Framing the Dialogue

Archive for April, 2014

Allegiant

allegiantAllegiant is the third and final book in Veronica Roth’s Divergent series.  As with the second book, Insurgent, it begins where that book leaves off.  We again follow the lives of Tris and Tobias as they fight their way through a seemingly cruel governmental system that often pits citizens against themselves.  There is an added twist as some are determined to find out what is outside the fence, a fence that seems positioned to keep the factions in rather than danger out.

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The Woods

woodsCounty prosecutor Paul Copeland is involved with a trial “ripped from the headlines” as he puts a couple of rich college students on trial for allegedly raping a young black woman.  The wealthy parents are not happy with Copeland’s prosecution and are determined to thwart him by ANY means necessary.  When some local police show up in relation to a murder victim his world is turned upside down and he has remember a tragedy from the past involving his family and a lost love. The Woods is where the tragedy happed decades ago and this is where the mystery needs to be solved…hopefully without another claiming another victim.

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Insurgent

insurgentInsurgent is the second book in Veronica Roth’s Divergent series.  This novel begins exactly where the first book, Divergent, leaves off.  Tris and Tobias are still feeling their way together as their world came apart and they escape on the train.  The factions are ripped apart and those that are left must continue the battle against forces trying to take control of the city.  All this amongst whispers about a larger world and unlikely alliances.

While I enjoyed this novel, it really is the next chapter of the Divergent book.  You could not read, understand, and enjoy this book if you hadn’t read the first one.

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The Monuments Men

monuments men“Even at the moment he knelt before his mother’s grave on his second day as ruler of Austria, Nazi SS troops under the command of Heinrich Himmler were using those laws to arrest the Jewish patriarchy of Vienna and seize their property for the Reich.  The SS knew where the artwork was hidden; they had a list of everything.  Years earlier, German art scholars had begun visiting the countries of Europe, secretly preparing inventories so that when Hitler conquered each country – oh yes, he had been preparing for conquest even then – his agents would know the name and location of every important object of artistic and cultural value.”

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Running In 2016

Homer-TriviaA little trivia to see how much history you know (can guess at).  Be honest, it’s kinda fun and revealing.  If you don’t know the answer make your best guess.   Answer all the questions before looking at the answers.

Who said it?

1) “We’re going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good.”
A.  Karl Marx
B.  Adolph Hitler
C.  Joseph Stalin
D.  None of the above

2) “It’s time for a new beginning, for an end to government of the few, by the few, and for the few…… And to replace it with shared responsibility for shared prosperity.”

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Bullying the Bullied

arrestWhen I heard this news item from a local school district I almost hurt my neck shaking it.  The article describes a young man who attends a local high school.  He has some emotional and learning issues and to make life even more miserable there were students taunting/bullying him.  He did the right thing and went to his folks who did the right thing and went to the school officials who did nothing (allegedly).  The taunting continued so the young man took his iPad to school and recorded what happened to him during a math class.

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Contempt In Court

will_work_for_foodThese are allegedly actual transcripts from courts.  As you read these, keep in mind that an overwhelming majority of our congressmen and senators are lawyers.

_____________________
ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
WITNESS: I forget.
ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot?
___________________________________________

ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn’t it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn’t know about it until the next morning?
WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
_________________________ ___________
ATTORNEY: So now I’m talking about the twenty year old, how old is he?
WITNESS: He’s twenty, much like your IQ.
___________________________________________

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Which Side of the Fence Are You On?

Abraham_Lincoln_O-115_by_Gardner,_1865This was attributed to Jeff Foxworthy.  I somehow doubt it though because he generally tries to stay on top of the fence…at least publically.

Which side of the fence?  If you ever wondered which side of the fence you sit on, this is a great test!

If a Republican doesn’t like guns, he doesn’t buy one. If a Democrat doesn’t like guns, he wants all guns outlawed.

If a Republican is a vegetarian, he doesn’t eat meat.  If a Democrat is a vegetarian, he wants all meat products banned for everyone.

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