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WRITING A BOOK REVIEW

6/26/2020

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I’ve been thinking about adding Book Reviews to my website. Because I have not written many, I started analyzing reviews on various websites to determine what to think about while l’m reading a novel.
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The first thing I discovered is that you need a different mindset; reading for pleasure and reading to write a review are different. The second; many reviews don’t say much other than repeat what is written on the book jacket, or that the reader liked or didn’t like the book.

I needed to do some research and find out what the “experts” believe should be in a good book review.

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GENERAL GUIDELINES
After reading “how to” articles by a number of experts on book reviews, there were several things that all of them advised. Like everything else, most of the rules of thumb are just common sense – but common sense isn’t so common. Each of us needs to be reminded of every now and then. Remember, there are differences between books reviews of fiction and non-fiction. I am focusing on review of novels.

● Good Reviews are a lot of work.

● Be brief / pithy
In most cases, less than a thousand words.

● Target type and length of review to the place to be published/ sent
Goodreads, Amazon, and others have specific guidelines for reviews. Don’t use the same review for all sites. Write separate reviews.

● Prepare before reading the book
In order to write a good and complete review, you need to prepare yourself beforehand and know what you are looking for as you read.

● Review the novel you read, not the novel you wish the author had written.

● Remember, you are writing the review for the reader, not the author.

PREPARE TO READ THE NOVEL
Before reading the novel, decide whether or not you intend to write a review. Reading a novel for pleasure first, and then deciding to review either produces a less helpful review or requires more work.

● Determine how you will keep notes. It’s useful to note passages that demonstrate points in your review.

● Think about the genre of the novel and what expectations readers have for that genre. You are looking for whether or not the genre is correct.

● Consider what the title suggest to you. You may need to advise the reader.

● Be clear on what you are going to consider while you are reading the novel.

I love lists, so I have created my own checklist for these items with space to record my thoughts and examples as I read. I find the process similar to preparing to judge a context.

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​CONSIDER WHILE READING THE NOVEL
These and other appropriate questions should be kept in mind while reading. Note the places in the book which are outstanding or letdowns.

● Can you envision the setting, time period, atmosphere or mood, the season? Can you put yourself into the story?
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● What is the story about? How soon do you know what it’s about?
My own two cents: By the end of the first chapter, the reader should know what kind of novel it is, the mains characters (or at least one of them), and the first goal. The protagonists’ goals may change through the course of the novel, but there should be an initial goal.

● How is viewpoint handled and does that contribute to or detract from the story?

● Are the characters well-drawn and multi-layered? Believable? Likeable? Not particularly likeable, but intriguing? Which characters move the story?

● Is dialogue believable?

● What is the theme? How many pages does it take to really understand the theme of the novel? What elements make this apparent to the reader.

● How does the story begin: action or description? What elements are introduced to the reader in the first chapter? Is there a good hook?

● Does the genre seem to be appropriate for the story?

● Are the loose ends tied up before the end of the novel?

● Is the conclusion / resolution satisfactory?

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WRITE THE REVIEW

Gather your notes and thoughts
At this point you might want to think about your reaction to the overall experience. -- how you feel about the novel and why? Then review your notes.

● Is there a particular audience that the novel would, or would not, appeal to?

● What is the overall tone of the novel? Suspenseful? Thrilling? Melancholy? Reflective? Humorous? Pedantic? Heartfelt? This give the reader an idea of what to expect from the novel. The tone may not be spelled out, but should be clear by the tone of the review.

● How would you describe the author’s writing style?

● Is it well-edited? Are their inconsistencies in the storyline?

● Does the novel “feel” as though it needs more work?

● How does this book compare to other works of the author? Same themes?

Identify concrete examples and/or quotes which illustrate what you liked and disliked about the work.

Contents of the Review
Experts are consistent with what should be in the review, in general terms, but often define those differently.
One expert recommends the reviewer “Have an opinion. Even if your opinion is totally middle-of-the-line — you didn’t hate the book but you didn’t love it either — state that clearly, and explain why.”

● Title, author, and genre

●
A brief synopsis of the storyline
Be sure to avoid major reveals or spoilers. Write in your own words and don’t just copy the book jacket. The synopsis sets the stage and gives the reader a sense of the book without explaining how the central issue is resolved.
The summary should also include (but without spoilers or story ending):
▪ The genre
▪ Theme
▪ Setting
▪ Main conflict
▪ Main characters
Exactly how much of the story should be contained in the review varies depending on the expert, but they all agree on “No spoilers”. Reedsy.com recommends not mentioning anything that happens beyond the midpoint of the novel.

● Critique / Evaluation

Dudleycourtpress.com says, “As a critical assessment, a book review should focus on opinions, not facts and details.”
A good review shares the reviewer’s good and bad experiences with the novel. Be honest but avoid being rude, offensive, and insensitive. Give an honest appraisal of the book from your perspective, and tell the reader the reasons you reacted that way. Any the considerations touched on above are appropriate for the critique, but only those that apply. Keep it short.

