Mini Review: Beware False Profits

Beware False Profits by Emilie Richards is the third book about minister's wife Aggie Sloan-Wilcox. As this book opens, Aggie and her husband Ed are in New York City. But their weekend away hits a detour when a member of their congregation goes missing. They track down the last place he was seen, a bar where he performs once a month as a cross-dresser.

With that trail having turned cold, they return to their small Ohio town just in time for the mayor's wife to be murdered. She had just joined the board of the charity the missing man runs. Are the two events connected? Aggie can't rest until she finds out.

I am so glad I gave this series a chance. I almost passed it by because I figured I would disagree with the main character's theology. And do I ever! But that doesn't form the basis for any of the story. It's just part of who the characters are.

And the characters are rich. I especially love watching Aggie try to raise her two daughters. And the plot is good with plenty of twists and turns.

This is a good series for anyone who enjoys cozies.

If you want more information, read my full review of Beware False Profits.

Thursday Threesome Times Two

Since last week was Thanksgiving (and I didn't do the Threesome), I've got a double dose of fun from The Back Porch.

Last week's was brought to us by time.

Onesome: Over-- and under. Above and below. Up and down. How's about at least a pair (three would be ideal ) of matching phrases?
Open and close. In and out. Happy and sad.

Twosome: the-- next day? Black Friday! Are you going shopping? Decorating? Working? Hiding in the closet?
I hung out with family during that Friday. And went to a play that night.

Threesome: Years-- of research have proven that more years of research are needed! What would you like to see researched? ...and don't go high; this is 'just us folks' here; I'm thinking: whether there's enough cheese in mac and cheese!
How about if there are too many studies going on?

And this week's edition is brought to us by Neutragenia.

Onesome: Therapeutic-- household addons: Do you use candles or aroma therapy or bath soaps or salts around your place?
Those things usually bother my allergies, so I don't use them. I like to comfortable at home instead of miserable. :)

Twosome: Moisturizing?-- How's the weather been? It's the rainy season in the US; what's happening where you live?
Actually, it's been warm and dry. Definitely cooling off, but still very dry. There's a chance of rain tomorrow, and I really hope it does rain. We sure could use it.

Threesome: Lotion-- Since it's Winter in the Northern Hemisphere, it's dry skin time (yes, you too, Mark!). Do you have any hand lotion suggestions for the gang?
My skin is pretty dry year round. But yes, winter makes it worse. My suggestion? Neutragenia. I love the stuff.

And We're Back!

Yes, we have returned from our Thanksgiving in Texas. And we have started referring to ourself in the first person plural.

Okay, not really. :)

I had a wonderful time with my family.

But I almost didn't make it. I missed my flight out on Wednesday. The Flyaway broke down, so I left a half hour later then I intended. And the traffic was horrid. Fortunately, I was able to take the next flight, which left an hour later. And it only cost me $25, which wasn't bad at all. It was too bad because I was supposed to get in 15 minutes before my parents, but considering the alternative, it wasn't bad at all.

Some good friends of my brother and sister-in-law came to Thanksgiving dinner. I've been hearing about them since they moved to Texas, so it was great to finally get to meet them.

Friday night we went to see A Christmas Carol at Dallas Theater Center again. I think the kids liked it more this year, while Mom and Dad liked it less. Figure that one out.

Saturday, I met up with Lori from my Trixie boards for lunch. We had a great time just chatting. And it was my first experience driving in Dallas. My brother gave me great directions, so it wasn't a problem at all.

Sunday was church in the morning and a youth game night in the evening.

Monday we went for a walk in the White Rock Lake area.

You'll notice what is missing. I didn't make it to Half Price Books. :( Next year for sure.

But we played lots of games. Mostly Mexican Train Dominos and Settlers of Catan. I had never played that second one before. It's fun, although I don't think I'm as addicted as most everyone else seems to be by that game. I was feeling good that I was getting close to winning by the end of the weekend.

It was really cold, however. Apparently, the cold front moved in with us on Wednesday. It actually snowed Thanksgiving day. Not enough to stick, but I could definitely see it in the air. It had warmed up by the end of the trip, but it was much warmer here when I got back last night. But the ironic thing is we've had bitter cold Santa Anna winds all day today. Yep, I think we're fast approaching winter. Considering it is almost December, I guess I can't complain too loudly.

