Thursday, April 30, 2009

New Version of "Emma" Coming Out In...

October 2009.


Check out http://us.imdb.com/title/tt1366312/ for more info.


Series Directed by
Jim O'Hanlon


Writers:
Jane Austen (novel)
Sandy Welch (writer) (2009)


Series Cast
Robert Bathurst ... Mr. Weston (1 episode, 2009)
Christina Cole ... Mrs. Elton (1 episode, 2009)

Louise Dylan ... Harriet (1 episode, 2009)

Rupert Evans ... Frank Churchill (1 episode, 2009)

Dan Fredenburgh ... John Knightley (1 episode, 2009)

Michael Gambon ... Mr. Woodhouse (1 episode, 2009)

Romola Garai ... Emma Woodhouse (1 episode, 2009)
Tamsin Greig ... Miss Bates (1 episode, 2009)
Jodhi May ... Miss Taylor (1 episode, 2009)

Jonny Lee Miller ... Mr. Knightley (1 episode, 2009)
Laura Pyper ... Jane Fairfax (1 episode, 2009)

Blake Ritson ... Mr. Elton (1 episode, 2009)

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

First They Came for the Jews

by Martin Niemoller

First they came for the Jews,
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.



Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day. Let us never forget the 6 million innocent people (1 million being children) that perished under the Nazi Regime. And let us band together to never let it happen again.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Featured Book of the Month: April 2009

The featured book of April 2009 is...










Drum roll, please...



















It’s Not About Me (A Second Glance’s Novel: Book 1) by Michelle Sutton!

It’s Not About Me (A Second Glance’s Novel: Book 1) by Michelle Sutton



About the Author:
Michelle Sutton is an Editor-in-chief for Christian Fiction Online Magazine, Sheaf House Marketing Director, a member of ACFW, an edgy fiction writer, a book reviewer, an avid blogger/alliance member, CWOW blog mistress, mother of two teenagers, wife, pet owner, social worker by trade, and follower of Jesus Christ.
Check out her website, right here.
Check out her blog, right here.




About the Book:
When a young woman’s life is shattered by a brutal attack, she is torn between two brothers, both of whom claim to love her. She is attracted to both, but which one does she love? How can she choose when her decision may cause a permanent rift between them? And more important, will she give her heart to the One who will sustain her even when human love fails?

My Thoughts:
After winning “It’s Not About Me” by Michelle Sutton in a contest on the internet, I thought I should review it and promote it on my blogs.
“It’s Not About Me” is not your average Christian Young Adult novel. Usually authors of that genre sugarcoat certain aspects of a teen’s life, but that’s not the case in this book. The dialog isn’t fluffy or cliché but the author never shows them actually using profanity; the description isn’t over done and it’s always to the point; and the characters’ behavior is realistic for young adults.
What I liked about the heroine, Annie, was that even prior to her encounter with Christ, she was a moral person, which is refreshing. Most secular young adult books portray that every teen is sexually active. And Dan, the hero, is a Christian young man who practices abstinence; a choice that some even Christians forgo. Dan has loved Annie from the first moment her saw her. Unfortunately, Annie is his brother, Tony’s girlfriend but he maintains his distance until Annie is a victim of a violent attack. When Tony lets her down and their relationship is in limbo, Dan is the one who brings her comfort… at least until she meets the One who helps her to make sense of her life.
You know what this story reminded me of? The Biblical story of Jacob, Leah and Rachel, except that Annie can only have one of the brothers, not both.
The second book in the “Second Glances’ Series”, “It’s Not About Him” is due to come out in September 2009.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler

On Sunday, April 19th, CBS will be featuring "The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler," docu-drama on the rescuer of 2,500 Jewish children. This female Oscar Schindler lived to be 98 years old and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Below is the press release from CBS.