This is where you can use examples or quotes from the book to demonstrate what you liked and disliked.
Also, comments on the author’s other works might fit here or in recommendation, such as: “If you liked Jane Doe’s Bridges, you will enjoy River.”

●
Recommendation
You don’t have to write, “I recommend…” Your opinions and recommendation should be clear by now if you have woven them into the text and selected words carefully.
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Praising the author is up to the reviewer, but only when they deserve it. Don’t sound like you are “sucking up”.
Identify which audience would appreciate the book, which wouldn’t.

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THE PITFALLS
Jay A. Fernandez, professional writer and editor, writing for Lithub.com/13-common-mistakes, lists thirteen common pitfalls in writing reviews. I’m sure there are a lot more, but keeping track of these is enough to keep you busy.

Length of the review has already been mentioned, but here are some of Fernandez’s others.
● “Grandiose claims
Beginning a review with a hyperbolic sentiment may sound good, but what does it actually mean?”
Personally, I would throw into this category of mistake statements like “This book changed my life.” I doubt that rarely happens in the short run.

● “Lack of clarity”

● “Repetitiveness and redundancy
This typically stems from your impulse to make sure the reader cannot possibly miss the incredibly insightful point you’re making.”

● “Casual narcissism
There’s a curious paradox at play with this one, and I see it all the time. Yes, you’re the one reviewing the book. Congratulations! But, for goodness sake, you don’t need to call attention to it.”

● “Over-explication of plot
Describe like dimensions of a pool without letting reader jump in the water.”
I really like this analogy.

● “Nonsensical arguments

This is not the same thing as lack of clarity, though they can overlap. One involves employing unnecessarily florid language and galloping sentence construction to obscure a perfectly good point, while the other was never a worthy point to begin with.”

● “Self-flattering literary references
I would suggest that you avoid throwing in those references to Heraclitus and Anna Akhmatova unless you’re sure they’re organic. Often they have only the most tenuous relevance to the point at hand. Their only purpose is to show the reader that you are a reviewer with a breadth of knowledge…”

● “Limiting assumptions
Let your deft description of plot and sharp analysis of the strengths and flaws of the writer’s work lead the reader to decide for themselves whether the book is going on the Buy Now list.”
This point is a bit inconsistent with advice of other experts to mention which audiences would and wouldn’t like the novel, but I strongly agree with good plot description and good analysis letting the reader decide. But what do I know?

● “Structural Seizeure
Make it flow A review that has random blocks of plot description dumped here and there, out of order, requires the reader to do too much work sussing out what’s happening.”

● “Inconsistent Pronouns
In making reference to the potential reader of the novel (and reader of the review), too often the reviewer uses a mix of pronouns that is disorienting. If you’re sometimes referencing “you” and sometimes “we” and other times “one” and somewhere else “reader” or “readers,” it’s sloppy and confusing.”
Never use “I” in a review. It is not about the reviewer. That I get, but I don’t believe readers of reviews get that confused with these “inconsistencies.” I believe some of them coming from an effort to avoid repeating the same words over and over and over.
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● “Lack of criticism
Unmitigated praise is logically absurd. Every work of writing has its weaknesses, especially once personal tastes are factored in. It is your job to point to them, in a clear-eyed but tactful (and tactical) fashion that measures the work against reasonable standards for literature and/or its genre. If the prospect of hurting an author’s feelings causes you to hesitate, that’s a good sign that you’re likely to be respectful. If you aren’t willing to run that risk at all, you oughtn’t be reviewing books.”

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​CONFLICT OF INTEREST
This is another of Fernandez’s pitfalls.
“Do not review anything by anyone you know or have had more than glancing contact with in your professional or personal life. The reason for this should be obvious. Otherwise authors may as well get their mothers to write the reviews. This goes for grudges, too.”

I believe Conflict of Interest warrants a section of its own. At one time, Amazon actually encouraged authors to have their friends use the Customer Discussions feature to promote their book, but that has changed.

Reviews by family, friends, and other authors was a hot topic for discussion among writers when Amazon came out with the policy of taking down reviews by other writers. The “handy hint” of not writing reviews for other author-friends and friends emphasized by nearly every expert of book reviews. Amazon’s current policy says, “We don't allow individuals who share a household with the author or close friends to write Customer Reviews for that author's book.”

David Wogahn, writing for Authorimprints.com/, defines the difference between customer and editorial reviews and gives an overview of what can and cannot be done in relation to reviews.
● “Customer Reviews
Reviews written by regular readers who also assign a number of stars (1-5). Most authors are referring to Customer Reviews when they reference a book's review count on Amazon.”

● “Editorial Reviews (According to Amazon)
An editorial review is a more formal evaluation of a book usually written by an editor or expert within a genre, but can also be written by family and friends.”

Sorry. Someone needs to help me understand. I find some of the suggestions about not writing reviews -- for authors you know -- a little confusing. After all, writers are also readers…big time.

