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The Fisher Boy: A Mark Winslow Mystery #1
Stephen Anable
Spiraling off the tip of Cape Cod, Provincetown has long been a place of escape, new beginnings, and diverse communities. Famous as an art colony, known for the Cape Cod ...
Spiraling off the tip of Cape Cod, Provincetown has long been a place of escape, new beginnings, and diverse communities. Famous as an art colony, known for the Cape Cod School, its gallery scene is vibrant. Gay life is everywhere.
Boston comic Mark Winslow has arrived this summer with a group of fellow improv actors ready to break into Provincetown's club circuit. It should be a carefree summer, but currents swirl beneath the sunny surface. Does the tall ship out in the harbor herald an unusually large crowd of Scandinavian tourists? If not, who are the blond and ragged visitors seen everywhere?
Then, at a philanthropist's dinner opening the season, Mark gets into a very public fight with the son of local bluebloods— an old school friend. It makes him the prime suspect when the lawyer is later savagely murdered out on the beach. Though he stumbles from the scene, Mark thinks his choice is simple: find the killer or be charged with the crime.
The Fisher Boy is Stephen Anable's debut novel.
The Fisher Boy was nominated for the 2008 Stonewall Book Award
Stephen H. Anable was born in Boston and graduated from Stanford and Harvard universities. His short fiction and essays have ...
In Provincetown, I felt enveloped in the shivery skin of a paranoid, all goosebumps and heartbeat. Everyone was a suspect in the brutal murders. Nothing seemed real but a sense of fear, fear as elemental and prevalent as the Cape Cod sand.
Provincetown is sand. It's just a sandbar really, washed together by glaciers and billions of tides—and slowly washing apart. Roots hold the whole of Cape Cod together, roots of grasses and shrubbery and trees. What man has done, building windmills and saltbox houses, Coast Guard stations and condominiums, the Pilgrim Monument and Route 6, is all secondary. Provincetown and all of Cape Cod is sand, no more stable than the sandbar at your favorite beach, the one that shifts, seductively, from summer to summer. That evangelist, who intruded into our lives that summer, was right about one thing, about the temporary nature of this coast…
A ship was the harbinger of disasters to come, a ship the other- worldly white of a piece of the moon, like the Flying Dutchman dropped anchor in Provincetown Harbor. But everyone knew this wasn't the ghost vessel of maritime legend, but the Swedish tall ship, the Vasa, sailing down the coast from Boston to Annapolis, with a crew of blond cadets with sunburnt ears, dressed in wide-collared, old-fashioned sailors' suits. Everything that happened that hot, dry summer when the rain refused to come, when the drought inflicted a kind of malnutrition on the land, seemed to begin with the presence of that ship on the silvery stillness of Provincetown Harbor.
I teased my friend Arthur about the Vasa. "Did you order that ship? Did you order it special for your party?"
And he laughed. "If I'd ordered that ship I'd have ordered the crew to be here en masse."
But no one needed an order to attend Arthur Hilliard's parties. In fact, people fought for invitations. Arthur was tall, with wiry gray hair. Big-boned and theatrical, he was as bright as the Gilbert and Sullivan scores he'd sung through college at Yale. Over the years, his body seemed to grow in proportion to the extroversion of his personality. Already, on Memorial Day weekend, he was as tanned as the cordovan of his tassel loafers, and he had donned his standard preppie summer drag, an indigo jacket shot through with yellow and shrimp-pink.
Like me, Arthur was a Bostonian, but it was his summer place in Provincetown that made his reputation. Buttercup-yellow, on the harbor side of Commercial Street, this extended saltbox was one of the most lavish homes in the West End. It all but groaned with antiques: gilt sconces delicate as frost, marble lions looted from pagodas, paintings of clipper ships in seas turbulent as Jacuzzis.
Years later, I'd remember that house not as a series of rooms but as a series of parties. Although Arthur was rich, he was in no sense materialistic and never any kind of collector. He owned things, he didn't buy them. Fun as he was, he was never frivolous. His parties—the springs of liquor and tables of food, the tequila and crab cakes, gin and lobster bisque—were always thrown to benefit a cause.
He was a fashionable yet beloved figure, which is often a contradiction in terms. "Think of the word 'colony,' as in 'summer colony,'" he'd say. "What did people do when they colonized a place? Exterminate the indigenous population with a combination of prayers and smallpox, then plunder the natural resources." Arthur worked to ensure we didn't colonize Provincetown, didn't treat the year-rounders as scenery or summer help, then vanish each autumn to forget the place. His parties funded good works for the town, bought computers for its schools, saved a marsh from reincarnation as a strip mall.
I suppose Arthur functioned as my "mentor," a slightly creepy term, I've always thought. We were both alumni of St. Harold's, a second-rate prep school that had expired two summers before in the Berkshires. He was my elder by a good twenty years, so we hadn't crossed paths on the playing fields, but had met much later at a restaurant-of-the-moment in the South End. He'd scrounged up my first job at an advertising agency, where I'd extolled the virtues of software and after-shave and had seemed too earnest to be fired.
But that was over. I'd left my job, paycheck, and health insurance for a sort of bungee jump into show business. Staying in Provincetown for the summer, renting a seedy furnished apart- ment above a leather store, I'd volunteered to book gigs for our fledgling comedy troupe. We had done ten well-received shows in the basement of a food co-op in Cambridge, and were now trying to crack the Provincetown club circuit. But we were late, pitifully late, because most clubs had booked their acts months before.
Sitting on my host's chintz sofa, I reminded Arthur I was hungry for introductions to the club owners sure to flock to his party. "We just need a break," I said. "We're 'almost there.'"
"I've been 'almost there' for most of my life." Arthur gave me an aquarium-sized gin and tonic. "Don't worry, Mark, all the contacts you need will be here today. Everyone knows I inaugurate the season."
"Roger Morton is especially important." Roger Morton owned Quahog, a restaurant known for its so-so food—flour-filled chowders and "scallops" that might be skate—and top-rate entertainment.
"He'll be here, they'll all be here."
"I've invited our best actor, Roberto Schreiber." I shamelessly added, "He's very attractive."
Strangely, the single Arthur let this remark pass, saying, "I want you to see my newest treasure." Some jade bodhisattva or Staffordshire spaniels a maiden aunt had given him, I assumed. Then this guess imploded when he said, "He's in the kitchen, making the bouillabaisse. I asked you early just so you could meet him."
Arthur led me through the low-ceilinged rooms, most painted a muted pea-green and containing enough nautical artifacts— scrimshaw, engravings of battles involving the Constitution—to make me think the treasure could be a sailor shanghaied from some earlier time, complete with pigtail, tarry fingers, and clay pipe.
"This is Edward," Arthur said. "Edward Babineaux." Edward was short, five-six or so, with buzz-cut, honey-colored hair and the snub nose of a child or a Hummel figurine. His blue eyes matched the shells of the mussels he was cleaning, and the alertness of those eyes fought the sensuality of his other attractions—the muscular column of his neck, his full lips. He was twenty-five at most, half Arthur's age, in one of his host's monogrammed shirts, and, evidently, nothing else. The long, pin-striped expanse of Brooks Brothers cotton just covered the tawny hair of his thighs.
"Mark is a star of the stage, just as you are a star of the kitchen," Arthur told him. Then the doorbell rang and he drew a long slug from his gin and tonic before kissing Edward, then rushing to greet his guests.
A blush stained Edward's face. Was he was ashamed of being kissed by a much older man or by his sparse, borrowed wardrobe? Sometimes I'd worried that Arthur compensated for being single by loving all of society through doing good works. Edward might literally signal a change of heart.
Edward drew the vast abundance of fresh fish toward him over the polished granite counter. Here were clams with shells sturdy as castanets, crab legs, bloody pieces of tuna…It prompted me to remember a story my mother had read me when I was a child about a Chinese boy who swallows the sea, exposing its contents on the ocean floor: whales, shipwrecked junks, corals, and mermaids. When I mentioned my mother and the story, Edward didn't bother glancing in my direction. "My mother wasn't a reader," he said. Clearly, Arthur hadn't chosen him for his conversation.
"…So you're a friend of Mark's," Arthur was booming from the dining room. "He's in the kitchen, talking to my treasure."
Roberto Schreiber cursed the Southeast Expressway in English and Hebrew. San Juan-born, the son of an astrophysicist, he was an actor bristling with a scientist's efficiency. Wearing a T-shirt silkscreened with a pair of kissing lavender dinosaurs, he scruti- nized everything: the kitchen, his host, and especially the cook. Since he could meet a person and map their essence—voice, posture, walk, then "do" them—I was dreading that he might do Edward, or, worse, Arthur, but he was civil.
"This is my treasure," Arthur said to Roberto. "Besides being beautiful, Edward is a chef. He's been at the shore all day, harvesting the ingredients of our feast. He's been very careful to remove all the pearls from the oysters, so none of us choke."
"There are no oysters in my bouillabaisse," Edward stated.
Arthur certainly hadn't chosen him for his humor either.
"We must let Edward work his witchcraft in peace," Arthur said. "Michelangelo didn't carve the David in public."
So Arthur ushered us out into The View: the terrace of gray-blue flagstones, the garden, the water. Here were spiky mauve delphiniums, masses of daisies, irises in varying blues and ivories, and peonies heavy with globular flowers, creamy pinks and whites cool as moons. Interspersed with these were ferns and grasses, and a fishpond with waterlilies and wrestling putti. Shading the garden was an immense silver maple, while beyond stretched the great bowl of Provincetown Harbor, where the tide was out, the dories resting on wet ribs of sand. Off in the distance was the Vasa.
Other guests began arriving as we wandered through the garden. Some Siberian irises were in bloom, their flowers so delicate they looked torn. Roberto broke off a blossom and wedged it behind his ear, changing himself from the young Samson into a Polynesian. "What's that ship?" he asked, so I told him, then said, "Remember, we're on a mission. Bookings, bookings, bookings."
We would be breaking a sacred Provincetown taboo. You weren't supposed to network at Arthur's parties. Nobody brought business cards or even carried a pen. It was an unwritten rule that everyone was off-duty. People celebrated the coming summer and surviving the long New England winter.
Guests with drinks were drifting out onto the terrace, twins with moustaches they might have borrowed from one another and the Unitarian minister in her orange dashiki. Somebody was complaining that the Vasa's captain was heterosexist, keeping his crew "quarantined" in Provincetown after giving them liberty in Boston. The twins began spouting statistics about the Vasa, how it was a full-rigged ship built in 1930, 253 feet long, with a steel hull, carrying a crew of 80.