The drama is based on the courageous true story of Nobel Peace Prize nominee Irena Sendler (Paquin), who is credited with saving the lives of 2,500 Jewish children during World War II. Academy Award winner and nominee Marcia Gay Harden (”Pollock,” “Mystic River”), Nathaniel Parker (”The Inspector Lynley Mysteries”) and Goran Visnjic (”ER”) also star. Harden plays Sendler’s mother, Janina, and Parker portrays Dr. Majkowski, the head of Warsaw’s Department of Health who helped Sendler obtain important resources for her mission. Visnjic plays Stefan, a former university friend of Sendler who was Jewish and with whom she fell in love when she started her clandestine work in the Warsaw ghetto.

As a Polish Catholic social worker in the early 1940s, Irena Sendler created and led a conspiracy of women who moved in and out of Warsaw’s Jewish Ghetto disguised as nurses employed by Warsaw’s Health Department. Though they worked under the guise of merely attempting to prevent and contain the spread of Typhus and Spotted Fever, Sendler and her brave cohorts emerged each time with the children of consenting Jewish parents. The children were sometimes sedated and hidden inside boxes, suitcases and coffins as a means of rescuing them from their imminent deportation to death camps. They were given new identities and placed with Polish families and in convents. Sendler kept a hidden record of their birth names and where they were placed with the hope that they would some day be reunited with their own families.

In 1943, the Nazis discovered Sendler’s daring and dangerous ruse and arrested her. She was tortured by Gestapo agents and suffered broken feet. On the day of her scheduled execution she was rescued by “Zegota,” the underground network with which she worked to save the Jewish children.

As a result of Sendler’s efforts, approximately 2,500 children were smuggled to safety. Not a single child she rescued was ever betrayed or discovered by the Nazis.

The movie is based on the authorized biography of the heroine, Mother of the Children of the Holocaust: The Irena Sendler Story, by Anna Mieszkowska, published in 2005.

In 2007 Sendler was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. That same year, Hallmark Hall of Fame acquired exclusive movie rights to the book and negotiated life-rights with Sendler and her family members. Sendler died on May 12, 2008 at the age of 98.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Veronicaology

Let others know a little more about yourself, re-post this as your name followed by "ology"

IF I TAGGED YOU, PLEASE PUT THIS UP ON YOUR PAGE AS A NOTE AND TAG SOME OTHER PEOPLE!

***********FOOD-OLOGY***************

What is your salad dressing of choice?
Italian.

What is your favorite sit-down restaurant?
Stake 'N' Shake or Cheeseburger Paradise.

What food could you eat for 2 weeks straight and not get sick of?
Italian.

What are your pizza toppings of choice?
Just extra sauce and extra cheese and sausage.

What do you like to put on your toast?
Peanut Butter.

***********TECHNOLOGY***************

How many television sets are in your house?
Five, but one is an extra.

What color cell phone do you have?
I don't have one.

***************BIOLOGY******************

Are you right-handed or left-handed?
I'm a righty.

Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
A mole. Gross, I know. And the dentist has removed teeth before.

What is the last heavy item you lifted?
Probably Gar. He's a heavy cat.

Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
Thankfully, no.

************BALONEYOLOGY**************

If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?
Maybe. I'd spend my last day doing what I wanted, waiting in anticipation for when I go to Glory.

If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
Ariana. Or Julia. Or Danika. But I really like my name.

Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000?
Yes. Even if I retch, at least I'd have $1000.

************DUMBOLOGY******************

How many pairs of flip flops do you own?
A couple. I'm more of a sandles kind of girl.

Last time you had a run-in with the cops?
Never had a run-in.

Last person you talked to?
My mom.

Last person you hugged?
My cat, Bingley.

**************FAVORITOLOGY****************

Season?
Spring.

Holiday?
Easter.

Day of the week?
Saturday or Sunday.

Month?
April, May or June.

***********CURRENTOLOGY*****************

Missing someone?
My grandparents.

Mood?
Wistful.

What are you listening to?
Sarah, Plain and Tall: Skylark.

Watching?
See above.

