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Ace of Spades Pet Thread, November 2
Gardening, Puttering and Adventure Thread, Nov. 2 So many surprises so close to the election! The Classical Saturday Morning Coffee Break & Prayer Revival Daily Tech News 2 November 2024 Día de los Muertos ONTs Ava-launch Cafe Bill Clinton, Campaigning for Kamala: Israel's Prime Minister Barak Offered Yasser Arafat and Hamas 96% of Gaza and 4% of Israel and They Turned It Down Because They Didn't Want a Homeland, They Just Wanted to Murder Jews Republicans: The Democrats Are So Insane Right Now That When We Tell People Their Agenda, They Don't Believe Us. So We Have to Tone Down the Democrats' Real Agenda So People Believe a Censored Version of Their Agenda White House Orders Government Stenographers to Alter the Transcript of Biden's "Garbage" Comments, Turning the Historical Record Into a Democrat Lie Absent Friends
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A site for members of the Horde to post their stories seeking beta readers, editing help, brainstorming, and story ideas. Also to share links to potential publishing outlets, writing help sites, and videos posting tips to get published.
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December 18, 2022
Sunday Morning Book Thread - 12-18-2022 ["Perfessor" Squirrel]Welcome to the prestigious, internationally acclaimed, stately, and illustrious Sunday Morning Book Thread! The place where all readers are welcome, regardless of whatever guilty pleasure we feel like reading ("I can't conceive of a reason to waste a dollar on this book. Getting stupider is not one of my life goals." -- NLurker). Here is where we can discuss, argue, bicker, quibble, consider, debate, confabulate, converse, and jaw about our latest fancy in reading material, even if it's nothing more than the lyrics to "The Twelve Days of Christmas." As always, pants are required, especially if you are wearing these pants... So relax, find yourself a warm kitty (or warm puppy--I won't judge) to curl up in your lap, perform some quality assurance on those Christmas cookies (someone's gotta do it!), and crack open a new book. What are YOU reading this fine morning? PIC NOTE Today's pic is from the Billy Graham Library. Mostly I picked it because I just liked the décor. If you happen to browse the Billy Graham Library website, you can see what events are upcoming, such as a book signing with former Vice President Mike Pence (*gag*). (This event occurred on Dec 13. I wonder if anyone showed up...) You can also take a virtual tour of the facility. UNIVERSITY PRESSES -- ANOTHER DYING PUBLISHER... University Presses, like a lot of publishing outlets, are struggling these days. Unlike a mainstream publisher, a university press relies a lot more on patronage (in the old sense of the word) and subsidies to exist. Their main function seems to be as an outlet for academics to publish their most recent research. Though as we all know, today's university research--especially in the humanities and social sciences--is jam-packed with Leftism. As anyone who's been in academia knows, the real coin of the realm is reputation and prestige. One way to achieve that is to publish your research in the most prestigious publications or have a book published through a prestigious university press. I have it on pretty good authority that there is a distinct hierarchy in academic publications. Assistant Professors need to publish in international journals if at all possible, as that will gain them recognition in their field and lead to promotion to Associate Professor. Associate Professors (mid-career faculty) need to publish chapters in books and serve as peer-reviewers. Full Professors are "the elite" within their field and are often publishing their own books. However, university presses, being so reliant on external funding rather than direct purchases, come and go. If a university cannot support their own press, it's likely to collapse. This almost happened to my own university about ten years ago. There was enough hue and cry of support, though, that they reconsidered and as far as I know we still have our own in-house university press. The most prestigious are probably Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press. Within the United States, Chicago University Press seems to be the premiere academic publisher. What say you? Any good books from University Presses that you can recommend? There are a couple in today's Books By Morons section... (Thanks to OrangeEnt for inspiring today's topic! On a side note, I was a proofreader on a professor's book a long, long time ago. It was published through Southern Illinois University Press.) GRAMPA AND GRAMMAR BOOKS BY MORONS If anyone is looking for last-minute Christmas gifts, a Book by a Moron is a great way to support your favorite Moron author and also provide excellent reading materials to your loved ones. My wife and I just