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Geo Strategies has substantial experience of assisting both international and Romanian customers understand big data and implement GIS and marketing solutions.
Customers are becoming ever-more savvy and demanding and understanding how and why they behave has become ever-more complex. The balance of power has shifted inexorably towards the consumer and this shift, coupled with unprecedented choice means that customer loyalty can no longer be taken for granted. New marketing channels such as social, mobile and interactive TV have given marketers more choice about how and when they speak to customers and prospects, but at the same time it's becoming increasingly challenging for marketers to break through this noise.
In our experience it all begins with the data. Knowing where your existing customers live unlocks the power contained within your own databases. Combined with external knowledge e.g. from Mosaic, this helps identify their stereotype behaviour and enrich your own information on every individual customer. In turn, it helps you identify where similar high-value customers live so that you can target future marketing campaigns.
Smart marketers have turned to new customer analytics and 'big data' applications to enable them to pull together insight from multiple data sources such as social media, transactional data and email to develop a 360 degree of the customer. This rich insight enables them to customise offers, optimise marketing performance and deliver unprecedented levels of customer engagement.
Geo Strategies specialises in the organisation and structuring of Big Data to help companies understand their customers.
There i s a huge difference between Big Data and the Right Data.
Thanks to modern technology organisations have access to huge quantities of data about their customers.
However, this is useless unless it is combined and filtered. What everybody requires is relevant, timely and actionable information about prospects and customers.
In particular, behavioural data is beginning to swamp organisations with the ever-increasing use of social media.
The holy grail for all organisations is the Single Customer View (SCV). This is possible within e.g. a bank or insurance company where customers may have multiple accounts but, more typically, it is only possible to combine external data with internal data at a household or address level.
With demographic data based on Mosaic for Romania. This anonymised data covers every single household in Romania.
With psychographic data based on Lifestyle data which includes information on shopping preferences, attitudes and similar.
With data collected as a result of using the Experian Cross Channel Marketing Platform (EECMP).
By combining and filtering data using BI tools.
In all cases, these services can be provided as products or carried out in-house.
We have created extensive information products for Central & Eastern Europe which enable the user to analyse, profile and map the social and economic characteristics of areas – typically down to postcode level.
Our market planning and consumer insight are under-pinned by a world-leading consumer segmentation and predictive modelling systems.
We have a long-term association and experience of Romania where we have spearheaded innovation in geo-spatial applications since 1993. Our product and services portfolio together with our global partnerships enable us to serve organisations in nearly 30 countries world-wide.
Please download our Data & Services Catalogue for further information.
Please download our Data and Services Catalogue for further information. Also see our publications, papers and press comments, listed under the Resources tab.
Our video, The Four Step Guide to Consumer Insight can be found under the Resources section here.


This is a puzzle which most of us owned in a smaller version as children. I have changed the interior notching to make the puzzle more difficult and added more pieces. In mahogany, ash and walnut combinations.


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Henry Jenkins (buried on 9 December 1670 in Bolton-on-Swale, North Riding of Yorkshire) was an English supercentenarian claimant said to have been 169 years old at his death.

Biography

He claimed to have been born in 1501, although parish registers were not required to be maintained until 1538. It is known that he lived at Ellerton on Swale, Scorton, North Riding of Yorkshire and claimed to have been butler to Lord Conyers, of Hornby Castle, where the Abbot of Fountains was a frequent guest, and "did drink a hearty glass with his Lordship." He later followed the occupation of a fisherman and ended his life begging for alms.

Chancery Court records show that in 1667 Jenkins stated on oath that he was aged "one hundreth fifty and seven or thereabouts"; when asked by the judge which notable battle he remembered, he named Flodden Field of 1513 and claimed to have carried arrows to the English archers.
Although his birth date is undocumented, the date of Jenkins's death is known to within days, as his burial is recorded in the parish register of Bolton-on-Swale as having occurred on 9 December 1670. He is described as "a very aged and poor man".
In 1743, in his memory an obelisk was erected in the churchyard, and a plaque made of black marble was placed inside the church; the inscription on it, composed by Dr Thomas Chapman, Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge,  reads

In 1829, the journal The Mirror of Literature claimed that if Jenkins had followed his legal obligations, during his life he would have changed his religion eight times, between the reigns of Henry VII and Charles II.

T. H. White's science fiction novel The Master: An Adventure Story (1957) compares the eponymous character, aged 150, with Jenkins.

The village of Kirkby Malzeard, North Yorkshire, had a pub named Henry Jenkins after him, until it closed on 29 June 2008.

References

External links

People from Richmondshire (district)
Longevity myths
1670 deaths
Year of birth unknown
17th-century English people
16th-century English people

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Press Center/2008 News Releases/Brian Jeffrey - Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Award
Back to: Press Center / 2008 News Releases / Brian Jeffrey - Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Award
Brian Jeffrey - Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Award
English Teacher Committed to Unity to Receive NEA Human and Civil Rights Award
WASHINGTON - July 02, 2008 -
Brian Jeffrey, teacher at Los Osos High School in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., will receive the National Education Association's Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Award for his commitment to bringing his students and the community together at the Association's 42nd annual Human and Civil Rights Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C., on July 2, 2008.
"Brian is a groundbreaking teacher and administrator on a mission to educate his students both in and out of the classroom," said NEA President Reg Weaver. "His thought-provoking style earns the respect of children and adults alike. It is for all of these reasons that we honor him with this Human and Civil Rights Award."
As an English teacher, Brian Jeffrey cofounded a multiracial club called "Socially Together and Naturally Diverse" or STAND. The club was a driving force in keeping the community calm and together during the 1992 L.A. Riots. In addition, he started a group called STAND UP, which performs a play, written by Jeffrey, based on the true life experiences of past members of STAND. It uses a combination of satire and intense drama to deal with prejudice and stereotyping. It empowers both the audience and the performers to transform their lives and get involved in their communities.
He has also been instrumental in bringing speakers to his school to get his students thinking about civil rights and emotional events of the past. The notable guests include Terry Roberts, one of the Little Rock Nine; David Faber, a Holocaust and Auschwitz survivor; and Joe Torrillo, a firefighter who charged into the World Trade Center on 9/11, and then, after it collapsed, was pulled from the rubble alive.
Brian Jeffrey is a Nationally Board Certified teacher in English and is credentialed to provide English language instruction to English learners. He has been active in his local Association - the Associated Chaffey Teachers, serving as chair of its Human Rights Committee and as a member of the Bargaining Committee. He has also attended the NEA Representative Assembly.
Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the greatest champions of equality and justice. He was a man who wasn't afraid to lend a helping hand to his fellow brethren. This award recognizes an individual who expresses the same type of fearlessness that helps advance a people.
The National Education Association is the nation's largest professional employee organization, representing 3.2 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers.
Contact: Samantha Kappalman (202) 822-7823

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Last month Blizzard filed a default judgment against cheat maker Bossland and they have come out on top.
Blizzard was seeking $8.5 million in damages from Bossland for the distribution and sale of Blizzard cheat tools/hacks Honorbuddy, Demonbuddy, Stormbuddy, Hearthbuddy, and Watchover Tyrant in the US. As Bossland defaulted on the case and did not represent themselves in court, Blizzard has been awarded the full amount they were seeking.
The total amount awarded was calculated based on 42,818 infringements. Each infringement within the US was valued at $200 which is minimum statutory damages. The attorney fees were also noted and have cost $174,872.00 which is no small amount.
This battle between Bossland will continue in other regions but so far Blizzard has been successful against the cheat maker when cases have reached the courts. This is the second successful case this year for Blizzard against Bossland. In January Bossland were ordered to cease selling Honorbuddy in Germany.
Bossland was also facing legal action in the UK. Visitors trying to access the website today are now greeted with the following message.
The website for the actual Honorbody software now redirects to Google if anyone tries to reach it from the UK.
Due to the nature of all Blizard games and their reliance on online play, Blizzard needs to aggressively pursue cheat makers. Should Blizzard fail to protect their IPs they would be in danger of losing large numbers of regular players and their esports audience for games such as Overwatch.
The net is closing in on Bossland and it's only a matter of time and legal expense until Bossland vanishes from the major game playing markets.


I'm a fearless Radio/TV Host and self-proclaimed sweetheart. My love of music, pop culture and people is why I do what I do. I bring all of myself to the air every day in hopes of connecting with as many people as possible. I'll never back down from a challenge and think of myself as the girl that will say what everyone else is thinking...but are too afraid to say.
Live, Love, Laugh and ALWAYS say yes to chocolate! I'm a girl with big dreams and the drive to take it all the way.


Replace your paper forms with our easy-to-use checklist templates, designed to follow set reporting procedures and seamlessly integrate with your company's H&S policy.
This is how a completed PDF report looks. Photos appear at the end of the report and show the date/time and GPS location.
Each template has a feature to record 'Corrective Actions' these can be emailed from the report straight to the relevant department.
Answers to Questions, show 'Potential, 'Actual and 'Percentage scores.
Colour coded answers, calculate scores 'Potential' and 'Actual' which total and appear at the back of the report.
Question set and page of a report.
This is how the open questions require answering, with photos if necessary.
Enables the driver to report and record vehicle defects. Easy to complete template, to encourage drivers to carry out daily inspections.
Warehouse H&S checklist is a walkthrough inspection, which checks the condition of ailes, stairs, ladders, etc. Use this template before you start your shift to identify if employees wear appropriate PPE, are aware of the emergency procedures and are fully trained on material handling.
This checklist can be used to make sure that necessary fork-lift checks are carried out and that defects are reported and repaired.
Some of the questions within the template.
If your operation requires bespoke templates – no problem! We can design these for you. Just get in touch with us for a quote.


