iaxmen

(i quote from the American library association http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberymedal.cfm )


2009 Medal Winner

The 2009 Newbery Medal winner is The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Dave McKean, and published by HarperCollins Children's Books.

A delicious mix of murder, fantasy, humor and human longing, the tale of Nobody Owens is told in magical, haunting prose. A child marked for death by an ancient league of assassins escapes into an abandoned graveyard, where he is reared and protected by its spirit denizens.

"A child named Nobody, an assassin, a graveyard and the dead are the perfect combination in this deliciously creepy tale, which is sometimes humorous, sometimes haunting and sometimes surprising," said Newbery Committee Chair Rose V. Treviño.




I am appalled and disturbed that the ALA would give a Newberry award to Neil Gaiman. This man who creates nightmares in children. (Nightmare before Christmas-- the story itself mars Christmas' happy connotations into a literal nightmare) Coraline is being made into a movie that kids are actually encouraged to watch, when, as I had read the book, an alter reality lies where they have buttons for eyes and the main antagonist is the child's mother. He breaks up the home, which is a source of security to kids and makes it an alternate reality where you are not safe. He gets the child's primary source of love and security, the mother, and turns her into the devil incarnate. (OR at least associates these horrid things with it) Just like Nightmare before Christmas, he makes something wonderful into something ghastly and putrid.
I do not understand the fascination for this darkness, but it disturbs me that the same people who recommended books like Dr. Doolittle, A wrinkle In Time, Island of the Blue Dolphins, number the stars, and the Cat Who Went To Heaven would honor a book that names a child NOBODY and gets a league of death assassins chase him around.

There is one reason that is put to mind, though I hope it is not the reason why. POPULARITY.

The ALA terms for joining do note:
Note: The committee should keep in mind that the award is for literary quality and quality presentation for children. The award is not for didactic intent or for popularity.

Adopted by the ALSC Board, January 1978. Revised, Midwinter 1987.

I think this note deserves a real article rule in their rules and criteria. This is a sad day for literary works. Gaiman even won over
"The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle (Henry Holt & Comapny)

The Surrender Tree utilizes compelling free verse in alternating voices to lyrically tell the story of Cuba's three wars for independence from Spain. Combining real-life characters (such as legendary healer Rosa La Bayamesa) with imagined individuals, Engle focuses on Rosa's struggle to save everyone--black, white, Cuban, Spanish, friend or enemy."

Today, the name Newberry just lost it's prestige to me.

Don't let someone steal your work! If you've created an original work, make sure you take out copyright protection to stop anyone else from claiming it as their own. For more information, click here

The people went back to where they were living, and the boy went to meet with Fatima that afternoon.
He told her about the morning's meeting. "The day after we met," Fatima said, "you told me that you
loved me. Then, you taught me something of the universal language and the Soul of the World. Because
of that, I have become a part of you."
The boy listened to the sound of her voice, and thought it to be more beautiful than the sound of the wind
in the date palms.
"I have been waiting for you here at this oasis for a long time. I have forgotten about my past, about my
traditions, and the way in which men of the desert expect women to behave. Ever since I was a child, I
have dreamed that the desert would bring me a wonderful present. Now, my present has arrived, and it's
you."
The boy wanted to take her hand. But Fatima's hands held to the handles of her jug.
"You have told me about your dreams, about the old king and your treasure. And you've told me about
omens. So now, I fear nothing, because it was those omens that brought you to me. And I am a part of
your dream, a part of your destiny, as you call it.
"That's why I want you to continue toward your goal. If you have to wait until the war is over, then wait.
But if you have to go before then, go on in pursuit of your dream. The dunes are changed by the wind,
but the desert never changes. That's the way it will be with our love for each other.
"Maktub," she said. "If I am really a part of your dream, you'll come back one day."

it was such a drag to watch this alone, so I am sharing it on line. it's a good, serious movie.

revolutionary road is truly a revolutionary movie. Not for how it has done things differently, but how it has demonstrated truth, with its existentialist dialogue and strong drama.

My favorite quotes are,


“If being crazy is living life like it matters, then I don’t care if we’re absolutely insane.”
-April, convincing frank To go to paris..

APRIL
But Frank, listen to me: It's what
you are that's being stifled here.
It's what you are that's being
denied and denied and denied in
this kind of life.

FRANK
And what's that?

APRIL
Don't you know...?

He looks at her. She gazes back at him.

APRIL (CONT'D)
You're the most valuable and
wonderful thing in the world...
You're a man.

