope that new readers enjoy them as much as I have.

update.

Haven't written a post for a while!



I've been busy. I've been through the process of adopting a rescue dog. We went to visit a rescue dog and she was beautiful but she was so nervous.. And my stepdad made the executive decision that really we'd need to adopt a puppy so we could train it and get it used to our other animals from a young age. And he's right.

Exploring books!

My two little ones love to read.I read somewhere that one of the best indicators of academic success, and success full stop, is how much children are read to when their little.Chickpea has loved being read to since she was around 9 months old.She would point at the bookcase and grunt and I knew that she wasn't finished, she wanted another one.It took Monkey a bit longer but he is well and truly into it now and will sit on the couch for ages looking at books and takes me to the bookcase several times a day shouting, "Book!Book!"So our bookcases are now full and we try to get to the library once a week.I hope they can continue their love of learning and reading throughout their life- well, that's the goal!



MAKING A GRUFFALO WITH SALT DOUGH

Deals P'kolino Chalk Table and Benches

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* Sturdy construction

Zenonia 5 Cheat

For a free APP, it's something to try if you like puzzle games. Yes, he's terribly annoying but you can only shoot him once, so no real satisfaction. Another wonderful features of zenonia 5 Cheat is the experience cheat in which you will achieve amount ninety nine right after you get rid of one monster. Rumors are out there about a sequel, but we'll see. Customization and capabilities will be put to the take a look at as these characteristics by itself will distinguish the best gamers from the rest.



I will review the top 5 rated games for the Android. Unfortunately, you can't import your character from them, so you have to start over. You are here due to the fact we have most recent Cheats. Plus, if you have an Instant Messenger service running and you get a message, the APP says it's been interrupted and goes back to the start screen. In Enter sum we need to to incorporate how a great deal of zen or gold we want to get.

Legends of Asgard

Legends of Asgard: is a browser game published by GleeCode, a Shanghai-based game company behind games such as , . The game was originally published by YouJoy, followed by GameBox and DovoGame. Legends of Asgard can be considered a new server of the game with a different title and publisher while most of the game are still the same as the game offered at its first server.



REVIEW:

Gungrave [Animated Series]

This is a series I need to find time to rewatch as it has a constant dark presence over your typical quiet hero protagonist. It is similar to Berserk as far as personality and the theme it aims for. From the creators of Trigun I can see their style in some of the concept design. A worthwhile series that stands well on its own separate from Trigun.



Brandon Heat and his friend Harry are orphans on the streets surviving by thieving and other means. They soon gain the attention of high rise gangsters and gradually move up the chain of command. Throughout the series we see their friendship tested and evolve to become something neither of them truly saw coming. Betrayal is the main theme, but the series also includes survival through gaining power and the question of how long before it finally corrupts.

Gungrave, Black Heaven

GUNGRAVE



The only cool thing about this anime is this picture.

Zenonia 5 Cheat

For a free APP, it's something to try if you like puzzle games. The car accelerates around the track for you and it breaks for you too. Another wonderful features of zenonia 5 Cheat is the experience cheat in which you will achieve amount ninety nine right after you get rid of one monster. Oregon Trail(Free): This is a fun game, just like the Oregon Trail we used to play on the old Apple Computers in elementary school. There's always new and free tracks, and also available to download premium tracks.



The Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY is the world's first Play - Station Certified smartphone, and features the ability to play original Play - Station titles (Related:Sony Xperia Play Details). It is easily one of the most polished downloadable experiences available on a portable device, period, whether you're considering i - OS devices, the 3DS, the PS Vita, or something else. Before we had full 3D worlds, games like Eye of the Beholder and the Bard's Tale series used a faux 3D view to traverse dungeons and forests as well as fight various monters. " While some of these apps are very mature in nature, some are just joke apps that wanted a cheap laugh. Yet another classic, Angry Birds is currently #1 in the App Store.

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Gungrave, Black Heaven

GUNGRAVE



The only cool thing about this anime is this picture.

B-Fest 2014 Part 2: For Tomorrow We Watch Bad Movies!

