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जब कोई बात बिगड़ जाये तो रहें बी पॉजिटिव यहां Click  करिए और सुनिए 1मिनट और 45 सैंकिंड की ऑडियो audio जब कोई बात बिगड़ जाये तो कैसे रहें बी पॉजिटिव Be Positive फिल्मी गाना “जब कोई बात बिगड जाए जब कोई …” बहुत आकर्षित करता है  वाकई में, हम किसी कठिनाई में हो, किसी मुश्किल […]

The post जब कोई बात बिगड़ जाये तो रहें बी पॉजिटिव appeared first on Monica Gupta.

Trying new things can be an exciting, daunting and ultimately rewarding experience. Just ask Sandy Fussell, author of the acclaimed Samurai Kids series. She is venturing into the fastidious and fascinating world of picture book writing and I have to say, has come up trumps. Together with illustrator, Tull Suwannakit, Fussell has brought to life […]

The post Cartoon AAP appeared first on Monica Gupta.

This sketch was originally done a couple of weeks ago, but I liked the mood so much I put some finish on it finally. Edith is one of my favourite Downton characters and she’s always getting the crappy ending of the stick. Hopefully season 6 will bring her up and she’ll get to stop wearing such mopey hats.

I met him once on a popular social media. He was tall and lanky, his body covered in hair reminded me of my soft smooth night blanket. He wore a bright smile just like his eyes wore a coffee-colored medicated reading glasses.And when he smiled… eeiii pooh! his smile broke the chains  lock around my heart just like that! We messaged hi’s and hello’s here and there, i looked up his pictures and i saw his swag! Darm the boy got it!

And then that lonely rainy day when GOD became so angry that he poured the whole heavens down like boom boom! I mastered courage and dialed his number…ring ring, he picked!

“HELLO?”  his voice thundered above the  sound of the rains. My heart skipped a beat and i nearly suffered a heart attack.

“hi, Ebo? ” i whispered , “are you okay? i mean i am…”

“who’s this?” 

“the girl. No ,the woman you spoke to on. NO,  i mean your facebook friend, we chatted about lions and  and..”

“WHAT?” His voice roared.

“Sweetheart who’s that on the line?” I heard her clear  and loud. i dreaded her smooth silky heavy british accent. You could tell she flown first class and wore victoria underwears and that she was the type that wore high heels even to the bathroom; the reason why i hated her the more.

“some crazy girl maybe,” i heard him said.

” Put that damn phone down! and let’s make some love!” it was an ordered, she just ordered him like that; my man. I slipped to the floor imagining what that  wicked -mean girl was doing to my man, my man ooh!

I met him once on a popular social media. He was tall and lanky, his body covered in hair reminded me of my soft smooth night blanket. He wore a bright smile just like his eyes wore a coffee-colored medicated reading glasses.And when he smiled… eeiii pooh! his smile broke the chains  lock around my heart just like that! We messaged hi’s and hello’s here and there, i looked up his pictures and i saw his swag! Darm the boy got it!

And then that lonely rainy day when GOD became so angry that he poured the whole heavens down like boom boom! I mastered courage and dialed his number…ring ring, he picked!

“HELLO?”  his voice thundered above the  sound of the rains. My heart skipped a beat and i nearly suffered a heart attack.

“hi, Ebo? ” i whispered , “are you okay? i mean i am…”

“who’s this?” 

“the girl. No ,the woman you spoke to on. NO,  i mean your facebook friend, we chatted about lions and  and..”

“WHAT?” His voice roared.

“Sweetheart who’s that on the line?” I heard her clear  and loud. i dreaded her smooth silky heavy british accent. You could tell she flown first class and wore victoria underwears and that she was the type that wore high heels even to the bathroom; the reason why i hated her the more.

“some crazy girl maybe,” i heard him said.

” Put that damn phone down! and let’s make some love!” it was an ordered, she just ordered him like that; my man. I slipped to the floor imagining what that  wicked -mean girl was doing to my man, my man ooh!

This is how I'll always think of Jay Lake.  It's how he looked when I first met him, 10 or 12 years ago.  He died of colon cancer yesterday.  He fought so hard, up to and including getting gene sequencing.
Lisa Madigan (Lisa Wolfson) died from pancreatic cancer in February 2011, just 8 weeks after she was diagnosed.  She had had breast cancer 20 years earlier, and accepted more than most of us that life does not last forever.
At 33,  Bridget Zinn was young enough to be my kid.  She died in May 2011, again from colon cancer. (Don't tell let anyone tell if you if there is blood in your stool that you are too young to have colon cancer.)  Her 2013 book, Poison, was just named a Oregon Spirt Honor book, as was The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die.  