I like simple. I like natural. I like real.
I think that sums up my approach to styling rooms. Yes I could have spent a lot more money and a lot more time styling the fireplace for Fall, but why? Here is what this area looked like before.
The first thing I did was to add a pitcher full of fresh mums. Fresh flowers are ALWAYS in fashion, and these mums add the fall colors I was looking for.
I also added three small pumpkins to the mantle. Simple, natural, and real. For the three pumpkins and the flowers I spent less than $15.
To repeat the fall colors I moved a rooster next to the fireplace, and added the vintage olive bucket. I added a wooden box under the vintage bucket to give it some height and so the bucket wouldn't be the same height as the rooster. Also notice I used big accessories on the floor. Small things would have gotten lost.
After looking at the bucket from a distance, I decided it would look better and more cozy with a neutral throw added.
I also added some color with the quilt, a pillow, and a gorgeous coffee table book about Provence that I love to peruse.
So that's my approach to fall vignettes, simple, natural, and real. Throw in $15 for supplies, and about 15 minutes and boom. you're done. Be sure to check out the other homes on our home tour. Each one will provide some tips or how to information.
A beautiful simplistic Fall vignette!
I adore the subtle addition of color with the pillow and throw!!!
I like the simplicity of it too. You definitely gave your room a Fall feel with just a few pieces.
Simply beautiful, Anita! Wonderful ideas. I love the unexpected throw draped in the olive bucket.
very pretty, Anita! The natural elements blend so well with your new home.
anita- you do simple, natural and real so beautifully. I can just see myself sitting in that chair with my feet propped up with a good read. Have a great fall day!
So beautiful, Anita…as always! I'm so happy to be on this wonderful tour with you!
You may call it simple, but the items you use around your fireplace make a big impact! You use just the right amount of bright fall color to make the room look cozy and inviting!! Beautiful, Anita.
Thanks for all you've done to make this tour a success!
I've always been a big fan of simple when it comes to decorating. Your room is beautiful!
Anita, I love your tasteful and neutral approach to decorating. Also love the use of "old" or repurposed items. I make slipcovers and love the chairs with the wood showing through. Very creative. What is the style of this chair? I would love to find one to slipcover for my guest room that I call "The French Room".
The chair is a French one.
Your home is absolutely gorgeous Anita! Love your beautiful vignettes.They are simple and so elegant!
Anita your space is so cozy! Love fresh flowers in a space and your layers of cozy cuddle-up throws.
Your French Farmhouse is very beautiful !
This room just makes my heart beat faster! Now that you have added your beautiful Fall touches it just says come on in and get comfy! Beautiful, Anita.
It's been a long time just getting back with my Tablescapes. This room is so beautiful simplistic Fall vignette love this!
I love the way you put this all together with the addition of color with the pillow and throw!!! I hope you have a wonderful weekend with your family.
Anita, I remember when you upholstered your gorgeous furniture, and the small touches of fall allow it to be the star of your room. I also love the small detail of the throw in the olive bucket. Pinning!
Just lovely, Anita! This tour has been the best – so glad to be a part of it!
Simple is best Anita…truly lovely!
My kind of decorating! I love simple, natural and real, too. The throw and pillow and just the perfect splash of color.
them on an a shelf unit during the summer to enjoy them outside.
Your approach to the room's fall decor looks great. I love roosters and chickens, and I think yours is looks great at the fireplace!
I love the simple way to decor the best. The three pumpkins do more by themselves than a whole bunch of fall items crowding the mantel.
I love simple but to me it also has a touch of elegance because of that. You don't need a lot of money or time and you've proved that! Great job! Thanks for joining us on the ATH tour!
Truly a French-inspired vignette…elegant, subtle, and warm. The white stoneware pitcher, olive bucket, rooster, mantle clock, and the worn sign in the background…all French elements that reflect a natural, easy style of living. Perfect example of How To Create a French look…my favorite look.
I have several posts on the technique I used. But that is just an undercoat of homemade Calcium Carbonate paint, then I added a coat of dark Annie Sloan wax. The paint is one cup latex paint with 2 tablespoons of calcium carbonate. You might add a little bit of water to the calcium carbonate first before adding it to the paint.