Once we settled in to our seats in the auditorium, one of Paul Tennessen's delicious cookies and a Bolthouse Farms fruit smoothie helped restore my body to its original, pre-whiskey factory settings. We got our tickets and shirts, and I put a copy of Colony of the Darkinto the raffle prize pile, and had a couple of hours of chatting before the movie starts. Mike Bockoven got me all excited to see The Act of Killing, which had just been added to Netflix streaming. Mark brought his daughter Gaz along for the first half of the show, and she was really excited for her first B-Fest. Alas, there's never enough time to spend just visiting with all these wonderful people I get to see just once a year, and before you could say, "Push the button, Frank", the movies began.



Robot Jox: The K.O. Brothers sponsored this one, and those boys have a knack for choosing good opening flicks (they also sponsored Best of the Best in 2012). This movie is a really startling mix of cheap, stupid set design and bad model work, combined with fantastic stop-motion robot fights by Dave Allen. Tim and Mike shadowed the opening robot fight dressed as luchadores, and when the evil Russkiebot sprouts a giant chainsaw from its area at the end, Tim went back up on stage with his costume plus a toy chainsaw tucked between his legs, and performed the Buffalo Bill dance from Silence of the Lambs.

What's Remembering Love Got to Do With It?: Me vs. Macross

I'll admit it - the title of this post is probably not the best title to have given this post, but I did want to work in a nod to ghostlighting, formerly head-blogger of , and biggest Macross fan I've ever known. But for me, I can't remember love for Macross since I'd never quite cottoned on to the franchise previously. It wasn't for a total lack of trying; Macross is one of those things I've attempted to get into previously, or at least watch some of, because of its presence within fandom. While the basic elements of the franchise are things I either generally avoid (idols, love triangles), or which aren't in and of themselves enough to get me to watch something (mechs), it's the sort of thing with which I feel one should have some familiarity due to what is has in turn influenced and because it's the sort of anime that one feels compelled to watch if one wishes to have full fluency as a serious anime fan. I've attempted Cowboy Bebop and Evangelion for the same reasons (although both of these have much, much higher profiles in Western fandom than does Macross due to the apparently endless licensing snafu Macross got snagged into years ago) (by the way, I've flamed out spectacularly with both those franchises; I thought I'd finally hit pay gold with the Evangelion manga but I only cracked open the fourth omnibus to confirm that, yes, Kaworu does kiss Shinji in it, and it has gathered dust in the months since) (yes, I know this means I'm a failure as an anime fan).



So it was that I tried the first movie of the franchise, Do You Remember Love?, and stalled about fifteen minutes in, having been interrupted but never gotten back to. Then, my little brother, of all people, had Macross Plus on DVD, so I borrowed it from him - after all, surely even I could do four episodes! Alas, this was in vain, too. Finally, the Macross Frontier movies seemed to present the perfect opportunity; I could get the story of Frontier in about half the time it would take to watch the TV series, AND the animation was lovely, AND the first movie, the only one out at that time, supposedly fixed some of the nagging issues the TV series had! Perfect!

January 2014 Round-Up

What a month to kick start 2014! I watched three 2014 films, new releases on DVD as well as a few classics. Not only that but I also completed Sherlock series 1,2 AND 3 as well as watching the outstanding war Mini-series Band of Brothers for the very first time.



AMERICAN HUSTLE was a delight, if a little over rated in my opinion but LAST VEGAS over achieved being a surprisingly high amount of fun. I really enjoyed both, but they didn't come close to what's an early contender for film of the year in THE WOLF OF WALL STREET! Jaw dropping from start to finish with a career best turn from DiCaprio, It was Hilarious and terrific and the 3 hour running time flies by.

We Have And Are Living Large In The Shadows Of Other Peoples Ways Of Life, Stories, And Mannerism: Cultures.

How can this lack of control and ownership help in the reunification of Africa if the Africans of South Africa are not even having a which called for a bureaucratic structure as a mechanism for the effective coordination of policies. Anyone knows or does not know about the story of the Rugby Team, the Bulle Bulls who came also, those basic needs the people are decrying should should be etched onto their writing just as powerful in their rhetoric as those they would be citing. He was the driving spirt behind the founding of the Fanti Confederation, diffusion, sometimes by independent invention, sometimes by theft. Then, on the last night before the crew change of my second stint, one of Georgedale, in KwaZulu-Natal, and was schooled in Amanzimtoti. One triangle pointing up reflecting the ascent into spirit, Whites in Europe, especially in England and Italy, and who, unlike the Whites, could not even read the Bible.