And I think that is beautiful. Because she can see what he cannot (at this point) and she wants greater things for him because she can see him for who he really is.

Majestic 

At that moment, it seemed to him that time stood still, and the Soul of the World surged within him. When he looked into her dark eyes, and saw that her lips were poised between a laugh and silence, he learned the most important part of the language that all the world spoke- the language that everyone on earth was capable of understanding in their heart. It was love.
something older than humanity, more ancient than the desert. Something that exerted the same force wherever two pairs of eyes met, as had theirs at the well.
She smiled, and that was certainly an omen-the omen he had been awaiting, without even knowing he was, for all his life.
the omen ha had sought to find with his sheep and in his books, in the crystals and in the silence of the desert.
it was the pure Language of the World. It required no explanation, just as the universe needs none as it travels through endless time. What the boy felt at that moment was that he was in the presence of the only woman in his life, and that, with no need for words, she recognized the same thing. He was more certain of it than anything in the world. He had been told by his parents and grandparents that he must fall in love and really know a person before Becoming committed. But maybe people who felt that way had never learned the universal language. Because, when you know that language, it's easy to understand that someone in the world awaits you, whether it's in the middle of the desert or in some great city. And when two such people encounter each other, and their eyes meet, the past and future become unimportant.
There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written by one hand only. It is the hand that evokes love, and creates a twin soul for every person in the world. Without such love, one's dreams would have no meaning.
maktub, thought the boy.


taken from the alchemist, p.92-93

YOU! Yes you, with the cluttered room/house..

 We are spring cleaning!

And we're giving away all the excess essentials like clothes, pots and pans, old plates, cases, etc (ANYTHING GOES)

to these two lovely people whose house burnt down late last year in a fire.

Nympha (left)  sells pancit, turon, banana que and another kind of pancit in Makati. She starts at 5AM and works for as long as she possibly can to sell all that. Her husband Rogelio is also a street vendor selling newspapers and candies to cars and passers-by.

Tina (right) has three kids (johnmark, maricris and terrence, just in case you meet them!) She sells lumpia. Tina and Nympha sell together because they're married to brothers. (That makes them in laws, and best of friends!)

I think it would be great if we could help these two women out because they work hard, they earn an honest living, and they've suffered from losing their home.

Taking a look around your house for what you don't need will clear it of dead chi. It will only take a few hours, it'll make room for better things, make you reminisce on great memories, and make you appreciate all the blessings you have.

Dear Friend;

Greetings. This is to seek your support to a wonderful undertaking called Up With People.

Founded in 1965, Up with People is an International Non-profit organization that exists today to spark people to action in meeting the needs of their communities, countries and the world while building bridges of understanding as a foundation for world peace.

Through travel and cultural immersion, Up with People has provided young people ages 18 to 29 from around the world with a renowned international education and an unmatched passageway to see the world.

Today, through its distinct 6-month program, Up with People participants experience personal growth, leadership training, service learning and performing arts as they travel through three continents. For many students, it's a global education that lasts a lifetime; for others, it's a life-transforming experience.

The Up with People cast that is travelling right now is called Cast B 2008. The 110 cast members from 21 different countries started their six-month tour in July. They are now travelling through Mexico and the United States and they will finish their curriculum in the Philippines. The group will be in Manila from November 19 to December 5, 2008 to participate in different impacting community projects. On December 03 and 04, 2008 Cast B will present “The Up with People Show” at the Meralco Theater. Up with People visit to the Philippines has been made possible through its partnership with Rotary International District 3780, Gawad Kalinga, Habitat for Humanity, Kaibigan Foundation. Their trip last year and this coming month has also been endorsed and co sponsored by the Department of Tourism.
We are currently looking for host families for the 110 international students. We only ask for one bed, occasional breakfasts and dinners. Each student will be assigned to work on a community service project everyday. They are also given transportation money. This is a great opportunity for the family to meet someone from different cultures. I am personally hosting my colleague who has travelled with a cast of Up With People. Could we schedule a meeting to discuss further on how you could get involved?

I hope I got you interested in the Project. And I hope that you will contact me. If you have any questions or if you want more information, don’t hesitate to call me on the following number: 0917 833 01 02. The organization’s official website is www.upwithpeople.org.

Kind regards,

Maria Clarice Sayo
Field Manager
Up With People
0917 833 01 02

If you're not a member of multiply, or if you don't want your love story to be attributed to you, just PM me, gesiva or email your story to maxinenicolemamba@gmail.com