However, I learned during my thirty-five years in government, that the appearance of Conflict of Interest can be damaging even if legally or ethically there is no real Conflict of Interest. If you value your reputation as a reviewer, or simply wish to avoid any “Appearance of Conflict”, regardless of real or legal conflict, then you should probably follow Jay Fernandez’s advice and simply not write those reviews.
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If you do have a connection with the author or have received an advance copy of the book to review, be honest with the reader and let them know. In any case, review and follow the book review guidelines for the intended site.

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​CONCLUSION
After researching all this, posting reviews for books I read on my website is starting to sound like a whole lot of extra work I don’t want to do.

Just sayin’.
□
 

​Resource Links for Guidelines:
Amazon Customer Reviews (FAQs from Authors)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/community-help/customer-review-guidelines-faqs-from-authors

Amazon Community Guidelines
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/

Amazon Promotional Content
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId

Goodreads Review Guidelines
https://www.goodreads.com/review/guidelines

Author Guidelines
https://www.goodreads.com/author/guidelines

Sources:
https://readingladies.com/2019/01/12/how-i-write-a-fiction-book-review/
https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/book-reviews/
https://www.dudleycourtpress.com/amazon-reviews-how-to-write-a-good-book-review/
https://reedsy.com/discovery/blog/how-to-write-a-book-review
https://lithub.com/13-common-mistakes-in-book-reviewing-and-how-to-avoid-them/
https://www.lexico.com/grammar/writing-a-fiction-or-non-fiction-review
https://www.writing-world.com/freelance/asenjo.shtml
https://www.writing.ie/guest-blogs/do-book-reviews-have-genres-too/
https://www.authorimprints.com/amazon-book-review-policy-authors/#:~:text=Amazon%20says%3A,feature%20to%20promote%20their%20book.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=amb_link_1?ie=UTF8&nodeId=201602680&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=RZ3FMMTWWMEHSZ8ZM7CG&pf_rd_r=RZ3FMMTWWMEHSZ8ZM7CG&pf_rd_t=7001&pf_rd_p=0899374c-d640-4eb5-b09a-46f41837ca2b&pf_rd_p=
https://www.amazon.com/gp/community-help/customer-review-guidelines-faqs-from-authors
https://www.authorimprints.com/amazon-book-review-policy-authors/#:~:text=Amazon%20says%3A,feature%20to%20promote%20their%20book.
 

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What goes around, Comes Around: Language and Emoji

6/15/2020

1 Comment

 
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ARE HOMO SAPIENS BACK WHERE WE STARTED?
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The modern human species [Homo sapiens] evolved about 200,000 years ago in Africa. The ability to think and plan for the future, to remember and learn from the past, is what distinguishes humans as being a “higher order of consciousness.”

Researchers believe that language came into being only 100,000 years ago. [And you were worried when your child didn’t speak until age 3.]

Language, in this context, means a systematic way that members of a social group [in this case, homo sapiens] communicate with and express themselves to each other using verbal, manual, and written symbols.


The modern human species developed about 200,000 years ago. Researchers believe that language came into being only 100,000 years ago. [And you were worried when your child didn’t speak until age 3.]

​Language, in this context, means a systematic way that members of a social group [in this case, homo sapiens] communicate with and express themselves to each other using verbal, manual, and written symbols.

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​The oldest written symbols created by Homo sapiens -- discovered so far -- are the well-known cave paintings which exist on nearly every continent.

Because the oldest of ancient cave art has been dated at 64,000 years – the projected age is up for grabs depending on what you read -- it makes sense that linguists conclude verbal language developed before the written/artistic expression. That is an ongoing debate. Archeologists are always making new discoveries, and dating methodologies are becoming more versatile, sophisticated, and accurate every year.

The point is that humans presumably walked first, spoke second, and didn’t get around to written symbols until later in their evolutionary history.

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                             Lions, Chauvet Cave, France  (Courtesy Jean Clottes, Chauvet Cave Project)
                                                 Photo Source:  archaeology.org/issues/221-1607/

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​FAST FORWARD TO THE 20TH  CENTURY
Over the past 50,000 years or so, human society has come a long way.

Progress came very slowly at the earliest stages of development and population growth but began to accelerate about 1400 to become faster and faster along with technological advancements.
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The following graphs give a visual idea of the rate of population growth and technological advancement for the last 10,000 years and technological growth since 1400 AD. The indicators are fuzzy [my apologies] but the important visual aspect is the curve: the rate of growth.

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Technological growth since 1400 AD                                                                                               Population growth since 10,000 BC
Original source: Unknown                                                                                                                Photo Credit Scrapes project
Image source:whizolosophy.com/growth in technology                                                                    Photo source: scientificamerican.com/population-growth
ENTER THE COMPUTER AGE
Close to the top of the technology curve is the late 20th century when we began to use computers.

Computers initially produced text, which is only one dimension of communication. Evidently, text alone was not adequate to communicate completely.

