Oprahbookclubfan: Oprah Fan Club, New Books Reviews, Fashion & Clothes Shopping

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Palin and Oprah: Palin on Oprah Show to Promote Bestseller "Going Roque"

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Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Sarah Palin's Book "Going Rogue" Already Bestseller on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble

The book is not even in store yet. It is already a bestseller thanks to pre-orders. That is what HarperCollins is saying about Going Rogue, Sarah Palin's book scheduled to be published on November 17. It is already outselling many other books such as Ted Kennedy's True Compass and Mitch Albom's "Have a little faith."

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Monday, September 28, 2009

President Barack Obama, Wife Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey to Support Chicago2016 Bid in Copenhagen

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Chicago is using all its guns in the fight to get the 2016 olympic games. Besides sending letters to the Olympic committee, the President is ready to visit Denmark to give his pitch for the games to take place in Chicago. The competition is becoming very tough with Japan sending its king. Brasil's president will be there. Spain's king will also be there to fight to get the games. It makes sense that President Obama and his wife accompany the American delegation. Even Oprah Winfrey, a favorite daughter of Chicago, will be part of the delegation to Copenhagen.

The International Olympic Committee is meeting in Copenhagen to select a host city for the 2016 Summer Games. Chicago faces tough competition from Rio de Janeiro, Madrid and Tokyo. The president promised, a "spectacular Olympic experience for one and all."

"President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama symbolize the hope, opportunity and inspiration that makes Chicago great, and we are honored to have two of our city's most accomplished residents leading our delegation in Copenhagen," Mayor Richard M. Daley said in a statement. "Who better to share with members of the International Olympic Committee the commitment and enthusiasm Chicago has for the Olympic and Paralympic Movement than the President and First Lady."

Michael Johnson and Jackie Joyner-Kersee will also be part of the delegation.

Let us hope the IOC accepts the Chicago's bid!

Sunday, September 27, 2009

The Surrogates Author, Robert Venditti, is the King of Alternate Reality in Graphic, Comic Novels

Who is interested in studying people addicted to the Internet and alternate reality?

First we must agree on the definition of alternate reality.

Alternate Reality: It has to do with anything or a technology that allows people to fulfill that basic human need to be someone other than him/herself. What would that world be like?

Telling Stories with pictures is the realm of Graphic Novels;

Titles of some major comic books: Surrogates, Author Robert Venditti, Sin City, Watchman, Astro City: The Confessor.

Venditti wrote the comic book series "The Surrogates," a grimmy commentary on our times, a prequel was just released after the success of The Surrogates (Flesh & Bone). Another one is "The Homeland Directive" that is in the works.

Venditti's Borders-to-Hollywood story via comic book company, Top Shelf Productions, should be an inspiration to anyone hoping to break into comics. He worked his way up.

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Thursday, September 24, 2009

Uwem Akpan Made Oprah Book Club List with "Say You're One of Them"

Here is what they are saying about this very talented Nigerian author: Get a glimpse of the book and why it was picked by Oprah.

"In five separate narratives, each told from the perspective of a child from a different African country, Say You're One of Them vividly portrays the horror and beauty to be found in both the history-altering events and the mundane details of everyday life. In these stories of family, friendship, betrayal and redemption, Akpan highlights the tenacity and perseverance of his young protagonists.

Who is this talented writer?

Get it from the publisher and UWEM AKPAn: "After studying philosophy and English at Creighton and Gonzaga universities, Uwem Akpan studied theology for three years at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa. He was ordained as a Jesuit priest in 2003 and received his MFA in creative writing from the University of Michigan in 2006.

"My Parents' Bedroom," from his short story collection, Say You're One of Them, was one of five short stories by African writers chosen as finalists for the Caine Prize for African Writing 2007. Say You're One of Them won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book (Africa Region) 2009 and PEN/Beyond Margins Award 2009 and was finalist for the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction. In 2007, Akpan taught at a Jesuit college in Harare, Zimbabwe. Now, he serves at Christ the King Church, Ilasamaja-Lagos, Nigeria."

