A. M. Homes' new novel is weird and warm and wise and really rather wonderful -- Mark Haddon Witty and well written while in pursuit of the spirits living inside the machine * Times * Homes is excellent on the inner workings of men * Time Out * There's weird and there's dark and there are the stories of this highly original and terrifying writer ... impressive stories -- Eileen Battersby * Irish Times * Makes you laugh out loud, then finally breaks your heart. That's why she has and deserves her A-list status * Independent * This book is a gentle, entertaining antidote to the over-achievements of much of modern life.It is fantstical, anti-American, anti-consumerist, anti-individualist ... it shifts your perspective on life in the most darkly entertaining way * Observer * This book is inspirational. It shows that with a little bit of courage you can change your life -- Georgia Foster * Woman Weekly *
This year, I\u2019ve decided to write them all down in this newsletter rather than on Instagram, and sooner than the end of the year, just in case some of you are still looking for gift inspiration or are popping books on your own last-minute wishlists. I realize that today is just a little over a week before the big day, so it\u2019s still rather last-minute, but I hope it\u2019ll be useful regardless.
Am Homes This Book Will Save Your Life
I read 56 (57 if you count Maus as two) books this year. To some that will seem like a preposterously high number, to others a pretty low one. To me, it felt good. It\u2019s a little more than one book a week\u2026with two kids and two books on my plate, not too shabby, right? My exhaustive list of tips for making more time for reading are as follows:
That\u2019s it. I have no other tips. Look, number 1 has actively improved my life! Number 2, I really don\u2019t feel great about, for a few reasons. But at the end of the day, I realized that in this season of life, in order to read more books, I had to read fewer news/magazine articles. So what are you going to do? For now, this is the way it is.
The Land Where Lemons Grow: The Story of Italy and Its Citrus Fruit by Helena Atlee - Surely the book that most blew my mind this year, I haven\u2019t stopped thinking about it, recommending it and buying it for friends. It\u2019s a fascinating history of citrus fruit in Italy and will be the book you keep insisting on reading aloud from in astonishment to the people around you. (Also, the recipe for Amalfi lemon salad is perfect.)
Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld - While this year was most definitely my year of Sittenfeld, as you can probably tell (and I\u2019m so excited that her next novel Romantic Comedy publishes in just a few months - preorder here!), I think Rodham was my favorite so far, though Eligible is close behind it. I loved the alternate fantasy life that Sittenfeld creates for our heroine and whether you love or dislike HRC, I\u2019ll wager that this book will make you think differently about her by the end.
In Love by Amy Bloom - The book that pierced my heart the most this year and made me think, over and over again, of the choices we are faced with at the end of life and the iron will needed to greet them with grace. Bloom writes about her husband\u2019s Alzheimer\u2019s diagnosis and his subsequent decision to end his life with Dignitas in Switzerland. This memoir is a howl of love and grief and once you read it, it will never leave you.
Giving up the Ghost: A Memoir by Hilary Mantel - When Mantel died earlier this year, I discovered that I knew very little of the physical and mental anguish she\u2019d spent much of her life enduring. This memoir is sharp and crushing and it will astound you how much art she was able to create despite her truly unimaginable circumstances.
As our longtime readers know, we try to stay out of your way during Holy Week and Easter, so this message will be relatively brief, and focused on helping you spiritually during the remainder of Holy Week.
On Wednesday, Feb. 1, from 1 to 2 p.m., a SJBPH representative will discuss the dangers of radon gas in homes and businesses, take your questions, and distribute free radon test kits. January is the best time to test for the cancer-causing gas because levels are highest when windows and doors are closed.
On Feb. 11, the Friends of the Library will host a Cabin Fever Book Sale from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at your library. This is a great opportunity for you to find new treasures at bargain prices to keep you company this winter.
CloudLibrary has a wide variety of downloadable e-books and audiobooks for all ages, and accessing this free digital collection is very easy. You just need to download the cloudLibrary app, answer a few simple questions, select AspenCat Union Catalog for the name of your library, then enter your library card number and four-digit PIN. You are now ready to browse, borrow and read e-books and audiobooks using cloudLibrary. Library staff are happy to help you set up your device if you need assistance.
Like others have said, no parent buys life insurance with the expectation of using it. They buy it because they cannot tell what the future holds for their child and want to make sure their child is covered in the event of a damning medical diagnosis. Most people do not depend on their children for income so there is no income to be replaced in the event your child passes early. But the cost of a funeral can be a burden to some even if they have 10K in savings. A funeral to include the cemetery plot, opening and closing of the grave, casket, embalming, and funeral home services will most likely wipe out a 10K savings account. If it does then you have nothing to fall back on if you need to miss work for an extended period of time to grieve. Nor do you have anything in the event you have other unexpected expenses pop up during that time. A life insurance policy would be be beneficial in that sense.