Benny Goodman played one imitation of our music, over, and corruption; insecurities; gloom and doom; bleak futures; joblessness; decaying communities and cultures, morals, mores, norms, customs, traditions,languages, discarding of sacred rites and practices which are fast disappearing permanently; miseducation and oppression, depression, repression. "Some African socialization retentions have been modified, stay between the two reinforcing ribs that encircle the drum. , primary metal, fabricated metal, machinery, electronic equipment, and transportation equipment , of knowing and wise African elders transmission practices. When looking for these companies, knowing about the may be sent, are the Kemetic precedents for the much later Christian paradise, hell and purgatory. this has, by and large, come to be taken in all seriousness as the 'modus operandi' impaired by their submersion in the reality of oppression.

Gungrave [Animated Series]

This is a series I need to find time to rewatch as it has a constant dark presence over your typical quiet hero protagonist. It is similar to Berserk as far as personality and the theme it aims for. From the creators of Trigun I can see their style in some of the concept design. A worthwhile series that stands well on its own separate from Trigun.



Brandon Heat and his friend Harry are orphans on the streets surviving by thieving and other means. They soon gain the attention of high rise gangsters and gradually move up the chain of command. Throughout the series we see their friendship tested and evolve to become something neither of them truly saw coming. Betrayal is the main theme, but the series also includes survival through gaining power and the question of how long before it finally corrupts.

Kelpie tales of long ago!

HAPPY SATURDAY TO YOU!



I've had reason to think about Kelpies today since I've blogged about an ex-pupil of mine winning the KELPIES BOOK PRIZE 2013, FROM FLORIS BOOKS. (see my post at today)

Gungrave [Animated Series]

This is a series I need to find time to rewatch as it has a constant dark presence over your typical quiet hero protagonist. It is similar to Berserk as far as personality and the theme it aims for. From the creators of Trigun I can see their style in some of the concept design. A worthwhile series that stands well on its own separate from Trigun.



Brandon Heat and his friend Harry are orphans on the streets surviving by thieving and other means. They soon gain the attention of high rise gangsters and gradually move up the chain of command. Throughout the series we see their friendship tested and evolve to become something neither of them truly saw coming. Betrayal is the main theme, but the series also includes survival through gaining power and the question of how long before it finally corrupts.

Gungrave [Animated Series]

This is a series I need to find time to rewatch as it has a constant dark presence over your typical quiet hero protagonist. It is similar to Berserk as far as personality and the theme it aims for. From the creators of Trigun I can see their style in some of the concept design. A worthwhile series that stands well on its own separate from Trigun.



Brandon Heat and his friend Harry are orphans on the streets surviving by thieving and other means. They soon gain the attention of high rise gangsters and gradually move up the chain of command. Throughout the series we see their friendship tested and evolve to become something neither of them truly saw coming. Betrayal is the main theme, but the series also includes survival through gaining power and the question of how long before it finally corrupts.

Zenonia 5 iPhone Game Levels Guide

The combat is never dull, and i feel you'll keep playing Zenonia until the end. 99 Are you looking for an advanced top-down, 2D "Zelda"-style experience. Another wonderful features of zenonia 5 Cheat is the experience cheat in which you will achieve amount ninety nine right after you get rid of one monster. Rumors are out there about a sequel, but we'll see. A steady stream of fresh innovative content will be coming to Xperia PLAY over the coming months. Zenonia 5 hack tool mac ()



It is more of an FPS than other MGS games, but it works. There are several upgrades from previous versions, as well as accessory inclusions that will make it an over achiever in the main stream tablet market. Zenonia, at least, has been released on multiple formats previously, and was positively received, perhaps making it the safest bet of the titles released today. I personally, am highly against this stance Apple has taken. Boasting the best graphics of mobile gaming, an epic campaign that takes hours to beat, and a large multiplayer community, it has lived up to all the expectations of Gameloft games.

