In the current geopolitical context, the International Criminal Court has managed to stand its ground as a well-accepted international organization. Since its creation in 1998, the ICC has seen four countries refer situations on their own territory and adopted the Rome Statute which solidified the Court's role in international criminal law. Is the ICC sufficiently funded, how is the money spent, and what does this look like when compared to other international organisations?
The post How much money does the International Criminal Court need? appeared first on OUPblog.
The Jaguar E-type has recently been voted Britain's favourite classic cars in
this poll. I was commissioned to produce a drawing of it. It's not surprising that it is in the number one spot as it really is a thing of beauty.
I used pencil (a soft thick 4B) and marker pens, to make this drawing, both of which are drawing materials that I've recently started using. I've never been much of a pencil girl. It doesn't really do it for me, but I kinda like these soft pencils now and again. The marker pen has been a revelation and I can't get enough of them these days. I did all the darker tones and areas with the markers, and it struck me that at one point I would have filled all that in with tiny cross hatched fine lines. Just the thought of doing that, now, brings me to tears.
You can see the rest of the list of Britain's favourite cars, and if you vote you can actually win this drawing
HERE.
Had a lovely day yesterday, drawing for the love of drawing rather than for work. I always love catching up with
Urban Sketchers Yorkshire, my sketchcrawling buddies, too. We spent the day at the
National Emergency Vehicles Museum in Sheffield. It was right up my tree. Loved the subject matter. I could spend another day, or ten, there. And, maybe even a night; apparently there are many ghosts in this former police and fire station. If you believe in that sort of thing, of course. I don't but I'm willing to have my mind changed.
There was a very specific colour scheme too. Reds, blacks and a little yellow were the colours of the day. I managed to not take seventeen pencils cases, which is an achievement for me, and narrowed it down to just the three sketchbooks. I always try to take some tools that I wouldn't normally draw with at home. I try and play a bit more on sketchcrawls. It feels like the right place to do that as you often encounter subject matter you wouldn't normally choose to draw. The red Bingo dabber was an inspired choice of pens.
Here's something I've noticed during October, as I'm participating in
Go Sober For October, I do a lot more with my weekends. It's much easier when you're not factoring in a 'big night' or a hangover. That's just another benefit to being sober; doing more stuff with your time. Just look at how my blogging has increased in the last month!
The museum holds a vast range of fire service related memorabilia that had previously been sitting in attics and local fire stations all over the county and amongst the exhibits were prisoner files from the last century. I found these the most fascinating of all, and below are my drawings of some of the mugshots from around the 1940s. It's funny how just by drawing somebody, spending that time studying someone, you can feel a real connection with them. I don't just want to now more about the faces I drew, I feel an empathy, sympathy, for them. Protective towards them even, like I knew them. I guess what I'm trying to say was that I was touched by them. Maybe I do believe in ghosts.
Who doesn't remember packing a picnic hamper into the boot of the family car only to have the car break down? It happened all the time when I was a little girl. Dad would attack the engine with a spanner and a greasy rag, and sometimes that would be enough to get us on our way. If not, it was a call to the AA (Automobile Association) and a wait for the patrol man to turn up on his motorbike, just as he does in one of these sweet little books.
Thank you for accompanying me on my travels! If you would like to know more about any of the books, please click on the links above each one.
When I started this post, I assumed the four books above made up a complete set but by a strange coincidence, I was offered another set of five books. There can’t be very many of these around so it seems like the best kind of luck to have two sets plus an extra! Now two lucky customers can own a little piece of travel history.
A journey is best measured in friends, not in miles... Tim Cahill
Thanks for being my friend and for breaking your journey here...
Read the rest of this post
“Car Pool”
Cruise on over here to see some of the other SkADaMo participants.
I was running just a little late yesterday, looking forward to meeting with a colleague for breakfast yesterday morning. I still swear I’m not a morning person, but I enjoy early morning workouts and breakfasts! I was a bit surprised to see that a tree had fallen overnight and was quite shocked when I stood next to my car and saw all the damage! I stayed home and spent the day working through insurance, car rentals and tree removal. My entire day was off!
