Archive for March 20th, 2014
Collective reading to commemorate: Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish
Posted by: adonis49 on: March 20, 2014
Collective reading to commemorate: Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish
ANSAmed posted this March 10, 2014
Italian cities to commemorate Palestinian poet Darwish
In collective reading on 13/3, ‘Poetry against Oblivion’
Eleven Italian cities will be celebrating the renowned Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish on the day of his birth with poetry readings, in part to raise awareness about the ‘disappearance’ of his works from Italian bookshops.
On March 13, collective readings will be held in Bari, Milan, Messina, Naples, Cagliari, Florence, Macerata, Rome, Salerno, Turin and Venice of some of the works of the poet, who died in 2008 and is considered one of the most important poets in the Arab world.
His works can still be found in Italian libraries but not in bookshops since the main publisher of his works – the Milan-based Epoché – shut down in early 2013.
The initiative by the cultural association Arabismo has been named ‘Poetry against Oblivion. Poetry Readings for Mahmoud Darwish’.
A number of bookshops and libraries of Bologna, Modena, Mestre and Venice will take part, including with a series of multilingual installations of Darwish’s books.
Note: Trailing a butterfly https://adonis49.wordpress.com/2008/12/29/trailing-a-butterfly-book-review-part-1/
Most popular books in each US State?
Posted by: adonis49 on: March 20, 2014
March 12, 2014 (Library Online)
Last week, we partnered with Parade Magazine to give readers the scoop on what people are reading all across the country.
To get the data, we looked at our library of 300,000 e-books and measured how many times a title was read by registered users in each state.
(Reading a title is not reading the book, I guess)
Below, we’ve listed the results as published originally in Parade.
Curious about what people in your state are reading? Scroll down for the answer!
- Alabama: Midnight Angel by Lisa Kleypas
- Alaska: Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book by Ben Cohen, Jerry Greenfield, and Nancy Stevens
- Arkansas: The Eve of Destruction by Howard Blum
- Arizona: Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern
- California: Just Kids by Patti Smith
- Colorado: White Witch Black Curse by Kim Harrison
- Connecticut: Prayers for The Dead: A Decker/Lazarus Novel by Faye Kellerman
- Washington, D.C.: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
- Delaware: Summer of Skinny Dipping by Amanda Howells
- Florida: Worst Fears Realized by Stuart Woods
- Georgia: Worth Any Price by Lisa Kleypas
- Hawaii: The Devil’s Star: A Novel by Jo Nesbo
- Idaho: The Lost Duke of Wyndham by Julia Quinn
- Illinois: American Gods by Neil Gaiman
- Indiana: The Strain by Guillermo del Toro; Chuck Hogan
- Iowa: The Venging by Greg Bear
- Kansas: The High Lord: The Black Magician Trilogy by Trudi Canavan
- Kentucky: Devoured By Darkness by Alexandra Ivy
- Louisiana: The Scent of Lemon Leaves by Clara Sanchez; Julie Wark
- Maine: Everything and the Moon by Julia Quinn
- Maryland: Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
- Massachusetts: Anybody Out There? by Marian Keyes
- Michigan: Serena by Ron Rash
- Minnesota: Labor Day by Joyce Maynard
- Mississippi: When Next We Love by Heather Graham
- Missouri: The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
- Montana: The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
- Nebraska: I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
- Nevada: Scandal Becomes Her by Shirlee Busbee
- New Hampshire: Microserfs: A Novel by Douglas Coupland
- New Jersey: When We Meet Again by Victoria Alexander
- New Mexico: Murder on a Girls’ Night Out by Anne George
- New York: The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption and Pee by Sarah Silverman
- North Carolina: Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult
- North Dakota: The Mental Floss History of the United States by Erik Sass, Will Pearson and Mangesh Hattikudur
- Ohio: Waiter Rant by Steve Dublanica
- Oklahoma: Everywhere That Mary Went by Lisa Scottoline
- Oregon: Tomb of the Golden Bird by Elizabeth Peters
- Pennsylvania: Stuck in Downward Dog by Chantel Guertin
- Rhode Island: Raylan: A Novel by Elmore Leonard
- South Carolina: The Other Side of the Story by Marian Keyes
- South Dakota Heart of a Warrior by Johanna Lindsey
- Tennessee: I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell by Tucker Max
- Texas: Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
- Utah: Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy’s Astounding Story by Todd Burpo; Lynn Vincent
- Vermont: The Family Vault by Charlotte MacLeod
- Virginia: Dear Cary: My Life with Cary Grant by Dyan Cannon
- Washington: Galactic Corps by Ian Douglas
- West Virginia: A Series of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
- Wisconsin: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
- Wyoming: Wishes in the Wind by Andrea Kane
Read Around the World: International Bestsellers In “In the News”
A few pictures from Egypt may make you smile
Posted by: adonis49 on: March 20, 2014
10 Photos From Egypt That Will Make You Smile
Egypt has been featured in the media lately as a divided country plagued with violence and unrest.
