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You know a book's good when you fight past the oncoming drowsiness of sleeping pills at 2am, in order to just read a few more pages. Not very good for my insomnia perhaps, but I whole-heartedly think it was worth it.
"Charlotte O'Keefe's beautiful, much-longed-for, adored daughter Willow is born with osteogenesis imperfecta - a very severe form of brittle bone disease. If she slips on a crisp packet she could break both her legs, and spend six months in a half body cast. After years of caring for Willow, her family faces financial disaster. Then Charlotte is offered a lifeline. She could sue her obstetrician for wrongful birth - for not having diagnosed Willow's condition early enough in the pregnancy to be able to abort the child. The payout could secure Willow's future. But to get it would mean Charlotte suing her best friend. And standing up in court to declare that she would have prefered that Willow had never been born... "
I have a strange interest in medical ethics due to a module that I half-heartedly agreed to study at Law School and then loved. I love issues of consent, termination, euthanasia... anything to do with the medical world and the legal problems therein. It explains why I also loved the last Jodi Picoult book I read (my review of which is here), about a child's refusal to donate organs to her dying sister. "Handle with Care "is very similar, using the familiar formula of family-related medical ethics and a trial in court.
I have a fair-weather relationship with Ms. Picoult - the two books that I've read and finished I absolutely adored. However, I started both "The Pact "and "Salem Falls "and couldn't finish either of them. They deal with teenage suicide and false rape accusations respectively, and I didn't find them nearly as interesting. Admittedly it was a while ago, but it taught me to stick to the medical issue books.
Obviously, they're very similar. Both have a Mother at the heart of the legal action, a Father who doesn't agree but just wants to keep his head down, ensuing marital problems and an ignored but troubled sibling. I think that's why these books get slated so much - their similarity. But "so what!? "The two I've read were both amazing. I've never known novels that could pull you in and really make you "care "for the characters like those by Jodi Picoult. They're all real with their own personalities and flaws, and the dialogue is so believable that you have to remind yourself that it isn't a documentary.
But whereas I liked the ending of "My Sister's Keeper, "I didn't like it here. I saw the 'twist' coming, but only because I'm familiar with her previous books. It reads like she shovelled it in purely because she needed a shocking ending to match those in all her books. It just didn't feel necessary.
I particularly liked this book because it raised a few personal issues. In case you haven't gathered from my continuous yet subtle hints, I'm taking my Bar course next year to study to be a lawyer. The attorney in this case, Marin, disagrees with the whole concept of Charlotte's case whole-heartedly; she thinks it's repulsive and immoral. However, she;s bound to represent her case regardless of her own views. For me, this is an issue I've struggled with a few times - could I represent someone whose beliefs or actions thoroughly offended my own?
What it boils down to, in the end, is that every single review is going be biased depending on your moral standpoint and circumstances. I've read several where the reviewer thinks people like Charlotte O'Keefe should be steralised at birth and therefore see the entire plot concept as ugly and offensive. I've also read others more sympathetic to her financial situation and emotional struggles who therefore enjoyed the book more.
As for me... I loved the book and completely understood Charlotte. The beauty of Jodi Picoult's writing lies in the continuous switching of narrative, which results in a full understanding of the thought processes of each character. In "Handle with Care "you see the reasoning of both the defendant and claimant, and therefore (ideally) sympathise with both. Although I can understand why what Charlotte did was controversial, it was Sean and his naivety that irritated me more. If it came right down to it, I'm not sure I wouldn't have done the same.
Source: art-of-kisses.blogspot.com
Publisher: Simon ">Format: Hardcover
Released: September 1st, 2011
Grade rating: B+/A-
Amazon summary:
After Em hooks up with her best friend's boyfriend and Chase's secret harassment of a social outcast spirals out of control, three mysterious Furies-paranormal creatures that often assume the form of beautiful women-come to town to make sure that Em and Chase get what they deserve. Not everyone will survive-and those who do will discover there are worse punishments than death. But when Em befriends outcast Drea and learns more about who and what the Furies really are, she becomes resolved above all to take them down and stop their plans. Little does Em know that, by confronting the Furies, she could become inextricably bound to them for life.