published a book about Navy EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) warriors and their families; we are splitting 50% of profit from sales with Navy Special Operations Foundation and EOD Warrior Foundation, both 501(c)3 non-profit organizations that serve the families of deceased and wounded EOD warriors from all four branches of the military. We spent 2+ years interviewing these folks who served in Desert Storm, Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere around the world; my wife interviewed family members (spouses, parents, adult children, siblings) because they constitute the "support" system for the operators. I am a long-time lurker (I think; that is, I've never commented). I am also a retired Air Commando (USAF Special Operations) and military historian (PhD, Florida State University). I'm loath to recommend my own books but I think some of the morons might enjoy them. They are a trilogy of sorts. My first book is Vietnam and American Doctrine for Small Wars. As a special operator specializing in anti-/counterterrorism and counterinsurgency, my first book was about why the US military has had such difficulty coming to grips with insurgency and other forms of conflict less than general war (my preferred term is therefore small wars). My second book, co-authored with a friend and former colleague, is Airpower in Small Wars: Fighting Insurgents and Terrorists. This book examines why air forces have specifically had difficulty coming to grips with insurgency, etc. (with a pointed emphasis on why the USAF has really struggled with the phenomenon). Finally, my most recent book is Biplanes at War: US Marine Corps Aviation in the Small Wars Era, 1915-1934, which examines how Marine Corps aviation got it right between the world wars (adaptation and innovation) and modern air forces could learn from their experience. Like I said, a trilogy of sorts. I have a new work out, freshly published on all the usual sites (but I provide the Amazon one for convenience). More Books by Morons can be found HERE! MORON RECOMMENDATIONS I read The Genetic Lottery by Kathryn Paige Harden, a prof of Clinical Psychology at UT Austin. I read some reviews and it sounded like an interesting exploration of an idea first discussed by Charles Murray; the extent to which genetics determines IQ and how to structure society as a result. Comment: IQ is most likely a function of natural genetic ability combined with a nurturing environment that stimulates imagination, curiosity, and learning. In the education field, many prominent educators reject the idea of a "fixed" IQ in favor of a "growth mindset," meaning it's possible to increase your initial IQ through study and practice, at least up to your natural limit. Not everyone can be an Einstein, but it's likely that IQ is quite flexible within a standard deviation or so. It's just a matter of immersing yourself in an environment that allows you to flourish. Unfortunately, the modern education system is NOT such an environment... In Cinema Speculation, Xploitation movie fanboy Tarantino takes a flamethrower to movie critics: "It would appear most critics writing for newspapers and magazines set themselves up as superior to the films they were paid to review. Which I could never understand, because judging from their writing, that was clearly not the case. They looked down on films that gave pleasure, and on the film-makers who had an understanding of the audience that they did not. Comment: It's far easier to be a critic than a creator. As we've seen with the rise of the internet, just about everyone has an opinion about something or other, regardless of how well that opinion is developed or thought out. Tarantino's comments apply equally well to book critics, video game critics, food critics, etc. Robinson Crusoe was a favorite book as a kid. When I picked it up as an adult I don't know how I managed the early 18th century writing as a kid. I have loved survival / last man / prepper based books since forever. Comment: One of my coworkers asked me for a suggestion for an adventure story. I had forgotten all about Robinson Crusoe. One of these days I'll have to get around to reading it. Or at least reading The Eerie Adventures of the Lycanthrope Robinson Crusoe by Peter Clines, which adds a Lovecraftian twist to the classic tale. This week I picked up a new release; a hard science fiction book by John Van Stry: Summer's End. Absolutely loved it. It has kind of a Robert A. Heinlein feel to it. Comment: I decided to include this recommendation because Grumpy was kind enough to send me a *long* list of recommendations of other, related series that he thought I would enjoy. I will have to check these out some day. Nothing like tacking on a few more dozen books to the TBR pile...*sigh* More Moron-recommended reading material can be found HERE! (533 Moron-recommended books so far!) WHAT I'VE BEEN READING THIS PAST WEEK:
That's about all I have for this week. Thank you for all of your kind words regarding the Sunday Morning Book Thread. This is a very special place. You are very special people (in all the best ways!). The kindness, generosity, and wisdom of the Moron Horde knows no bounds. Let's keep reading! If you have any suggestions for improvement, reading recommendations, or writing projects that you'd like to see on the Sunday Morning Book Thread, you can send them to perfessor dot squirrel at-sign gmail dot com. Your feedback is always appreciated! You can also take a virtual tour of OUR library at libib.com/u/perfessorsquirrel. Since I added sections for AoSHQ, I now consider it OUR library, rather than my own personal fiefdom... PREVIOUS SUNDAY MORNING BOOK THREAD - 12-11-22 (NOTE: Do NOT comment on old threads!) | Recent Comments
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Ace of Spades Pet Thread, November 2
Gardening, Puttering and Adventure Thread, Nov. 2 So many surprises so close to the election! The Classical Saturday Morning Coffee Break & Prayer Revival Daily Tech News 2 November 2024 Día de los Muertos ONTs Ava-launch Cafe Bill Clinton, Campaigning for Kamala: Israel's Prime Minister Barak Offered Yasser Arafat and Hamas 96% of Gaza and 4% of Israel and They Turned It Down Because They Didn't Want a Homeland, They Just Wanted to Murder Jews Republicans: The Democrats Are So Insane Right Now That When We Tell People Their Agenda, They Don't Believe Us. So We Have to Tone Down the Democrats' Real Agenda So People Believe a Censored Version of Their Agenda White House Orders Government Stenographers to Alter the Transcript of Biden's "Garbage" Comments, Turning the Historical Record Into a Democrat Lie Search
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Paul Anka Haiku Contest Announcement Integrity SAT's: Entrance Exam for Paul Anka's Band AllahPundit's Paul Anka 45's Collection AnkaPundit: Paul Anka Takes Over the Site for a Weekend (Continues through to Monday's postings) George Bush Slices Don Rumsfeld Like an F*ckin' Hammer Top Top Tens
Democratic Forays into Erotica New Shows On Gore's DNC/MTV Network Nicknames for Potatoes, By People Who Really Hate Potatoes Star Wars Euphemisms for Self-Abuse Signs You're at an Iraqi "Wedding Party" Signs Your Clown Has Gone Bad Signs That You, Geroge Michael, Should Probably Just Give It Up Signs of Hip-Hop Influence on John Kerry NYT Headlines Spinning Bush's Jobs Boom Things People Are More Likely to Say Than "Did You Hear What Al Franken Said Yesterday?" Signs that Paul Krugman Has Lost His Frickin' Mind All-Time Best NBA Players, According to Senator Robert Byrd Other Bad Things About the Jews, According to the Koran Signs That David Letterman Just Doesn't Care Anymore Examples of Bob Kerrey's Insufferable Racial Jackassery Signs Andy Rooney Is Going Senile Other Judgments Dick Clarke Made About Condi Rice Based on Her Appearance Collective Names for Groups of People John Kerry's Other Vietnam Super-Pets Cool Things About the XM8 Assault Rifle Media-Approved Facts About the Democrat Spy Changes to Make Christianity More "Inclusive" Secret John Kerry Senatorial Accomplishments John Edwards Campaign Excuses John Kerry Pick-Up Lines Changes Liberal Senator George Michell Will Make at Disney Torments in Dog-Hell Greatest Hitjobs
The Ace of Spades HQ Sex-for-Money Skankathon A D&D Guide to the Democratic Candidates Margaret Cho: Just Not Funny More Margaret Cho Abuse Margaret Cho: Still Not Funny Iraqi Prisoner Claims He Was Raped... By Woman Wonkette Announces "Morning Zoo" Format John Kerry's "Plan" Causes Surrender of Moqtada al-Sadr's Militia World Muslim Leaders Apologize for Nick Berg's Beheading Michael Moore Goes on Lunchtime Manhattan Death-Spree Milestone: Oliver Willis Posts 400th "Fake News Article" Referencing Britney Spears Liberal Economists Rue a "New Decade of Greed" Artificial Insouciance: Maureen Dowd's Word Processor Revolts Against Her Numbing Imbecility Intelligence Officials Eye Blogs for Tips They Done Found Us Out, Cletus: Intrepid Internet Detective Figures Out Our Master Plan Shock: Josh Marshall Almost Mentions Sarin Discovery in Iraq Leather-Clad Biker Freaks Terrorize Australian Town When Clinton Was President, Torture Was Cool What Wonkette Means When She Explains What Tina Brown Means Wonkette's Stand-Up Act Wankette HQ Gay-Rumors Du Jour Here's What's Bugging Me: Goose and Slider My Own Micah Wright Style Confession of Dishonesty Outraged "Conservatives" React to the FMA An On-Line Impression of Dennis Miller Having Sex with a Kodiak Bear The Story the Rightwing Media Refuses to Report! Our Lunch with David "Glengarry Glen Ross" Mamet The House of Love: Paul Krugman A Michael Moore Mystery (TM) The Dowd-O-Matic! Liberal Consistency and Other Myths Kepler's Laws of Liberal Media Bias John Kerry-- The Splunge! Candidate "Divisive" Politics & "Attacks on Patriotism" (very long) The Donkey ("The Raven" parody) |