Every once in a while, however, we need to remember that the Egypt we do not see is one that is also filled with warmth and happiness.
Sometimes, it’s good to forget about politics.
Mohamed Khairat, Founder of EgyptianStreets.com posted this March 17, 2014
First Day of School
Credit: Reuters
While education is a guaranteed basic right in many countries abroad it remains to be a privilege in Egypt.
Instead of going to school, many children end up staying at home to support their families. It is thus no wonder that some are extremely excited on the first day back!
“DID YOU SEE THE RAINBOW?” DOUBLE RAINBOW too!
Credit: Assem Emam
On March 13 2014, Cairo witnessed a rainbow, and everyone went crazy. Rainbows are rare, let alone rain, and so this day in particular was marked by a flurry of tweets and Facebook statuses exclaiming “DID YOU SEE THE RAINBOW?”
“It is simple to make Egyptians happy!”
“Those four little girls all smiled and became happy when I pointed my camera towards them,” explained Mohamed El Kordy, the photographer behind this radiant photograph, “The photo is intended to spread happiness.”
The photograph was taken during a charity project at a small village, showing happiness can exist in big cities and small towns alike!
SMILE, it’s a revolution!
Graffiti has been one of the most powerful tools in Egypt since the January 25 revolution which has reverberated all around the world. As always, the Egyptian humor shines even in times of desperation.
Cuteness overload
Credit: Amira Abdou
While the photograph alone is enough to make you feel warm and fuzzy, the story behind it is even better. Violence against stray animals in Egypt is widespread, yet one woman, Amira Abdou, found a way to tackle it.
Amira has been giving candy to children to encourage them to participate in feeding the homeless dogs. For Amira, this is an attempt to make the children recognize their compassion for the animals and will make them avoid treating them violently.
What’s also great is that all the photographs she takes are sent to the animals to show how little acts of kindness can go a long way!
A camel wearing a hat and posing with the Pyramids
A camel wearing a hat and posing with the Pyramids
Not much else needs to be said about this photograph. Camels need protection from the scorching sun too!
Music on the streets of Cairo
While the exact context of this photograph has been debated, the story is that the violinist, during a photo-shoot, noticed a man sitting on the pavement in the middle of traffic.
The violinist decided to give the man some company and play him some tunes to help him escape the incessantly loud car honks that Egyptians have become accustomed to.
“Muslims and Christians are one hand”
Perhaps one of the most inspiring photographs from the January 25 2011 revolution was this one showing a Muslim Sheikh and a Christian Priest protesting side by side.
Sectarian tension in Egypt has been high over the past two decades, and the dream of unity continues to resonate in the minds of many.
“Let’s go outside and play”
If you have ever been to Egypt, you would know that the country is crazy about football (soccer). Egypt almost went to war with Algeria over World Cup qualifiers in 2010.
The photo above was taken during the 2013 curfew in Egypt, showing that regardless of the situation, Egyptians will find a place and time to play football.
This is not the Hunger Games
The recent Hunger Games film featured an almost identical image to the one above. Yet, it was in Egypt during the 2011 revolution, when the iconic image was first depicted.
In the words of one activist, January 25 “was the best day in my 24 years. That day when we gathered, we had so much hope.”