In 1982, Scott Fahlman, professor at Carnegie Mellon, developed the emoticon because he felt user posts, specifically humor, on an internal online bulletin board were misinterpreted. Text alone didn’t effectively convey the context you get from other forms of communication: vocal tonality, hand gestures, body language, or facial expressions. [Note that emoticons are not the same as emoji.]

The need for conveying emotion did exist, and soon a proliferation of emoticons exploded on the internet, none of them consistent with the other. For example, the font Wingdings was developed and used by Microsoft. When I tried to give an example here, this platform won't accept that front. However, wingdings was not readable by me...
and probably not readable by most people who were just beginning to buy and use cell phones. Emoticons, despite the name, were also unable to communicate emotion.
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At critical mass, in 1986, the Japanese stepped up to the plate with kaomojio [face characters] which convey emotion through eyes and mouth. Each character is crafted with letters, characters, and punctuations from multiple languages to extend the range of possibilities, but this system had its problems as well.
Kaomojio - Image source:
medium.com/@heytory/emojis
             
                                 
This was followed in the 90’s by a variety of digital smiley faces and pictograms, a different set on each platform, making them untransferable to another operating system, so to speak.

In 1987 the Unicode Consortium, a non-profit organization, was created to develop a universal character encoding scheme called Unicode. Before Unicode, there were hundreds of competing standards for text encoding, similar to the same problem pictorial symbols were facing.

RISE OF THE EMOJI
Eventually, the emoji* was born. Emoji in the strict sense refers to such pictures which can be represented as encoded characters. Any number of our modern languages use pictorial symbols for letters and words, so the concept isn’t new, but the need for this kind of written symbols originated with computer and cell phone communications. 

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In 2020, emoji are everywhere; they have taken over our lives. Back in 1999 things were different. Shigetaka Kurita, a Japanese interface designer, seeing the shortfalls of the current sets of symbols and their use, desired to design a better method of conveying complex meaning and intent. He created the first collection of 176 emoji for a Japanese internet platform I Mode.

They were so successful that other mobile carriers designed their own, which were then proprietary and couldn’t be used by other companies.                                           

                     
The first and Original Set of Kurita’s Empoji                                                                                                           Shigetaka Kurita
                              Image Source: cnn.com/emoji-shigetaka-kurita                                                 Photo source: webdesignerdepot.com/history-of-emojis/    

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​Apple can be credited for popularizing the Unicode of emoji internationally by syncing its popular products and iPhones using emoji.

In 2007, a team at Google requested that the Unicode Consortium recognize and create universal standards around emoji to unify the pictograms cross-platform.

The original proposal was accepted, and 114 emoji were added to Unicode 5.2. By 2017 there were 2,666 emoji on the official Unicode Standard list.

The fact that emoji do not represent words but rather emotions lets people add emphasis through gesticulation. Essentially, by adding a gesture to a word adds a personal emotion which helps clarify the text.



IS EMOJI THE FIRST UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE?
English is often referred to as the universal language, but if you look at the numbers, that belief doesn’t hold up.

“English has 339 million native speakers, with a further 603 million speakers who use it as a second language. This means there are around 942 million more-or-less fluent speakers in the world. And with another 500-plus million users with some degree of fluency, that makes for more than 1.5 billion people alive today with proficiency in English. But here comes the undiplomatic put-down; in comparison, Emoji dwarfs even the reach of English.”
Vyv Evans [Professor of Linguistics | Language & Digital Communication Consultant | Author | Public Speaker | Broadcaster] 08-05-2017 |linkedin.com/pulse/emoji-new-universal-language

Evans statistical support of that last statement is rather overwhelming.

Fahlman, when he developed the emoticon, suggested that it might become the universal language, but it didn’t. While many agree that emoji, the offspring of emoticon, enriches communication, there are those who are withholding their opinions about it being the universal language. Just as there can be confusion between words in any language [such as flat versus apartment ] emoji can be easily misinterpreted and mean different things to different cultures, language and age groups.
​

The HighSpeedInternet.com conducted a study which found the following as some of the most confusing emoji internationally. Image source: https://www.highspeedinternet.com/resources/emojis-the-universal-language-of-the-internet

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“Emoji are interesting because they’re, in some ways, symbolic of the hyper-visual present we inhabit. They’re short-cuts, if you think about it, and are deeply culturally specific,” said Harmony Siganporia, Assistant Professor teaching Culture and Communication in MICA.

And because of that countries, cultural groups, communities, even social groups have attributed certain emoji with meanings that were not originally intended. Quite a few studies have been conducted which corroborate this. In China, for example, the simple smiley face may be interpreted as a sign of sarcasm. The V for victory emoji is offensive to those in the UK; Chinese consider the hand-wave to be a snub, and the thumbs-up and horn sign have sexually explicit undertones in certain countries. Eggplants and peaches have a similar problem. Emoji are even used by gang members to set up drug deals and commit crimes.

ARE EMOJI EVEN A LANGUAGE?
My own opinion, based on my research, is that emoji have become an integral part of the internet-electronic communication language which supplements the text portion by adding emotion and/or humor. It is also a playful relief to text, which can be painfully sterile.
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​Despite their contribution to communications, emoji can’t act alone without text with the exception of certain thoughts, particularly single word responses, such as thanks, or feelings, such as I’m sad.