Worrying about?
How this country has declined in such a short amount of time.

***************RANDOMOLOGY*****************

First place you went to this morning?
DollarTree.

What's the last movie you saw?
Sarah, Plain and Tall: Skylark.

Do you smile often?
Not as much as I should.

***************QUESTIONS**************

1) Do you always answer your phone?
No, I don't like to talk on the phone.

2) It's four in the morning and you get a text message, who is it?
I don't have a cell and if I did, no one would text me.

3) If you could change your eye color what would it be?
Green, or hazel like my mom's.

4) What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic?
We don't have a Sonic's around here yet.

5) Do you own a digital camera?
Yes.

6) Have you ever had a pet fish?
Yeah, when I was a little girl. He was orange and I named him Michaelangelo, after the Teenage Mutant Turtle.

7) Favorite Christmas song?
"Mary, Did You Know?"

8) What's on your wish list for your birthday?
Wow, I haven't even thought about it. My b-day is in December. Probably books or music.

9) Can you do push ups?
Yeah, but it ain't a pretty sight.

10) Can you do a chin up?
Probably, but once again, it wouldn't be pretty.

11) Does the future make you more nervous or excited?
Sometimes I'm excited, but when I watch the news I get nervous.

12) Do you have any saved texts?
Nope.

13) Ever been in a car wreck?
No, thank You, God!

14) Do you have an accent?
Sort of. I have a bit of a drawl even though I'm not from the south.

15) What is the last song to make you cry?
"Tennesee Waltz."

16) Plans tonight?
Yeah, I'm going to watch newest and last movie in the "Love Saga" on the Hallmark Channel, "Love Finds a Home."

17) Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom?
Sure, but God's lifted me up.

18) Name 3 things you bought in the last week
I only have $1.11 in change, I can't buy anything.

19) Have you ever been given roses?
One time at church, on Mother's Day, they were passing out roses to the mothers and they even gave one each to my sister and I. And when my dog died, some very close and sweet friends sent me flowers.

20) Current worry?
The economic situation.

21) Current hate right now?
Hate itself. It's the only permissable thing to hate.

22) Met someone who changed your life?
Christ is Someone that I have met who's changed my life.

23) How did you bring in the New Year?
Sleeping.

24) What song represents you?
"Who I Am," by Jessica Andrews.

25) Name three people who might complete this?
Mary Ann, Kaye and my Aunt Barbara.

26) What were you doing 12 AM last night?
Sleeping.

27) What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up?
"Whoa, what time is it?"

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Boo hoo, my computer was attacked!

Yep, it's true, my computer was attacked by a virus. I'm very blessed though. I didn't lose any info, I have a back up computer, and my sister is kind enough to let me borrow her PC until I get my back up computer set up.

In other news (boy, do I sound like a reporter, or what?) when I get this computer situation figured out, I'm going to try and enter the contest that Novel Matters is having. I'm excited. I'm praying that this is my chance. But if it isn't, God knows best. I'm determined not to give up so easily though.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

A PET'S TEN COMMANDMENTS

1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is likely to be painful.

2. Give me time to understand what you want of me.

3. Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being.

4. Don't be angry with me for long and don't lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainment, but I have only you.

5. Talk to me.. Even if I don't understand your words, I do understand your voice when speaking to me.

6. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget it.

7. Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I could hurt you, and yet, I choose not to bite you.

8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I'm not getting the right food, I have been in the sun too long, or my heart might be getting old or weak.

9. Please take care of me when I grow old. You too, will grow old.

10. On the ultimate difficult journey, go with me please. Never say you can't bear to watch. Don't make me face this alone. Everything is easier for me if you are there, because I love you so.

~Take a moment today to thank God for your pets. Enjoy and take good care of them.

Life would be a much duller, less joyful experience without God's critters.

~Now please pass this on to other pet owners. We do not have to wait for Heaven, to be surrounded by hope, love, and joyfulness. It is here on earth and has four legs!