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Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Review of "Gambling: Mapping the American Moral Landscape" submitted by Reader

In recent decades, legalized gambling has spread like wildfire in the United States, while at the same time other historical vices continue to face strong opposition. Gambling's success has received little academic attention, but a recent book seeks to correct that.

Alan Wolfe, a professor of political science at Boston College, and Erik C. Owens edited the recently published book, "Gambling: Mapping the American Moral Landscape," (Baylor University Press).

As they note in the book's introduction the amount of money involved in the industry is considerable. In 2005 an estimated $84.65 billion was wagered, and in 2006 around one in four Americans visited a casino -- a radical change from not too many years ago when Nevada was the only place with legalized gambling, the editors observed. In fact, gambling is now legal in one form or another in 48 states, plus the District of Columbia.

Amid campaigns to stop smoking and reduce alcohol consumption, and little tolerance for sexual misconduct by public figures, there is relatively little opposition to gambling, they note. Wolfe deals with this curious phenomenon in his chapter of the book, titled "The Culture War Issue That Never Was."

A century ago there was strong opposition to gambling by churches, and evangelical leaders were fierce in their criticism of what they denounced as a vice. Wolfe explained that this religious opposition to gambling was a byproduct of the Puritan strain in American culture.

This Puritanism let to the campaign against alcohol that resulted in the Prohibition era. By contrast, Wolfe observed that religious-led opposition to gambling was never elevated to a nationally-coordinated campaign. In addition, a number of political activists associated with Christian groups have endorsed gambling and lobbied in favor of it.

Wolfe also argued that in general Protestant leaders are political pragmatists and are unwilling to criticize practices popular among their members.

No common cause

He also pointed out that while Christians and some feminists have made common cause against pornography, no such alliance has been formed regarding gambling. This is in spite of the fact that some feminists are critical of gambling, given the impact on mothers and families when the husband gambles a large portion of the family income.

In his contribution, John Dombrink, a professor in the department of criminology, law and society at the University of California, commented that many states have chosen to resolve fiscal problems through gambling revenue. This was the argument used by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick in 2007 when he announced a plan to allow more casinos.

This can lead to a conflict of interests, Dombrink added. We can expect gambling operators to want to maximize profit, but what does this lead to when it is the same state government that both regulates gambling and profits from it?

Dombrink also explained that, if opposition to gambling by social conservatives has been muted, so called "progressives" have also shied away from attacking the spread of legal gambling.

The lack of opposition has led to a cosy relationship between gambling operators and government, observed R. Shep Melnick. A professor of American politics at Boston College, Melnick noted that gambling companies have spent millions in lobbying politicians and that, in some cases, have even helped draft the legislation governing the industry.

He cited one study that put at more than $100 million the amount the gambling industry spent on lobbying and campaign contributions in the period 1994-96.

The state governments, in turn, have a vested interest in the success of gambling. State lotteries spend around half a billion dollars annually in advertising, according to Melnick. Thus, as they have cracked down on tobacco advertising they have stepped up efforts to spread gambling. The Federal Trade Commission has even gone so far as to exempt state lotteries from truth-in-advertising rules, Melnick added.

"Many of the ordinary rules of the game are suspended in lottery politics," he commented.

At the same time he explained that the general public shares in the blame. People call for more government services, but resist any attempt to increase taxes. Lotteries and casinos offer governments the solution to these conflicting demands.

"A tax that people line up to pay, a tax that falls on poor people who tend not to vote anyway -- how many hard-pressed politicians could resist that?" he observed.

The question of the impact on the poor was detailed by Melnick. Those earning less than $10,000 a year spend an average of $600 on lottery tickets, while those earning more than $50,000 spend less than $250.