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3.6.2020 More information: Regional State Administrative Agencies
email: koronainfo@avi.fi
Restaurants will again be allowed to serve food on their premises as from 1 June. However, provisions on restrictions concerning food and beverage service businesses will be laid down in a temporary amendment to the Communicable Diseases Act. The restrictions will not apply to staff restaurants or take-away sales of food and beverages. The act will enter into force on 1 June 2020 and it will stay in force until 31 October 2020.
Restaurants continue to be able to sell take-away meals to customers and to food courier service providers from their premises.
Is a private restaurant allowed to organise celebrations in its premises?
Yes, it is. The restrictions governing food and beverage service businesses and their interpretations can be found on the website of the regional state administrative agencies. http://www.avi.fi/web/avi/usein-kysytyt-kysymykset (in Finnish)
The food control authority can inform the regional state administrative agency if violations of the restrictions are discovered.
Questions and answers related to the restrictions concerning restaurants on the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment website: https://tem.fi/en/questions-and-answers-on-closing-restaurants.
Can breakfast be served to customers staying in a hotel?
As from 1 June, serving breakfast on the hotel premises will be possible in compliance with the restrictions set out to food and beverage service businesses.
Staff restaurants and site canteens
As from 1 June, all restaurants will again be allowed to serve food on their premises. However, provisions on restrictions concerning food and beverage service businesses will be laid down in a temporary amendment to the Communicable Diseases Act. Nevertheless, these restrictions do not apply to staff restaurant activities or takeaway sales of food and beverages. The customers of a staff restaurant comprise the personnel of a specific community, foundation or institute or a group of people that is limited in some other way. Such staff restaurants include the canteens of daycare centres, schools, hospitals and prisons and the staff restaurants of industrial plants.
A staff restaurant is not a public lunch restaurant in which anyone can have a meal. Instead, it has to be restricted for the use of the personnel of a specific workplace.
The above-mentioned places serving food must take into account THL's general instructions for the prevention of infections when serving food. Below you will find instructions for organisers of staff restaurants:
Remind everyone that they should enter the restaurant only after they have carefully washed their hands
Place hand sanitisers to the beginning of the buffet line, if possible
If possible, stagger the meal hours and remind everyone about maintaining a safe social distance
If possible, switch from self-service buffets to portions served by the personnel
If you use self-service buffets, replace or wash the utensils more frequently or use disposable utensils, if possible
Clean the surfaces that people touch (also spice shakers, butter knives, etc.) more frequently
At meals, people should keep as much social distance as possible
Setting up a staff restaurant
Can the restaurant of a petrol station be made into a staff restaurant for the employees of a nearby construction site?
The establishment or opening of new staff restaurants (or takeaway restaurants) has not been restricted.
According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, what is decisive when assessing whether the operations can be considered to be staff restaurant operations permitted in legislation is whether the restaurant is open to outsiders or only to a limited group of people. Staff restaurant operations mean meals organised for the community's own personnel or a group of people that is limited in some other way. For example, a staff restaurant is a restaurant serving the personnel of a certain workplace or parties limited in some other way and it is not open to outsiders. A limited group of people has not been defined in more detail in legislation. Therefore, a limited group of people may as a rule also consist of the personnel of several workplaces as long as the restaurant is not open to outsiders.
More answers are available at The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.
If the restaurant/petrol station has a separate space/room that is reserved only for a specific group (for example, people working at a certain workplace), this space/room can be considered a staff restaurant. Most importantly, it must be possible to minimise contacts that cause a risk of infection as much as possible. A staff restaurant cannot be open to outsiders and the use of the facilities must be clearly restricted from other customers of the petrol station and customers picking up takeaway food. Restaurant keepers must decide themselves how sufficient restrictions will be carried out. Takeaway sales of food is also permitted to other customers than those with the right to have a meal on the premises of the staff restaurant.
The operator should contact the food control authority in the municipality to inform the authority about continued operations in the emergency conditions.
Customer seating in kiosk and outdoor market sales
When restaurants reopen on 1 June, customer seating outdoors or indoors can be provided to customers also in kiosk or outdoor market sales in compliance with the restrictions set out for food and beverage service businesses. The operator must organise the sales and the serving in a manner that does not lead to contacts causing a risk of infection. Customers must be instructed to keep a safe social distance.
More information: Regional State Administrative Agencies
Can I prepare take-away meals for sale to consumers in my home without a food premises notification while the state of emergency is ongoing?
If you prepare meals for sale in your home, you need to file a food premises notification to your municipality's food control authorities informing of the food establishment operation. After filing the notification, food inspectors may visit to provide advice and instructions or supervise the operation if necessary. As a rule, such operations are subject to the same requirements as other food premises.
Food handling and information to be provided on food
Due to the ongoing state of emergency, however, the food premises notification need not be filed until four weeks after starting the operation. The operation can start immediately after filing the notification.
Why are there plexiglass screens at checkouts in some grocery stores?
The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (TTL) has issued instructions on avoiding infection in customer service situations, including installing plexiglass. The instructions are available on the TTL website. The instructions issued by TTL apply to all service sectors that involve close contact with customers, not only grocery stores. Finnish Institute of Occupational Health instructions for service sectors.
Can the COVID-19 coronavirus be transmitted through surfaces or utensils?
In most cases, the virus transmits between people through droplets in close contact. The virus may last on surfaces, and infection is possible also through contact with surfaces such as door handles or utensils that have been contaminated by droplets coughed by an infected person. However, this is not considered to be the main mode of transmission. For more information on enhanced cleaning of customer premises, visit the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health website.
Customer premises
Surfaces touched by customers (door handles, railings, chairs, tables, payment terminals, toilet and bathroom facilities, etc.) must be cleaned carefully and as often as possible. Buttons and handles that come into contact with customers must be cleaned more frequently than normal.
Can pick 'n' mix sweets be packed into bags on store premises?
Pick 'n' mix sweets can be packed into bags for sale to customers in grocery stores. Bagging sweets can be performed by food industry employees, such as the store's staff or the sweet manufacturer's employees. The following issues should be kept in mind when bagging sweets:
include the activity in self-monitoring
remember good hand hygiene
bagging sweets should be done in the store's back room using clean utensils
bag sweets from containers that have not been out in the pick 'n' mix counter and within reach of customers
take steps to prevent contamination by allergens
when bagging sweets for immediate sale to speed up and facilitate sales, give the following information on the bag: name of the food, ingredients, country of origin (if other than Finland) and necessary instructions on use and storage. It is also possible to provide the information verbally if it is indicated by a sign or similar manner in the vicinity of the non-prepacked items that the information is provided by staff upon request.
when bagging sweets for non-immediate sales, all mandatory labelling (in Finnish) on the sweets must be provided to customers.
What should I keep in mind if a restaurant delivers cooled and packed lunches or other meals to the store for sale on the shelf or over a service counter?
if the food establishment's operations change, consult the following instructions by the Finnish Food Authority and contact your municipality's food control authority.
During the state of emergency, restaurants can deliver meals and prepacked food to stores for sale without restrictions on volume.
Particular attention should be given to temperature regulation:
If the food is delivered to the store cold, the food must be refrigerated at the restaurant to +6°C in four hours, and the cold chain must remain unbroken up to the consumer
If the food is delivered to the store heated, food temperature must remain at least +60°C up until the food reaches the consumer
Things to note on product labelling:
If food is sold to consumers in prepacked meals, the packaging must contain all mandatory food labelling information, with the exception of the nutrition declaration. Information on allergens (inFinnish) must stand out clearly in the labelling.
If the restaurant has not carried out shelf life tests, the turnover time of products should be kept short (max. production day + two days after that) to ensure that food stays fresh.
If food is sold to consumers at a service counter by the store's staff, the minimum requirement is to include a sign near the counter instructing customers to "ask a member of staff about allergens and other information". If this is done, staff members must be able to provide consumers with the food's name, list of ingredients, substances that cause allergies and intolerances, the country of origin if necessary, and instructions on use and storage.
Things to note about packaging materials
Select packaging materials that are suitable for contact with food. To find out whether a material is suitable for use with food, look for a wine glass and a fork symbol or consult the packaging material's name or other written labelling.
Packaging materials must be stored in a sheltered and clean space.
How should employees take care of hygiene when working in premises used for handling food?
When working at a food establishment, it is particularly important that hands are washed with water and soap thoroughly and frequently. Avoid touching your face. Always wash hands after coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose. Follow the Finnish Food Authority's instructions on washing hands. Be sure to also read the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare's handwashing instructions.
Remember to only handle food, cooking utensils and serving dishes with clean, healthy hands.
Using disposable gloves when handling food
The purpose of protective gloves is to protect food from dirt and microbes passed on by touch. Gloves are often used to cover the hands when handling food. If protective gloves are used, their hygiene must be ensured and the gloves must be disposed and replaced sufficiently often, particularly to prevent cross-contamination. Protective gloves must be used particularly when handling non-prepacked food if you have an infected wound in your hand or use artificial nails or jewellery. Regardless of whether protective gloves are used, you should wash hands regularly.
If you do not have access to your usual type of disposable glove and need to switch to a new product, be sure to check that the new gloves are suitable for their intended use in handling food. The suitability of disposable gloves for their intended use should be ensured particularly if the gloves are used to handle greasy and/or hot foods. To check whether the gloves can be used in handling food, see the print on the packaging or look for a symbol of a wine glass and a fork. The packaging should also indicate if there are limitations on use of the gloves for handling food, such as the characteristics of the food being handled or limits on contact time. The law requires that the packaging for vinyl PVC gloves not suitable for handling greasy foods must include the disclaimer "not suitable for handling greasy food" or an equivalent phrase. However, as the labelling of vinyl gloves is often incomplete in this respect, you should check suitability with the supplier when necessary.
Good food hygiene must always be followed in food production in order to ensure that the food is safe, healthy and clean. Employees may not come in sick even when only experiencing minor flu symptoms. All members of staff should be reminded of good hygiene practices at work. Any temporary workers should also be trained on workplace hygiene. Your occupational healthcare provider is responsible for instructions related to employees' health.
When can a food industry worker returning from abroad return to work at a restaurant?
The Government has decreed that Finnish citizens and permanent residents returning from abroad are instructed to remain in quarantine-like conditions for two weeks. Employees returning from abroad must agree on the date of returning to work and the two-week absence with their employer.
Further information is available on the Finnish Institution of Occupational Health website
In other words, restaurant workers coming back from abroad cannot work in a restaurant for two weeks after returning to Finland.
Restaurant, are you selling take away food during the exceptional situation? (pdf) Print instructions