Without the text, more complex thoughts and communications can be misinterpreted just as easily as words. After all, text was not the primary way the vast majority of humans communicated until the printing press was invented in the 1400s. On the evolutionary time line, that’s right next door to electronic communications, emoji, and exploration of Mars.

In an obtuse way, homo sapiens have come full circle in that we still need verbal, manual, written symbols to communicate with each other. The only difference is that we’re communicating on a different, much higher platform.

Just sayin’.
□

*Note: The word emoji can be singular or plural, but apparently discussions between linguists are moving toward plural.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emoji
https://medium.com/@heytory/emojis-the-complete-history-6dc81a330144
https://www.todaytranslations.com/about/language-history/emoji-language-history/https:/www.todaytranslations.com/about/language-history/emoji-language-history/
https://zapier.com/blog/use-emoji/
https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2016/10/the-surprising-history-of-emojis/
https://www.news18.com/news/buzz/universal-language-or-culturally-specific-symbols-what-do-emojis-really-mean-1796371.html#:~:text=Many%20have%20said%20that%20emojis,can't%20read%20or%20write.
https://www.highspeedinternet.com/resources/emojis-the-universal-language-of-the-internet
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20151012-will-emoji-become-a-new-language
https://www.languageinsight.com/blog/2019/is-emoji-becoming-a-global-language/#:~:text=The%20word%20Emoji%20comes%20from,modern%2Dday%2C%20global%20language.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/emoji-new-universal-language-its-making-us-better-vyv-evans#:~:text=Emoji%20is%2C%20today%2C%20incontrovertibly%20the,highly%20instructive%20point%20of%20departure.
https://medium.com/@Wolfestone/the-full-circle-from-caveman-paintings-language-to-emojis-f0f92ee5c2
https://blog.frontiersin.org/2018/03/07/language-cave-art-mit/
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2018/02/acoustic-caves-rock-art-language-origin-spd/#:~:text=Representing%20Thought,date%20back%20roughly%2040%2C000%20years.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_of_Maltravieso
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/human-population-growth-creeps-back-up/https:/charnaflamscrapesproject.weebly.com/%22
https://whizolosophy.com/category/today-s-world-projecting-tomorrow/gallery-charts-graphs/accelerating-growth-in-technology
https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2016/10/the-surprising-history-of-emojis/
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/emoji-shigetaka-kurita-standards-manual/index.html
https://www.archaeology.org/issues/221-1607/trenches/4551-trenches-france-chauvet-dating  




1 Comment

salute to old glory

6/12/2020

0 Comments

 
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I PLEDGE ALLIEGIANCE TO THE FLAG
Flag Day, celebrated on June 14, commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States which occurred on June 14, 1777, by resolution of the Second Continental Congress.
 
Flag Day is not only to celebrate its creation, but to acknowledge the ideals behind it. It is a time to pay respect to what's become part of American iconography.

 ▲The Flag adopted by The Flag Resolution
 2nd Continental Congress, June 14, 1777

Photo source: http://www.davidcourreges.com/usflag.html​

The 1777 resolution, adopted during the American Revolution, states that “the flag of the United States be thirteen alternate stripes red and white” and that “the Union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation.” Our “stars and stripes” was based on the “Grand Union” flag, a banner carried by the Continental Army in 1776 that also consisted of 13 red and white stripes.

AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS
Like our country, our flag is a work in progress. Changes have occurred periodically as needed. Each time a state is added to the United States the number of stars is changed to reflect the number of states. The stripes now remain at thirteen representing the original thirteen colonies.

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The Second Flag Act”, 3rd Congress, 1st Session,
January 13, 1794

“Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress Assembled, That from and after the first day of May, Anno Domini, one thousand seven hundred and ninety-five, the flag of the United States, be fifteen stripes alternate red and white. That the Union be fifteen stars, white in a blue field.”

 ▲The Second Flag Act”, 3rd Congress, 1st Session, January 13, 1794
Photo source: http://www.davidcourreges.com/usflag.html

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The Third Flag Act”, 15th Congress, 1st Session,
April 4, 1818

"STATUTE I, CHAP. XXXIV - An Act to establish the flag of the United States.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That from and after the fourth day of July next, the flag of the United States be thirteen horizontal stripes,

 ▲Third Flag Act, 15th Congress, April 4, 1818           alternate red and white: that the union be twenty stars, white in a blue field.
Photo source: http://www.davidcourreges.com/usflag.html
​

 
SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That on the admission of every new state into the Union, one star be added to the union of the flag; and that such addition shall take effect on the fourth day of July then next succeeding such admission.”
You'll notice each time something is changed, the text becomes more long-winded.

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Executive Order 1556, William Howard Taft, June 24, 1912
​
At this point the Executive order becomes very specific about size, height of poles, and a lot of detail that probably went into the Flag Code later on.