BIRDth-DAY! April 1st marks the 11th anniversary of the publication of my first book, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! Because of the support of Librarians, Teachers, Parents, Grand-Parents, and Fans the last 11 years have been a wonderful ride filled with opportunities for me to write, draw, and meet fantastic kids and grown-ups all over the world. Thank you for this gift.

Her eyes hold the secrets to a man’s heart,they are mysterious yet inviting.
Her pretty deep coffee eyes could lure even the most adamant heart.
Her eyes though sad could melt any heart.
She looks on whiles her onlooker yearns for her passionately.
Her eyes distress, seek shelter for her broken heart but she hesitates and tears pour out like rain.
The eyes of a woman..who can read them?
Dec 29, 2011

Her eyes hold the secrets to a man’s heart,they are mysterious yet inviting.
Her pretty deep coffee eyes could lure even the most adamant heart.
Her eyes though sad could melt any heart.
She looks on whiles her onlooker yearns for her passionately.
Her eyes distress, seek shelter for her broken heart but she hesitates and tears pour out like rain.
The eyes of a woman..who can read them?
Dec 29, 2011

Her eyes hold the secrets to a man’s heart,they are mysterious yet inviting.
Her pretty deep coffee eyes could lure even the most adamant heart.
Her eyes though sad could melt any heart.
She looks on whiles her onlooker yearns for her passionately.
Her eyes distress, seek shelter for her broken heart but she hesitates and tears pour out like rain.
The eyes of a woman..who can read them?
Dec 29, 2011

Her eyes hold the secrets to a man’s heart,they are mysterious yet inviting.
Her pretty deep coffee eyes could lure even the most adamant heart.
Her eyes though sad could melt any heart.
She looks on whiles her onlooker yearns for her passionately.
Her eyes distress, seek shelter for her broken heart but she hesitates and tears pour out like rain.
The eyes of a woman..who can read them?
Dec 29, 2011

Woof. Sad news at Knuffle Manor.   After celebrating a happy 14th birthday at the beginning of the   month, our dog Nelson suddenly took ill and passed away after my return from the road last week. Nelson was a great companion and friend to all, always ready to help my writing by taking a long walk or protect me from my rage at a malfunctioning printer by sitting on my lap.  He was also an

Scientific American, a magazine I really like, has posted their list of favorite picture books of the year, and GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE DINOSAURS is one of their picks.  Any claims to scientific merit in the book is dubious, but as I say, I really like the magazine... The Scripps Howard News' end of year list includes both GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE DINOSAURS and THE DUCKLING GETS A COOKIE!?.

Reuters reports that an "author" is suing filmmaker Tyler Perry. She says he stole the plot of his 2012 movie, "Good Deeds," from her book. Terri Donald, who also writes under the pseudonym TLO Red'ness, says Perry based the film on her 2007 book, "Bad Apples Can Be Good Fruit." She says she sent a copy of her book to Perry's company before production on the movie began. In the movie, Perry stars as a wealthy businessman who meets a struggling single mother.

This kind of thing is the reason no one wants to get anything in the mail anymore. If the description of her self-published book (with 0 reviews on Amazon after five years) is as badly written as the book, then heaven help us all. Here is part of it:

"This mysterious secret must unfold in order for the woman to allow a committed vow. In this story her past unravels tragedy, murder and her secret. What the man isn t being honest about is that he also has a secret that materializes in the midst of the storm and the raging fury it holds. The two come to grips with the truths and decide for the future and what it has to offer them."

It reads like someone took a paragraph, translated it via Google Translate into Polish, and then translated the Polish back into English.

Or how about this self-description:

"Terri Vanessa Donald is a 36-year-old female writer who first began writing as a hobby. After meeting Steve Martin through casting agent Mindy Morin in Los Angeles during the shooting of LA Story, Steve showed her manuscript format. Two years later, she began writing for Artist Darrin O Brien, a.k.a. Snow, and had three-time platinum success. Terri plans to take the book industry by storm with her Maya Angelou-style of writing technique. She is a proud mother with family values and a native-born New Yorker who is now serving proudly in the US Army during this very exciting venture."

Words fail me. If anyone has a lawsuit here, it might be Maya Angelou.

5 Stars
Bow-Wow, Wiggle-Waggle
Mary Newell DePalma
Eerdmans  Books for Young Readers
978-0-8028-5408-7
No. of Pages: 32    Ages: 3 to 7
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Back Cover: What begins as a playful game of fetch between a     boy and his dog turns into wild goose chase that springs from one       page to the next in this delightful romp of a story.
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A nice summer morning scene unfolds to find a young boy playing catch with his dog.  The boy throws a red ball for the dog to retrieve, the happy little             eye-patched dog runs with glee after every throw, until . . .

“Meow!”

“Growl!”

The chase is on! The dog chases the cat and the boy chases the dog.

“Flutter-Flutter,” a butterfly looks on from above.

The cat jumps a small stream where a frog lives.