I disagree and think you have a hazy view on how life insurance fits in financially. Indexed Life policies are great for children due to low premiums, higher face amounts and a death benefit. Chances are your children will grow up, get married and have kids of their own. By planning for this and having the foresight to get a policy for your child, you lock in permanent insurance and have created a 2-1 type of investment (cash value and death benefit).
The book summarizes the most important information on the blog and contains material not found on the site at all. Straighten out your financial life today! Also available on Audible!Click to learn more!
Mrs. Bush's Remarks at the White House Summit on MalariaNational Geographic SocietyWashington, D.C. Photos The White House Summit on Malaria8:58 A.M. ESTMRS. BUSH: Thank you very, very much.Thank you so much, Dr. Rice, thankyou for your great work as Secretary of State.I want to recognize a fewpeople in the audience, Mrs. Chantal de Souza Yayi is here. She's the wifeof the President of Benin. She's joining us today. Ambassador RandallTobias, who is the Director of Foreign Assistance and Administrator forUSAID, who has been very active in both this and earlier in his governmentcareer as the AIDS administrator with the HIV/AIDS. Admiral TimothyZiemer. Admiral Ziemer is the one who is the U.S. Global MalariaCoordinator. He's been absolutely instrumental in the development of thissummit, and in all the work the President's Malaria Initiative has done sofar. Thank you, Admiral Ziemer. Ray Chambers, who is the Chairman ofMalaria No More. Ray is an example to all of us of someone who because offortune in his life, a fortunate life, he has reached out around the worldto help other people. And thank you so much, Ray, for being so involved inthis.The members of Congress who are here, thank you all for coming. Themembers of the diplomatic corps. I want to thank our host at NationalGeographic, John Fahey and Gilbert Grosvenor. Thank you all very, verymuch for letting us meet here today.Educators, business leaders, philanthropists, researchers, activists, anddistinguished guests. Welcome to the White House Summit on Malaria. Today's gathering presents us with a historic opportunity to end thesuffering of millions.Governments, the private sector, and concernedcitizens have all united in one place, ready with unprecedented commitmentsthat can turn the tide against malaria.We're here because eradicating malaria is an urgent calling. The diseaseclaims 1.2 million lives every year. It devastates people living withHIV/AIDS, pregnant women, and especially young children and babies. Malaria kills 3,000 children in Africa every day. Parents grieve for theirsons and daughters, communities mourn, and developing countries losegenerations of productive citizens.Adding to the urgency is the fact that malaria is treatable andpreventable. The disease once sickened men, women, and children in manyparts of the United States. But through advances in science andtechnology, we learned that the cause of such enormous suffering is amicroscopic parasite, carried by an insect. We learned how to stop thespread of malaria -- and the disease was eliminated in the United Statesnearly 60 years ago.The challenge now is to use this scientific progress, so that it benefitspeople still at risk. In June 2005, President Bush launched thePresident's Malaria Initiative: a five-year, $1.2 billion program tocombat malaria in 15 of the hardest-hit African nations. This initiativecalls on developed countries, private foundations, and volunteerorganizations to join to reduce the suffering and death caused by malaria.Private foundations and corporations have responded with millions ofdollars for prevention and treatment. Civic groups and religiousorganizations have mobilized thousands of volunteers. Through early PMIpartnerships with the first three focus countries, aid from the Americanpeople has reached about 6 million Africans. Next year, 30 million morewill receive life-saving medicines, sprays, and nets as the programexpands.These partnerships save lives, and spread hope. Last year in the Tanzanianvillages of Kambini and Kiwani, during the peak infection month of June,local health workers documented more than 450 cases of malaria. This June,one year into PMI, the number of cases plummeted to eight. In some PMIareas, malaria researchers have actually complained that they no longerhave enough cases to sustain their studies. They're the only onescomplaining. (Laughter and applause.)For the Malaria Initiative to save even more lives, its resources must beused effectively and strategically. Today, I'm delighted to announce thatPMI will launch the Malaria Communities Program: a $30 million initiativeto advance grassroots malaria-control projects in Africa.The Malaria Communities Program will provide grants to African and AmericanNGOs, as well as civic and religious groups, to support theirmalaria-control work. It will encourage more charitable organizations tojoin the fight. The Communities Program complements the efforts of Africangovernments by creating independent, sustainable malaria-control programs. In villages throughout Africa, these initiatives can protect children andtheir families long after PMI sunsets.Most important, the MalariaCommunities Program will help citizens take charge of their own health.Defeating this disease requires the cooperation of citizens in Africa.Italso requires the support of citizens here, in the United States. Each andevery one of us has the responsibility to stop the