◄Executive Order 1556, William Howard Taft, June 24, 1912
Photo source: http://www.davidcourreges.com/usflag.html

​

ONE NATION, UNDER GOD
Although Flag Day commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States on June 14, 1777, the “observance” of the flag took about a century. There are a variety of stories and opinions about who started the tradition.

No harm, no foul. Obviously, more than one person can come up with the same or similar idea.

● 1861 - Hartford, Connecticut claims the first celebration.

● 1885 – Grade school teacher Bernard J. Cigrand organized, for his students, the first recognized formal observation of a Flag Day at the Stony Hill School, Waubeka, Wisconsin, to celebrate the flag’s birthday. It was held every year after, and the observance caught on with individual communities and spread rapidly. Apparently, Cigrand had tried for a long time to convince the Congress to declare June 14 as a national holiday.

● 1897 – Governor of New York orders the display of the US flag on all public buildings.

● 1889 - The most recognized claim for initiating Flag Day, according to Wikipedia, came in 1889 from George Bloch, principal of a free kindergarten for the poor of New York City. Bloch had his school hold patriotic ceremonies to observe the anniversary of the Flag Day resolution. This initiative attracted attention from the State Department of Education, which arranged to have the day observed in all public schools thereafter.

Ironically, the man upon whom the honor of being known as the “Father of Flag Day” was bestowed, is William T. Kerr. He is credited for founding The American Flag Day Association in 1888 while he was still a schoolboy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (I don’t know who gave him recognition as the Father of the American Flag.)

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It always takes time to get things done.

Finally, both President Wilson, in 1916, and President Coolidge, in 1927, issued proclamations asking for June 14 to be observed as the National Flag Day. It wasn’t until August 3, 1949, that a National Flag Day was established by an Act of Congress. However, ​Flag Day is not an official federal holiday.

◄140th U.S. Flag Day poster.
Artist unknown – US Library of Congress
Photo Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_Day

 

INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL
The flag represents the ideals of the United Stated and what it represents, and should be honored and respected as such. How's that working out? 

Yes, Virginia, There Really Is A Flag Code
Why are you not surprised? We have laws and codes for just about everything imaginable.

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True to form, there are conflicting references to the law itself. USFlag.org references Public Law 829 as the "Flag Code". However, in a report to Congress entitled The United States Flag: Federal Law Relating to Display and Associated Questions [April 14, 2008] states that "This report presents, verbatim, the United States in Title 4 of the United States Code and the section of Title 36 which designates the Star-Spangled Banner as the national anthem and provides instructions on how to display the flag…"                                                                             Image Source: sctimes.com/do-you-know-flag-code ▲   

Who knew? ​But onward! Another reference on the website https://www.legion.org/flag/flagmyths says, "The 77th Congress adopted this codification of rules as public law on June 22, 1942. It is Title 4, United States Code Chapter One."

The Meaning Of The US Flag
While the code does not articulate any definition of what the flag is supposed to mean, it is generally thought of as representing the principles of liberty, justice, and humanity, and the patriotic ideals and spiritual qualities of the citizens of the US.

FLAG MYTHS
​Most Americans know a little about the US flag. Some remember that the thirteen stripes in white and red represent the thirteen colonies and the stars on the field of blue represent the union of the states under one federal government. Also, we all have heard, been taught, learned, that Betsy sewed the first US Flag. There are a number of myths, or at least misinterpretations, related to the US Flag.

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● Betsy Ross Made The First American Flag
That’s what I was taught back in the day. In those days, if it was in print, it had to be correct, right? ​Wrong. There is no historic evidence that Elizabeth Claypoole [her maiden name] Ross was involved in either the design or production of the flag that made its debut in 1777.

It appears that this myth found fertile ground in 1870 when Betsy Ross' grandson, William Canby, first made this claim [100 years later].

▲Metal Print of Illustration of Betsy Ross Sewing The American Flag; Artist unknown. Photo source: fineartamerica.com/george-washington-watching
                                                                                             The Great Seal of the United States of America; Photo Source: 
https://www.greatseal.com/ ▼

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​● The Red, White, And Blue Symbolize American Sacrifice.
Nothing in the statues mentions an official reason or explanation for the colors of our flag. When people say the colors symbolize something, they are probably referring to the explanation given by Charles Thomson, secretary of the Continental Congress, about the meaning of the colors in the Great Seal of the United States which are also red, white, and blue. Thomson's report to the Congress in 1782, says the "white signifies purity and innocence; red, hardiness and valor; and blue signifies vigilance, preservation, and justice."

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● It has always illegal to burn the American Flag
Burning the flag was illegal until 1989, when the Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 in Texas v. Johnson that burning the flag is a form of symbolic speech protected by the First Amendment. The Supreme Court’s decision invalidated a 1968 national flag-desecration law, as well as similar laws in 48 states (all except Wyoming and Alaska).