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Tag Archive for The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop
James Preller Interviews . . . Lewis Buzbee, Author of "Bridge of Time"
January 10, 2012 / jimmy / 3 comments
Lewis, I was just so impressed with your new book, BRIDGE OF TIME (Macmillan, May 2012). Congratulations. When I was reading the Advance Reader's Copy, I wished I could talk to you about it, ask questions, dig a little deeper. Then I realized: Hey, I operate my own fully-licensed blog right here in America. I'm kind of a big deal. So I figured I'd invite you over and we'd talk it out. (Besides, Vonnegut is not answering my emails.)
That's odd. Kurt and I were just talking the other day. So it goes.
I mentioned Vonnegut almost randomly, since as a matter of policy I drop Vonnegut's name as often as possible, but thinking of it now, old Kurt dabbled quite a bit in time travel himself. Billy Pilgrim — of Ilium, New York –- tumbling from past to present to future. And it seemed totally natural, not science fiction –- that yes, life is like that, we're constantly traveling through time in our heads.
"Unstuck in time" is the phrase Twain used here to describe Time Travel, and I lifted unapologetically from SLAUGHTER-HOUSE FIVE. Vonnegut is too important, I agree, to overlook, especially today. But it also seems to me that Vonnegut is a direct heir to Twain. In the book, Twain makes a passing reference to his friend Kurt, whom he met while unstuck in time, and it was Kurt who coined the phrase.
That's a wonderful detail, Lewis. In my upcoming Young Adult novel, BEFORE YOU GO, one of the central characters just finished reading BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS. There's really no big reason for it, other than to tell you something about that character's likes and interests. Frankly, I loved the idea of four teenage boys in a car, talking — however briefly — about Kurt Vonnegut — and it leading to a minor argument. That's Kurt, always stirring things up. We do what we can to pay homage to our heroes.
Writers, for the most part, become writers because they started as readers. We're nothing without those who came before us. We owe them all the props. Especially Vonnegut for me. When I was sixteen, I read SLAUGHTER-HOUSE FIVE, and my world was never the same.
This is the third book in what I like to think of as your "Dead Author" trilogy, following STEINBECK'S GHOST and THE HAUNTING OF CHARLES DICKENS. In this story, we meet Sam Clemens, who later goes on to fame and fortune under the pen name, Bret Easton Ellis.
I prefer to call these "literary mysteries." And no, not Bret Easton Ellis. Some of Twain's writings are actually in the more advanced past tense.
Oh, wait, you're right. My bad. The girl who usually comes in to shuffle my note cards has been out sick. Hold on, give me sec.
Color coding, my friend, that's what it's all about. Works for socks and other underthings as well.
Ah-ha, Twain! That's it. Um, okay, each book is thematically linked, but not at all formulaic. Reading one tells you nothing of the others.
I really didn't want to write the same book with plug-in characters. And I tried to offer different aspects in each book. Steinbeck has a male protagonist, Dickens a female, and with Twain, one of each. I also tried to look at different aspects of a writer's life. In Steinbeck, the writer himself is dead and remains as a spirit, in the form of his books. With Dickens, I was looking at The Great Man as a living author, but a fully successful one. With Twain I focused on that crucial summer when Twain made the jump from journalist to fiction writer, when Clemens really became Twain.
To me, that decision was central to the book's success. We meet Sam Clemens, struggling writer, not "Mark Twain," established literary lion. Clemens, like the main characters, Lee and Joan, is still unformed. We can relate to him. All three main characters are poised on the verge of becoming. The future awaits them, exciting and terrifying. I love that about your story, and really it's what I love about children's literature in general. There's this beautiful sense of self-realization, of youth unfurling, of learning how to be. Your book celebrates the cusp of life.
This is one of the reasons I love to write for middle grade readers, because that's what their whole lives are about, bidding farewell to childhood and entering into the murkiness of the grown-up world, with just enough awareness to be both brilliant and naive in their choices. I remember that so much from my own junior high life, how much I tried on different costumes and personae, trying to see what fit, and all the while watching the adults around me and trying to figure out how they became who they were now.'
I'm fascinated by middle schoolers, it's such an age of transition, false starts and new beginnings. Filled with self-doubt and uncertainty. Who am I, where do I belong? Everything is up for grabs, which is tremendously exciting, because it's also a time of great possibility. As you know, I have a 7th grader in my own house, and as maddening as he's become –- and I confess to sometimes wanting to strangle him, his eye-rolling impatience — I often feel great sympathy for my son: the hormones, the emotions, the explosion of brain cells in the frontal cortex. It's a wild ride. The saddest aspect about middle school life is their desperate desire to fit in, their longing to belong, and that often manifests itself in dull conformity. Everyone wearing the same clothes, worried about what everybody else thinks.
That's the great conflict, isn't it? Wanting to fit in, yet dreaming of being your own self. My daughter is in 8th grade — more eye-rolling than 7th — and I see her working hard at both. I do think this is one thing that the best middle grade novels — heck, any of the best novels — can do, give the reader permission and courage to find themselves in that grand sea of confusions.
By the way, "This American Life" did a brilliant episode on Middle School –- so insightful and entertaining. Please, by all means, check it out. You know I wouldn't steer you wrong. You can access the full transcript, too.
You did steer me wrong once, but I called AAA and they got me out of that ditch.
Back to the main river: I think if you wrote about the later Mark Twain, it could have easily led to a tone that was too reverential, all hail The Great One, full of wisdom. But this way, Sam is as flawed and vulnerable –- as human — as Lee and Joan.
I love that Twain here frequently says to Joan and Lee, listen, I'm new to this whole time-travel thing, too, and I'm as clueless as you are. That's a great thing to hear from an adult. I think it gives you more confidence in yourself at that age, and it also makes you feel like less of a freak. If I'd gone for full-blown Twain, the white-suited figure we all know, it would have become, I think, an exercise in bad down-home imitation. In early drafts of the novel, it was that, to an extent, and I had to work hard to resist it.
The book also serves as a love note to San Francisco. The city itself stands as an essential character.
I end up writing about San Francisco over and over again, and it's always a love note. I've lived here twenty-six years now, and not a week goes by that I don't look up and thank my lucky stars. But San Francisco is also a perfect setting for this book in particular because it's a place people have always come to in order to become who they most want to be. There's that freedom here, that license, if you will. It's not a mistake, really, that it was here that Clemens found his Twain.
Yes, exactly. In the book, Miss Greta speculates on the question of why San Francisco? Why are these time-traveling incidents –- where some select few travelers get unstuck in time — — happening here, in this city, of all places. She tells Joan:
"There are other places we've heard about. But San Francisco's a good one. Very popular that way. People come here to find their futures. You can be who you want to be here. Keep a remember on that."
Keep a remember on that. Very nice. You love this city, don't you?
I do love it, for its natural beauty and for the freedom of it. It's been a true gift to raise my daughter, now 13, in this city, and see how that's worked out for her personally, and how she views other people. Everyone here is a freak, in some way, an eccentric, which means of course that everyone is an individual and treats others with the same respect.
Obviously, you must have done a lot of research.
One of the great things about writing these books has been able to say, "Oh, I have to go work now," and then settling down to read Steinbeck, or Dickens, or Twain. I mean, really, Work?
I was happy to come across a video interview with M.T. Anderson. He was asked about his typical workday and he talked about the importance of exercise –- that it was a perfectly valid, essential part of his day as a writer. And I need to be reminded of that permission, you know, that it's okay to do yoga or take a walk or whatever, that it's part of my job. So, thanks for that, M.T. (By the way, did I say "do yoga"? I meant, "lift enormous amounts of heavy weights." I don't want my Nation of Readers to get the wrong idea; I'm a very tough guy.)
Hey, for some of us, doing yoga is lifting enormous amounts of weight. Listen, writin' ain't coal-mining, let's be clear on that. But it's true, so much of a writer's job — at least in my experience — takes place away from the desk. Staring out the window, taking walks, whatever. Writers are, Stein said, "those upon whom nothing is lost." It's part of the job. You look at everything, are interested in everything.
Huh? What? Are you still here?
Focus, focus. You take your ritalin this morning?
Look: a bird!
I've also become a rather devoted historical researcher — histories, biographies, fashion, technologies, and my favorite of all, maps. Whenever I'm working on a new novel, I've got tons of old maps pinned up over my desk, as if they were blueprints and I were just the contractor on the job. Building a whole city in your head and populating it. Work, indeed.
Joan discovers that taking a bath in 1864 was a major hassle.
Listen, no one really wants to go back into the past. Even for the wealthiest of the wealthy, they were mean and dangerous times. A simple infection could kill you, if you made it past childhood. These issues rarely come up in time travel, so I wanted to touch on that. The past? Great place to think about, but no thanks. I'll stay here with hot showers and antibiotics. It's silly to romanticize the past, which, at one time, of course, was the absolute present. One of the things Joan notices about SF in 1864 is how new it looks. To her 2012 San Francisco is sort of old and falling apart.
You take delight in the language of the times. "Sorry don't milk the goat, " Miss Greta says at one point.
I may have stolen that from Dr. Phil, I'm afraid.
Ha! We stand on the shoulders of giants.
But it also comes from steeping myself — again and again — in Twain, whose language just pops all over the place. I've got notebooks filled with expressions and words I just couldn't fit in. My two favorite Twainisms that made it into the book — he uses these in both Huck and Tom Sawyer are, "Honor Bright," a mild oath along the lines of "I'll be," and "Hang fire," meaning it's time to chillax.
Literally, to hang the lantern on a hook. Settle in. Hang fire.
I also had fun teaching Twain — who would have been curious to learn it — about the slang of Joan and Lee's time. Lee teaches him how to say "Dude" at one point, and "Freak out."
You write powerfully about the discrimination experienced by the Chinese residents in San Francisco during the 19th century. The so-called "Chinese Menace" or "Yellow Peril." For Joan as a fully assimilated Chinese-American to see it, and feel it, and by frightened by it, well, I just thought you brought that period home in a very real, hard-hitting way. Joan was the key to telling that part of the story.
San Francisco was a horrid place to be Chinese, for long, long decades, but now the Chinese community in SF is very powerful and very much the majority. These are my neighbors I'm talking about, my daughter's schoolmates. This goes back to what I was saying about the past. Things have gotten better — slowly, slowly, but better.
In each of these books I've tried to bring in really urgent social issues: racial discrimination and violence in both Twain and Steinbeck, child labor in Dickens. It seems a disservice to any reader — young or old — to overlook these matters. And besides, that's one reason we still turn to these three writers, their concerns for social justice, their unflinching attitudes toward our cruelties.
The book is also, at its heart, an old-fashioned adventure. Amidst all the research and big ideas, it's important to remember that.
In the first draft, it was all adventure, all chase and struggle. My editor, Liz Szabla, told me time travel was really hard and I needed to be careful. I came to discover, through Liz's editing, that I'd used time travel as a gimmick, when what I really wanted to do was write a book about time. That was hard. The adventure has to serve the bigger concerns of the book; a book that's just car chases and gun fights is really only a lousy movie.
I think far too many books today aspire to only that, the dream that somebody in Hollywood will turn it into a lousy movie. Ca-ching!
I'm not saying I'm not interested in a movie deal. No chump, me.
No, of course, we'd all love to pay off the mortgage and get college squared away. Fame and glory on the red carpet with Brad and Angelina. However, there seems to be an increasing amount of books written as if, well, they were not intended for readers. Plot, plot, plot; frantically paced. I decided that, for me, the ultimate reader is someone who isn't afraid of being bored. Like a baseball fan. That is, I have to trust that the reader is going to hang with me a little bit, because I'm not really set up to write every story like it's a roller coaster ride. Does that make sense? I don't plan on boring anybody, exactly, but I can't be overly worried that I need a car chase in the next three paragraphs or my readers won't turn the page.
I write, I believe, for people who like to read, who want to see the world in a slower, more engaged way. We have enough "fast" media in the world. Books are meant to be slow, which of course, takes away nothing of their excitement.