"Someone said it was Hermann Goering's yacht. It was impounded after the war."
"Yes, it's considered unlucky. Cursed."
"It ran aground off the Isle of Wight. A cadet died of a ruptured appendix off Madeira."
"But it's so beautiful!" "Like a mirage!"
From a corner of my eye, I caught sight of Ian Drummond, laughing as he swigged a bottle of beer. "I hope they let visitors on the Vasa," one woman was saying as Ian maneuvered past her to punch my arm. "Long time no see!" he said, and immediately I noticed that he'd bulked up, added muscle, lots of muscle.
"Roberto," I said, "I'd like you to meet the man who rescued me from the Atlantic."
Ian laughed, but Roberto wanted the details.
"Nothing dramatic," Ian said. "A childhood adventure gone wrong. Two brats in a rowboat during a storm."
"I thought you'd moved to San Francisco."
"Yes," Ian said. He'd spent "two wasted years out west," involved as the lawyer in some real estate deal. But he decided that San Francisco "wasn't serious," and the geology bothered him. "The earth moved, then so did I."
"Ian and I were at prep school together. At St. Harold's," I told Roberto.
"The late, great St. Harold's," Ian said. "Late?" Roberto said.
"It closed. It had a rather small endowment. A problem I'm sure none of us share."
"It's a health spa now, isn't it?" I was fighting the image of dowagers in towels sipping carrot juice in our ex-classrooms.
"Something like that." The subject was painful for Ian. Unlike me, he'd always loved the school.
The terrace was now filling with people, a cross section of Cape Cod and Boston, people of all ages and sexualities. A party was taking shape, a warm weather animal with the short intense life of something born in a vernal pool. Already, I was regretting my giant gin and tonic because my thinking felt compromised by the alcohol.
"I saw your troupe on a visit to Cambridge," Ian said. "I didn't have time to come backstage." He took a swig from his Heineken, then swirled it through his mouth, as if rinsing his teeth. "You're quite the performer," he said to me. "You too, Ricardo." He enjoyed sabotaging names, and the way he'd said "performer" was crisp with condescension. Ian had been quite the performer in prep school, quite the ladies' man at dances at St. Harold's, whirling his dates, dipping them low while holding them at the small of their backs.
"So what do you think of Arthur's treasure?" Ian said. "Personally, I've never seen anyone cooking bouillabaisse half-naked and sniffing amyl nitrate!"
"Dinner is served!" our host was calling.
His guests on the terrace, a hundred or so people, chatted and laughed a bit more loudly in anticipation of the food as they began filing into the house, toward the dining room. Edward was now clothed, in a T-shirt tie-dyed like the aurora borealis and gym shorts made of an ice-blue material like Mylar. His "masterpiece," the bouillabaisse, was steaming in three deep pottery tureens painted with squid swimming through garlands of seaweed.
"It smells just like Provence!" somebody remarked.
We helped ourselves, buffet-style, from a candle-lit table in the dining room. People began sawing the fragrant loaves of Portuguese bread and pulling at the mountain of salad—spinach, endive, dandelion—with silver tongs. Soft party sounds rode the warm wind, gossip, the rattle of ice cubes, the scrape of espadrilles and deck shoes along the carpet. Everyone seemed happy—except Arthur.
"Does anyone else think it's too hot for these candles? Aesthetically, they're fine, but it makes me hot just to look at them. Of course without them this room is just so murky…"
Everyone averted their eyes. Our host was known to be bipolar and had just stopped taking his meds cold-turkey. He fidgeted with the candles, shifting them and pinching at the dribblings of hot wax.
Then, seizing the moment, Edward elbowed through the crowd, and, with a dancer's grace and what seemed to be a single elegant gesture, snuffed out the candles and raised the window shades. Quickly, someone applauded, defusing the tension.
"It's just like Edward to let the sun shine in!" Arthur laughed. "I can't wait to taste this." Ian cut in line to attack the bouillabaisse. He sampled it, then remarked in a loud, distracting tone, the assured voice that is a sure sign that all is not well: "This is absolutely wonderful!" Everyone focused on Edward's masterpiece, Arthur freshened their drinks and we all gradually migrated back onto the terrace.
There, I was embraced by a stately woman with something of the young Vanessa Redgrave in her physique, a kind of hippie majesty. She wore a long paisley dress and amber beads like pieces of butterscotch. This was Arthur's cousin, Miriam Hilliard.
I told Roberto that Miriam made jewelry, beautiful things set with strange stones, not the haphazard Afghan or Tibetan junk, dull as old jackknives, predominant in so many Provincetown shops. Miriam confided that she was already having trouble with customers, this early. "There are so many street kids this year! It's worse than the Summer of Love." In her mid-fifties, Miriam was old enough to have experienced Haight-Ashbury in its prime, but back then she had been at boarding school in Lausanne, a Nixon Republican addicted to skiing, before the Peace Corps, social work, and motherhood altered her views. Miriam had burnt out doing social work, bringing the job home, taking the cases to heart. Making jewelry, dealing with gemstones and precious metals instead of broken lives, was infinitely less burdensome. She reported that Chloe, her three-year-old, was growing like the proverbial weed, spending the day at her shop, where the cashier was doubling as babysitter.
"I see you're enjoying the bouillabaisse," I said to Miriam. She tended toward vegetarianism when not lapsing into chicken or fish, but found the bouillabaisse "heaven." And she had been reluctant to try it. "I got sick eating mussels once, in Barcelona."
"Edward made it," I said.
"So the treasure can cook," Miriam whispered. "Does anyone else know Edward? I mean, he just came in with the tide. Arthur found him sleeping on the beach in back of the house." She reverted to social work jargon, to M.S.W.-speak: "Marginal people can have issues."
So many guests were congregating on the terrace that plants in the garden were being damaged, some impatiens flattened, some hibiscus crushed. On Arthur's silver maple, the leaves, upturned in the wind, looked dusted with metal.
"Oh, there's Roger Morton," Miriam said, as a man as thin as his malacca cane came weaving through the crowd. His bony fingers were crowded with rings, with onyx, black opals, and rectangles of turquoise, and his vest from India was sewn with dozens of tiny, round mirrors.
"Do you know him well? Could you introduce us?" I asked Miriam.
Just then the twins, suddenly sporting strands of pearls, swooped onto Roger and began a conversation which threatened to be long.
"We have this improv troupe," Roberto told Miriam. "We need a break so bad!"
"I think Roger books his acts by March." Sensing our desperation, Miriam had become a little distant, and was also gazing distrustfully at her bouillabaisse.
Then Roger Morton, his cane stabbing the flagstones, nudged the twins, Roberto, and me aside to greet Miriam, saying, "How wonderful to see you! I've refurbished the White Gull from top to bottom. You've got to see it!"
Besides Quahog, Roger Morton owned the White Gull, Provincetown's most elegant guest house, with its deep pillared porches, cobalt-blue hydrangeas, and an iron fountain of Triton blowing a horn of water. Roger recounted the improvements he'd made to the White Gull, then asked Miriam, "Have I mentioned the Great Furnace Catastrophe?" Roberto and I hovered at Miriam's side, our smiles fixed on our faces, waiting for the caboose of Roger's long train of thought. Miriam glanced sympathetically in our direction, but the color was draining from her face.
"I hope I'm not boring you," Roger said.
"No, I think it's this bouillabaisse," said Miriam, whose slouch Roberto was imitating until I glared to make him stop.
Then something clattered, like a trashcan tipping over. It came from Arthur's direction, by the back steps to the house. Arthur was laughing, and so was Edward, at his side and holding something circular that shone like brass.
"Excuse me, excuse me!" Arthur was shouting in his stage voice. "I have an announcement! Whoever sold me this Chinese gong owes me a refund. No wonder the Empress Dowager wanted to get rid of it!" While Edward hung the gong back on its teakwood rack, Arthur continued to speak, smiling and twisting his signet ring, his polka-dot bowtie askew, but his enjoyment of an audience undiminished.
"Of course, I gave this party to welcome you all to Provincetown—and to inaugurate the season. And I'm happy to report that attendance is near one-hundred percent, except, I regret, we are missing the crew of our visiting tall ship, the Vasa. I refuse to believe they are confined to their hammocks with scurvy. And besides, our bartender has a plentiful supply of limes."
People laughed and glanced at the Vasa, floating far offshore.
"There's a lot of excitement in town this year, in addition to the solitary Swedes. Roger Morton has redone the White Gull, making it more beautiful than ever, if that were possible."
The twins started the applause, which Roger acknowledged with a limited wave of his hand.
"And we have talent galore here today, theater talent, in the form of Mark Winslow and his friend…" Arthur had forgotten Roberto's name. "…Mark and his amusing companion, who's just too witty for words…"
To my embarrassment, my amusing companion shouted across the crowd to our host: "My name is Roberto, Roberto Schreiber—and we're looking for gigs in Provincetown this summer, doing improv comedy! Hey, we're fabulous, honest!" "So hire these poor troopers!" Arthur laughed, missing a perfect opportunity to suggest Roger Morton do exactly that. "Now for a more serious note," Arthur said, beginning his Swim for Scholars pitch. Though teeming with summer people and summer jobs, Provincetown suffered the highest winter unemployment rate in Massachusetts. Arthur was proposing a Labor Day swim across Provincetown Harbor to fund a college scholarship for local high school students. Most of the people on the terrace were listening to their host out of good manners or middle-class guilt. Except Ian Drummond. He was laughing and swilling beer with Barton Daggett. I tried to snag Roger Morton's attention, but he was fixed on Arthur, avoiding eye contact with Roberto and me.
"…It will be a worthy cause, with lots of beefcake," Arthur was saying, as someone tugged at my elbow. It was Miriam, white and distressed. "Do you have a car?" she whispered. "I feel sick. I thought local mussels might be, you know, more benign. I guess I'm allergic." Her shop was a short ride away.
"I hope I don't faint." She clasped my arm as Arthur rambled on, and we slipped through the crowd, passing Ian, who got no response by cracking, "Chin up, Miriam, the party's not that bad."
In the house, Miriam retrieved a shawl stitched with llamas from the dining room, then, shuffling in her thick leather san- dals, led me toward the door to the street. She pushed open the screen door, wobbled, then screamed—a ragged cry of shock and rage. Then she fell against me and I caught the door as she began gasping and sobbing.
There, on the granite stoop, lay the corpse of a dog, its belly bloated and slashed open—the first blood of that summer of death.
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Sohail Sen (born 24 June 1984) is an Indian film composer, musician and singer who works in Bollywood. He debuted as a film composer with the Hindi film Sirf (2008), which went majorly
unnoticed. Later, he gained fame as a Hindi film composer, with his acclaimed work in What's Your Raashee? (2009). He is also known for composing the popular soundtracks of Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, Ek Tha Tiger, and Gunday.