In response, Congress passed the Flag Protection Act, but that law was also challenged and wound up in the Supreme Court. The court in 1990 essentially affirmed its earlier ruling, stating that any law banning flag burning violated free speech. Thus, in 2020, burning the flag is still legal, although there are those in Congress currently attempting to change that. 

● It's Okay To Wear Clothing Depicting The American Flag
Wait! Don't buy that T-shirt yet. The US Flag Code states the flag "should not" be displayed on any article of merchandise. [Other references say the words are "Shall never".]

.The Code also states that the flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever and goes on to say specify a number of things. Technically, if you wear garments or use beach towels bearing replicas of the US Flag, you are violating the Flag Code.

Don't worry! The law doesn't have any provisions for enforcement, so are there are no Flag Police lurking around the corner to fine you. However, we should respect the flag, and I don't believe that last photo shows a lot of respect...a lot of everything else, but not respect.

● The Pledge of Allegiance has been recited in Congress and other governmental bodies for a long time
The Pledge was written by Francis Bellamy [a magazine editor] in 1892, and was recited in public schools before 1898. The Pledge wasn't recited on the floor of the House of Representatives until 1988. The Senate began using it as part of the opening ritual in 1999.


● The US Has 51 [or 52?] States
The good old USA has only 50 states. The last one added was Hawaii in 1959. Apparently, some people [mostly outside the US] believe that the federal District of Columbia, Washington DC, is a state, which it is not. Others may include the unincorporated territories like Puerto Rice, Guam, and American Samoa, to name just a few.
​
The flag code does prohibit the display a US flag with fewer than 50 states. However, any officially approved American flag, irrespective of the number or arrangement of the stars and/or stripes may continue to be used and displayed until no longer serviceable.

MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL
Respect the flag and treat it properly.□
 
Sources:
http://www.answers.com/Q/What_does_the_United_States_Flag_Represent
http://www.usflag.org
https://www.nyhistory.org/web/crossroads/gallery/all/pewterers_banner.html
https://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/RL30243.pdf
http://search.excite.com/excite8/search/web?fcoid=417&fcop=topnav&fpid=27&q=flag%20etiquette
https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/flag-day
http://www.debunkingmandelaeffects.com/51-or-52-states-in-the-united-states-of-america/
https://www.legion.org/flag/flagmyths
https://www.reference.com/geography/51-states-fa0d9935e4f12b61
https://www.aflag.com/flag-etiquette/
https://www.va.gov/opa/publications/celebrate/flagdisplay.pdf
http://mentalfloss.com/article/547248/rules-displaying-american-flag
https://www.quora.com/What-does-it-mean-if-the-US-flag-is-upside-down
https://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/use-of-american-flag-as-car-cover-sparks-neighborhood-debate/article_e17bc242-6433-11e1-ad0c-0019bb2963f4.html
https://www.greatseal.com/
https://www.nbc-2.com/story/36587395/condo-resident-being-threatened-with-lawsuit-for-hanging-american-flag
https://www.congress.gov/109/plaws/publ243/PLAW-109publ243.pdf
http://www.revolutionarywararchives.org/betsyross.html
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/vintage-illustration-of-george-washington-watching-betsy-ross-sew-the-american-flag-american-school.html?product=metal-print
2020 Research
https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0614/Flag-Day-What-are-the-rules-for-displaying-an-American-flag
https://www.va.gov/opa/publications/celebrate/flagday.pdf
https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/14/us/flag-day-2019-trnd/index.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_Day_(United_States)
http://www.davidcourreges.com/usflag.html
https://www.sctimes.com/story/opinion/2018/05/19/do-you-know-flag-code/619047002/
conclusion



​
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national Donut Day

6/5/2020

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​Put Your Hands Together for the Donut Dollies
The first Friday in June is National Donut Day. The purpose of a national day dedicated to donuts is not to remind us of good health practices, or lack thereof, but to honor the ladies of the Salvation Army who first served donuts to the soldiers on the front lines during WWI.

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Photo source: news.salvationarmynorth.org/dough-front-lines
In 1917, 250 women volunteers from the Salvation Army went to Europe during WWI to serve home cooked meals to the soldiers on the front lines. They set up service huts in abandoned buildings to cook, mend clothing, provide writing supplies and stamps, and provide medical assistance.

One day in France two of the Salvation Army officers, Helen Purviance and Margaret Sheldon, decided to make a surprise for the soldiers. They made sweet dough and patted it into shape by hand, but later discovered they could use a wine bottle as a rolling pin. Since they had no doughnut cutter, the lassies used a knife to cut the dough into strips and then twisted them into crullers

Frying them was back-breaking work using an 18” potbellied wood stove. Someone had to lean over and tend it constantly to keep the temperature even for frying. Finally Ensign Purviance ended up kneeling in front of the stove for hours. They worked nearly all night but managed to make only 150 doughnuts. The next day they doubled the count. With better equipment and more help, the ladies fried as many as 9,000 donuts daily.
​
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    Ensign Purviance and helpers                          Ensign Stella Young                                  Doughnut Dollies
   
Photo Credits: Various from the actual “dollies”                                                                                   Photo source: worldwar1.com/dbc/doughnut.htm 
The story goes that several soldiers asked for donuts with holes. An elderly French blacksmith devised a donut cutter from the top of a can of condensed milk for Ensign Purviance. Soon the Salvation Army ladies were known as the “Doughnut Girls” or “Doughnut Dollies” or “Doughnut Lassies.”
​

In 1938, the Salvation Army decided to honor these proclaimed "doughnut lassies" by recognizing an annual pastry holiday that could also raise awareness (and money) for their charitable efforts. National Doughnut Day was born.

