Aesop's Fables

Tuesday, March 27, 2007
I finally succumbed to the tiny voice in the back of my head that kept insisting I had to buy the book “1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die”.  I’ve seen the lists posted all over the internet, but they simply weren’t good enough, I had to have the actual book to hold in my hand, so that I could make notes and comments within its pages.

The books listed therein are certainly interesting choices, and subject to much debate.  One theme that I hear often is that it is mainly a list of great authors, and not great books.  Some of them have multiple books listed that aren’t really all that fantastic, while many authors who have seminal works aren’t listed at all.

I’ve decided to try out some of the books, especially the ancient ones that I’m completely unfamiliar with.  For instance Chaireas and Kallirhoe by Chairton is essentially the first published novel.  I’m not sure if it’s readable by the average reader, but thanks to inter-library loan I’m hoping to give it a try.

I started with the first book on the list, Aesop’s Fables.  I’m familiar with the concept of Aesop’s Fables as children’s stories, as I’m sure most of us are.  And am familiar with most of the well known ones, “The Fox and the Grapes”, “The Tortoise and the Hare” and so on and so on.

I wasn’t aware that there are hundreds more, really never stopped to think about it.  So, I got myself a copy of Oxford World’s Classics series Aesop's Fables and discovered that there are at least 600, (including the familiar), some good, some bad, and some that obviously haven’t stood the test of time.  Interesting stuff really, as is the introduction which tells the history of the fable and of Aesop himself.

edited by Sarra at 10:45 AM 03/27/2007

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Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Finally found out what has been causing my back pain. Apparently I have a congenital defect called Schmorl’s nodes, which are defined as herniations of the intervertebral disc through the vertebral end-plate. Thanks mom and dad! The orthopedic surgeon said that he could do surgery but that I could also try losing a few more pounds and getting more exercise. I’d been curtailing exercise, well, because it hurt and because I was afraid of doing more damage to my back, so now I’m working out again.

The back pain made me quit working as a shelter attendant; instead I’ve been working in the front office entering info into the computer. They have a huge backlog because the computers were down for an extended period, then everyone got in the habit of not entering as they went so even when the computers came back up the paperwork got ignored.

Today I was working on the euthanasia cards. There is this huge stack, so the impact is much larger than if there were only a handful of cards. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that the cities don’t want to deal with adopting out pit bulls, which means that much of the stack is cards from pit bulls who were euthanised after their stray hold time ran out. Those make me sad, but the ones that really make me sad are the owner surrenders, and the animals that are put to sleep because the shelter runs out of space.

Personally I can’t think of a single circumstance in which I would ever leave one of my animals at a shelter. And certainly not with some of the lame excuses that they hear everyday, “I just don’t want him/her anymore”, “the kids aren’t taking care of it”, “she got out and got pregnant”, “it meows too much”, “it hides”, and so on and so on…

I can understand the ones who adopt and bring the pet back within a few days because they didn’t realize how much work it was going to be. That’s one reason why I will probably never have a puppy ever again. Re-homed adult dogs are hard enough without having to start the housebreaking from scratch and deal with teething. I can’t understand the ones who own a dog for 9 or 10 years and then decide that because they’re moving they have to get rid of the dog.

edited by Sarra at 10:20 AM 03/27/2007

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Circle of Assassins

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Reviewed for Front Street Reviews


 

 

Circle of Assassins is the second in a clever series of books known as Tales from the Back Page.  Each book starts with an advertisement placed in a fictional newspaper published on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.  The first in the series, Who Gets the Apartment? (2006) has four young Manhattanites fighting over a luxury penthouse apartment that a con-man rents to each of them for $600 a month – all at the same time.  
 
In Volume 2 Circle of Assassins, the author posits that an ad placed in that same newspaper will encourage five average, yet disgruntled New Yorkers to take the law into their own hands.   The carefully written advertisement asks its reader to decide – for entertainment purposes only – which person they would most like to see dead and why.  Through later correspondence the mastermind behind the ad works out a simple  yet extremely effective solution.  Why not have each of the circle eliminate one of the other targets?  There is no connection between killer and target, so little chance of being caught and each of the circle would symbiotically benefit when their target was eliminated.
 
Using a non-linear narrative, author Steven Rigolosi begins with the exploration of the lives and psyches of the five assassins.  Why are these people primed to kill complete strangers?  How can they be sure that the advertisement isn’t a hoax?  Will they really go through with the murders, or will they have second thoughts?  Who are their targets and what makes them so deserving of death?
 
The author does a fantastic job of writing in multiple viewpoints. He elegantly captures each character by writing their corresponding vernacular, which allows him to give voices to characters as varied as a highly educated college professor and a semi-literate telephone company lineman.  
 
This book will probably be most successful with readers who enjoy dark, psychological thrillers.  Those who prefer a plot-driven story line or a stricter adherence to the standard mystery formula will be less pleased.  
 
Stephen Rigolosi is no stranger to the publishing world, he is the director of market research and development at a Manhattan based publisher of scientific texts.  Circle of Assassins is his second novel.  In the works are at least two more books in the Tales from the Back Page series.

edited by Sarra at 10:04 AM 03/24/2007

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Major Pet Food Recall

Monday, March 19, 2007
Recall of Pet Foods Manufactured by Menu Foods, Inc.
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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been informed that Menu Foods, Inc., a private-label pet food manufacturer based in Statesville, Ontario, Canada, is recalling all its "cuts and gravy" style dog and cat food produced at its facility in Emporia, Kansas between December 3, 2006 and March 6, 2007. The products are sold in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The recall was prompted by consumer complaints received by the manufacturer and by tasting trials conducted by the manufacturer. There has been a small number of reported instances of cats and dogs in the United States that developed kidney failure after eating the affected product. Ten deaths, one dog and 9 cats, have reported at this time. The firm has undertaken extensive testing of the pet food products in question, but to date has been unable to find the source of the problem.

The products are packaged in cans and pouches under numerous brand names and are marketed nationwide by many pet food retailers including Ahold USA Inc., Kroger Company, Safeway, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., PetSmart, Inc., and Pet Valu, Inc.

Menu Foods, Inc. has identified the potentially contaminated products on the Internet at www.menufoods.com/recall. Consumers who have any of these products should immediately stop feeding them to their pets. Dogs or cats who have consumed the suspect feed and show signs of kidney failure (such as loss of appetite, lethargy and vomiting) should consult with their veterinarian. Menu Foods, Inc. is notifying retailers by telephone and mail and is arranging for the return of all recalled products.

FDA is conducting an investigation and working with Menu Foods, Inc. to ensure the effectiveness of the recall. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-866-895-2708. Consumers who wish to report adverse actions or other problems can go to http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html to contact the FDA complaint coordinator in their state.

PetConnection.com is currently gathering information about pets (both cats and dogs) who have gotten sick or died from the latest batch of recalled food. Here's the form which will submit information to their database.

edited by Sarra at 02:47 PM 03/19/2007

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