Review:
Fury is a 2011 debut I've been looking forward to for a while. I really enjoyed it and, while it isn't my all-time favourite book, it certainly hit my paranormal-loving mark. I've never read anything like this and have never encountered the Furies before, so to me it was all new. Revenge and karma is something that often crops up in YA books and movies, but not usually to this extent. The Furies in Fury take the form of three beautiful girls, Ty, Meg and Ali, and though they might look sexy and harmless, they're anything but. These girls are seductive, scheming and deadly, and I loved them!
I loved the whole idea behind the Furies and everything they stand for, even if they might actually be quite evil at their core. They exact revenge on wrong-doers, which is where main characters Em, Chase and Zach come into the story. They're basically liars and cheaters, and though Chase may seem innocent for most of the book, he's harbouring a secret that changes everything. The Furies are rooted in Greek mythology which is an area I've always wanted to know more about, and an area that I think has so far been overlooked in YA. I know a few more books along these lines have been published this year, so maybe Greek mythology could be a new trend for the future. Elizabeth Miles is a great author to start with if, like me, you're interested in getting your Greek on. It's so interesting!
Fury is written in the third person, which actually surprised me. It didn't suffer for it, but I personally would have liked to get to know the characters a bit better. I'm a fan of first-person narration because I can get into a character's head and experience their thoughts and feelings for myself, rather than be on the outside looking in. It always takes me a while to adjust to third person, and it was no different here. However, now I can't imagine Fury being written any other way. Miles's writing is brilliant to read, and she's another one who I can't believe is a debut author! Her storytelling is compelling, and her slower pace reminds me of Becca Fitzpatrick's style. These two ladies take things slow at first, but everything they write is important to the story and their endings are always explosive.
Fury would make an awesome film, I have no doubt about it. It draws attention to bullying and unbdesirable behaviour, and has three supernatural beings at the centre of everything. Think Mean Girls with revenge-seeking Furies as the main stars, and you get the gist. I'm excited that this is the first book in a trilogy, though I'm more than intrigued as to where things will go next. If I've learnt anything from the Furies, it's that nobody is safe, every action has repercussions and they'll always be watching... you have been warned!
The ratio of judgment your "soul-mate" online are a lot outgo than you may cerebrate. It doesn't hap for everyone, of class, but it can bechance for you. The man of net or online dating has exploded over the senior few age.
As our lives get busier and busier we penury to tidy gambler use of our term and forcefulness in our look for the one man who instrument attain our lives absolute.
The old speech, "You soul to kiss a lot of frogs before you regain a princess" is no person faithful. Why touching adornment when you can translate hundreds of profiles and care at the pictures that go with them for a runty monthly fee? That saves dimension and money...not to acknowledge lip combust.
These are a few right reasons to muse online dating:
(1) There is a fanlike comprise of men to take from. You aren't controlled to the men in your gregarious locomote or transmute environment.
(2) You love the chance to get to see a lot about a man before you e'er conjunction him for the no. abstraction. You give jazz his age, matrimonial state, what municipality he lives in, whether he has children, his height/weight and his likes and dislikes all from his salience. You'll modify see a impression of him.
(3) You tally a outdo possibility to mouth yourself in a following way. This is especially reclaimable for those of us who are shy. We bed indication to anticipate roughly how we poverty to say things around ourselves and can refrain being articulator fastened. Equal those who are writer sociable can stand experience to reverberate on who they real are before composition their online salience.
(4) Online dating is sure a instant saver. You can have so umteen many men in a lot inferior second than you e'er could out in the factual grouping.
Origin: quick-pickup-rules.blogspot.com
Since Title IX guaranteed equal funding for girls' sports programs 40 years ago, we've seen the results in school, in the workplace and in women's self-confidence. Studies have shown that girls who PLAY SPORTS IN HIGH SCHOOL are more likely to to do better in science classes, complete college, avoid substance abuse and join the workforce. And the more time they spend participating in team sports, the higher their SELF-ESTEEM.
Naturally, there has also been an effect on the playing fields. Now, for the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, there are MORE WOMEN THAN MEN on the United States team in London. And we can look to these women as role models for the positive traits we want to emulate. The strengths they gain from years of hard work and dedication to their sport are more than just physical. They also represent many of the CHARACTER VIRTUES identified by Positive Psychology researchers Chris Peterson and Marty Seligman.