  ▼Cover of the Salvation Army Magazine "War Cry" November 9, 1918, depicting "Doughnut Dollies"
Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain - Photo Source: mentalfloss.com/national-doughnut-day
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​ANCESTORS OF THE DONUT
The origin of the donuts is not clear cut. There seem to be numerous versions of where and how the food originated and, probably, most of them have a basis in truth. What people eat has to do with available materials and technology at the time.

Ideas or inventions, and recipes, do happen through pure synchronicity of thought. Two people are trying to solve the same problem with the same basic available knowledge, and come up with the same or similar answer.

Donuts are basically made from sweetened flour dough which has been fried. There are cake donuts and yeast-raised donuts, usually enhanced with fruit, sugar, honey, cream or other food stuffs. Just about every corner of the world has a local equivalent of the donut made in a similar manner, although not necessarily in the same shapes.
​
​ 
▼Dutch olykoek (oily cake) - Photo source: wikiwand.com/doughnut_varieties

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The earliest origins to the modern doughnuts are generally traced back to the olykoek ("oil(y) cake") Dutch settlers brought with them to early New York (or New Amsterdam). These doughnuts closely resembled later ones but did not yet have their current ring shape. One of the earliest mentions of "doughnut" was in Washington Irving's 1809 book A History of New York, from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty. Wikipedia presents an extensive list of donuts from around the world.
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/List_of_doughnut_varieties.

I’ve listed below some of those taken from Wikipedia which have different ingredients, going back to food stuffs that were available in that location in the past, and those with different shapes.

Today, just about every country has what Americans call donuts and refer to them as “donuts” or another word in their language. I didn’t list those. A donut is a donut is a doughnut. Also, all of these countries have a wide variety of donut variations, not just the one shown below.

_________________________________________________________________________      South Africa            Croatia                  China                    China                    India
     
Koeksister              Hroštule / Kroštule
    Gaoli dousha/ Jung       Mandarin  yóutiáo               Gulgula  
                                      
Favored with zest, orange         Meringue filled w/ red bean paste,                                                    Sweetened deep-fried
                                                      liqueur, or limoncello.                made w/ egg whites, not dough.                                                                  flour balls
 
       Indonesia                    Iran                       Iran                 Macedonia             Malaysia
    
Donat kentang         Zoolbia / Zulbia                   Bamiyeh                       Mekici                          Kuih keria  
    Ring shaped fritter made w/                                                                                                                                                        Ring shaped fritter made w/ flour 
     flour and mashed potato                                                                                                                                                                   and mashed sweet-potato
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
 
        Nepal                    Italy                   Vietnam                   Spain           Caribbean Area 
          Sel roti                        Struffoli                       Bánh cam                         Churro                         Kurma
​
Ring shaped rice doughnut       Made with Potatoe dough        Deep-fried, filled with mung
prepared for Hindu Festivals                                                         bean paste, a vegan/ vegetarian
                                                                                                         substitute for whipping cream.
     Costa Rica ​            Lithuania              Germany              Romania              Japan                  Puntarenas                   Varškės spurges             Berliner                         Gogoși                   Pon de Ring
​ Somehow the consistency             Filled with Cottage Cheese        Everywhere in Germany these                                           Eight separate balls attached,
   of dough keeps cream                                                                   are called Berliners except in Berlin.                                        made of tapioca flour and  
   inside in liquified state                                                             There they are called
Pfannkuchen, Pancakes                                     and wheat flour

______________________________________________________________________________________________
Sources:
https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-doughnut-day-first-friday-in-june/
http://www.holidayscalendar.com/event/national-donut-day/
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/88294/why-are-there-two-national-doughnut-days
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doughnut
http://www.worldwar1.com/dbc/doughnut.htm
https://news.salvationarmynorth.org/2013/06/a-taste-of-history-fried-dough-front-lines-the-salvation-army/
https://athenshistory.org/national-donut-day-june-2nd-2/
https://www.csmonitor.com/Business/The-Bite/2015/0604/National-Doughnut-Day-The-surprising-origins-of-America-s-most-American-holiday
http://www.worldwar1.com/dbc/doughnut.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doughboy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doughnut
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/List_of_doughnut_varieties




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    Author R. Ann Siracusa

    Novelist, retired architect and urban planner, world traveler, quilter, owl collector, devoted wife-mother-grandmother, great-grandmother, and, according to some, wild-assed liberal.

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