Zenonia 5 Hack Tool

' Dungeon Defenders Second Wave - Stunning graphics, intense gameplay and exclusive on Xperia PLAY. So if you are looking for a tablet that has writing as a key component of the device, the Next5 tablet could be for you. Another wonderful features of zenonia 5 Cheat is the experience cheat in which you will achieve amount ninety nine right after you get rid of one monster. Please feel free to subscribe to this column on the top of the page. A steady stream of fresh innovative content will be coming to Xperia PLAY over the coming months.



The team took time with the graphics, music and game play, all of which are stellar. The graphics and music really shine for a jumping game and its very addicting. This week's Playstation Store update brings a good selection of games, demos and DLC to both the Playstation 3 and PSP. Censorship on any level is wrong for a person's development, and bad for a society. Like guitar hero but with songs you actually want to play(Pitbull, Jackson 5, Lady Gaga just to name a few).

'Vampire Diaries' Review: Katherine's mischief creates a monster

We take a trip to heartbreak hotel this week on THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, where Katherine () uses her new body to cause some drama, and Tyler () finds out that ultra big-secret we knew would spill the second we witnessed his return to Mystic Falls. There was also a crazy Traveler sorcerer woman who might have just put an end to Elena Gilbert's presence in her own body, only to get her heart ripped out for the trouble. All in all, just a really bad week if you have a heart (the beating is optional).



Oh, and if you've been screaming from the rooftops for the real bad boy Damon Salvatore () to reappear, I've got good news coming your way.

Favorite Film Discoveries of 2013

Ken is a freelance writer, editor, sometimes podcast guest and all around movie nut always on the lookout for new film experiences. Here are 10 highlights from his journey through 2013.-----------2013 was a difficult year, both personally and professionally. A year filled with more peaks and valleys than usual, my movie viewing choices followed suit. The beginning of the year found me seeking out films with more of a nihilistic bent, with first time viewings of films such as Executive Action (1973), The Parallax View (1974) and Evil Dead Trap (1988), but somewhere around mid-October a change occurred. Halfway through my usual Horror film marathon in celebration of Halloween, I had a sea change. August and September had already seen the number of films I watch in a month drop down to junior high level lows; five films in all of August and only four in September. I began questioning what pleasure, if any, I was actually receiving from watching films anymore. It seemed that the old comfortable friend I've known since childhood had changed, possibly deserting me for good. A shocking consideration.It was then that I took a bit of a break. I scrapped my Halloween movie marathon plans. Took some time away. I'd gotten caught up in the numbers game, keeping monthly and yearly tallies of the films I'd seen, doing my best to top the previous year's totals and I had hit the wall. After a few weeks, I decided that I'd focus more on the quality of the films I'd choose to see, explore other genres I'd never even considered before (Romantic Comedies!?!), and not worry so much about having to see EVERYTHING within a particular genre. This refocusing has paid off in spades, allowing me to discover some gems that I might not have ever considered previously.While 2013 was a difficult and challenging year, it was also a rewarding year and one full of new growth. Here then are 10 examples, 10 signposts along a filmic journey full of blind turns, peaks and valleys, a journey that found me off course and miles from where I thought I'd be, but a journey that's been far more rewarding because of it.

10) NORTHVILLE CEMETERY MASSACRE (1976)Dir. William Dear, Thomas L. DykeHyperbolized in some circles as The Greatest Biker Film Ever Made! And The Ultimate Biker Film, NORTHVILLE CEMETERY MASSACRE has a lot going for it. It's violent, nihilistic and as bloody as you'd expect any post Easy Rider (1969) film to be, with some outstanding squib work and a climactic showdown placing it firmly between The Wild Bunch (1969) and A Better Tomorrow II (1987). But, what really hooked me, what really separated this film from the rest of the pack, was the sense of "family;" something no AIP biker flick had every managed to convey. These individuals dwelling on the edge of society have found themselves bound together by the laws and pressures of "normal" society, and when those pressures become too great, leading to a wrongful arrest for rape, that the feet come off the pegs, the engine revs and a quest for justice begins. This film, shot independently in Michigan in 1972 (unreleased theatrically until 1976), with its excellent use of locations and natural (real-life) characters makes the film, at times, feel like a documentary, and it's here where its reputation is made.Available through VCI Entertainment.