Early life
Sen comes from a family of musicians who have worked in the film industry and his entry into the film composing world marked the fourth generation of his family to do so. His father, Sameer Sen (of the music director duo Dilip Sen-Sameer Sen) has always been a strong influence in his life, as was his paternal grandfather Shri Shambhu Sen's singing.

Sen started learning music at the age of six. He learnt to play the tabla as a child, and then went on to learn various musical instruments including the piano and percussion and rhythm instruments. He learnt classical music from his grandfather Shri Shambhu Sen. He began his career as a music director at the young age of thirteen when he composed the music for a telefilm titled Roshni and for which renowned singer Kavita Krishnamurthy provided playback. He then decided to assist his father for nine years to fine-tune his skills as a film composer.

Career
In 2008, Sen began his career as a film composer, with the Hindi film Sirf, however, the film was supposed to be released in 2006, but it got delayed badly and was released in 2008 and eventually the music went unnoticed. He also composed the music for The Murderer (2009), which also got delayed and the music went unnoticed.

In 2009, he got a turning point, in his career as a film composer, when director Ashutosh Gowariker approached him for his film What's Your Raashee?. Initially he wanted his all-time favourite composer A. R. Rahman to compose for the film, but Rahman couldn't do it, because he wanted to compose for Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire instead. So, he started looking for someone who is capable and can contribute all his time for composing in his film alone. Sen was always keen to work with Ashutosh Gowariker and incidentally his father Sameer Sen knew him from before and knowing that Gowariker was looking for someone to compose for his film, Sen asked his father to fix a meeting with him. His first meeting with Gowariker was a casual one at his office, it was where he told him that he would like to make him listen to some of his compositions. Gowariker immediately agreed to visit his studio the next morning. The next day, when he went to Sen's studio and heard some of his tunes, he really liked what he heard and after a couple of weeks later, Gowariker called up Sen and said "You are on for this project". For Sen, it was a dream come true.
At first Sen was thrilled of getting the offer, but when he was told that there would be 13 songs in the movie, one song for each of the 12 zodiac signs and then one song in which the lead protagonist makes the final choice, he was taken aback, since nowadays its quite rare to hear 13 different songs in one album and that itself was a difficult task, and again, it was an equally difficult task to create 13 distinct songs, each for one particular zodiac sign and then incorporating the flavor of all these 12 songs into that final song, was the most toughest task, however he took it up as a challenge and started working on the music, which took more than one and a half years in the making.

The soundtrack of the film, was released in August 2009 and irrespective of the box office status of the film, it has been able to garner mostly positive critical responses. Bollywood Hungama quoted the album as "interestingly done" and "an experience not to be missed". BBC Music praised Sen's work and quoted him as "Sen shows he can successfully compete with the best in Bollywood". Besides composing the soundtrack and the film score, Sen even sang most of the songs in the film.

In 2010, director Ashutosh Gowariker roped him again, for his period piece film Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey, based on the Chittagong Uprising of 1930. The soundtrack of which met with positive critical responses.

In 2011, he has had a major release with a top banner Yash Raj Films – Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, the music of which got appreciation from both critics and masses. The songs "Dhunki", "Isq Risk" and title track were chartbusters. In 2012, he replaced Pritam as the music director for Salman Khan's next film Ek Tha Tiger, since Pritam had date problems with both Yash Raj projects Ek Tha Tiger and Dhoom 3. The soundtrack received unanimously positive reviews. In 2014, Sen will team up with Ali Abbas Zafar once again after Mere Brother Ki Dulhan for Gunday, which features Ranveer Singh, Arjun Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, and Irrfan Khan. While Sen will become music composer for the Hindi theatrical release of Gunday, Bappi Lahiri will compose full Bengali songs for the film, as it is also to be released in Bengali. This marks the first time Bappi Lahiri will work with Yash Raj Films.

Discography

As music director

As playback singer

Awards and nominations

References

External links

 Sohail Sen at WN
 Musically Yours: Sohail Sen

1984 births
Living people
Bollywood playback singers
Indian film score composers
Indian male playback singers
Singers from Mumbai
Bengali musicians
Singers from Kolkata
Bengali Hindus
Indian male film score composers

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Rolex is arguably the world's strongest brand, across all categories. It is immediately recognised and associated with success and luxury – a status symbol for the rich and famous. While this may not be the reason to own a Rolex, it does mean that the second-hand value of a well-preserved Rolex is unbeatable. We have seen many models appreciate in value over the years, especially their sport models.
And Rolex make fantastic watches! This Submariner we have for sale is a COSC certified watch, which means that it lives up to the standard required to have the Chronometer marking on the dial. It winds automatically it keeps time very, very well.
The Submariner is probably the most well recognised Rolex model. It is the King of Diving Watches, the original, a true classic.
This reference 16610 from 2005 is just back from Rolex where it had a complete service worth over £600 in October 2018. In addition to the original box this watch comes in the Rolex Service pouch, service handbook and warranty card which is recognised by Rolex worldwide and valid until 23 October 2020.
Since it was serviced it has not been worn and the protective plastic film is still in place on the case sides and case back. There are minor signs from use which can be seen on close inspection, particularly there are some shallow scratches on the bezel around the 50 minute mark, but other than that this watch is like new.
It is a splendid watch, real pleasure to wear. Probably one of the most versatile watches - you can wear it from the boardroom to the beach.
This watch is sold complete with the Rolex warranty sleeve, a valid Rolex Worldwide warranty, the service pouch and service handbook, the original chronometre certification, the Submariner booklet, all bracelet links, original inner box and outer box.


More than 20,000 pork industry producers and professionals converged on the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa, June 6-8, to attend the 30th annual World Pork Expo.
Sponsored by the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), the event included more than 1,000 international guests representing nearly 40 countries. Over 500 companies from around the world were on site, exhibiting their products and services.
Paulsen representatives Sara Steever, president; Kristi Moss, senior media director; Brittany Lessman, account specialist; and Greg Guse, EVP, industry analyst, attended the event, with several agency clients exhibiting at the show.
"The World Pork Expo has become one of the premier trade shows and expositions in agriculture," said Guse. "The number of exhibitors has grown dramatically over the past five years, and the quality and creativity of the trade show exhibits is very impressive. There seems to be a very business-like atmosphere at this show, with producers and exhibitors engaged in serious discussions," he added.
"Everything Pig" was the theme of this year's Pork Expo with something for everyone, including 10 Pork Academy business seminars, the Junior National Swine Show, hospitality tents throughout the fairgrounds and over 10,000 pork lunches served during the three-day event.


Summer theatres in Greece are a tradition and are the leading night entertainment during the hot summer. Under the beautiful starlit sky, secluded in its own cool gardens, Cine Astra is once again showing the best films of the year. Come and enjoy a night with us with hot fresh popcorn or Nachos and a cold refreshment like Granita, beer or wine.
Unfortunately the open air cinema "Cine Astra" was demolished on October 2013. We will always remember the evenings we spent watching great movies under the starry Naxos sky.