“Hip Hop! ribbet-ribbet.” 

“Honk! Honk! Puddle, Paddle, Waddle.  Glide.”

A pair of geese joins the chase, running after the frog, which is running after the boy, who is running after his dog, who is running after the cat

This wild goose chase continues, introducing more animals inthe chase, until . . .

Bow-Wow, Wiggle-Waggle is a charming book for younger children. Each pair of animal sounds rhymes, adding an additional layer of fun. Alliteration is also used. Page to page the chase grows larger. At one point the boy, and all those behind him, get stuck in a bush, and the cat has run up a tree. The dog sits down and wonders where the cat went, and where his friend went, and realizes he is alone. Sadness sets in, and then . . .

Nope, I’m not spoiling this for you by blabbing the ending. I will say it is a great ending. Kids and parents will love the ending. Kids will want to read Bow-Wow, Wiggle-Waggle until they have all the animal noises memorized. This is a great book for a read-along, especially if the reader likes to makes different sounds, inflections, and faces. There is not a pre-scholar around who will not love Bow-Wow, Wiggle-Waggle.

I think this book is adorable, extremely cute, educational, and humorous. Besides learning the noises each animal makes when it speaks, children will learn the value of friendship. The dog is attached to the boy with the boy equally attached to his dog. The cat distracts the dog and he runs after it. Soon, he is by himself and not sure where he is, or the cat, or the boy he loves. When the dog realizes he is lost, the sadness is palpable.

The author is also the illustrator.  Ms. DePalma has done a wonderful job illustrating the chase scenes, adding in each animal skillfully. Children will love pointing to each animal and the words it says. This is cute, adorable, witty, and a treasure all wrapped together waiting for parents and children to open it up. I suggest parents do that pronto—before the cat makes a purrfect getaway, the dog finds the red ball, and the boy remembers the game the two were playing, until so cattily interrupted.

I wish I had a child to read this to every night. Okay, maybe every other night—there are so many great books for the younger kids. Lucky for me, as a reviewer, I get to read all these books even without a kid, and no one thinks it is silly of me.

To read how Ms. DePalma wrote Bow-Wow, Wiggle-Waggle  goHERE!

Bow-Wow, Wiggle-Waggle

Author/Illustrator: May Newell DePalma    FB   website
Publisher: Eerdman's Books for Young Readers website blog
Release Date: August, 2012
ISBN: 978-0802854087
Number of Pages: 32
Ages: 3 to 7
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During a walk by the water yesterday, I stopped to watch the various birds search for their evening grub. A tall, slim heron, was idling along in the shallow waters on his own, while nearby were ducks and gulls in pairs or groups. And the ducks and gulls were often intermingled with each other. So I imagined what the plight of this heron would be if he were to join in.  He would certainly have some struggles to interact, as he towered at least a foot above the other birds. And so I figured it might be a lonely experience, to be in the midst of a group where you towered over everyone else.

Centuries ago, women ate arsenic to make their skin attractively pale. Belladonna was dripped into women's eyes to make their pupils huge. Corsets, girdles, falsies. Later there was the facelift. Then boob jobs. Now we have the "mommy makeover," which often includes:
- Breast augmentation
- Breast lift
- Tummy tuck
- Butt lift
- Liposuction

But ladies, why stop there? Didn't you know that every single part of you is wrong? Or, as a local doctor points out, "If you're remodeling your home, would you leave one of the most important rooms untouched?"

Of course not. Which is why you shouldn't stop at waxing or shaving your pubic area. No, you need plastic surgery "to enhance your sexuality or self-esteem"!

Yes, you need plastic surgery on your hoo-haw to "correct form and appearance." After all, you don't want to be "cosmetically unattractive" do you?

What's next?

Last night we got terrible but expected news. Our friend Craig has died. My husband and I met him right after we graduated college. He became one of my husband's best friends.

I posted about him over two years ago:

Our friend Craig lives in his own world. He's had a rare type of leukemia for years. He doesn't work any more. He doesn't watch TV or go to movies. He reads all the time and listens to classical music. He reads the paper, but obviously not the entertainment section.

So Harrison Ford is in town making a movie. I guess Callista Flockhart has been or is with him. Somehow Craig ended up meeting them, I think through friends of the woman he's house sitting for.

"I'm Craig _________" he says to Harrison.

"I'm Harrison Ford."

"And what do you do, Harrison?"

Harrison laughed and said it was the best thing he had heard all day. I guess it was a relief to be treated like anybody else.

Far too many of our friends have died this year.

And a bit of sad news from my hometown.  I've just learned that my high school Theater Department head, Kitty Greenberg, has passed away.  Kitty was an enormous influence on a multitude of young people for almost two generations, including the actor Bryan Batt and myself.  Through Kitty I honed skills as a performer and director over at least 20 productions, but more importantly I gained an