When I finally made it to my email account this morning, I found several items of interest.
First, thanks to librarian friend Nichelle Hayes for sharing information about Dial-A-Pacer!
Children of all ages and families are invited to hear members of the Indiana Pacers read their favorite stories in children’s literature during “Read Like a Pro — Call-a-Pacer 2013″ on The Indianapolis Public Library’s 24-hour Call-a-Story telephone line.
By dialing 275-4444, or toll-free at 877-275-9007, callers will hear recorded stories from Pacers players who demonstrate their love of reading as a way to encourage young ones to develop the habit.
At New Augusta, the school library program and Lauren Kniola, the school librarian, help to fulfill this mission. In the letter of support from Principal Mary Kay Hunt, she writes, “Under the leadership of Mrs. Lauren Kniola the library program flourishes. She prepares our students to become outstanding members of a global society. She works side by side with the classroom teachers to help the students learn in multiple ways: inquiry based projects, distance learning, in addition to help the students develop a love of reading. Mrs. Kniola has built a learning environment that is stimulating, student centered, and a flexible schedule so that our library can enhance their learning and be the hub of learning.”
My youngest son went to NAPA-South when it first opened, so I’m quite proud of this IN school.
Edited by Jamie Campbell Naidoo and Sarah Park Dahlen, this contributed volume presents chapters on the representations of culture groups that are often ignored in examinations of diverse youth literature, while also examining more common cultural groups through a new lens or perspective.
It feels good to have good news from right here in Indiana!
My pile of books for BFYA has settled at around 40 books. While there will be more to read after ALA in June, this serves as a chance to get caught up before discussions at Annual and then, it begins all over again. I still cannot discuss the books and still really would like more guest reviewers! So, if you’re interested in reading and reviewing for me, I have books available I can send you.
The language inside by Holly Thompson.
Emma Karas was raised in Japan; it’s the country she calls home. But when her mother is diagnosed with breast cancer, Emma’s family moves to a town outside Lowell, Massachusetts, to stay with Emma’s grandmother while her mom undergoes treatment.
Emma feels out of place in the United States.She begins to have migraines, and longs to be back in Japan. At her grandmother’s urging, she volunteers in a long-term care center to help Zena, a patient with locked-in syndrome, write down her poems. There, Emma meets Samnang, another volunteer, who assists elderly Cambodian refugees. Weekly visits to the care center, Zena’s poems, dance, and noodle soup bring Emma and Samnang closer, until Emma must make a painful choice: stay in Massachusetts, or return home early to Japan.
Revenge of a not so pretty girl by Carolite Blythe.
Girls who are pretty have a way of looking down their perfect noses at anyone they feel isn’t worthy of sharing the air with them. They have a way of making regular girls like me feel inferior for not winning the gene pool lottery. Tormenting them is my way of getting even.
Everyone knows that pretty equals mean, and Evelyn Ryder used to be a beautiful movie star—never mind that it was practically a lifetime ago. There’s no time limit on mean. So if you think I feel guilty about mugging her, think again.
But for something that should have been so simple, it sure went horribly wrong. See, I think I might have killed that old movie star. Accidentally, of course. And I’m starting to believe that my actions have cursed me, because nothing in my life has gone right since then.
That’s why I’m returning to the scene of the crime. To see if there’s any chance that old lady might still be alive. To see if I might be able to turn my luck around. Maybe my life can be different. But if I want things to change, I’m gonna have to walk the straight and narrow. And that means no more revenge.
Yacqui Dalgado wants to kick your ass by Meg Medina.
One morning before school, some girl tells Piddy Sanchez that Yaqui Delgado hates her and wants to kick her ass. Piddy doesn’t even know who Yaqui is, never mind what she’s done to piss her off. Word is that Yaqui thinks Piddy is stuck-up, shakes her stuff when she walks, and isn’t Latin enough with her white skin, good grades, and no accent. And Yaqui isn’t kidding around, so Piddy better watch her back. At first Piddy is more concerned with trying to find out more about the father she’s never met and how to balance honors courses with her weekend job at the neighborhood hair salon. But as the harassment escalates, avoiding Yaqui and her gang starts to take over Piddy’s life. Is there any way for Piddy to survive without closing herself off or running away? In an all-too-realistic novel, Meg Medina portrays a sympathetic heroine who is forced to decide who she really is.