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Canadian General Government expense on environmental protection - Canada
33% (since 2008)
(period-to-period change)
Limit subject index to Balance sheets
Limit subject index to Employment and remuneration
Limit subject index to Government business enterprises
Limit subject index to Monetary authorities
Limit subject index to Revenue and expenditures
Limit subject index to Other content related to Government
All (420) (0 to 10 of 420 results)
1. Fisher commodity price index, United States dollar terms, Bank of Canada, monthly
Description: This table contains 7 series, with data starting from 1972 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years). This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Geography (1 items: Canada ...), Commodity (7 items: Total; all commodities; Metals and Minerals; Energy; Total excluding energy ...).
2. Selected United States dollar interest rates, Wednesdays, Bank of Canada
Frequency: Weekly
Description: This table contains 12 series, with data starting from 1954 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years). This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Geography (1 item: United States); Rates (12 items: Federal Reserve Bank of New York - discount rate; Prime rate charged by banks; Federal funds rate;Commercial paper, adjusted: 1 month; ...).
3. Bank of Canada, money market and other interest rates
Frequency: Daily
Description: This table contains 39 series, with data for starting from 1991 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years). This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Geography (1 item: Canada); Financial market statistics (39 items: Government of Canada Treasury Bills, 1-month (composite rates); Government of Canada Treasury Bills, 2-month (composite rates); Government of Canada Treasury Bills, 3-month (composite rates);Government of Canada Treasury Bills, 6-month (composite rates); ...).
4. Fisher commodity price index, United States dollar terms, Bank of Canada, Fisher commodity price index, United States dollar terms, Bank of Canada, weekly
Description: This table contains 7 series, with data starting from 1972 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years). This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Geography (1 item: Canada), Commodity (7 items: Total, all commodities; Total excluding energy; Energy; Metals and Minerals; ...).
5. Financial market statistics, as at Wednesday, Bank of Canada
Description: This table contains 38 series, with data starting from 1957 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years). This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Geography (1 item: Canada), Rates (38 items: Bank rate; Chartered bank administered interest rates - prime business; Chartered bank - consumer loan rate; Forward premium or discount (-), United States dollars in Canada: 1 month; ...).
6. Daily average foreign exchange rates in Canadian dollars, Bank of Canada
This table contains 27 series, with data starting from 1981 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years). This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Geography (1 item: Canada); Type of currency (27 items: Australian dollar, daily average; Brazilian real, daily average; Chinese renminbi, daily average; European euro, daily average; ...).
7. Financial market statistics, as at Tuesday, Bank of Canada
Description: This table contains 8 series, with data starting from 1992 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years). This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Geography (1 item: Canada), Rates (8 items: Bank rate; Treasury bill auction - average yields: 3 month; Treasury bill auction - average yields: 6 month; Treasury bill auction - average yields: 1 year; ...).
8. Statement of government operations and balance sheet, government finance statistics
Description: Quarterly data by level of government.
9. Capital markets activities, gross new issues, retirements and net new issues, par value, Bank of Canada
This table contains 129 series, with data starting from 1975 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years). This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Geography (5 items: Canada and Abroad; Canada; Abroad; United States; ...); Type of issues (3 items: Gross new issues; Retirements; Net new issues); Issuers (28 items: Government of Canada Treasury Bills and Canada bills issued in U.S. dollars; Total Treasury Bills; 91-day Treasury Bills; Government of Canada direct and guaranteed bonds; ...).
10. Funds advanced, outstanding balances, and interest rates for new and existing lending, Bank of Canada
This table contains 102 series, with data starting from 2013, and some select series starting from 2016. This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Geography (1 item: Canada), Components (51 items: Total, funds advanced, residential mortgages, insured; Variable rate, insured; Fixed rate, insured, less than 1 year; Fixed rate, insured, from 1 to less than 3 years; ...), and Unit of measure (2 items: Dollars; Interest rate). For additional clarification on the component dimension, please visit the OSFI website for the Report on New and Existing Lending.
Data (263) (0 to 10 of 263 results)
Analysis (91) (0 to 10 of 91 results)
1. Canadian Classification of Functions of Government 2018
2. Consolidated Canadian Government Finance Statistics 2018
3. Control and sale of alcoholic beverages year ending March 31, 2018
4. Canada's Core Public Infrastructure Survey: Asset management 2016
5. Canada's Core Public Infrastructure Survey: Public transit assets 2016
6. Canada's Core Public Infrastructure Survey: Wastewater and solid waste assets 2016
7. Canada's Core Public Infrastructure Survey: Potable water and stormwater assets 2016
8. Canada's Core Public Infrastructure Survey: Roads, bridges and tunnels 2016
9. Government spending on environmental protection in Canada 2008-2016
Stats in brief: 16-508-X2018002
This factsheet looks at Canadian government expense relating to environmental protection between 2008 and 2016. The data is based on the Canadian Classification of Functions of Government (CCOFOG).
10. Environment Fact Sheets: Government spending on environmental protection in Canada 2008 to 2016
Reference (56) (0 to 10 of 56 results)
1. Public Sector Universe
Classification: 68-516-X
This product presents the Public Sector Universe, defined by Statistics Canada as a list of institutional units that are included in the economic measurement of governments in Canada. An institutional unit is defined as an economic entity that is capable, in its own right, of owning assets, incurring liabilities, and engaging in economic activities and in transactions with other entities. It includes the sectors of education, health, general government and government business enterprise sectors for all levels of government in Canada, annually, since 2008. The list has been disseminated in stages over the last few years. New for this year is the health sector. We have one remaining sector to add (indigenous) which will take place in future releases.
2. North American Product Classification System (NAPCS) - Canada
The North American Product Classification System (NAPCS) is the departmental standard for the classification of products (goods and services). The classification is a joint project of the national statistical agencies of Canada, Mexico and the United States. However, Statistics Canada has created new classification items for cannabis products in NAPCS Canada V2.0 that are unique to Canada. NAPCS is used to produce product statistics on a variety of topics, including the value of outputs of industries, the consumption by businesses and households, the value of imports and exports, and the movement of industrial and raw material prices.
NAPCS Canada 2017 Version 2.0 comprises definitions for its 5,033 categories. At the lowest level of the classification, definitions include a descriptive text, as well as illustrative examples, inclusions and exclusions where appropriate.
3. Modernizing the National Statistical System - Stakeholder Consultations
Notices and consultations: 89-20-00032019001
This document describes Statistics Canada's vision for a modernized national statistical system and its strategy for making it a reality in partnership with its many stakeholders.
Notices and consultations: 89-20-0003
5. Canadian Classification of Institutional Units and Sectors (CCIUS)
Canadian Classification of Institutional Units and Sectors (CCIUS) 2012 is the departmental standard for classifying institutional units and sectors. This classification is used for economic statistics and includes definitions for its 171 classes. CCIUS 2012 was developed as a result of the implementation of international recommendations published in the 2008 System of National Accounts manual (SNA 2008).
6. 2016 Census Metropolitan Area and Census Agglomeration Review: Consultation Guide
Notices and consultations: 93-600-X
This guide aids users in providing feedback for the 2016 Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) and Census Agglomeration (CA) Strategic Review and in contributing ideas and suggestions towards shaping the rules that will define the 2016 CMA/CAs. Readers will find the definition of the concepts, as well as discussion points and questions.
7. Financial and Wealth Accounts Re-sectoring Archived
Notices and consultations: 13-605-X200900111027
With the release of the Financial Flow Accounts (FFA) on December 1st and the National Balance Sheet Accounts (NBSA) on December 14th, the Income and Expenditure Accounts Division will be publishing revised sector and category detail on CANSIM.
8. Financial Management System (FMS)
Surveys and statistical programs – Documentation: 68F0023X
Government financial reports are based on the organisation of each individual government and on their accounting and reporting practices. There is therefore little uniformity from one level of government to another or from one province to another. The Financial Management System (FMS) is an analytical framework designed to produce statistical series that are both consistent and compatible.
Written in plain English, the Financial Management System (FMS) manual was designed to assist you in better understanding the framework of the Financial Management System (FMS). It will explain the strengths and caveats of the FMS and will provide you with clear explanations of what is included in each revenue source and each expenditure function.
9. Guide to the Public Sector of Canada Archived
Surveys and statistical programs – Documentation: 12-589-X
This free publication presents the concepts and criteria utilized to determine the entities that comprise the public sector of Canada.
The resulting statistical universe provides the framework to observe the extent of governments' involvement in the production of goods and services and the associated resource allocation process in the Canadian economy.
The concepts and criteria contained in the guide are consistent with two internationally accepted classification standards: the System of National Accounts (SNA 2008) guide; and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics Manual 2001.
As well, the guide delineates the various public sector components that are used in compiling and aggregating public sector data. This structure also enables comparisons of Canadian government finance data with international macroeconomic statistical systems.
10. Measurement of Output, Value Added, GDP in Canada and the United States: Similarities and Differences Archived
Surveys and statistical programs – Documentation: 13F0031M2003010
This document provides compilers and users in Canada and the United States with a fuller understanding of the present practices, similarities and differences between the two national accounts systems. This will enable users to make meaningful comparisons of the published national accounts data. This report is the result of the co-operation between professionals of the two countries in trying to harmonize and improve the respective national accounts, and hopefully, in due course, international standards.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Mono F3, formerly Mono 2000, is the flagship class for the latest 2000cc cars allowed in Monoposto.
Typically Formula 3 cars from 1997 to 2007, typically Dallara or Lola, with either standard production engines or restricted Formula 3 engines.
For the majority of the last ten years the F3/2000 class has been the 'blue riband' class in Monoposto. The class can claim one of the premier positions in the UK club single seater scene. These cars provide slicks and wings racing with the economy and reliability of a production 2000cc, 16v engine, in a state of tune that would be familiar to those driving the majority of road going Caterhams and Westfields that use similar engines.
Mono FR2000 has been merged into the Mono F3 class for 2019. These cars are Tatuus chassis used in Formula Renault from 2000 to 2010 in a standard configuration.
Tatuus built over 750 examples of this car which has been used in Formula Renault championships all over Europe and beyond, proving themselves to be a strong and reliable car. Many of these cars are lying dormant, and could be a cost effective route into an advanced carbon fibre racing car.


text:
The men's 10 kilometres walk event was part of the track and field athletics programme at the 1924 Summer Olympics. It was the only racewalking event at this Games. After 1924, the 10 kilometre walk would not be held again until 1948. The competition was held from Wednesday, July 9, 1924, to Sunday, July 13, 1924. The races were held on the track which was as for all other events of 500 metres in circumference. Twenty-five race walkers from 13 nations competed.