All this week we'll be looking at some examples of these and other strengths personified by the athletes. Consider how to integrate them into your own daily life.
VITALITY. Gabby Douglas, dubbed "the flying squirrel" due to the actual height she achieves as well as the high level of energy she exudes in her routines, won the gold medal in women's all-around gymnastics as well as in team all-around. Her enthusiasm is contagious and she engages everyone around her with her electrifying smile. With her passion to fulfill her potential, she left home to train under a new coach and live with a "second family." Her heart is big enough to include them all in her zest for life - and for gymnastics. Search for what energizes you and go for it all the way. You'll feel more alive than ever.
FRIENDSHIP. The "Fierce Five" USA gymnasts are a close-knit group, supporting each other through the Games - even when they are competing against one aother. Jordyn Wieber, who had been best in world in all-around didn't make the cut for the Olympics all-around, yet congratulated teammates Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas who did. McKayla Maroney and Kyla Ross have been friends since they were 8 and both took gymnastics at the same gym. When they all worked together as a team, they drew strength from their friendship with each other and won the gold medal in team gymnastics. You may not be reaching for the gold yourself, but the commitment you and your own friends make to each other nurtures each of you and creates emotional bonds that provide the foundation for a fulfilling life.
PERSISTENCE. Dana Vollmer didn't even make the Olympic women's swimming team four years ago. But she persevered and worked harder than ever to make the team this year. All her practice paid off when she broke the world record, winning gold medals at the London Games in butterfly as well a gold in women's medley relay, with Missy Franklin, Allison Schmitt and Rebecca Soni. When you are discouraged and tempted to give up working toward your own goal, believe in yourself and find the strength to hang in there.
LOYALTY. Missy Franklin has been approached time and again to make endorsements but has turned them all down so could remain an amateur and swim for her high school and future college teams. With her bubbly personality, Missy enjoys her friends in school and is devoted to them, to her family and to her hometown coach. Winning 4 gold medals in backstroke and women's team relay and a bronze in another team relay, she is looking forward to getting back home and hanging out with her friends. Your own sense of responsibility for your community and the value you place on generativity and giving back will help you remain true to your ideals.
As you continue to watch the coverage of the London Games this week, enjoy the spectacle of sport but also reflect on the strength of purpose and commitment that the athletes - female and male - have developed over the years. A nice Olympic ideal for all of us to follow.
Source: mark-rayan-pua.blogspot.com
My daughter is just six weeks old.
As to be expected with a newborn, at our house we've been doing nothing but adjusting. I'm adjusting to having two children who need my attention, my son is adjusting to having to share the attention, my husband is adjusting to that while I look the same - just not pregnant and just not back to my normal size yet - I am still recovering in terms of stamina, energy level, and hormones. Alas, in our adjustment phase, we've adopted some coping mechanisms, mainly, more scheduled nanny time for my son (so I can sleep and stare in awe at my baby), more scheduled house cleaner time, more laundry, more take-out, more field trips with my son and consequently, more museum trips and memberships, more playground trips, more ice cream & popsicles (not so much baby related, but heat wave and sanity related), and the one I hate the most: more television and movies.
I know. I know. Some say an hour of television a day for a child almost three years old is fine, not harmful and even normal (I have to question if this is just normal for Americans who seem to take pride in their television viewing habits considering that in 51% of American homes, the TV is on most the time). Some say television can be educational, just look at Sesame Street and what it's done to have kids learning their numbers and letters. Others say that when TV habits begin too young, it contributes to ADHD, and other behavior issues as well as impacts later cognitive development. I understand this has studies and statistics to back this research up and I can get the connection. Yet I am in the generation whose mothers interacted with their children on average fifteen minutes a day and all of us learned to read from the TV, not an actual person. Some of us do have issues, but for the most part we're functioning successful adults. That said, I would rather my children learn to read from the people in their lives.
Still others say kids don't really learn from television or Sesame Street, but from interactions with people. Though I prefer this viewpoint, I don't really want to engage in this part of the argument, if only because I can see the validity in all the views. Yes, my son learned the majority of his letters, numbers, shapes, and colors from the New York subways, books, and interactions with my husband and me. And him learning the song where they count to 12 that has played on Sesame Street since I watched it thirty years ago certainly didn't hurt anything.
