*groan*
Oh. That was [u]SUPPOSED[u] to be punny? Thanks for explaining that Manoa, I wouldn't have noticed otherwise.
Edit: Fixed the above after reading Textilian's post.
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Oh. That was supposed to be funny? Thanks for explaining that Manoa, I wouldn't have noticed otherwise.
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Thats just the sophisticated nature of Poop™ humor.
no one appreciates my art.
My husband is the reason I don't post on Justice very often. It's bad enough he tells me what he's posting before he posts it, I don't need to read it. Especially since he usually has a [censored]-eating grin on his face as he runs it past me.
There's only so much punnage/poop talk I can take.
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Especially since he usually has a [censored]-eating grin on his face as he runs it past me.
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I see he's caught you in his web of poo humor... 
I've been contaminated!
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I've been contaminated!
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My work here is done. 
That's it, I'm changing the locks!
In an attempt to change the conversation from Poop™...
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J R R Tolkien's Sigurd and Gudrun
January 14, 2009 11:37 AM
The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun, a volume of rare Norse epic poetry by Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien, will be published in May, edited by Tolkien's son, Christopher, who also edited and completed 2007's The Children of Hurin.
Originally written in the '20s and '30s--before Tolkien wrote The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings--the book was in manuscript form and unpublished at the time of Tolkien's death in 1973.
The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun tells the story of the Norse legend of Sigurd and the Fall of the Niflungs, the same legend that inspired composer Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung).
Tolkien scholar and editor of The Annotated Hobbit and Tales Before Tolkien, Douglas A. Anderson, said that the publisher hasn't let out much information about the book just yet, but added that it presumably contains the two narrative poems that were mentioned in Tolkien's collected letters, which were published in 1981.
The poems were titled in Old Norse, which translates as "The New Lay of the Volsungs" and "The New Lay of Gudrun."
"They obviously concern the Old Norse legends of Sigurd and the Volsungs," Anderson said. "Tolkien's poems are written in a modernized version of a particular type of Old Norse poetic form, called fornyrthislag, which comprises an eight-line stanza."
The story of the hero Sigurd and the dragon can be seen as one of Tolkien's primary inspirations. A number of elements of the dragon Fafnir--the craftiness, the malice and other traits--can certainly be seen in the dragon Smaug in The Hobbit, Anderson said.
Very few people have read the poems--not even Tolkien scholars like Anderson--as until now they've been part of the unpublished Tolkien materials that are not available to the public.
"The poems in The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun ... were completed entirely by J.R.R. Tolkien many years ago and are part of another type of writing that he did, remolding or translating the medieval works that he worked on as a scholar," Anderson said.
"Tolkien is also known to have completed a prose translation of Beowulf, as well as writing a large part of another poem called 'The Fall of Arthur,' which is in modern English but uses the medieval technique of alliterative verse. ... Neither his translation of Beowulf nor his unfinished reworking of the King Arthur story have been published, so perhaps we can look forward to these in the future."
My professors in college widely viewed The Hobbit as being a version of Beowulf.
I get tired of the post-mortum publication of an author's work, too, as in this case and what happened with Marion Zimmer Bradley's work. In MZB's case, all of the "MZB's Blah Blah Blah of Avalon, by Diana Paxton," should just read "Glorified fanfic!"
I think I'll appreciate this much more than some of the other post-mortum works out there since this was at least in manuscript form at the time of Tolkien's death. Now the continuation of a storyline written by someone else after the author's death...yeah, I can't stand that either.
Unless, it is finally finishing the Wheel Of Time Saga by Robert Jordan.
Finish the story using the drafts he had written. Try to stay true his writting style, and put that epic to Bed.
I understand the logic behind that a bit more, but my concerns are still that even with a draft, the finisher is bringing and substracting things and can only guess the intent of the original author. Of course, with the Wheel of Time, I long ago reached the point where I thought it needed to be put down, not put to bed. Since I think its garbage, I don't care as much if it continues to be garbage, even if the stench is slightly different.
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I understand the logic behind that a bit more, but my concerns are still that even with a draft, the finisher is bringing and substracting things and can only guess the intent of the original author. Of course, with the Wheel of Time, I long ago reached the point where I thought it needed to be put down, not put to bed. Since I think its garbage, I don't care as much if it continues to be garbage, even if the stench is slightly different.
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I generally feel the same way. I'm not big on children finishing work for their fathers (Tolkien, Herbert) and I'm definitely not big on strangers doing it/ (I'm looking at you, Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Gone with the Wind sequel.)
I will say, however, I thought it was really neat that Raymond Chandler's estate asked Robert B Parker to finish Chandler's last Philip Marlowe novel, Poodle Springs. That's some pretty amazing validation, right there. Parker went on to write, on his own, a sequel to Chandler's The Big Sleep and called it Perchance to Dream. Parker's own Spenser series has always had a Chandler flavor and I don't think anyone carries on the tradition better than Parker. Chandler was one of Parker's heroes and I can't imagine how amazing it must have been to be hand-picked to complete the work and then write his own Philip Marlowe novel. Plus Parker was already hugely successful, so it didn't seem like he was some guy cashing in on someone else's name or milking someone else's work for every last penny. (I'm not sure I can say the same for the people behind Chandler's estate...)