Reason #932 Why I Love Southern California Weather

This last weekend, the weather was absolutely gorgeous! It was a little cooler Saturday, but Sunday things warmed up again. We had the condo opened all day, and I loved having the fresh air in the place.

And Sunday I also put up my Christmas lights. It's wonderful being able to do that when the weather is nice. I'm going to have to keep an eye on my lights, however. They don't all seem to want to stay lit this year. I've got some that are burned out and I need more replacement bulbs. But I've also got some that seem to be loose and not connecting, and that is what is making the whole string go out. But if I jingle them, they come back together.

Let's see, what else have I been up to? Not much. I did get to go see Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium Saturday afternoon. I really thought I'd like it, but it turned out to be more serious then I was expecting.

But the big news came yesterday. I am tied for number 76 at Amazon. Considering the guy I am tied with hasn't written for a couple years, I will pass him eventually. More exciting, yesterday was the once a month stats update at Epinions. And I have made the top 1000!!!!! That was two years of work and over 600 reviews. It might help if I wrote more often in the higher hit getting categories. Books especially isn't where the people are. But I enjoy it. We'll just have to see how high I can get considering those who have been there longer have such a head start.

As soon as I post this, I'm on my way to the airport. I'm heading to Dallas for Thanksgiving with my family again this year. So I will see you all when I get back.

Mini Review: Mr. Monk in Outer Space

Mr. Monk in Outer Space is the fifth tie to the TV show Monk.

In this entry in the series, Monk is asked to find the killer of the creator of a cult science fiction TV show. Since the killer was dressed as a character from the show and the murder happened right outside a fan convention, the police assume they will need his attention to detail to make find the needle in a box of needles. But the costumes and culture of the fans makes Monk uncomfortable. Can he over come that to find the killer? And how will he react when he learns that his brother Ambrose is also a fan?

Like the show, this book provides a good puzzle and plenty of laughs. I made a few of the connections before Monk appeared to, but that was minor. My bigger complaint was that the characters occasionally slipped into caraciture, something I feel the show does upon occasion, most notically this season.

All told, I did enjoy this book. So if you love the show, check out Mr. Monk in Outer Space.

Good Stem Cell News

I just caught this headline at Yahoo.

NEW YORK - Scientists have created the equivalent of embryonic stem cells from ordinary skin cells, a breakthrough that could someday produce new treatments for disease without the explosive moral questions of embyro cloning.

Research teams in the United States and Japan showed that a simple lab technique can rival the complex and highly controversial idea of extracting stem cells from cloned embryos.

It was a landmark achievement on all fronts, defusing one of the most divisive debates in modern medicine and religion. It was lauded by scientists, ethicists and religious groups.

"This work represents a tremendous scientific milestone — the biological equivalent of the Wright Brothers' first airplane," said Dr. Robert Lanza, whose company, Advanced Cell Technology, has been trying to extract stem cells from cloned human embryos.

"It redefines the ethical terrain," said Laurie Zoloth, a bioethicist at Northwestern University.

"It's a win-win for everyone involved," said the Rev. Thomas Berg of the Westchester Institute, a Roman Catholic think tank. "We have a way to move forward which ... brings the kind of painful national debate over this controversial research to very much a peaceful and promising resolution."

This is indeed wonderful news. I hope those pushing for government funds for stem cells will back off now. There is no longer a need to kill people, or harvest them if you will, to do this research.

And I seriously hope that the research on these stem cells produces great results.

I will be interested to hear what those who claimed we would find nothing worth noting by pursuing other options will have to say on this issue. I would hope for some apologies, but I won't be surprised if the result if deafening silence instead.

Strike!

So I've wanted to get to this post for over a week now. And finally here we go.

And I am going to come down on the side of ... nobody.

Let's be honest here. Strikes in our modern age never make anyone look good. We aren't talking about unsafe working conditions. We are talking about greed on both sides of the table pure and simple. Because if you don't like what you are getting paid you can always find a new job. If enough people did that, you might be offered more for your old job to get your level of expertise back. That's the free market economy at work.

I can see an argument for the writers. All creative endeavors pay royalties of some kind for new copies of the original. If these writers were writing books, they'd get paid every time their book was sold. Why not for TV and movies?

And let's be honest, CEO's get paid too much money as it is no matter what industry we are talking about.

On the other hand, it is the production company that is paying the majority of the costs of making the shows and movies to begin with.