High school dropouts spend four times as much as college graduates on lottery tickets and blacks spend five times as much as whites.

It's questionable, Melnick argued, that the revenues gained through gambling trickle down far enough to compensate for the effects of what is, in effect, a regressive tax on the poor.

Harm caused

John P. Hoffmann, a professor of sociology at Brigham Young University, examined the harm caused by gambling. Gambling has generally been placed in the category of victimless crimes, but he argued this terminology is not correct.

Problems such as gambling have substantial negative effects on marital relations and family functioning. Many people gamble with no apparent problems, Hoffmann admitted, but studies point to about 9% of gamblers having some risks, with another 1.5% classified as problem gamblers, and 0.9% as pathological gamblers.

The percentages might seem low, but they translate into substantial numbers -- millions of people, in fact -- when you consider the total population of the United States, he commented.

When it comes to family life Hoffmann observed that pathological gambling is associated with mental health problems and divorce. When gambling reaches problem levels, children are also often acutely affected. Not only does it influence the time parents spend at home, but children also suffer from a sense of diminished personal attachment to their parents and a loss of trust in them.

Moral dimension

In itself, gambling is not immoral according to the teaching of the Catholic Church, and the use of lotteries or bingo nights has been a common feature in fundraising at the parish and local levels of the Church.

As No. 2413 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church points out, however, games of chance "become morally unacceptable when they deprive someone of what is necessary to provide for his needs and the needs of others."

"The passion for gambling risks becoming an enslavement," it also warns.

How then can we resist this enslavement and avoid the evils caused by excessive gambling? Perhaps the answer lies in a rediscovery of a life oriented by virtue.

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Friday, September 18, 2009

"Angels and Demons," "The Da Vinci Code" Author, Dan Brown, Released "The Lost Symbol," a Kindle eBook, Amazon, New York Times Bestseller Thriller

Based on the first day sales of "The Lost Symbol" and the number of printed copies by Doubleday, Dan Brown has done it again. Yes, he waited a long time to write this book, but he delivered a good thriller to the world.

Professor Robert Langdon is back with Dan Brown's new release, The Lost Symbol. The professor is using his expertise in symbology and iconology to thrill readers of the new page-turner. With the book in your hands, you can embark on a clue-cracking adventure of Washington D.C which is one of the centers of World Power. In this book, Brown set out to reveal some of the sites where power is likely to reside. If you want to visit Washington DC, you want to check out these sites as revealed in the book:

US Capitol & Capitol Visitor Center
George Washington is said to have worn his Mason apron when laid the cornerstone for this powerful landmark, which is featured on the cover of the book. Some say that Masonic symbols and references appear throughout the building. The US Capitol Historic Society offers tours of the building's exterior on Monday mornings, rain or shine, at 10 AM, from March through November.

George Washington Masonic National Memorial
The temple-like building towers over Old Town Alexandria, Va. Inside, you’ll find exhibits about George Washington and Freemasonry, a large Masonic library and artifacts including George Washington's family Bible, locks of his hair and items used during his funeral.

House of the Temple (Scottish Rite Headquarters)
This 16th Street landmark was once voted one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. While it is officially used as an office building for the Sovereign Grand Commander and other officers and staff of the Scottish Rite, it also houses a museum and Masonic library. Look for the references to the number 33, a symbolic number for the Masons (which also happens to be the sum of the book’s 9+15+09 release date), in the building’s 33 columns and 33 ceremonial chairs. Free public tours are offered Mon.-Thurs. from 10 am-4 pm.

US Botanic Garden
Located in the shadow of the US Capitol, the lush and inviting Botanic Garden was a featured in a clue released on The Today Show.

Washington Monument
The celebrated landmark honors George Washington, whose likeness appeared in several clues.

Washington National Cathedral
Known for its beautiful stained glass windows, fascinating gargoyles, secrets and symbols, the stunning landmark stands at the highest point in the city.