~Missi
http://tinyurl.com/yhy333s
Miss Informed in 2016! She can't be worse than all those other guys!
I made it through the Gone With the Wind Sequel with shall Not Be Named. And I've sneered at the Pern books now being penned by Anne McCaffrey's son (I'm just not interested in his interpretation of his mother's ground-breaking works.)
And I threw a Pride and Prejudice sequel across the room when it was revealed that Elizabeth was a medium. I get a little more lenient about public-domain characters, but I still think for all of the successes, like, say, the Mary Russell books by Laurie R. King, featuring Sherlock Holmes, there are five more which results in B having to duck as throw the novel around and/or yell at it.
I want to feel the author is being true to the original character, even if they're placing them in really odd situations, not like they just used the popular name to trick the reader while they, the author, to write something completely unrelated. If I've invested time in a book or series, it's because the original author managed to create a character in a world which interested me, which held my attention. It's [u]their[u] vision I care about. Planned multiple authors, like in the Ring of Fire world by Eric Flint, don't bother me. That's a deliberate, shared vision.
I also have strong opinions about deus ex machina endings. If it's a cop-out and not just a plot device, I'll snarl at that, too.
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And I threw a Pride and Prejudice sequel across the room when it was revealed that Elizabeth was a medium.
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Wow... just... wow. Some books make me wonder what editors and publishers are thinking. They also make me fear that maybe people really DO enjoy crap like this. I just don't get it.
I'm a member of bookcrossing.com and we give books away when we finish them. (It's fun; check it out!) I remember reading one so bad it's the only mystery where I read the ending before I was half-way through the book, just so I wouldn't have to read the rest. Then I wrote a scathing review on Amazon and, since I couldn't bring myself to give it away to any unsuspecting innocent, I threw it in the garbage with the other trash.
~Missi
http://tinyurl.com/yhy333s
Miss Informed in 2016! She can't be worse than all those other guys!
I give to the forum for analysis:
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
-Castle Approved Since March 2009!
-Off the Cape is CURRENTLY RECORDING NEW CONTENT! Once edits, templates, and the new site are up we'll be back to bi-weekly podcasts complete with rampant, wild, unfounded CoH speculation!
Megumi_Yamato wrote:
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I give to the forum for analysis:
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
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I had that pre-ordered like two weeks ago. The girlfriend loves Jane Austen =and= zombies, so it'll be the perfect gift for her. (Seriously, she's seen every adaption of [i]Pride and Prejudice[i] ever filmed or aired.)
--NT
They all laughed at me when I said I wanted to be a comedian.
But I showed them, and nobody's laughing at me now!
If I became a red name, I would be all "and what would you mere mortals like to entertain me with today, mu hu ha ha ha!" ~Arcanaville
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And I threw a Pride and Prejudice sequel across the room when it was revealed that Elizabeth was a medium.
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Wow... just... wow. Some books make me wonder what editors and publishers are thinking. They also make me fear that maybe people really DO enjoy crap like this. I just don't get it.
I'm a member of bookcrossing.com and we give books away when we finish them. (It's fun; check it out!) I remember reading one so bad it's the only mystery where I read the ending before I was half-way through the book, just so I wouldn't have to read the rest. Then I wrote a scathing review on Amazon and, since I couldn't bring myself to give it away to any unsuspecting innocent, I threw it in the garbage with the other trash.
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I understand in subsequent sequels she and Mr. Darcy went on to become ghost hunters.
As for bookcrossings/com, I'll check it out. I'm lucky enough to currently live in a region with an excellent public library system and several used and new bookshops. (Whether I throw or snarl depends on whether the book is borrowed or owned). I tend to give books I don't want to keep (very rare, I try to only buy keepers) to them for their Friends of the Library sales.
I've had a couple of books so bad I've gone on to write scathing reviews on Amazon. Without fail, those are the ones which received the most critical acclaim from professional book reviewers (I think they're toying with us.)
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I give to the forum for analysis:
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
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Oh yes... I saw that. I plan on skipping it. And the new musical Pride and Predator. Although I might enjoy a flat-out parody.
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I give to the forum for analysis:
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
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Oh yes... I saw that. I plan on skipping it. And the new musical Pride and Predator. Although I might enjoy a flat-out parody.
[/ QUOTE ]
They played some dialogue from this on NPR last night. It sounded pretty funny, but it's impossible to tell if that was the only good part or if it's all funny.
They also mentioned a book called Jane Bites Back. Apparently in that one, Jane Austen is a vampire who goes after all the people who have profitted from her books. (Irony! Think the writer is wearing a garlic necklace?) I can't say I'm thrilled about the vampire Jane idea, but I do like the idea that she comes back to get revenge on all the people who've treated her characters so poorly.