Records
These were the standing world and Olympic records (in minutes) prior to the 1924 Summer Olympics.

Results

Semifinals

The first semi-final was held on Wednesday, July 9, 1924. The best five finishers qualified for the final.

Semifinal 1

Semifinal 2

The second semi-final was held on Friday, July 11, 1924. After a protest against his disqualification Rudolf Kühnel was allowed to start also in this race - he was disqualified again. The best five finishers qualified for the final.

Final
The final was held on Sunday, July 13, 1924.

References

External links
Olympic Report

Men's walk 10 kilometre
Racewalking at the Olympics


text:
Q: Date range between two date columns I have these two columns:
start_dt                  end_dt
2013-09-18 14:00:00       2013-09-18 16:00:00

I want to select the rows between these two dates (stored as datetime in MYSQL), so...
SELECT *
FROM task_schedule_times
WHERE `start_dt` >= "2013-09-18 14:00:00"
AND `end_dt` <= "2013-09-18 16:00:00"

This is fine, but I need to be able to return the above row if searching for any dates within start_dt and end_dt:
"2013-09-18 15:00:00"
and
 "2013-09-18 15:30:00"
Visual representantion (the line represents a time interval):
entry1: -----------------
select:     ---------

I also need to return the row if the date range supplied falls anywhere within range of the row
entry1: -----------------
select:     ----------------------

or
entry1:          -----------------
select: -----------------

No results should be displayed in a case like so:
entry1:        -----------------
select: -------

Hopefully these creative inputs explain things better than I can with words.

A: The entry start should be always <= of select end
The entry end should be always >= of select start
SELECT *
FROM task_schedule_times
WHERE `start_dt` <= "2013-09-18 16:00:00"
AND `end_dt` >= "2013-09-18 14:00:00"

A: It sounds like you are looking for overlapping periods of time.  Two periods overlap when one starts before the other ends and the first ends after the second starts:
SELECT *
FROM task_schedule_times
WHERE `end_dt` >= "2013-09-18 14:00:00" AND
      `start_dt` <= "2013-09-18 16:00:00"

A: If I understood you correctly, you are looking for something like this:
SELECT *
FROM `task_schedule_times`
WHERE (`start_dt` BETWEEN "2013-09-18 14:00:00" AND "2013-09-18 16:00:00")
OR (`end_dt` BETWEEN "2013-09-18 14:00:00" AND "2013-09-18 16:00:00")

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Codepot starts on 28-29th August 2015 – a 100% workshop technology conference for developers, sponsored by VirtusLab.
We are proud that our own trainer Krzysztof Romanowski will conduct the "Scala meta: macros, toolbox and even more fun!" workshop. Registration is open so grab your ticket now!


One of the most popular Lacoste shoes ever is back! The well known classic Lacoste Graduate sneakers for men. Released in black with white.
Lacoste is a French brand. It was founded in 1933. It's called a "luxury sneaker brand". The brand has many fans in the Netherlands and abroad. It's a part of the European sneaker fashion.
This shoe is a collection of "Lacoste Sport".
Review by Umit, Posted on 28-03-2019, 5 Stars.
Lacoste Europa LCR3 SPM mens sneakers in blue with dark grey. We have this Lacoste Europa mens shoes aslo inside in white color and black color.
Exclusive Lacoste Carnaby shoes for men. Released in dark blue with white and bronze colour. These Lacoste sneakers are made of leather.
Exclusive Lacoste Carnaby shoes for men. Released in black with white and silver colour. These Lacoste sneakers are made of leather.
Lacoste Europa shoes for men. Released in the color grey with a white sole. These Lacoste sneakers have a 3D Lacoste logo on the sides.
Lacoste Europa shoes for men. This nice sneaker is this time released in all black. These Lacoste sneakers have a 3D Lacoste logo on the sides.
All black Lacoste Carnaby shoes for men. The Lacoste Carnaby sneakers have a luxurious appearance, which makes these shoes a very popular model.


In a move that was most likely inescapable, LinkedIn is presenting video publicizing as one it's Sponsored Content organizations. In spite of the fact that my LinkedIn newsfeed as of now incorporates a lot of videos, Abhishek Shrivastava, chief of the item for LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, clarified for promoters, the best way to fuse recordings was to connect to different sites. Presently, the Microsoft - possessed proficient system is revealing a local promotion arrange, where video advertisements will show up as independent posts in the bolster.
The video promotions will play consequently, however with the sound off at first.
Other Social communities presented video promoting years back, however, LinkedIn is an alternate situation — Shrivastava touted this as an approach to bring "sight, sound and movement" to business advertisers, while the organization declaration proclaims that the organization is going "all in on B2B video."
Shrivastava included that while most recordings are viewed as perfect for "best of the pipe" advertising (i.e., building mindfulness, as opposed to doing what needs to be done), LinkedIn's Video for Sponsored Content is intended to work "over the pipe."
So yes, the recordings can be intended to fabricate mark mindfulness, however, they can likewise point straightforwardly to the sponsors' work area or portable site, or even be utilized to gather leads. What's more, they can join LinkedIn's promotion focusing on and change the following abilities.
LinkedIn says it's been trying the configuration with in excess of 700 promoters since October, bringing about commitment times that are almost three times longer than those for customary Sponsored Content.
Notwithstanding the video promotions, LinkedIn is additionally acquainting the capacity for organizations with incorporate local video on their Company Pages — so an organization that is enlisting may feature a video about their way of life and workplace.


A half-hour later, the tea table lay in shambles, the decanter stood empty, and the three of them sat in a shared stupor of content. Brianna shifted once or twice, glanced at Roger, and finally asked if she might use his "rest room."
"Oh, the W.C.? Of course." He heaved himself to his feet, ponderous with Dundee cake and almond sponge. If he didn't get away from Fiona soon, he'd weigh three hundred pounds before he got back to Oxford.
"It's on of the old-fashioned kind," he explained, pointing down the hall in the direction of the bathroom. "With a tank on the ceiling and a pull-chain."
"I saw some of those in the British Museum," Brianna said, nodding. "Only they weren't in with the exhibits, they were in the ladies' room." She hesitated, then asked, "You haven't got the same sort of toilet paper they have in the British Museum, do you? Because if you do, I've got some Kleenex in my purse."
I have a confession about my most recent boo boo.
I accidentally deleted 75% of the photos for this post from my camera. They never even made it onto my computer. A wee brain fart and an over-enthusiastic index finger on my mouse button while I was reviewing them is all it took.
The result is a shorter post than usual, with fewer in-process photos.
But don't let that dampen your enthusiasm for this simple and delicious almond sponge cake. Fiona would want you to try it!
Unless you have arms of steel and experience fierce joy at the thought of whisking by hand, an electric mixer is required for this recipe, known in culinary circles as a genoise. The cake is leavened with eggs, no baking powder or soda needed. The eggs and sugar are whipped at a high speed for a long time to incorporate air, which results in a light, moist sponge.
: A tender, moist, almond-flavoured cake guaranteed to win your way into Roger's stomach.
Move the rack to the centre position and preheat the oven to 375° F (190° C).
Melt the butter and set aside to cool. Grease an 8" round cake pan and dust with flour.
Combine the ground almonds, granulated sugar, almond extract and vanilla extract in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle. Mix on medium-low speed until well combined with no lumps. Alternatively, combine in a large bowl and use a hand mixer fitted with the beaters on low speed.
Replace the paddle/beaters with the whisk attachment, add the eggs and whip on medium-high speed until the eggs are at the ribbon stage (see photo) and the mixture is tripled in volume, about 20 minutes.
Remove the bowl from the machine and carefully fold in the flour, ensuring it's well combined. Fold in the cooled melted butter.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle sparingly with sliced almonds. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool on a rack. Dust with the powdered sugar, then slice and serve. Wonderful with berries and cream.
I had a piece of the cake with some Carmelita tea last night and it did taste good albeit a tad dense. I think I'm going to slightly soak the bottom of the rest of the cake with the Carmelita tea and top it with some whipped cream and make it an impromptu tiramisu (i don't drink coffee).nI will definitely be trying this again. I've seen some recipes call for the use of a bain marie to help achieve the volume... I'd like to avoid the complication of that but I am not accustomed to being beaten by a recipe so I will try just about anything to achieve success. :)n(i've always had better success with savory cooking vs. desserts)nThanks for your help and your lovely recipes!
I was wondering if there were any high altitude alterations that need to be made to this recipe to make it come out right. I live at 4000 ft in a fairly dry environment and have a little difficulty getting any cake to rise (and cook) properly.
I'm afraid I don't know anything about baking at altitude. I've lived at sea level my whole life.
Thanks anyway. I'm going to try the original recipe and just see how I do. I'll let you know how it goes.
I recently made this cake for my Outlander club. I thought this was going to be hard, but it turned out to be really good. I was unsure about getting the eggs to ribbon stage, because I didn't have a whisk attachment and I didn't want to do it by hand. Finally after ten minutes of whisking by hand I decided to use my hand mixer. The mix did triple in size. It all turned out great and delicious. I will be making this again in the future. Thank you.
It takes a LONG time in a high powered food processor to turn almonds into almond butter, so I don't think you have to worry if you are using a coffee grinder. You'll get it to a granular stage quick enough. You can also buy almond meal in the bulk food section at most grocery stores, if you'd rather not grind your own.