Library of Congress
The nation's largest library holds many secrets of its own.

Smithsonian Institution
While the Museum Support Center featured in the book is not open to the public, visitors discover fascinating treasures at locations throughout the museum system.

L’Enfant’s City Plan
An early Facebook clue featured the name of Pierre Charles L’Enfant, the city designer whose streets and avenues have often been connected to Masonic symbols. Head to Freedom Plaza, near the White House, to see a large-scale rendering of L’Enfant’s city map and decide for yourself.

Statue of Albert Pike
The former Confederate general and sovereign commander of the Scottish Rite Masons is honored by a statue in Judiciary Square decorated with Masonic symbols like the double-headed eagle and the number 33.

International Spy Museum
This museum holds a few secrets of its own, with exhibitions that highlight George Washington’s career as a spy and other topics that have turned up in the pre-release clues, including the Enigma code-cracking machine and the Duquesne Spy Ring.

Mount Vernon
George Washington’s Virginia estate is also home to an interactive museum chronicling the life of the first president, his military accolades and political accomplishments—and his affiliation with the Freemasons.

National Museum of Women in the Arts
The building that today houses the National Museum of Women in the Arts was originally constructed as the D.C. headquarters for the Free and Accepted Masons, a fraternal order open exclusively to men. Construction of the temple began in 1907 with a lavish cornerstone-laying ceremony presided over by President Theodore Roosevelt. The six-story building, built during the height of the City Beautiful movement, was one of the first in Washington to use the innovative steel frame technique.

Who is Dan Brown?

..."Dan Brown is the author of numerous #1 bestselling novels, including The Da Vinci Code, which has sold more than 80 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best selling novels of all time. Named one of the World's 100 Most Influential People by Time Magazine, he has appeared in the pages of Newsweek, Forbes, People, GQ, The New Yorker, and others. His novels are published in 51 languages around the world...." (Doubleday)

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Thursday, September 17, 2009

Read with Oprah Winfrey: 1996 ---2008 Complete List of Oprah Book Club Book Selections

2008
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle

2007
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier

2006
Night by Elie Wiesel

2005
A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
Light in August by William Faulkner
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

2004
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

2003
Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton
East of Eden by John Steinbeck

002
Sula by Toni Morrison
Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald

2001
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
Cane River by Lalita Tademy
Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail by Malika Oufkir
Icy Sparks by Gwyn Hyman Rubio
We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates

2000
House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III
Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz
Open House by Elizabeth Berg
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
While I Was Gone by Sue Miller
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Back Roads by Tawni O'Dell
Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
Gap Creek by Robert Morgan

1999
A Map of the World by Jane Hamilton
Vinegar Hill by A. Manette Ansay
River, Cross My Heart by Breena Clarke
Tara Road by Maeve Binchy
Mother of Pearl by Melinda Haynes
White Oleander by Janet Fitch
The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve
The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
Jewel by Bret Lott

1998
Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts
Midwives by Chris Bohjalian
What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day by Pearl Cleage
I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb
Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat
Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen
Here on Earth by Alice Hoffman
Paradise by Toni Morrison

1997
The Best Way to Play by Bill Cosby
The Treasure Hunt by Bill Cosby
The Meanest Thing to Say by Bill Cosby
A Virtuous Woman by Kaye Gibbons
Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons
A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines
Songs in Ordinary Time by Mary McGarry Morris
The Heart of a Woman by Maya Angelou
The Rapture of Canaan by Sheri Reynolds
Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi
She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb

1996
The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard

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Thursday, August 27, 2009

Ted Kennedy and Dominick Dunne's Books: Dead but Alive with Their Legacy, Their Books and Work

Here is a list of books by late Vanity Fair's writer and TV host, Dominick Dunne:

Tony Duquette

If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer

Justice: Crimes, Trials and Punishments

Jackie: The Clothes of Camelot

Way We Lived Then: Recollections of a well-known name dropper

The Best of Flair

Fatal Charms and Other Tales of Today and the Mansions of Limbo: The Mansions of Limbo

