Monday, January 21, 2013

NEW BOOKS!!!! *SQUEE*

*happy excited bounces*

Dymmocks, one of the largest book retailers in Australia, was having a sale today. I managed to get away with having only purchased two books (and I will evil eye anyone who think's that isn't anything special).

You see, usually when I go book browsing I purposefully leave my wallet at home and only carry a specified amount of cash on my person, lest I purchase ALL THE THINGS!!! (To give you a better idea of my booklust I tend to either purchase, or borrow from a local library, several books per week.)  But today was one of those random incidences where I was out running errands, wallet in hand, and happened by a book sale. So, given that I managed to control myself to only purchasing two books, both of which were even already on my 'To Read' list, is something to be proud of, IMHO.

The two I purchased today are the Book Thief  and The Arab-Isreali Conflict: A Guide for the Perplexed.



The Book Thief, written by Australian author Mark Zusack, is a tale about a foster girl living just outside of Munich during WWI. Liesel, the young protagonist, cannot resist nicking books. Unable to read in the beginning of the story, she learns to read from her father and shares her stolen books with her neighbors and hidden Jews during bombing raids. As time goes on she begins to steal books from Nazi book burnings, the Mayor's wife's library, and anywhere else she comes across them.

Aside from being a complete bibliophile myself, I'm also intrigued by the author's choice of narrator for the story. You see, the story is told from the point of view of Death... :: surprising and sinister vintage radio music plays now ::




What is the Palestinian-Arab-Israeli conflict? What is the role of the USA in it? How has the media contributed to a polarization of views? What is the importance of Jerusalem? This book endeavours to answer these questions, and many others by explaining clearly, and in an engaging manner, key events and individuals surrounding this conflict.

This is my first experience with a book from Bloomsbury Publishing's 'Guides for the Perplexed' series. The introduction was quite engaging, so we'll see how I find the rest of the piece. I have friends who identify with both sides of the conflicting parties, and I hope this book will give me even more topics to discuss with them. Definitely watch this space for future tidbits about how I'm finding the book.

Ok, I've got my trusty book light (as it is now almost 10pm) and I'm ready to dive in!!! Catch ya'll on the flip side!


Yes, links to the books are attached to my Amazon Associates account. No, you are not obligated to link through. Should you like further details/copy of my disclosure, please go here.








Saturday, January 12, 2013

Spain's economic crisis isn't impacting just Spaniards...

Check out this recent photo blogpost from a friend of mine who is currently living in North-East Spain documenting an encounter with abandoned felines in Vic, Catalonia.

Wordsartiste: The Crisis in Their Eyes...

Yes, the current economic situation of many countries is difficult, at best. However, I think we often forget just how granulated a poor economy can go. Household pets and forever friends are often some of the first to be let go of when financial times get tough. Don't get me wrong, if you can't feed your family fuzzy you shouldn't keep them. However, kicking the domesticated animal to the curb is abuse - would you consider leaving your toddler alone on the street to fend for itself when money got tight? No, likely you would feel the assumption that toddlers can 'figure out' how to take care of themselves is ludicrous. Expecting an animal which has never been in a situation requiring it to acquire food/shelter/etc, is essentially the same thing.

   


Luckily, most communities have animal protection agencies who WANT to take in animals when their owners have discovered they can no longer care for them, and WANT to try and find a new home for this surrendered forever friend.

My favourite local animal protection societies here in my current home of New South Wales are:


Both are predominately donation funded, though they both also have a second-hand/thrift store/op-shop associated with their organisation, the profits from which are redirected back into providing care and services for abandoned and surrendered pets. Neither practice nor endorse euthanasia, and favor education for humans on the proper care techniques for their pet.

Have a look-see on Google or your favourite search engine and share with me the local animal protection agency in your area!


Friday, January 11, 2013

Blow your mind Zombie trilogy!

Image taken from the website of Mira Grant

Ok, I'll concede the title of this post was likely not the most tactful....given it's contents. But I suppose blowing your mind, where zombies are concerned, would be preferential to losing your mind to them, yeah? Either way, you should definitely check out Mira Grant's Newsflesh Trilogy, like NOW. Even if you aren't a 'horror' fiction fan, DO. IT.