So why do I hate the TV? And why - much to the horror of some friends and family - do we not actually own one? Partly because I've read the studies on how often TV replaces reading, talking to other people, emotional development or relationship skills, and exercise of any kind. I've also read that it contributes to poor eating habits and obesity, and can disturb sleep habits as well as contribute to night terrors (big surprise - I get night terrors after watching almost anything on TV if only because I get scared about what is passing as entertainment). Mostly because I hate the magnetic like quality of the TV, how it absorbs even the smartest of us and abducts us as if it were an actual alien - even though most the programming (including what some stations insist is news) is of such poor quality it insults the intelligence of the average lab rat. Once when my husband was traveling for work, he called from his cable TV stocked hotel room before bed to say good night. "I just spent two hours watching the dumbest movie ever," he said. Sadly, I had to ask: "It took you two hours to figure out it was the dumbest movie ever?" He's (usually) a smart guy. His defense? "Well, you know. It was the TV."
Several people I know admit the same, that when they're in front of the TV, they get sucked in no matter how poor quality the show is, and next thing they know, they've lost three hours of their life and feel like slugs.
It's the slug after-effect I've noticed with my two year old. Because we don't own a physical TV, we do watch the occasional TV shows we like (West Wing, Mad Men, PBS's Sherlock) on our computers or iPad (thanks to Netflix and the library). We also watch our fair share of movies. My son watches the older Sesame Street episodes (I can't stand the newer ones. Sesame Street sadly too has fallen victim to the dumbing down and princess-ing up trend), Wallace & Gromit, Kipper, Pingu the Penguin and occasionally, Shaun the Sheep. After a short Wallace ">hate having to rely on it. I want my son - and now daughter - to use their time in more useful and creative ways; I want them to engage in experiences and personal interactions, not passively watch the activities of others. I want them to be self-directed, not wait around to be entertained. When it's not an everyday thing, and I tuck my son in at night, he falls asleep easily with that satisfied sigh of another fun, active and full day behind him. I love that.
Still, while I am fortunate enough to have a newborn who sleeps at night, so I sleep as well, I am still tired, and I had to make my peace with the TV just for the sake of recovering, much like I did last winter during the snow storms that would never end. After so many days of finger painting, flour play, and fort building, a creative parent can only do so much if only because you need a break, a shower, a phone call to a friend, a cup of coffee with no one asking you for something for five minutes. I rationalize, that this TV thing is not a life habit, just a circumstance related habit. Last winter, when the weather improved and we naturally started getting out more and having our own non-televised adventures, TV weaning happened without a thought. Knowing this reassures me that while it feels like a dependency (because when we need it, we really need it), it's just another coping mechanism for the moment. So I hope.
Source: lay-reports.blogspot.com
Author: Chris Stowell
Why do organizations come together every year at the 2005 Excellence Fair held by the Professional Association for Computer Training?
It is because something worked well for an organization and valuable information needs to be shared. This year at the 2005 Excellence Fair it was Cargill, the international food provider (located in over 59 countries), that was recognized for their Transition into Leadership curriculum that helps employees transition into leadership roles.
So, what is it about Cargills leadership curriculum that has led to such great success? It began when Cargill recognized that great team members also make great leaders. But, the insights, skills, and vision needed to be an effective leader must be developed, practiced, and learned over time.
As such, the focus of Cargills leadership development program is to provide new and aspiring leaders with the skills required to confront the challenges and opportunities that a leadership role entails. In the program, aspiring and new leaders learn how to guide, empower, and assist the efforts of others towards greater success. These newly developed leaders are instructed on how to lead people, make a difference in their work, and fulfill leadership expectations. So how is this leadership development program different from all of the others? This program provides new leaders with the key tools for leading effectively, while at the same time making the program specific to the development needs of each attendee. Most programs on the market do not focus on the transformation process aspiring leaders must go through to maximize their effectiveness.