Another City, Not My Own

An Inconvenient Woman

People Like Us

A Season in Purgatory

The Two Mrs Grenvilles

Fatal Charms and other Tales of Today

Dominick Dunne

Shattered: In the Eye of the Storm

The Winners

=======================

Here is a list of books by late Senator Ted Kennedy and the Kennedy Clan: (the first of a series on the Kennedy):

Profiles in Courage

The Kennedy Legacy

Edward M. Kennedy: Lion of the Senate

Brothers

Edward M. Kennedy

True Compass

Last Lion

The Kennedy Brothers

Last Lion

American Back on Track

Ted Kennedy

Ted Kennedy: Scenes from an epic life

The Senator: My ten Years with Ted Kennedy

The Secret Plot to make a Kennedy president

Senatorial Privilege: The Chappaquiddick Cover Up

===========================

Tribute to Ted Kennedy by Sen. Orrin Hatch and others

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Tuesday, August 11, 2009

New Book: A Black Girl's Guide To Interracial Dating

I have been reading about interracial dating and relationships lately. I have been reading about inter-ethnic relationships too, what makes them work, and about the initial reasons why people from all races and ethnic groups are attracted to others.

"Black Girl's Guide to Interracial Dating" reminds me of this book, "Why Black Men Love White Women: Going Beyond Sexual Politics to the Heart of the Matter (Paperback)"

It also reminds me of another book by Randall Kennedy,"Interracial Intimacies: Sex, Marriage, Identity, and Adoption (Paperback). He said it very well, ""Slavery constituted the principal backdrop against which whites and blacks encountered one another for over two hundred years, from the 1660s to the 1860s..."

Whether we are talking about Blacks getting interested in white women or White women being interested in Blacks, the backdrop is the slavery that is at the root of the relationship.

Many of these books offer more information than others. Those that delve into history, sociology, politics, law and other disciplines to explain the attraction provide more background info.

Here we are not talking about Black/White relationship only. There are all kinds of interracial relationships out there. Chinese/Koreans/Japanese/American/French/Hmong/British/German relationships exist. The list can go on. What do you think about interracial relationships these days?

People are attracted to each other. They want to know the other person. After all, a man is looking for a woman and a woman, a man from any racial and ethnic groups.

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Wednesday, July 01, 2009

A Potential Future Pick by Oprah: "Witnessing Rosa Parks on the Bus."

Overview of the book: "Witnessing Rosa Parks on the Bus"

Rosa Parks pioneered change and leadership. She sat on the bus so men and women could fight for their dignity and their human rights. This book is a tribute to this amazing civil rights leader and many others. It is a flashback, a focus on all the men and women who marched and stood up so we can now enjoy the fruits of freedom. Barack Obama championed what Martin Luther King promised in his famous speech "I Have a Dream."

Use Paypal to buy this book right now:

Buy "Witnessing Rosa Parks on the Bus" right on this site.

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Saturday, June 20, 2009

A New Book Oprah Would Recommend, "EQ vs. IQ: Inquiry Into Daniel Golemna's Social Intelligence...."

Book Description and Review:

EQ vs. IQ. Which one would you prefer to have? This book will help you get the career you have always wanted to have and the lifestyle you have always wanted to lead. It will help you become the go-to person and trendsetter. Read this book to find out what will lead you to success at the workplace, schools, and society at large. While you may have the brain, you also need the grace of interpersonal relationships to succeed in life.

Where can you buy it?

Google Books: Preview "Inquiry Into Daniel Goleman's Social Intelligence, Raising Smart Children and Becoming Successful" at Google Book, http://books.google.com/books?id=ocEm10E0VoQC

Get it from Amazon.com and be the first one to review it

Or buy it at : https://www.createspace.com/3331165

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