text:
(Lucas Noonan / Premier Boxing Champions)
Travis Kauffman Makes A Promise For Upcoming Otto Wallin Fight
Although he hasn't fought since 2018, Travis Kauffman is confident he can take down Sweden's Otto Wallin.
The two are scheduled to face off this Saturday, August 15 from inside the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. Both within reach of heavyweight glory, Kauffman believes that a win should come easily for him. He's so confident, he's willing to put it all on the line.
"I posted this on social media and I stand true to this – I said if I don't beat Otto Wallin, I'm retiring," Kauffman would state to Boxing Scene. "And here's why: I have a lot more experience and I have a lot more ability than Otto Wallin has. His claim to fame is truly losing to Tyson Fury. He was unheard of until then. And I'm not taking nothing away from him. But people say, 'Travis, why would you say that? He's a tough southpaw. He's a good southpaw. It's your first fight back after two years.' I never wanted to lose two fights in a row. I've said this since the beginning of my career – if I ever lose two fights in a row, I'm done."
Kauffman (32-3, 1 NC) made his professional debut in 2006. He lost his first fight in 2009 and went on a 14-fight unbeaten streak until 2017. Kauffman is 2-2 in his last four fights, his last fight a loss against Luis Ortiz in December 2018 via knockout. The 34-year-old believes that if he loses two in a row, especially to Wallin, he won't be getting a future title opportunity anytime soon. Losing two fights in a row and retiring has been his mantra, and he has managed to avoid that for the longest time.
Wallin (20-1, 1NC) last fought in September, almost beating lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. The 29-year-old cut Fury above his eye, which was deep enough that the fight almost got called. Wallin ended up losing via unanimous decision, while Fury needed 47 stitches. Scheduled to face Lucas Browne earlier this year, Wallin had to back out following a stress fracture in his left foot. He also recovered following testing positive for the coronavirus not that long ago.
Wallin is looking to prove his fight with Fury wasn't a fluke, and that he can fight for gold once again. Kauffman, however, wants Wallin to not forget who he is facing.
"I'm not overconfident," Kauffman said. "Let's get that clear. I'm not overconfident. I don't underestimate Otto Wallin. I do not. I think he's young, I think he's hungry and I think he still has a point to prove. He has a chip on his shoulder from losing to Tyson Fury. And he keeps talking about the rematch with Tyson Fury, and forgetting that he's fighting Travis Kauffman. Eddie Hearn offered him a three- or four-fight deal, and I was supposed to be his first fight back, and he said, 'No. Travis is too tough of a test.'
"It's definitely gonna be a tough fight. I don't think it's gonna be a walk in the park for me. But I do believe I have that dog in me. That's what's gonna make the difference."
The main event of the night will be David Benavidez against Roamer Alexis Angulo.
BoxingFIGHT SPORTSOtto WallinTravis Kauffman
Fighting Words: What Does Kubrat Pulev Promise In Anthony Joshua Fight?
What Fight Was Taken Off Of UFC 252?