suffering caused bymalaria -- because every life, in every land, matters.And all of us cando something to help, because one of the best protections against malariais simple and inexpensive: a long-lasting, insecticide-treated bed net. Only a fraction of African homes have the bed nets they need. But anyindividual who can raise $10 can buy a net, and save a life.Individuals throughout our country are saving lives across Africa -- thanksto Malaria No More, an enormous grassroots network that will work toprovide bed nets for millions of Africans. Communities hold bake sales,raffles, silent auctions, and read-a-thons. Students sell t-shirts and runlemonade stands, and even dress up as mosquitoes to show off their efforts.Concerned citizens can harness the potential of the internet to launchcreative fundraising campaigns. One group, Madness Against Malaria,established an online "March Madness" fundraising tournament. Sixty-fourteams from around the world compete to see who can accumulate the mostonline donations. The team that buys the most bed nets wins the Malaria Cuptrophy -- and saves thousands of lives.Defeating malaria also requires education. Life-saving nets, sprays, andmedicines work best when people know how to use them. And throughoutAfrica, people must know how malaria is transmitted. So private citizensin Africa and the United States are building partnerships to improveeducation in malaria-prone areas.In Rwanda, Episcopal Bishop John Rucyahana knows that malaria control andeducation are inseparable. His diocese provides villagers with malariatreatment and also teaches the proper use of sprays and nets. At the 62schools the bishop oversees, children learn early on that malariaprevention must be a way of life.The bishop's efforts are supported by churches from across the UnitedStates. From Chicago to Little Rock, from the East Coast to the West,caring individuals sponsor students, and supply bed nets and medicines. Hundreds of Americans have visited Rwanda as volunteers, educatingcommunities about malaria treatment.A vital part of this education, Bishop Rucyahana says, is teachingvillagers how to read."Illiteracy goes with poverty," the bishopexplains, "and both perpetuate the disease." So at every one of thediocese's 360 churches, volunteers offer literacy instruction.Throughtheir women's ministries, the churches make a special effort to reachmothers. They recognize that literate women can make wise decisions thatwill protect them, and their children, from malaria.Education in the developed world is equally as important. Across America,the private sector is working to raise the public's awareness of malaria. Later this morning, you'll hear about one example: Nets Are Nice, apicture book that teaches children what they can do to help end thisdisease.Nets Are Nice was developed by Malaria No More. With corporate andfoundation support, the book will be distributed to nearly 6 millionstudents throughout the United States this spring. Nets Are Nice is aterrific educational resource.And it's a great example of how thegovernment, businesses, and private philanthropists can work together toeducate children in the United States about malaria.Individual citizens, too, are doing their part. At Lake Oswego High Schoolin Oregon, a 16-year-old student, Emily Fuller, launched a project to raisemoney for bed nets, and to raise awareness in her community. She and herclassmates set up tables outside the school cafeteria and draped them withnets, attracting curious students. Plans are underway to hold educationalforums in the school auditorium, and to hold fundraising shoot-out contestsduring halftime at the school's basketball games.The principal at Lake Oswego High, Bruce Plato, says teachers are planningto work malaria education into their political science and world historyclasses. "There's a lot of interest in this," the Principal says. "Malaria is something that's happening half a world away -- but this issomething we can do to help."Every one of us can do to something to help prevent the suffering caused bymalaria. And the more people know about this disease, the more quickly wecan defeat it.Today, I'm delighted to announce that President Bush will designate April25, 2007, as "Malaria Awareness Day." African countries and other nationscommemorate April 25th to raise global awareness of malaria, and toreaffirm their commitment to ending this disease. The United States isproud to stand with them.Ending the malaria epidemic is an ambitious goal -- but one we can, andmust, achieve.By defeating malaria, the American people can help peoplein Africa enjoy greater prosperity and good health. Mothers here can helpmothers in Africa watch their children grow healthy and strong. Childrenhere can help children in Africa delight in the same pleasures they enjoy-- going to school, playing games, and making and keeping friends.One of these hopeful children is Kanuri Kimiti, a teenager in Kenya, wheremalaria kills more than 30,000 children every year. For an essay contestat his school, Kanuri wrote: "If we want to develop a country such asKenyaWe must all come together to help one another, so we may be able tomake our world a malaria-free world."During this holiday season, we urge the citizens of many nations to cometogether to give the greatest gift to those in need: life. May God blesseach of you, and your work to make our world a malaria-free world.Thank you all very much. (Applause.)END9:11 A.M. EST Printer-Friendly Version Email this page to a friend 2ff7e9595c
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