Please, email me if you’re interested!
crazyquilts at hotmail dot com
Filed under:
Me Being Me Tagged:
ALA publication,
car,
diversity in YA,
guest reviewers,
NAPA-south 
Two more pages from my upcoming
Memoirs.
Paper53 on iPad. Click to enlarge.
Two more pages from my forthcoming
Memoirs.
Paper53 on iPad. Click to enlarge.
SMASH AND GRAB... someone broke into my car tonight (the Fremont area of Seattle) and stole my backpack that had volume 10 of my graphic novel art in it! Along with my classic iPod, parking remote for work, brand new noise canceling headphones,... glass all over the interior of the car and I had to drive home on three freeways with no side window at 1am.
If anyone would like to help and put up some of these flyers around the Fremont area of Seattle, I'd appreciate it.
Thank you.
-Mike
The day the kinema arrived in my remote village.
Ink, gouache, watercolour on sugar paper. A4 size. Click to enlarge.
Despite congestion charging, London roads are full.
Pencil on isometric paper. A5 size. Click to enlarge.
I bought the wife a new car for her birthday.
Pen and ink with watercolour 11cm x 18cm. Click to enlarge.
I'm redesigning the look and feel of Google Maps.
Pencil sketch 19cm x 18cm. Click to enlarge.
My brain needs a service.
Pen and ink with digital colour. 50mm x 75mm. Click to enlarge.
I'm a nervous passenger but my friend is a far more nervous driver.
Pen 12cm x 26cm. Click to enlarge.
A rough sketch for the next Brain Yard picture, coming soon.
Pen and ink with watercolour 30cm x 17cm. Click to enlarge.
I went to Modern British Sculpture at the Royal Academy with the redoubtable Terry Ryan. We found the fire escapes in the gallery to be more interesting than most of the works on show. My photo shows Terry creating an instant living sculpture entitled The Burning Man in Room 7. We did enjoy Damien Hirst's dead flies, but I think Terry's idea for a piece entitled Damien's Hearse needs to be built.
The final piece in the show is by one of our favourite artists, John Latham and features seriously mangled copies of the Quran and Bible. Luckily Latham is in no danger of reprisals because he's been dead for some time.
Over coffee Terry relived his famous impersonation of Kurt Schwitters impersonating a dog. I mentioned his book
Lucky Hans but absent-mindedly wrote it as "Dirty Hans".
Pen and wash 14cm x 10cm. Click to enlarge.
I've always wanted to tour Europe by camper van.
Acrylic, watercolour and ink. 67cm x 24cm. Click to enlarge.
Some illustrations for a story that will never be written:-
The Kayaking Unicyclist, The Coffee and/or Soup Submarines, The Mouth Nest, The Chief Backscratcher, The Dead Sheep Flying Machine and of course the Complex Moustache.
Pen and wash with digital colour. Click to enlarge.
Here is an illustration I've just finished for a project for Smart Car - could that be Iceland's volcano? ;)
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You are amazing how you just keep coming up with better and better ones. Fantastic.
Amazing and funny:)
You crack me up!! Terrific sketch!
Your illustrated puns are brilliant! Love!
Adorable
Looks like he’s winning! lol And I probably would’ve gone for a car-shaped swimming pool!
BTW I have been meaning to ask, what software do you use for your digital sketches?
this must be a mans greatest wish! to play pool with his car!! LOL
Thanks so much. I think I’m on a pun roll. Although I might take a break, hee hee!
Thank you, Laura!
Thanks so much, Bobbie!
Thanks!
Thanks! That would have been good too. Or cars swimming. The possibilities are endless!
Hee hee, that’s pretty funny, Susanna!
I use Photoshop with an old Wacom tablet. I use to draw the lines with pencil, scan and then paint in PS, but for the past year I have been doing the line digitally as well. After I got the hang of it, (a bit of a learning curve) it really cuts the time in half!