~Missi
http://tinyurl.com/yhy333s
Miss Informed in 2016! She can't be worse than all those other guys!
Amid the grieving, a rare act of sportsmanship
Associated Press
February 18, 2009
The coach never considered any other option.
It didn't matter that his DeKalb, Ill., High School basketball team had ridden a bus two and a half hours to get to Milwaukee, then waited another hour past game time to play. Didn't matter that the game was close, or that this was a chance to beat a big city team.
Something else was on Dave Rohlman's mind when he asked for a volunteer to shoot two free throws awarded his team on a technical foul in the second quarter. His senior captain raised his hand, ready to go to the line as he had many times before.
Only this time it was different.
"You realize you're going to miss them, don't you?" Rohlman said.
Darius McNeal nodded his head. He understood what had to be done.
It was a Saturday night in February, and the Barbs were playing a non-conference game on the road against Milwaukee Madison. It was the third meeting between the two schools, who were developing a friendly rivalry that spanned two states.
The teams planned to get together after the game and share some pizzas and soda. But the game itself almost never took place.
Hours earlier, the mother of Milwaukee Madison senior captain Johntel Franklin died at a local hospital. Carlitha Franklin had been in remission after a five-year fight with cervical cancer, but she began to hemorrhage that morning while Johntel was taking his college ACT exam.
Her son and several of his teammates were at the hospital late that afternoon when the decision was made to turn off the life-support system. Carlitha Franklin was just 39.
"She was young and they were real close," said Milwaukee coach Aaron Womack Jr., who was at the hospital. "He was very distraught and it happened so suddenly he didn't have time to grieve."
Womack was going to cancel the game, but Franklin told him he wanted the team to play. And play they did, even though the game started late and Milwaukee Madison dressed only eight players.
Early in the second quarter, Womack saw someone out of the corner of his eye. It was Franklin, who came there directly from the hospital to root his teammates on.
The Knights had possession, so Womack called a time out. His players went over and hugged their grieving teammate. Fans came out of the stands to do the same.
"We got back to playing the game and I asked if he wanted to come and sit on the bench," Womack said during a telephone interview.
"No," Franklin replied. "I want to play."
There was just one problem. Since Franklin wasn't on the pre-game roster, putting him in meant drawing a technical foul that would give DeKalb two free throws.
Though it was a tight game, Womack was willing to give up the two points. It was more important to help his senior guard and co-captain deal with his grief by playing.
Over on the other bench, though, Rohlman wasn't so willing to take them. He told the referees to forget the technical and just let Franklin play.
"I could hear them arguing for five to seven minutes, saying, `We're not taking it, we're not taking it," Womack said. "The refs told them, no, that's the rule. You have to take them."
That's when Rohlman asked for volunteers, and McNeal's hand went up.
He went alone to the free throw line, dribbled the ball a couple of times, and looked at the rim.
His first attempt went about two feet, bouncing a couple of times as it rolled toward the end line. The second barely left his hand.
It didn't take long for the Milwaukee players to figure out what was going on.
They stood and turned toward the DeKalb bench and started applauding the gesture of sportsmanship. Soon, so did everybody in the stands.
"I did it for the guy who lost his mom," McNeal told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "It was the right thing to do."
Franklin would go on to score 10 points, and Milwaukee Madison broke open the game in the second half to win 62-47. Afterward, the teams went out for pizza, two players from each team sharing each pie.
Franklin stopped by briefly, thankful that his team was there for him.
"I got kind of emotional but it helped a lot just to play," he said. "I felt like I had a lot of support out there."
Carlitha Franklin's funeral was last Friday, and the school turned out for her and her son. Cheerleaders came in uniform, and everyone from the principal and teachers to Johntel's classmates were there.
"Even the cooks from school showed up," Womack said. "It lets you know what kind of kid he is."
Basketball is a second sport for the 18-year-old Franklin, who says he has had some scholarship nibbles and plans to play football in college. He just has a few games left for the Knights, who are 6-11 and got beat 71-36 Tuesday night by Milwaukee Hamilton.
It hasn't been the greatest season for the team, but they have stuck together through a lot of adversity.
"We maybe don't have the best basketball players in the world but they go to class and take care of business," Womack said. "We have a losing record but there's life lessons going on, good ones."
None so good, though, as the moment a team and a player decided there were more important things than winning and having good stats.
Yes, DeKalb would go home with a loss. But it was a trip they'll never forget.
"This is something our kids will hold for a lifetime," Rohlman said. "They may not remember our record 20 years from now, but they'll remember what happened in that gym that night."
That made me cry.
~Missi
http://tinyurl.com/yhy333s
Miss Informed in 2016! She can't be worse than all those other guys!
Yeah, me too. It was such a wonderful story I just had to share it with everyone. 
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It's really [censored] how they dumped their senseless crap on this thread. Wading through this [censored] almost knocked me off my stool.
>.>
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Sorry, I got a bit nutty and just had to run off with the subject. I will simply log this event as just another one of my corny attempts at humor.