And writers get paid an up front fee for writing the script. These royalties are in addition to the fee. And those fees are rather nice. Heck, one script is almost as much as I make in a year.

Of course, that would only really be helpful if a writer was on a TV show, which doesn't happen all the time. In fact, I keep hearing about how half of the writers are out of work at any given moment. So, um, work in a profession with better job security. Or, get another job during those down times. No one is forcing you to work in a job with no security.

And comments like this one do more to push me to the studio's side. Way to resort to preemptive name calling, Paul. See if I ever knowingly support you again. Ever.

Frankly, I am getting tired of the overblown rhetoric over the whole thing. One essay I read said this was taking a stand against all corporations and if the writer's caved it would make things horrid for all of us in any industry. Um, okay.

But let's be honest, this will impact me. And everyone else who enjoys some entertainment. But especially me.

I'm not worried about the returning favorites I watch. True, Lost or Heroes might have short seasons. 24 might take a years off (and maybe it will do them some good.)

I am, however, worried about the new shows I've found that I love. I can't wait each week to watch Chuck and Pushing Daisies. Neither show is exactly high in the ratings, but they have begun to build an audience. A long strike could ruin a chance the shows will last a long time. Either people will forget about them, or the studios will preemptively cancel them.

And let's talk DVD releases. Oh, I know the studios make millions off them. They hardly cost anything to produce, so most of the sale price is pure profit. So the studios could realistically eat the cost of what the writers are demanding without feeling much of anything.

But anyone who thinks that studios will do that raise your hand so I can come whack you on the head.

Once this is settled, watch for DVD prices to rise by several dollars. I won't predict how much for sure, but you'd better believe that we, the fans, are the ones who ultimately will be paying for the raise the writers are demanding. Especially since the Screen Actors Guild will be doing the same thing over the same issues come summer.

And, when the writers realise how rich the corporations are getting off their work, we'll go through the entire things all over again.

There are new talks scheduled for Monday. I hope they lead somewhere. Because if this drags out, it will get resolved in time for the actors to strike. And then we'll essentially loose two years of TV and new movies before this gets resolved.

Making everyone involved on both sides of the issues look like big babies.

Mini Review: Staying Home is a Killer

Today's mini review is of Staying Home is a Killer by Sara Rosette.

Ellie Avery is meeting her husband for lunch at the squadron when she runs into her friend Penny Follette. Penny is happy about something. Which is why when Penny dies by suicide that afternoon, Ellie doesn't buy it. Fortunately, the police don't buy it, either. Unfortunately, they think Ellie is a person of interest in the case.

Ellie's husband is an air force pilot stationed in easter Washington. That provides an interesting background to the book. And the plot was decent. Unfortunately, the characters were weak. I kept forgetting who all the suspects were, and constantly flipping back to remember who they were drove me crazy. The writing was rather weak as well. At times, over description slowed the book down so much it go frustration.

I enjoyed the story, but I don't think I'll pick up the next in the series.

For a full review, check out my Epinions review of Staying Home is a Killer.

Mini Review: Last Light

I'm falling behind on these reviews. Let's see if I can catch up before I leave for Thanksgiving. Okay, at least get two in.

Last Light by Terri Blackstock

This book follows the Branning Family as they try to survive in a world without modern conveniences. No, this isn't a reality TV stunt. All modern technology has suddenly stopped working. So now the Brannings and their neighbors must find a way to survive despite not knowing how to do any of the things they need to do to survive.

As if that weren't enough, someone in the neighborhood has murdered and robbed another neighbor. Who could it be? Are they ever going to be safe?

I found the story completely captivating. I could hardly put the book down. At times the characters felt a little shallow, but that was a minor issue. I did figure things out earlier then the characters, but that only made me more engrossed in the book.

This is a Christian novel, and I appreciated the spiritual issues the characters struggled with over the course of the book as well.

If you'd like to know more of my thoughts, read my full review of Last Light.

Word Association for November 18th

Here we go again.

1. Toasty :: Warm
2. Allegations :: False
3. Herb :: Seasoning (Okay, I had seen a little further down the list)
4. Bacon :: Eggs
5. Neck to neck :: Race
6. Simon :: Peter
7. Heels :: Toes
8. Fundamentals :: Essentials
9. Middle :: School
10. Seasonings :: Poultry