text:
Travel across Europe with the best books about Scotland to take you there and teach you more.
If you are looking for books on Scotland to read before your trip or are hoping to do a little armchair traveling, we have just the reading list for you.
Along with books set in Scotland, find a variety of fiction and nonfiction Scotland books – set, about, and from there – for both adults and teens.
Some will showcase the beautiful Scottish scenery while others will introduce you to important historical figures.
Find discussions of immigration, the witch trials, and important moments in Scotland's history. Plus, enjoy murder mysteries, LGBT novels, historical fiction, memoirs, and more.
So, what books about Scotland do we recommend?
Keep reading, and don't forget to share your favorite book on Scotland – whether it be its people, small-town life, history, culture, food, and more – in the comments. Let's get started!
If you love these books, you might also like these Scotland-themed movies.
Travel across Europe with fantastic books about Scotland to read.
Grab your favorite Scotland books here:
18 Best Books About Scotland
By Jeremy Paterson
Trumpet by Jackie Kay
When Joss Moody, the legendary jazz trumpeter, passes away, his death exposes a secret previously known only to him and his wife, Millie.
Namely, that he was in fact biologically female, as revealed by the autopsy.
Not even Joss and Millie's adopted son Colman knew about it, which proves to be disastrous when his disbelief crumbles into an indignant rage.
Wanting revenge for the "lie," he agrees to tell all to a tabloid journalist hungry for a sensational topic for their new book.
Fleeing the turmoil, Millie returns to Scotland and her and Joss' holiday home where, with the help of some old acquaintances, she revisits her memories of the man she knew and loved.
Trumpet is a moving story of family love, acceptance, and identity, as well as a poignant comment on the relentless hate of transphobia.
Scottish-Nigerian author Jackie Kay – writing with an informed view as an adopted child herself – gives authenticity and grace to aspects of Colman's upbringing, as well as to the story overall.
This is one of the most moving books set in Scotland to cover the relationship of a son and their trans parent.
Find even more books about musicians, both fiction and nonfiction.
Read Trumpet: Amazon | Goodreads
Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy
Inti Flynn is a biologist who, along with her twin sister Aggie, has recently arrived in the Scottish Highlands.
Although Inti is in Scotland to work, she also hopes the change of scenery will help heal her sister, who is suffering from trauma.
Inti has been tasked with reintroducing 14 gray wolves into the harsh environment in the hopes of helping the struggling local ecosystem naturally rebuild itself.
Against all odds, the wolves begin to prosper. But then a local farmer is found dead, and Inti knows suspicion will fall on her wolves. She makes a desperate decision to protect them.
Once There Were Wolves is one of the most beautifully written books about Scotland and is also a tribute to the stunning Scottish landscape.
The novel is full of such lush descriptions of the forests, the wildlife, and the Highlands in general that you'll feel like you're there with Inti.
Read Once There Were Wolves: Amazon | Goodreads
A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll
One day during class, 11-year-old Addie learns something gruesome about her small Scottish town from her teacher Ms. Murphy.
Centuries ago, when women across the country were being burned to death during the witch trials, some supposed "witches" were burned in the very town she lives in today.
But this doesn't sit well with Addie. As an autistic girl, she knows what it's like to be considered different from everyone else and to be picked on as a result.
She thinks that these burned "witches" were just misunderstood, like her. Different, like her.
Addie decides something needs to be done to rectify this injustice, and she makes it her mission to see that these mistreated figures from history get the recognition they deserve.
First-time author and fellow neurodivergent Elle McNicoll puts the reader right into Addie's mind and does a great job showing the world through her eyes.
A Kind of Spark is one of the best middle-grade books on Scotland – and witches – for anyone looking to experience the world from a neurodivergent viewpoint.
If witch trials interest you, explore these books about the Salem Witch Trials in the U.S.
Read A Kind of Spark: Amazon | Goodreads
The Translator by Leila Aboulela
It's one thing to lose your partner; it's another to do so in an unfamiliar and distant land. But that's what has happened to Sammar, a young Sudanese widow living in Aberdeen.
Now that her husband has died, life has become especially lonely, especially since her son has returned home to Khartoum.
While Sammar becomes increasingly depressed and despondent, hope is rekindled when she begins to work and translate for Rae, a Scottish scholar specializing in Islam.
The two develop a relationship that moves towards the romantic, but Sammar knows that eventually, they will have to address an impending obstacle.
Namely that while Sammar is a devout Muslim, Rae does not have the faith that she does. Soon Sammar may have to choose between her beliefs and the one she loves.
Told with a restraint that empowers the emotion of the novel rather than detracting from it, The Translator is one of the books about Scotland that will resonate with anyone who has settled abroad.
Read The Translator: Amazon | Goodreads
Keep Dancing, Lizzie Chu by Maisie Chan
Ever since her parents died not long after she was born, 12-year-old Lizzie Chu has lived with her Wai Gong (grandfather) in Glasgow.
Lately, though, Wai Gong has been acting strangely; he seems to be becoming more forgetful, and he spends a lot of his time talking to his statue of Guan Yin, the Chinese goddess of kindness and compassion.
He doesn't even seem to enjoy their favorite TV show – Strictly Come Dancing – as much anymore.
But what sends things over the edge is when Lizzie's friend Chi turns up at their house in fancy dress as Princess Leia from Star Wars.
When he sees her, Wai Gong thinks that Chi is the actual Guan Yin!
But then Lizzie gets an idea. Wai Gong has always wanted to go to the Tower Ballroom in Blackpool, and now might be the perfect time to take him.
It's only 200 miles to the south – what could possibly go wrong?
This is one of the most heartwarming Scotland books set in Glasgow you can find, and a great read for fans of unconventional road trip novels.
Read Keep Dancing, Lizzie Chu: Amazon | Goodreads
Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
In this modern retelling of The Turn of the Screw, former nanny Rowan is in prison for the death of a child under her care.
The book is told entirely through very detailed letters that Rowan writes to a lawyer while awaiting trial.
These letters include everything that happened, starting from the time she applied for and accepted the job.
Rowan is surprised to arrive at a remote Scottish home fully fitted with smart technology, and even more surprised to find out most of the former nannies didn't stay long.
Although, as she soon learns, the children aren't exactly the angels she was promised. Nor is she happy about being mostly left alone for weeks at a time with them.
And soon even weirder – possibly paranormal – things start to happen that have Rowan fearing for her life.
Is Rowan responsible for the death under care? And if not, can Rowan unravel the mystery before it's too late?
Turn of the Key is one of the most popular books about Scotland, with great descriptions of Rowan's surroundings.
The remoteness of the home will make you feel like you're trapped there with her!
Read Turn of the Key: Amazon | Goodreads
The Young Team by Graeme Armstrong
Life on the streets of North Lanarkshire is fraught with gang fighting, drug taking, and murder. For 14-year-old Azzy Williams, it's just part of the day-to-day.
As part of the Young Team gang, he's ready and looking forward to getting involved as much as he can.
He's out to smoke, drink, pop pills, and deal out some much-deserved violence against anyone who goes against him and his loyal brethren.
But a life lived twice as hard will last half as long, and once Azzy has grown up, he's now ready to leave it all behind … if he can.
Based on the life and experiences of author Graeme Armstrong, The Young Team shines a light on what can happen when a young person decides to live their life to excess.
There's no Wolf of Wall Street style embellishments and glorification to the proceedings, however.
Armstrong includes no glamorization of drugs; just honesty about what they can do to a person and a community.
Anyone looking for books on Scotland that go in-depth into the darker side of Scottish youth culture will have a lot to experience and appreciate here.
For an extra immersive experience, the book is also written in phonetic Scottish.
Read The Young Team: Amazon | Goodreads
Stranded by Sarah Goodwin
When shy botanist Maddy signed up to participate in a survival reality TV show, she never could have imagined just how spectacularly wrong things could go.
The premise of the show was simple: What would happen if the world ended and these eight people found refuge on a remote island off the coast of Scotland?
All they need to do is make it for a year, and there will be cameras on them the whole time.
There are also two cameramen hidden away on the island, and they start out with a cache of helpful resources.
Each of the eight has unique skills that are essential for survival in a potential apocalypse, especially if they can learn to work together.
But from the minute Maddy arrives on the island, there is tension between the four men and four women – and much of it seems directed at Maddy.
So what exactly happens between the time they are dropped off and over a year later when Maddy is found wandering around on the mainland in rags?
Stranded is an action-packed survival thriller that shows some of the worst sides of humanity. Scotland books don't get twistier than this!
Uncover even more riveting survival books. Or, travel to new islands with this reading list.
Read Stranded: Amazon | Goodreads
Whirligig by Andrew James Greig
The peaceful atmosphere of a small Highland town is brutally interrupted one day when the body of a local gamekeeper is found hanging from a tree.
But what at first glance looks like a cut-and-dry suicide soon reveals itself to be much more complex when the body is found snared in the same manner as the rabbit hanging beside him.
This is the beginning of a spree, conducted by someone who seems to enjoy playing games with both those they prey upon and those who are dispatched to stop them.
What else could be meant by the intricate clockwork mechanisms left at each crime scene; the ones made of wood and bone?
DI James Corstophine – still grieving from the loss of his wife to cancer – is the leader of a team of police on the trail of this killer.
But time is running out, and seemingly everyone in this tight-knit town wants to keep things to themselves.
While it may get a little gory at times, don't let that put you off, because this tight and twisty thriller is one of the most enjoyable noir books about Scotland for detective fiction fans.
Read Whirligig: Amazon | Goodreads
Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh
Trigger warnings for strong language, hard drug use, infant death, and more
In the squalor of the 1990s Edinburgh heroin scene, frequent users Renton, Spud, and Sick Boy spend their time watching videotapes, arguing, and getting high.
They also occasionally socialize with Tommy – who has never tried heroin – and "Franco" Begbie, a violent psychopath who frequently starts fights with those who anger him.
As increasingly chaotic events affect their lives, they variously try to kick the habit and get clean with varying degrees of success.
Can any of these unfortunate "Skag Boys" find release, redemption, and a happy life?
Undeniably one of the most famous Scottish books ever written, Trainspotting rightly comes with quite a reputation and a severe warning for sensitive readers.
Written in extremely strongly accented phonetic Scots, this non-linear, stream-of-consciousness literary achievement is something that has to be experienced to be fully understood.
Even if you only experience it once.
If you enjoy this famous book on Scotland and Scottish life and the working class, try even more iconic books published in the 1990s.
Read Trainspotting: Amazon | Goodreads
The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley
Every year, a group of friends meets up after Christmas to celebrate New Year's.
This year, they're off to a remote yet cozy estate in the Scottish Highlands. It's quiet and idyllic, and it's a good thing they arrived before the snowstorm that cuts them off from civilization.
Unfortunately, when New Year's Day rolls around, it appears that one of them is dead.
These people met at university, but now they're all in their thirties; old tensions and half-forgiven slights can only be carried for so long before something snaps.
One of these "friends" is a killer, and the race is on to find out who it is before more bodies hit the floor.
Those looking for tense books on Scotland will enjoy author Lucy Foley's thrilling whodunnit, as will fans of the isolated murder mystery genre.
Uncover even more books set during winter.
Read The Hunting Party: Amazon | Goodreads
Scabby Queen by Kirstin Innes
Clio Campbell, Scottish folk singer and political activist, is dead. Moreover, she committed suicide, and she did it in the spare bedroom of her long-suffering friend Ruth.
Having started off as a one-hit-wonder in the early 90s, Clio's public image has taken a battering in recent years, thanks to the tabloid press.
However, with her death, she is once again thrust into the public eye, this time as a heroine of politically charged and disruptive times.
But who was the real Clio Campbell?
And why was she treated like a Scabby Queen; a card game where the queen gets passed round and round as everyone tries to discard her as quickly as possible?
Covering events from across the United Kingdom but covering some key moments for modern Scotland, we learn about Clio from those who both loved and hated her the most.
From the Scottish independence referendum and Brexit to protest groups in Brixton and the 2001 G8 riots in Genoa, Scabby Queen covers five decades of British history.
Author Kirstin Innes has created one of the most vivid characters to appear in books about Scotland in recent times, with a supporting cast to match.
Read Scabby Queen: Amazon | Goodreads
Rizzio by Denise Mina
Delving into an as-yet unsolved historical crime, Rizzio is the fictionalized story of the abrupt end of the life of David Rizzio, private secretary to Mary Queen of Scots.
During the night of March 9th, 1566, David Rizzio was forcibly removed from Mary's chamber and stabbed 56 times by a group of unknown assassins.
Those responsible allegedly threatened the life of the heavily pregnant Mary and her soon-to-be-born child as they dragged Rizzio away.
Author Denise Mina dramatizes this historical crime in her brutal and thrilling novella, straying away from the usual trope of romanticizing 16th-century Scotland in favor of grim realism.
This is a punchy and impactful period crime story, and while it's one of the shortest books about Scotland on this list, it will leave a lasting impression.