The Transition into Leadership curriculum was designed to:
? Introduce the best ideas and practices in leadership today
? Identify the significant differences between leadership and management
? Determine the participants own leadership strengths and areas for improvement
? Develop and practice sound leadership skills and abilities
? Learn "best practices" through close affiliation with other Cargill leaders
? Communicate effectively and reinforce, mission, goals, and vision
? Take accountability for business results and team member development
? Embrace change and challenge the comfort zone of team members
Cargills leadership development program places great importance on their employees and know that they are the key part of a successful future. As a result they seek the best programs in order to create development opportunities for their employees and leaders around the world.
Cargill selected CMOE to partner with them in the development and implementation of the Transition into Leadership program. At the Center for Management and Organization Effectiveness we have been helping Cargill to create, develop and implement their Transition into Leadership program and fulfill a variety of training needs.
The past 27 years CMOE has been instrumental in designing leadership development programs for multinational organizations. We help our clients improve the leaders of today and help create the leaders of tomorrow.
About the author: Chris Stowell is the International Manager at CMOE.
If you would like to learn more about Transition into Leadership and other lea dership development programs please contact CMOE toll free at (888)262-2499
Name : Angelina Jolie
Date Of Birth : 4 June 1975
Height : 5'7
Eyes : Blue
Hair : Brown
Famous Hollywood actress, Oscar winner and human rights campaigner, Angelina Jolie got the most memorable birthday gift, because she was selected as world's most powerful celebrity by Forbes business magazine. She was overcome the Oprah Winfrey, a talk-show queen who had held the No. 1 position for the past two years. Forbes top ranking is based on the income over the past 12 months and media exposure. Jolie gathered 27 million in the past 12 months from the movie schedule including "Kung Fu Panda, Wanted" and the not-yet-released spy thriller "Salt". She also gained publicity following the birth of her twins, as well as the consistent headlines she grabs for her charity efforts and her relationship with actor Brad Pitt who ranks No. 9 on this list. Jolie was came in third position in previous years list. Pop legend Madonna was came in third place of this year's list. Singer and actress Beyonce Knowles came in fourth place and Tiger Woods is the highest ranked male celebrity who came in fifth place. US President Barack Obama was also reached in 49th place in this list.
Growing up in Los Angeles, Angelina Jolie was no stranger to the film industry, being the daughter of Academy Award-winning actor Jon Voight. She later trained and performed at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, where she was seen in several stage productions. She worked as a professional model in London, New York and Los Angeles, and has also appeared in music videos for such artists as 'Meatloaf', Lenny Kravitz, Antonello Venditti and The Lemonheads. In addition, she has acted in five student films for the USC School of Cinema, all directed by her brother, James Haven. Actress, humanitarian. Born Angelina Jolie Voight on June 4, 1975 in Los Angeles, California, to actor Jon Voight and French actress Marcheline Bertrand. She rose to stardom in the 1990s. She began acting at a young age, studying at the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute while in her early teens. Jolie later attended New York University.
In the 1990s, Angelina Jolie became a popular actress. She gave a star-making performance in the 1998 television film Gia based on the short, tragic life of model Gia Marie Carangi, which won her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress. Another great dramatic role in Girl, Interrrupted (1999) brought Jolie her first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She has continued to take on a variety of interesting roles, such as an adventurer in the Lara Croft films, a FBI profiler in Taking Lives (2004), an assassin in Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005), and a neglected, troubled socialite wife in The Good Shepherd (2006). In 2007, Jolie gave a brillant performance as Mariane Pearl, the pregnant widow of Wall Street Journal reporter Danny Pearl, in A Mighty Heart. The film was based on Mariane Pearl's account of her husband's abduction and murder.
Jolie has drawn Oscar buzz for Clint Eastwood's missing-child drama Changeling, due for release October 24, 2008.
A devoted humanitarian, Angelina Jolie was made a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency in 2001. She has made headlines for her work to obtain aid for refugees in Cambodia, Darfur and Jordan, to name just a few. In 2005, Jolie received the Global Humanitarian Action Award from the United Nations Association of the USA for her activism on behalf of refugee rights. She continues to travel the world to drawing attention to global issues. Famous for her off-screen romances, Angelina Jolie has been married twice. She married Hackers co-star Jonny Lee Miller in 1995. The couple divorced in 1999. The next year Jolie married Academy Award-winning actor Billy Bob Thornton. That union lasted until 2003.
Source: http://www.biography.com/articles/Angelina-Jolie-9356782
http://angelinafans.com/aj-bio/