Lewis, don't tell my wife, but I think I'm falling in love with you. Anyway! Almost midway into the book, Joan and Lee realize that this fellow they've been hanging around with, this Sam Clemens guy, is actually . . . Mark Twain, the famous author. I wondered about that a little bit, how many typical middle schoolers would know about Twain. Or care. And the great thing about BRIDGE OF TIME is that it's incidental: Twain, the great author, doesn't really matter. A reader doesn't have to know a thing about him to enjoy this story.
Lots of middle schoolers will have read Tom or Huck already, though not most. However, when I visit middle grade classrooms I always ask about Twain, and most know something about him, or at least about Huck. The interesting thing about these writers — especially Twain and Dickens — is if you haven't read the work you still know about them because they are such a part of the cultural currency. Yes, even in this iMac iMad world we live in. Bah Humbug. There you have it. I also chose each of these writers, however, with the hope of getting that one interested reader to move on to Steinbeck, Twain, or Dickens. This is the age, really, when kids will begin to read their first adult books, and these writers are perfect for that time.
Yes, we've touched on that topic before. How for readers of our vintage, there was no "YA" exactly, we just merrily went on to Steinbeck or Bradbury or Vonnegut or Brautigan. Then I guess S.E. Hinton came along, Paul Zindel, and others who became intensely interested in those earlier stages of life, the teenage years, and the publishers figured out there might be a market for it.
When I think of the best MG and YA writers, I don't make any distinctions in age groups. For example, I'd put Virginia Hamilton's PLANET OF JUNIOR BROWN up against any "adult" novel, and the adult novel would pale. Good writing is good writing: period. Alas, much of what gets published in the MG and YA niches is just dreck, plain and simple. But in this way, it resembles most of what gets published in the adult trade, pure dreck. This is as old as publishing itself.
I identified with an aspect of Sam Clemens, the part of him that was fearful, that lacked self-confidence, doubted if he was good enough. You know, I've really felt that all my life –- I feel that right now with the book I'm writing — and I'd bet that most artists have experienced those same doubts. Clemens is scared out of his mind, paralyzed, that he's not up to the task of becoming the writer he always wanted to be. Is that something you've felt?
I feel it every day. I mean, no matter what I'm doing, I still feel a fraud, and that I might get caught out at any moment. Don't we all feel that way a bit? And kids especially. But I never feel it more intently than when I sit down to write. From having read so many journals and biographies and letters, etc., of other writers, I'm convinced this is true of all artists. No matter how much I've written, when I sit down to begin a new project, I think, I have no idea what I'm doing. And this is good. If you set out knowing exactly what you're doing, well, then you're probably going to write something stale, without surprises. The poet Richard Hugo put it so gracefully: "Hope hard always to fall short of success." It's the doubt that makes you work harder.
Finally there comes a time when Sam must face his own future –- which is what the book is about, for all of us, daring to become our very selves. There's a lovely scene between Joan and Sam. She recognizes the fear he's experiencing. And Joan tells him what she believes Twain would say to him (Sam), if he (Twain), only could: "He would tell you that you must try. That you should cast off."
Sam would not look at Joan.
"I am afraid to even try," he said.
It was strange to see Sam this way, all the brash taken out of him. Deflated. But oddly reassuring, too. It made Sam seem more real.
"I am afraid of trying," Sam said, "because I want so badly to be who I think I might one day be. And if I fail . . . I'll have no future at all."
We're back to the doubt. You can be paralyzed by it, or you can recognize it and make the big leap forward. Kids, too, know that adults are often full of b.s., and can see through facades like x-ray machines. It's just better for them to have it acknowledged. Sam's doubt does paralyze him for a while, but in the end, it's his doubt that propels him forward.
I have to say this. As a rule, I hate time travel. It never makes sense to me, and too often it's handled crudely, non-sensibly. I mean, yes, there's a conceit, as readers we have to take that leap of faith and go with it. But, but, but. It still has be remain credible –- the reactions, the motivations, even the science, to a degree — and I think you achieved that in the best possible way.
Time travel — which we believe to be impossible — is mostly a wish-fulfillment fantasy. If only I could have saved Lincoln . . . But I don't believe the world can be changed that way. I do believe, however, that our awareness of time — through history and literature and other media — can give us a much clearer sense of ourselves. In the end, this is what I aimed for.
But, my goodness, it must have been complicated to write. No? I mean, just keeping it straight, keeping the internal logic in line with some kind of familiar reality. Was there a lot of revision?
Oh lord. There were long chapters in the early drafts — I did five MAJOR revisions of this book — where Lee and Joan and Twain just sat around talking about time and how it worked. It took me forever to get it down to just what I wanted. And finally the answer came from Twain. In the book, Sam talks about the Mississippi and how sometimes it's so large, you think you're still on the river but you've really gone into a side channel and you're away from the main current, often for miles. That's what Sam says to Joan and Lee about Time Travel — it's just a diversion, one that gives you a better view of the real thing, and in the end, you've got to go back to the main current. That's where life happens.
I see that you dedicated the book to your editor, Liz Szabla.
Liz took a huge chance on me with STEINBECK'S GHOST, buying it on a proposal, and then when that was done, took another chance on these ideas about Dickens and Twain. Really did change so much for me. Not only is she a brilliant editor — meaning she see through to the essential heart of a story and leaves behind the silly "market" questions, she offers what writers really need, the sense of support. Publishing a book hardly ever "changes" your life in some miraculous way, but it does give you the support you need to go on, write the next one. She's the rarest of editors.
Agreed. We're very, very lucky to have her on our side. You know, my hair bristles when I hear complaints about messages in books. As if that's a bad thing, or an avoidable thing. I contend that you can't tell a story without values and messages embedded throughout. The issue is one of craft –- how artfully these messages are delivered. And in this book, one message can be reduced to two words: CAST OFF. "Have fun. Look around. It'll be okay." Dare to dream. Or as Maurice Sendak ended his recent interview with Terry Gross on Fresh Air, "Life your life, live your life, live your life."
There's a huge difference between a message and a moral. Messages are deeper, more subterranean, closer to the heart, unsaid. Yes, Twain does come out and say it, but it seems almost frivolous at the time. What better message could there be? It's what friends do for one another, offer that permission and challenge.
Good distinction. Joan again seems to get the deepest thoughts:
"Joan no longer believed what Sam had said, back on the Paul Jones, about lessons and morals and how they could ruin an exciting adventure. She now firmly believed, from her own experience, that the best adventures offered you lessons, no matter what. If not, an adventure was just a roller coaster ride. An amusement. A true adventure, Joan realized, took you places –- or times –- you could not have begun to imagine. Always something to be learned in the unknown."
If a book is true to life — and not just some pre-fabbed fantasy world—then there have got to be lessons — or messages. A book is a way for the reader, I think, to examine the world deeply and courageously. Or at least a way of finding that courage. I read books because they talk about the world, and when I'm done, they make me want to go out into it.
Do you have a favorite part of the book?
There's a scene where Lee and Joan and Twain, while being chased, take a small sailboat out onto San Francisco Bay, and I think it's my favorite bit of prose ever. The danger of the pursuit has passed, but the danger of the black water is still there. I like that.
While the flames from the Paul Jones licked into the night sky, Sam unfurled and hoisted the sail, and a soft southerly breeze caught and inflated it. The boat jerked once, then set off gliding over the black water.
Lee stared forlornly after the Paul Jones.
The waning moon offered enough light to enchant the night. The bay was black but visible. It was perfectly quiet out here, and Lee was happy with that.
They emerged from their sheltered cove into the open bay, and a stiff wind caught the sail. It felt to Lee as if a hand was pushing the boat from behind.
Up ahead was the black silhouette of Yerba Buena Island, partway between San Francisco and Oakland. Where the Bay Bridge and the man-made Treasure Island was supposed to be.
As the boat came even with the southern tip of Yerba Buena Island, a sharp hissing noise filled the air. But before Lee could turn, three sleek sails hove into view on their starboard. The three boats were longer and thinner than Sam's old clunker, and their sails were enormous. The boats rode low in the water, the sails tipped so far over they etched the surface of the bay. One dark shape manned each tiller.
You write beautifully, Lewis. And readers should know that the above passage came on the heels of a tumultuous scene with butchers, cleavers, shotguns and burning ships (are you listening, Hollywood?!). The veritable calm after the storm: Expertly paced. My old friend, the great Scholastic editor Craig Walker, used to say that the best thing Twain ever did was get Huck out on the water. Because then it was all there, the physical liquid space, sliding through the solid world, but also floating on literature's richest metaphor: water -– of consciousness and time, currents and dangers, life's eddies and so on.
That's why Huck is Huck. He's out on the water, watching the placid, unchanging towns go by. You get a better view of the world from there, and you're going some place, changing with the world as it changes you.
Lewis, thank you for giving us this beautiful, inspiring book. Look, as you know from my private complaints, I'm often brutally dissatisfied with children's books. There are so many that I find to be cynical, commercial, copycat, disappointing. And, yes, the counterpoint holds true: many are rich and wonderful, the best books imaginable. With the BRIDGE OF TIME, I declare you on the side of the angels. I respect and admire what you've achieved here. Because you wrote an adventure, a fun story, but also a story that is deep, that has meaning, and heart, and enduring value. It's the genuine article. I wish for this book to find the audience it deserves –- and earn some starred reviews in the process. Good luck to you, Lewis. And now, if you'll excuse me, I must . . . cast off.
James, all I can say to such praise is, "the check's in the mail."
Forget that, Lewis. My dream is to make it out to the Left Coast someday. Catch a baseball game, watch Timmy pitch, and chat our way through nine innings.
You're on. We have the best garlic fries in the league, and Gulden's Spicy Brown mustard for our dogs. Or we can even go for free. Part of the right field fence at AT&T has a clear view from outside the park, and anyone can go there and watch the game in what we call The Arcade. I think that's where writers belong anyway, outside looking in.
If you enjoyed this interview, please check out my 2009 interview with Lewis, back when he was a hirsute middleweight, boxing under the name Louie "The Buzz Saw" Buzbee. The interview is in three parts, it's lively and fun and features a taser.
Want to see Lewis on television? Sure you do! Click here for a nice interview, based on his wonderful book, THE YELL0W-LIGHTED BOOKSHOP.
Category: Interviews & Appreciations, the writing process / Tags: Billy Pilgrim, Breakfast of Champions, Bridge of Time, Chinese menace, Craig Walker, Dr. Phil, Hang fire, Honor bright, Hope hard always to fall short of success, I have no idea what I'm doing, Importance of Vonnegut, James Preller, James Preller Interview, Kurt Vonnegut, Lewis Buzbee, literary mysteries, Liz Szabla, Love note to san Francisco, M.T. Anderson, Maurice Sendak, Paul Zindel, Planet of Junior Brown, Preller Before You Go, Ray Bradbury, Richard Brautigan, Richard Hugo, S.E. Hinton, Sam Clemens, Slaughter-house Five, Sorry don't milk the goat, Steinbeck's Ghost, Terry Gross interview, The Haunting of Charles Dickens, The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop, This American Life Middle School, Time Travel in Children's Books, time travel in children's literature, Twain expressions, Unstuck in time, Video interview M.T. Anderson, Virginia Hamilton, yellow peril
James Preller Interviews . . . Lewis Buzbee, Author of "The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop."
October 4, 2009 / jimmy / 2 comments
As a kid, I used to come home from St. Frances De Chantal Elementary in the late 60's and early 70's to find my grandmother sitting in front of the television, sipping brandy, watching the soaps. She especially loved "The Edge of Night." Then at 4:30, I'd get up and switch the channel for her, turning the big knob over to "The Mike Douglas Show."
It was a daily, syndicated variety show, and Mike would begin each day's show by singing a popular song. I loved it. I sat with Granny Good Witch — as we called my grandmother — for many, many hours watching Mike Douglas. He seemed like such a nice man.