Read Rizzio: Amazon | Goodreads
Hear No Evil by Sarah Smith
Glasgow, 1817: When Jean Campbell is witnessed throwing a child from the Old Bridge into the River Clyde, she is immediately taken into custody and imprisoned in the Edinburgh Old Tolbooth.
Even though the river is searched, no trace of the child is found and the authorities struggle to communicate with Jean due to her being deaf and not uttering a word.
Put on the case is Robert Kinniburgh, a teacher from the Deaf & Dumb Institution.
His job is to determine if Jean is fit for trial. If she is, it means either execution if guilty or life in an insane asylum otherwise.
Gradually he and Jean find a means to communicate, and Kinniburgh gradually realizes that there's more than meets the eye in this supposedly open-and-shut case.
While she herself is not deaf, author Sarah Smith worked closely with deaf sensitivity readers and conducted thorough research into this historic real-life case in order to make sure the deaf representation is accurate.
Based on real historic case law from early 1800s Scotland, this is not only one of the most engaging books set in Edinburgh but one of the best books about Scotland overall.
Read Hear No Evil: Amazon | Goodreads
Daisy on the Outer Line by Ross Sayers
It seems like a nightmare situation to make a scene in public and then pass out drunk while waiting for public transport.
But that's exactly what Daisy does, except her public scene happens to be at her stepdad's funeral, which only makes things worse.
Strangely, though, her memories of the previous day are not her top priority right now because she appears to have woken up on the Glasgow subway in someone else's body.
To top it off, she's traveled back in time as well!
It seems as though she's being made to make up for her selfish and destructive behavior by having to save the life of another.
The only problem is, she doesn't know who, or how to go about it.
This metaphysical sci-fi Scottish YA is not one of your typical Scotland books set in Glasgow, but it is a lot of fun.
While Daisy starts off badly, she is still relatable – even before she starts learning how to be a better human.
Discover even more fun time travel books.
Read Daisy on the Outer Line: Amazon | Goodreads
Luckenbooth by Jenni Fagan
On a small, unnamed island in the North Sea, Jessie Macrae and her father have a falling out.
This disagreement is so impactful that Jessie hops straight into a boat and rows her way down to the shores of Edinburgh, seemingly in search of a new life.
Only a few details make this escape remarkable:
1. She rows for 3 straight days
2. Her boat is actually a coffin that she was forced to sleep in by her father
3. Her father is The Devil
After making landfall in Scotland's capital city, Jessie finds herself at No. 10 Luckenbooth Close – a towering 9-floor tenement building.
When Jessie enters into a pact with one of the occupants, the consequences cause a curse to fall on the building that will last one hundred years… and affect everyone who comes to dwell there.
Author Jenni Fagan takes the reader through 9 decades of residents and occult occurrences in one of the most creative and imaginative books about Scotland that fantasy fans will love.
If you enjoy Luckenbooth, find even more books with ghosts.
Read Luckenbooth: Amazon | Goodreads
By far one of the most famous books about Scotland, Shuggie Bain is the story of the eponymous Hugh "Shuggie" Bain.
Shuggie is a young Glaswegian from a working-class family struggling to survive in poverty-stricken Thatcher-era Britain.
He is the youngest of three children, all of whom are burdened by their mother Agnes' alcoholism.
However, as the youngest, Shuggie is left to pick up the pieces when his brother and sister leave home; the pain of which is exacerbated when he is bullied for being effeminate.
The book spans both the 80s and 90s, covering Shuggie's childhood and adolescence as well as his own struggles to get away from home and make it on his own.
Shuggie Bain is a heartbreaking queer coming-of-age book and provides a peek into a time many have forgotten.
Readers should be aware that although the book is written in English, the dialogue is in phonetic Scots.
Read Shuggie Bain: Amazon | Goodreads
Duck Feet by Ely Percy
In this coming-of-age drama, we follow the lives of 12-year-old Kirsty Campbell and her friends as they navigate the trials and tribulations of growing up in Paisley, Scotland.
We are taken through their most formative teenage years as they move up school grades, encountering the harsh realities of bullying, sexuality, drugs, and teenage pregnancy.
But with the lows also come the highs, as each member of the group gets closer to working out who they are and finding a place for themselves in the world.
For books about Scotland, Duck Feet is a well-realized and immersive celebration of working-class life.
Author Ely Percy uses phonetic Scottish to draw the reader in and make them feel like part of the community, which can be jarring for first-time readers but adds to the authenticity and charm.
Read Duck Feet: Temporarily Out Of Print (but keep checking) | Goodreads
Save The Best Books On Scotland For Later:
Did you find a new book on Scotland to read? Save this list for later, and read around the world with The Uncorked Librarian.
Grab your favorite books about Scotland here:
Thank you to TUL contributor, Jeremy Paterson
Jeremy (pronouns: any) is an autistic writer, hobbyist, and movie buff, as long as that movie is Labyrinth. Since leaving the corporate world behind in 2018, he has read more books than he thought possible. True to his British upbringing, his first instinct in any given situation is to put the kettle on.
Which Scotland books – from, about, and set there – have you read?
Which books about Scotland have you read and enjoyed? Are there any that you recommend for our always-growing TBR pile?
P.S. This Scotland book list pairs well with our 2023 Fall Reading Challenge.
Categories Book Lists, Books Set In
Tags EuropeScotland
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Resources for Entrepreneurs > Marketing > Mailing Lists > Direct Response Mailing List for Businesses
Mailing Lists for Sound Engineers Businesses
If your customer base includes sound engineers businesses, lead generation is a top priority. So what can you do if your company is struggling to find high-value prospects?
It's a widely accepted fact that the quality of your company's lead generation approach needs to be as strong and robust as possible.
For businesses that focus on sound engineers business sales, direct mail and telemarketing can be a highly effective entry point -- and that means lead generation is a core business activity for firms like yours.
Leads vs. Prospects
If you've done your homework, your provider will deliver an updated lead list that has been sorted according to company size, years in business, zip code and other criteria. But your work isn't done yet. Unless you are using the lists for mass marketing campaigns (e.g. direct mail), your sales force will still need to conduct lead qualification. Since the sound engineers business contacts have been generated from a large database of updated prospects, you'll have better higher conversion rates -- but you'll still need to expend energy to achieve maximum return on your investment.
Ramping Sales and Profits with B2B Lead Lists
Consumer advertising strategies usually aren't effective when selling to sound engineers businesses. You can spend thousands of dollars on a visually appealing ad and go virtually unnoticed in the industry. In contrast to other marketing resources, lead lists allow you to target your messaging toward a select group of prospects. When selling to sound engineers businesses, the ability to focus sales and marketing efforts on specific types of leads is essential.
Where to Find Lead Lists
An Internet search is typically the first step businesses take when they're looking for a lead list provider. The Internet has obvious value, but it doesn't tell the whole story. Many online vendors are big on promises and short on execution, so it's important to verify each provider's claims and references.
We've known many lead list providers throughout the years, but we have been consistently impressed with Experian. One of the reasons we like Experian is because they have a database of more than 14 million U.S. businesses. Companies that sell to sound engineers businesses routinely depend on Experian to deliver updated leads that have been filtered to meet precise geographic and demographic criteria.
Related Resources Pertaining to Direct Marketing
Want to learn more about selling to sound engineers businesses? You may also enjoy these articles.
Direct Mail Costs
Greeting Card Marketing
What strategies have you found to be most successful in marketing to sound engineers businesses? Frontline feedback is important to us, we want to hear about the best marketing strategies in today's market.
Already Have a Sound Engineers Business?
If you have an existing sound engineers business, you may enjoy:
Marketing a Sound Engineers Business
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I prepared for this speech by reading speeches of other Caldecott medalists. It seems there are certain traditions, such as describing where you were and what you were doing when the Caldecott Committee chairman called with the news. I was in my bed, and I was sleeping. Disbelief and sleepiness combined to inspire the following reaction to Gail Sage's phone call: "Uh . . . gee." Throughout the conversation Gail must have wondered if she'd dialed the right number. How could someone who spoke only in monosyllables write a book? Afterward, as I lay in bed, a terrible thought came to me.
What if the ALA had a secret clause, a clause that allowed the Caldecott Committee to reverse its decision if the recipient was found to be torpid, unresponsive, and dull-witted? If only I'd taped the conversation, I could prove to friends that I had been, for a little while, the Caldecott medalist. But no call followed telling me there had been a mistake. When I saw the announcement in the newspaper, I knew I was safe. Other speech traditions are descriptions of one's childhood involvement with books and art. In my elementary school we had art twice a week. I loved those days. Children often use a slight fever as an excuse to stay home from school, drink ginger ale, and eat ice cream in bed. Once, in the second grade, I felt feverish at breakfast but concealed it from my mother because it was an art day. Midway through the morning art class, my teacher noticed that I looked a little green.
Ordinarily it wouldn't be unusual, but paint wasn't being used that day. She took me out into the hall where we children left our coats and boots and asked if I felt OK. I said I felt fine and then threw up into Billy Marcus's boots. I was profoundly embarrassed. The teacher was very comforting. She took me to the nurse's office, and my mother was summoned. I went home, drank ginger ale, and ate ice cream in bed.
There was another occasion when my physical health and my passion for art collided. When I was eight, my friend Russell and I became voracious stamp collectors. I loved those tiny little pictures. We wanted all our relatives to take a vacation in the Ukraine and write us lots of letters. After three weeks of looking at nothing but stamps, I got a fever — the flu again. In my delirium, all I could see was a stamp picturing the Lewis and Clark expedition. I was there too, with Lewis and Clark, standing in front of a timber fort with our Indian guides, but we never went anywhere. When I pulled out of the fever, I gave all my stamps to Russell. To this day I'm a terrible letter-writer, no doubt because of my lasting aversion to stamps.
There was a great deal of peer recognition to be gained in elementary school by being able to draw well. One girl could draw horses so well, she was looked upon as a kind of sorceress. (Everyone else's horses looked like water buffalo.) Being able to draw cartoon characters was a good trick, too. Pluto and Mickey always impressed friends. I specialized in Dagwood Bumstead — a little too sophisticated, perhaps, to be widely appreciated.
During that year the art classes I took as a lark became more important and involving than any of my other classes. In fact, it took me five years to get my undergraduate degree because I never let liberal arts courses get in the way of making art. Going to classes like philosophy and French upset my rhythm, my pace. So I just skipped them, which upset my credit requirements (and my parents, too). It was clear I had a fever again. The fever to make art. Actually, fever may be a misleading description of my own rather deliberate approach, but there is a constant urge to create. I am fascinated by the act of making something real that at one point is only an idea. It is challenging and beguiling to sense something inside, put it on paper (or carve it in stone), and then step back and see how much has got lost in the process. The inevitability of losing some of the idea in trying to bring it to life is what keeps me working. I am always certain that next time, I'll lose less. Ideas themselves have varied origins. In writing and illustrating Jumanji, the inspiration was my recollection of vague disappointment in playing board games as a child. Even when I owned Park Place with three hotels, I never felt truly rich, and not being able to interrogate Colonel Mustard personally was always a letdown. Another motivating element for Jumanji was a fascination I have with seeing things where they don't belong. The pictures in newspapers of cars that have run amok and crashed into people's living rooms always get my attention. There's the room, almost normal: sofa, TV, amused homeowner, end tables, and the front half of a Oldsmobile. It occurred to me that if an Oldsmobile in the living room looked that good, a herd of rhinoceros could have real possibilities.
Other rewards of writing and illustrating are meeting and working with people like Walter Lorraine, my editor at Houghton Mifflin. I would like to thank him for his support and guidance. While I'm thanking people, I would also like to thank Jan Vermeer, for the way he used light; Edgar Degas, for the way he composed; Max Klinger, for the way he told a story; Federico Fellini, for making films that look the way they do; Andre Kertesz, for the photos he took; Winsor McKay, for little Nemo; H. C. Westermann, for the things he made; Gustav Stickley, for the way he built a chair; and Harold, for his purple crayon. I'm indebted to them all; I aspire to the excellence of their achievement.
And thank you to Alexandra and all the other children who have written me, and to the children who come up to me at book signings to tell me how much they like Abugazi and Pajami. Some people may contend that there is no image more charming than a child holding a puppy or kitten. But for me that's a distant second. When I see a child clutching a book, especially my book, to his or her tiny bosom, I'm moved. Children can possess a book in a way they can never possess a video game, a TV show, or a Darth Vader doll. A book comes alive when they read it. They give it life themselves by understanding it.
Finally, I would like to thank the ALA and the Caldecott Committee for bestowing this great honor on me. Some artists claim praise is irrelevant in measuring the success of art, but I think it's quite relevant. Besides, it makes me feel great.