Relayed in a mixture of blog posts and first person narratives, these books aren't so much horror as they are post-apocalyptic or dystopic in design, with a mystery/conspiracy twist; the shambling zombies are simply a feature of the current world environment, rather than the main focus of the story. In the post-Rising world of Grant's books, most of what we consider to be the facets of daily life have shifted into virtual space, as a means of avoiding unwanted additional exposure to the live virus which turns humans into 'zombies'. News and most media forms are distributed via the internet, or locally supported networks, shopping is all accomplished online and delivered to your home (including groceries), and most social events are hosted in forums or video chats/conferences.

Grant's world is so detailed that I found myself constantly assessing my meatspace environment through the eyes of a post-Rising human during my recent holiday roadtrip across Australia. No joke - I was obviously assimilating whenever I was seriously concerned about pitching a tent next to a caravan with horses not because of my strong allergies to horsehair, but because of Mason's Law (all mammals over 60lbs are susceptible to amplification). My fellow travelers were wondering whether to suspend my reading privileges while driving across the flat plains of South Australia and Western Australia.


If you like mystery, suspense, science fiction (with some decent hard medical science included), comedy, dystopia, adventure, romance, alternative-lifestyle, politics, communications, or even international relations, you'll enjoy this book. There is also a balance between strong female and male protagonists (the first book is told predominately through the eyes of Georgia Mason). This series really has something for EVERYONE in it, and you wont have to stomach a ton of blood to get your kicks.

Yes, links to the books are attached to my Amazon Associates account. No, you are not obligated to link through. Should you like further details/copy of my disclosure, please go here.

This was so predicted. Science Ppl, IT WORKS.

Right, so I and my fellow epic roadtrippers on our Sydney <> Perth drive totally dodged this bullet.

Freaky orange dust storm hits Western Australia


Photo Credit: Brett Martin
"It is the heatwave that laps east and west and seems hard to dislodge. Even tropical cyclone Narelle, wandering off the north-west coast of Western Australia, has so far failed to budge the giant heat cell over the continent: http://ow.ly/gIhI4

Photo: This spectacular gust front associated with cyclone Narelle was captured about 25 nautical miles north-west of Onslow in Western Australia on Wednesday. The red tinge results from dust picked up from the Pilbara" Excerpt from: The Sydney Morning Herald, 10 January 2013



Not like scientists haven't been predicting this kind of scary-apocolyptic-esque crap for several years now. :o/  (actual reports can be found here, here, and HERE, as a starting point) We're on track with the CONSERVATIVE model, people. So lets stop with the whining at the Tokyo/Copenhagen/Qatar/insert-city-name-here Talks and TRY DOING SOMETHING TO ACTUALLY FIX THE PROBLEM.


Even an online comic strip artist got the message before the rest of you.
SOURCE: xkcd.com



/RANT


Thursday, January 10, 2013

The Hobbit at a Drive In!

Just enjoyed watching the first instalment of The Hobbit tonight with some friends while visiting Melbourne. The movie rocked! AND there are two more films to come before they've completed the story!

On top of a fantastic film and great company was the awesome venue: The Village Drive In near Coburg. They are HUGE. Three screens and placement for up to 900 vehicles! There is also a diner on site selling burgers, fish n chips, milkshakes, and more contemporary film fare like Pods and Choctops. Best part: you can SMS your order and they'll bring it to your car while you enjoy the movie!

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

And....LAUNCHED!

Testing......

Yeah, this thing is on!

Welcome to my cache. Think of it as my digital pensieve. 

This is where I will be dumping all other items from my mind which I do not feel fit in any of my other blogs. 

I enjoy blogging, writing, researching, and sharing my thoughts, but I'm finding that my other blogs do not leave enough wiggle-room for me to comfortably (and in good writer's conscience) post my more whimsical musings. I refuse to purge any of my other blogs as they serve their purposes well, both for myself and my readers, and I feel the more focused/strict posting requirements useful in their own way. 


Be forewarned: That which you will find here may appear somewhat random, disjointed, and even one-off.

 I do not plan to always provide my reader with an answer to the all-important question "and therefore, what?" (as I do in some of my other blogs) and I do not intend to use this blog strictly as a means of sharing nifty tidbits and facts. This blog will be fulfilling my need for the occasional data dump of those things rolling around in my brain. I will be blunt, brutally honest, occasionally wrong, rather geeky, and incredibly enthusiastic. And, honestly, if it doesn't make me go SQUEE! then you likely wont see me posting on it. 

 I hope you enjoy what you find here. If you do not, please continue on your merry way and google something else.