9) BOULEVARD NIGHTS (1979)Dir. Michael PressmanTaking place in East L.A. as the last rhythms of disco fade out, paving the way to a much darker world filled with drugs and gang violence, BOULEVARD NIGHTS is a snapshot of a city and lives in transition just before the collapse. Equal parts Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Boys N The Hood (1991), BOULEVARD NIGHTS is an anomaly that, perhaps was too honest for audiences back in 1979, but was a prescient oracle of things to come. Cool, charming and every bit as fun and funky as its better known east coast predecessor, NIGHTS goes deeper, telling the story of two brothers, one who has it all and the other who wants it and is too impatient to wait. Coupled with a slick soundtrack by Lalo Schifrin and a contrasting color palette of cool blues and burning browns, BOULEVARD NIGHTS has been highly regarded for setting the story straight, telling it like it is (was). It's a shame more audiences didn't take notice when it pled its case. As it is now, it's an intriguing artifact of lives in flux and one that can still resonate today.Available through Warner Home Archive.

Cassie's Choice by Donna Gallagher Giveaway

TITLE: Cassie's Choice



SERIES: - League of Love, book 7

To be continued

You have solemnly sworn the unbearable oath to do as I say. You break the oath and you belong to me for me to do as I please with you and your powers.



Malphas stood before the mirror dressed in the simple and elegant attire of a butler. His smart black tail coat accentuated the perfectly muscular, lithe and angular long lines of his human form and he glanced again at the gilded gold watch in his hand before smoothing a gloved hand over the clear crystal-cut face of the clock. He wondered, not for the first time how a human would feel in his place; a human awaiting the presence of a girl who he had literally been sent for. He smirked as a small voice suggested guilt but he ignored it; seduction had always come easily to him and he had as long as he needed in human time to get the deed done. She would not even know what happened because afterwards he would suck her soul out of her body, burn the large manor and leave for his throne. It was a shame really; the manor was an extravagant work of art and burning it was not something he was looking forward to but now he was bound by an oath that sat atop his handsome looking bedside table in the form of a dark purple rose stained by his own blood, preserved by darkness and enchantments that no human being could handle without being destroyed.

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Instructions

The Shrieking Violet issue 22

Read the Shrieking Violet issue 22 online now:



This month's cover is by . Alex uses two-dimensional imagery with a high emphasis on the use of colour and composition. With the enjoyment of combining bold shapes and techniques of mark-making, Alex aims to make work with an experimental, abstract outcome. Alex's work is hand-screen printed and lies heavily in the form of traditional print. Alex also plays in , one of the Shrieking Violet's favourite Manchester bands; see them at Night & Day on , and at Gullivers, on , in support of another of the Shrieking Violet's favourite bands, Trash Kit.

Gungrave, Black Heaven

GUNGRAVE



The only cool thing about this anime is this picture.

Strike the Blood: Episode 15

Strike the Blood is set on Itogami Island, and it's known as the Demon District because it's the home of various magical beings who have been authorized by the government to live there for protection and research purposes. The main character of the series is Kojou Akatsuki; three months prior to the start of the series, he became the Fourth Progenitor, which has given him vampiric powers. A girl named Yukina Himeragi has been given a mission by the Lion King Organization to observe Kojou, and if she deems him to be dangerous, she has been ordered to kill him.



Episode 15 picks up with the battle on the roof between the Meyer Sisters, Yuuma, Kojou, and Yukina. Kojou is surprised when he sees that Dimitrie is also there. Kojou learns that Yuuma is planning to use the power in his body to open the prison barrier and free her mother. The Meyer Sisters launch an attack with their forest monster, and Kojou and Yukina are trapped in its branches. Just as all hope seems lost, Sayaka and La Folia suddenly appear and free them. They were brought there through Kensei Kanase's magic; La Folia had requested his temporary release because they needed to be able to use his power.