One of the great things about the show was that he'd have guest co-hosts who would stay for the full week. It could be Sammy Davis, Jr., Richard Harris, Charo, Soupy Sales (photo, below), Barbra Streisand, whoever. Most famously, Mike snagged John Lennon and Yoko Ono for the week-long co-host gig, February 14-18, 1972. It was an inspired invitation, and made for legendary, if at times uncomfortable, television.
That's how I want to play it this week. I'm Mike Douglas, and my guest co-host will be author Lewis Buzbee, and he'll be hanging out all week long. There will be laughs and there might be pie.
Originally, we set out to do a standard interview. But as happens with good conversations, we couldn't stop talking. Lewis is a terrific guy, quick on his feet, with deep thoughts and insights, and a sense of humor, too. Mostly, he's a book lover and a man of great passions (fortunately, I carry a taser). I know you'll like him.
What follows is Part One of a Three-Part Mini Series, titled "The Never-ending Lewis Buzbee Interview."
Hey, everybody, look — it's my co-host for the week, Lewis Buzbee! The man who asks the question, "How do you press a wildflower into the pages of an e-book?"
Everything all right, Lewis? You look a little drawn. Ho-ho. Seriously, thanks for stopping by, Lewis. No, we don't need to hug. I mean it, DUDE. That's enough. I'm warning you! I keep a taser in my man purse . . .
. . . and I will tase you, bro. Go sit in the big comfy chair.
Don't tase me, bro!
And don't tase my bro, either.
Congratulations on your first children's novel, Steinbeck's Ghost. I definitely want to talk about that book later in the week. But first, I have to say: I loved The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop.
Thank you, Mr. Preller.
Please, not so formal. "Mr. Preller, Sir," is fine. Your book opens with a confession of sorts:
"When I walk into a bookstore, any bookstore, first thing in the morning, I'm flooded with a sense of hushed excitement. I shouldn't feel this way. I've spent most of my adult life working in bookstores, either as a bookseller or a publisher's sales rep, and even though I no longer work in the business, as an incurable reader I find myself in a bookstore at least five times a week. Shouldn't I be blase about it all by now? In the quiet of such a morning, however, the store's displays stacked squarely and its shelves tidy and promising, I know that this is no mere shop. When a bookstore opens its doors, the rest of the world enters, too, the day's weather and the day's news, the streams of customers, and of course the boxes of books and the many other worlds they contain — books of facts and truths, books newly written and those first read centuries before, books of great relevance and of absolute banality. Standing in the middle of this confluence, I can't help but feel the possibility of the universe unfolding a little, once upon a time."
First, Mr. Buzbee, Sir, that was beautiful. But as I read your book, I kept worrying about your family. Do they have enough to eat? Does his daughter have new clothes for school? You seem to buy a LOT of books.
You know, we do buy a lot of books, but now that I've given up bookselling for the glitzy life of a writer, well, it's just money, money, money.
It's a funny question, though, that I get a lot. People assume if you buy hundreds of books a year that, well, it's somehow superfluous spending. But people with $60,000 cars never get the same sort of grief. I mean 60 G's for a car? You've gotta be kidding.
You've lived a life that's been centered around the reading life. Tell us about your background.
I grew up in a very working class home in San Jose, California, where we had books, of course, and where my parents read for their own pleasure, but nothing too New York Review of Books about it. My parents, children of the Great Depression, looked at books as a way for their kids to get a better education. But I never set out to be a bookseller or a writer. It happened, and quite by accident. I was on my way to being a rock star, when my life was changed by a high-school book report on Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath.
I was fifteen. I had never before felt anything so powerful, his words, and I had never felt so connected to the rest of the world either. After that, the other pieces of my life followed, if not purposefully, then easily. When I was eighteen, I got a job in a bookstore; I'd heard you got a discount on books. And when I discovered that booksellers sometimes got free books, well, that was it.
Can you remember a specifc scene in the book when the light turned on for you? I have to confess, I read it for the first time this summer — and I was staggered by the writing, the pure telling of it. Also, Steinbeck's humanity, the strong feeling he so obviously had for those characters.
It's that first chapter, the description of the Dust Bowl, one of those epic, overview chapters. Seeing the world described with such power — that's magic isn't it? You put some black squiggly lines on a page, and an entire world appears.
And it was that sudden. I read that first chapter — somewhat grudgingly — and put the book down, deciding there and then that I would become a writer. Then I wrote my first short story, and it was only I finished that story, that I went back to the book. And the world just kept getting bigger and bigger.
The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop feels like an inevitability — this unlikely book that absolutely had to happen — and that it had to come from exactly you.
I knew a long time ago — many years into my writing career, and after my first novel, that I would have to write this book. Perhaps fifteen years before I actually sat down to write it. There were, I knew, a lot of books about the antique book trade, but nothing, really, that was a general appreciation of the new bookstore. I suppose I needed to write it, too, because, as I said earlier, the bookstore had given me so much. So much pleasure.
Easy, Lewis. Get back in the chair.
Not the ta —
BbzzzzzzzzttTTTT!
Man, I love that crackly sound! You should have seen your face, Lewis, the way your eyes bulged out! Hysterical. Now please continue . . .
Um, okay. Just let me get the feeling back in my arms and legs. I think I waited to write the book until my bookselling career — as both a bookseller and sales rep — had come to an end. I needed that distance. I never wanted to write a critique or an expose. It had to be an appreciation.
I can identify with that, because I knew I'd always have to write a baseball book of some kind or another. Baseball had seeped into every aspect of my life, as a boy, as a father, in my relationships with people, these powerful associations with my own mother, my sense of competition and play. It had to spill over into my writing.
There is a tired old maxim, write what you know. It's often misinterpreted, of course. I think it has to be this: write what you love. Even if you're arguing with it, or hating it at the moment, write what you love. Yes, I know bookstores, but thousands of other people know much more than I do about the business. No one, though, has quite loved the bookstore as much as I do. I've stared at it for decades, and always with love.
Yes, write what you feel. We can learn about all sorts of things, do research, find out, know. But unless the heart attaches to it, well, I don't know how you can go to work each day.
I once had a student who offered up a great piece of advice — write about what you are most ashamed of. An interesting tack, that. It immediately calls you to powerful emotions.
Obviously, you analyzed the marketplace and decided: What the world needs now (besides love, sweet love) is a book that's part memoir, part history of bookstores. Instant bestseller! Why James Patterson didn't do it already is beyond me.
Well, that would have required Patterson to write much longer paragraphs. So, that answers that. But a psychotic murderer in the bookstore — hey, let me write that down.
Actually, I did know the book would do well — it did quite well, thanks. Because I've spoken with too many people over the years who feel as deeply about the bookstore as I do. And I knew they would want to the words to express that feeling, words to help them see it new.
I love that observation, Lewis. Writers can provide that, I think; so can good public speakers. Many people don't seem to have the language to articulate those feelings. We see it at weddings, funerals, toasts at family events. I'm always so grateful to those people who can kind of, I don't know, say it for us.
Of course, I am thinking of all those copywriters at Hallmark.
My mother is possibly the greatest supporter of Hallmark cards in the country, by the way. I get Thanksgiving cards from her! Thanksgiving cards? Amazing. And very specific ones — Thanksgiving cards that extol the virtues of a "very special son."
I'm not dissing this, by the way, I'm glad people have that outlet. Otherwise, whoo, what a world.
There were so many moments in the book that I enjoyed — and not just that it came in at the optimal length of 225 pages — but sentences I had to underline, paragraphs where I'd put exclamation points in the margins. There's a line you wrote, "to remember a book is to remember the child who read that book."
It's sort of a crib from Proust actually. I had the idea, of course, for a long time, but in his wonderful essay, "On Reading," he helped me put words to it. When I remember a favorite book, I'm remembering, too, who I was at the time I read it. I just re-read Ray Carver's first book of stories, Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?, and as well as being reminded of his genius and moved by the stories, I also remembered being a freshman in college who did nothing during spring finals week but read Carver instead. It was not a good semester grade-wise.
I guess that's where the memoir aspect of this book became inevitable for you. You couldn't talk about books without memories flooding back — it was impossible to separate the reading life from your actual life.
I knew that the memoir of a bookseller was bound to be pretty dull stuff. It's not an amazing life, in that way. My father was a deep-sea diver for the Navy; now that's a life worth writing about. I included the memoir bits kind of strategically. I wanted to put in enough of my own experience — but not too much — so that the reader would be able to relate to the memories, and yet still have enough space to put in their own memories. My memoir, as if were, is really only there as a touchstone.
But it's true. I am a reader — and I would guess you are, too. In fact, anyone reading this, well, it goes without saying. But I've always been suspicious of people who want to separate the "reading" from the "life." For many of us, reading is an integral part of life, not a vacation from it. And not in a self-help way, either. It's just a part of what I do, and it influences how I go into the world, how I engage with it. I've always considered reading an active undertaking, not passive.
Wow, Lewis. Word.
End of Part One. Please come back on Wednesday for Part Two (or click here right now!) of "The Never-Ending Lewis Buzbee Interview" — he'll be here all week! We'll talk about the Kindle, Star Trek, Facebook, Katharine Ross, the "death of the novel," the twitterverse, and raise a glass to idiots everywhere!
Next week my co-hosts will be: Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme!
Category: Greatest Hits, Interviews & Appreciations / Tags: James Preller Interviews, John Steinbeck, Lewis Buzbee, lewis buzbee interview, Steinbeck's Ghost, The Grapes of Wrath, The Mike Douglas Show, The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop, thoughts on the reading life, to remember a book is to remember the child who read th
September 22, 2009 / jimmy / One comment
Some quick hits today:
* "Ritual" would be too big a word for it, too religious; "tradition" doesn't feel quite right either. But when I begin a new book, I go to my local CVS and buy one of these bad boys:
Which I did yesterday. It's more than a little daunting. I don't know what this book will be about, exactly. I mean, yes, I have some notions, a few seeds, but mostly: a boatload of blank pages and a world of possibilities. Exciting, to venture out into that snow.
* I'm really happy that my fifth-grade son, Gavin, just read and enjoyed this book:
I discovered it over at Literate Lives and the book sounded interesting. So I went to the library and picked up a copy, hoping that it might pass Gavin's sniff test. I think the baseball on the cover helped. As some sort of boy's defense mechanism against poetry, Gavin still contends that the book — written in free verse — "wasn't really poetry so much." He identified with the main character, who plays piano and baseball; but the book also stretched him in new directions, in terms of format and content. You can read some reviews here and here. Congratulations to first-time author, Ann Burg. You did good.
* I'm plotting a long conversation with author Lewis Buzbee. I just finished reading (and loving!) this book . . .
and I intend to read this one, too . . .
Sometimes you read an author, or a blog, and you just simply like that person. Which is not at all a requirement for liking a book, mind you. Anyway, I'm excited about getting to spend time with Lewis, and I know my Nation of Readers will enjoy him, too.
* I get it, nobody really thinks they have thirty minutes to waste spend watching a video. But think about it. If the time invested inspires you, gives you ideas, colors the way you look at the world, entertains you, than thirty minutes is a low, low price to pay. That is: You do, you really do. I found this over at Talkworthy and all I can say is, make the time. The video is titled "The Art of Possibility" and features a talk given by Benjamin Zander. It will inspire you. And as a parent with three kids who take piano lessons, in a house where music is important and valued, I found it especially relevant. Check. It. Out.
* The next book I'm reading:
* Let me send you away with this great cover of "What's Going On" by Los Lobos. Silky cool, like the other side of the pillow on a warm summer night.
Category: Around the Web, Music, Readings, the writing process / Tags: All the Broken Pieces, Ann Burg, Benjamin Zander, Lewis Buzbee, Literate Lives, Steinbeck's Ghost, Talkworthy, The Art of Possibility, The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop


Poor girl has been sick! When active, crazy Joy sleeps during the day, it's bad.
During her four days out of school, she was going a little stir crazy. We painted nails. She wanted to play the Wii. Friday she was able to go back to school.
Sweet Joy! She likes to dress herself and more often than not she puts on her clothes backwards. Wearing her jeans backwards was a new one though!
All dressed up for the cold! Playing with her feet – crazy girl!


text:
Q: Add directories to ASP.NET shadow copy via webconfig Is there anyway to mark a folder (other than Bin folder) to be shadow copied by adding some configurations in web.config ?
I don't think Application_Start be a good place for setting up AppDomainSetup.ShadowCopyDirectories because at that point AppDomain is already loaded.

A: You are correct once the app domain is created changing the shadow directory location is not possible. You would need to create a separate app domain to point at a different directory. Since bin is shadow copied anyway why not add a sub directory in bin with your additional content ?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Reader and John survive Olduvai, but neither knows the other is still alive. They meet 216 years later at Olduvai under different circumstances.
Summary: "I want you to have this."
AU. When John 'Reaper' Grimm and the rest of the RRTS get sent to Mars, he never expected to find his soul mate in the form of his sisters friend and work colleague. With Imp's running wild, people dropping dead and orders which could threaten the lives of everyone present at the Olduvai facility, just how far will Reaper go to protect the ones he loves most. Fem!Kirk/Reaper!McCoy.
This an idea I got stuck in my head and had to write out. It's been partly inspired by a story on here called 'Nothing But His Fish Bones' by JaneyKatherineHummingbird, whose story made me fall in love with the fem!Kirk idea and re-watching Doom not long after reading it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or Doom.
They had to go to the one place he didn't want to be, but he'd be damned if they left him behind. RRTS is sent to Olduvai and the Nightmare ensues, all Hell breaks loose.
There's a face in his head that shouldn't be there, and the Demons of Mars have followed him back to Earth.
Centuries after Olduvai, a cure was found for the mutated victims of C-24, if their body was not destroyed. Reaper finds this out and uses it to his advantage. Join the reunited RRTS team as they cope with life aboard the Enterprise.


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Wokingham Borough Council
Wokingham's Eustace Crescent reduced to piles of rubble as transformation project begins
Demolition of the run-down council estate is well underway and planning permission for the new Pheonix Avenue will be decided in the next few months.
Naomi Agius
Eustace Crescent gallery
A street dubbed Useless Crescent is one step closer to ditching its unpleasant nickname, as more than half the buildings have been knocked down.
Our photographs show Eustace Crescent being reduced to piles of rubble as wrecking teams work to transform the run-down estate.
Demolition is well under way and planning permission for the replacement street – Phoenix Avenue – is due to be decided by Wokingham Borough Council in the next few months.
A council spokeswoman confirmed demolition was going well.
Eustace Crescent will rise from the ashes to become Phoenix Avenue
She added: "It is hoped the whole site will be levelled and cleared by the end of November."
Councillor David Lee, who represents Norreys ward, said: "I know that people are delighted with the start and things are moving along faster than they were before, with demolition to fully be finished within the next couple of weeks and building to start next year."
Subject to planning approval, construction of replacement homes by council-owned Wokingham Housing Ltd will start on site early next year.
Demolition of Eustace Crescent expected to start in next few weeks
The road's new name was unanimously chosen by a panel of residents and councillors in July, after The Wokingham Times ran a competition asking for readers suggestions.
The process to officially rename the road has also started.
Louise McGow, who lives in nearby Barrett Crescent and sat on the panel, said she was pleased to see demolition was taking place but added that, as the residents had all been rehoused, the estate had lost its community spirit.
She said: "It's a bit strange as people seem to have moved on and no one has really been talking about it.
"The community got split up and dotted around and seem to be settling in well to their new homes, but there isn't that group of people talking about it."
Work started in August after plans to transform the tired 1960s blocks were submitted at the end of July.
The new homes will range from one-bedroom flats to four-bedroom houses, with the final design reflecting comments from public consultations – including more parking spaces.
The borough will spend £13million on the redevelopment, with the shared equity homes to be built in phases over two years.
ReadingBaby ends up in hospital after spending months in freezing Reading flatHer angry granddad says his daughter and her children need to move "now"
Berkshire weather: When is it likely to snow or sleet in Reading, Slough, Windsor and other Berkshire towns


The Federal Aviation Administration and the US Department for Transportation have confirmed that it will use airspace in Nevada to test drones as part of its new pilot program.
The UAS Test Site Smart Silver State program, which will test UAVs in urban airspace, will take place in Reno while additional testing will be overseen in Henderson and Laughlin.
According to a report from the Washington Post, Elaine Chao, the U.S. Transportation Secretary, said the new nine-month project is separate from the traditional FAA air traffic management system.
She went on to describe how its aim is to integrate drone flights within the country's airspace system, create a shared information network and gather for FAA rulemaking.
Chris Walach, executive director of the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems, told the Post that the project will help the industry take steps towards BVLOS in built up areas for the likes of deliveries and surveillance.


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We want each person in the church to not just change religions or respond to and altar call, but to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Unless a person is born again they cannot enter the Kingdom of God. Too many people just change religions or add Jesus to their religion or philosophy. Like John the Baptist, Jesus and the apostles, we preach repentance - believe the Good News, turn from your wicked ways and start to follow Jesus. Our desire is for them to be pricked in their heart and understand they really need a savior. We often use God's Law which was "given to us as a tutor to bring us to Christ".
We seek God's pattern in the Word for all we do. We preach from the Bible and teach from the Bible. It is imperative to get a Bible into the hands of every believer and to help them begin the habit of not only reading it, but obeying it every day.
We follow King David's pattern of worship - we dance, shout, kneel, bow and express our worship through our emotions. We place a high value on the presence of God in the church worship experience as we build a throne for Jesus Christ to dwell on and we create an atmosphere for Him to do what He pleases among us. We also believe in using both contemporary Christian music as well as traditional Cambodian music in their appropriate places. We believe Biblical principles of worship supercede cultural traditions.
Disciples are Christians who have committed themselves to follow the Lord Jesus and have changed their lifestyle to do so. Disciples are made in small groups. Our goal in making disciples is not to oversee every detail of their life, but to show them that they can know Jesus, apply the Bible to their life and problems, tell others about Jesus and make more disciples. "A disciple is not a disciple until he or she is making disciples."
All of our churches are church-planting churches. Our intent in every place is to build a strong base which can reach out to surrounding villages and cities. We intend to start churches in every province in Cambodia. Each independent church will have the same foundation and philosophy.
We must emphasize holiness, honesty, morality and personal purity in every human relationship. We must emphasize this again and again and again using every method.
We want to see what the Father is doing. Jesus followed the leading of the Father. We encourage the members of our church to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit and to be filled with the Holy Spirit daily, seeking His guidance in everything we do. Our victory and success as Christians and as a church is by having a daily relationship with the Holy Spirit.
God wants to do wonderful things in our life, however, we receive all by faith. True faith is active faith--it believes with the heart, confesses with the mouth, and obeys. We believe we must persevere in faith until the answer is manifest. We live by faith, not by sight or emotions. In this is our victory.
God is full of grace. He doesn't punish us or give us what we deserve. He is patient and forbearing. We do not obtain God's blessings or salvation by works or good deeds of any kind. We receive all freely from God.
The Christian life is a life of sacrifice. We sacrifice our time, our money and even our life if necessary for the Kingdom of God. However, we believe in balance and not reckless living with no though for the future.
We are committed to relationships with others. We must maintain open relationships, which involves tactful honesty and forgiveness. We must teach forgiveness and constantly encourage others to forgive as Jesus has forgiven us. This major stronghold in Cambodia that cannot be overlooked.
We have no intent of "taking over" Cambodia; however, we feel God has called Christians to influence Cambodian society in the following areas: religion; education; entertainment; government; social relationships. Our church programs, training and discipleship work toward that end.
Christians are winners. We live above the circumstances, not below them. We are the head and not the tail. We change circumstances by God's Word, faith and perseverance. We do nut grumble or complain about our situation, but find God's grace and victory in the midst of that situation. Jesus desires to live His victorious life through us. We endeavor to allow Jesus to manifest Himself in us.
We believe speaking in unlearned tongues is an evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and is vital in our relationship with Christ and successful Christian living. We teach it, preach it, pray for people to receive it and encourage every member of our church and staff to speak in tongues daily.
We believe we have a Scriptural Mandate to not only minister to the spirit of mankind in salvation, but also to the soul and body. This would include education, mental health, and physical health in what is commonly called "holistic ministry".
The dignity of all people, made male and female in God's image and made to have a relationship with God, rule creation, represent God and reproduce; yet corrupted by sin, which incurs divine wrath and judgement.
The atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross: dying in our place, paying the price of sin and defeating death and evil, so reconciling us with God.
The Church, the body of Christ both local and universal, the priesthood of all believers - given life by the Spirit and endowed with the Spirit's gifts to worship God and proclaim the gospel, bringing God's will in heaven to earth.


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Joey graduated from Central Washington University with a Masters in Exercise Physiology. During his time at CWU he was the assistant strength coach for the majority of the athletic programs. He provides proper workouts and program design for all populations, age groups, and specific needs. Currently he is the fitness training manager of Anytime Fitness in Buckley and Orting. At these gyms he trains everyone from weekend warriors to professional athletes. Joey is an avid powerlifter and enjoys being active outside whever possible.


Are you ready for ANOTHER fun blogiversary giveaway?
We have more books by Karen Katz than any other. I love the consistency of illustrations in all of her books - at a young age, my daughter was able to identify any book written/illustrated by her because of this. Did I mention it is a "Lift-the-Flap" book?
We LOVE anything by Melissa & Doug - and this is by far, our most used piece.
One of our newest birthday traditions is making and wearing a felt crown on your special day. If you win this giveaway package, I'll make your child a custom crown for their next birthday.
Wanna win? Read below . . .
Giveaway Entries: For your chance to win, leave a comment on this post by Saturday, January 15th @ midnight. To get a second entry into the giveaway, post about Toddler Approved AND this giveaway on your blog or Facebook page and send us a link in the comments section so we can check out your blog/page too! For a third chance (I'm all about increasing your odds) tell me your favorite birthday tradition. I'll announce the winner chosen from random on Monday morning, January 17th.
My favourite birthday tradition is to give our children a beautiful hardback classic book each year (Winnie the pooh, Alice in Wonderland, peter pan etc...). Even though they may not be age appropriate at the time it helps to build up a selection of great books to treasure in years to come.
Our tradition is to go somewhere unusual on birthday, like camping.
Our birthday tradition is to buy a book for each member of the family and then read it together.
yes please! we've checked that katz book out from the library SEVERAL times now...and M+D always have such fun toys. and your felt crowns are so fun etta! more creative than mine, that's for sure!
Well, as my son is only 7 weeks old, we haven't begun any traditions yet. I am looking forward to them when they do arrive!
We love Karen Katz books too! I'd love a free one!
One of our birthday traditions is to let the birthday person choose where to eat for dinner. Kyle chose Chick-fil-A this year. I hope he is always that easy to please :).
Wow! I am new to your blog, but will definitely be a loyal follower! I love all the transportation themed activities you have. What an amazing give away!
Both my kids have birthdays coming up in the next couple months. My son turns three and would love wearing one of those crowns!
Favorite birthday tradition - homemade cakes make by grandma (my mom). Last year she made my daughter a My Little Pony cake and my son a Thomas the Train.
What a fun giveaway. I'd love to win it for my daughter's upcoming third birthday.
Love your blog. Thanks for sharing with all of us!
My favorite birthday traditions are taking a birthday picture in the same spot each year, having homemade cakes, displaying favorite pictures of my son throughout the past year, and having everyone write him a birthday message for his scrapbook.
I love birthdays! I hope I win!


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Home » Others » Investigation proceeding in pre-determined manner
Investigation proceeding in pre-determined manner
Leader Of Opposition in Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said that the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu and the Director General of Police in AP, RP Thakur were deliberately playing down the conspiracy behind the attempt on his life in the VIP lounge of Visakhapatnam airport on October 25.
It may be recalled that a chef, Srinivasa Rao, in Fusion Foods, a restaurant at the airport owned by Harshavardhan Prasad Chaudhary, a prominent Telugu Desam party activist,lunged at the YSR Congress Party chief after asking for a selfie with him. YS Jagan had a providential escape when the sharp knife pierced his left shoulder inflicting a deep gash. The chef, who came posing as a waiter, had aimed at the neck region of the YSRCP president.
YS wrote to the Governor of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana State ESL Narasimhan, seeking an impartial probe into the attack. He added that in the light of the statements of the chief minister and the state DGP playing down the attack and leading the investigation in the wrong direction, he had no faith in the investigating agencies under AP government's control.
YS Jagan sought a transparent inquiry free of state government interference. The letter to the governor was handed over by a delegation led by YSR Congress Party general secretary Dharmana Prasada Rao and other leaders on Thursday.
In his letter, the YSRCP supremo said that the investigation taken up by the state government was proceeding in a pre-determined manner . He pointed out that the probing agency had already arrived at a premature conclusion. It was trying to portray the incident as an internal ploy of his party, he said in his letter.
YS Jagan also pointed out that the attack on him played out as per the script narrated by a TDP sympathiser, actor Sivaji, who had floated the Operation Garuda theory. It further reinforced his belief that this murderous attack was a part of a larger conspiracy to eliminate him, the YSRCP chief's letter stated.
YSRCP MLA RK Roja and senior party leader Dharmana Prasada Rao were among those who met the Governor at Raj Bhavan in Hyderabad. Later, speaking to the media, they reiterated the fact that they had no faith in the investigation taken up by the AP state government and an impartial probe by a third party agency was essential to unravel the underlying conspiracy behind this attempt on the life of the AP Leader of Opposition.