Friday, June 25, 2010

ANGELIKA


She walks amongst us and is plain to see
and to most has no name to thee

But she is everywhere in our souls and heart
for Angelika is just like you and me to start



She feels pain and sorrow
and fears tomorrow



For Angelika is pretty yet deep
and she does weep

For she sees the world as not a good place to be
but walks amongst us with a false smile of glee

We all die in time in which is the way it is
but Angelika reminds all that know her that life should be bliss

She walks amongst us as you can see
that she is very much like you and me

Monday, June 14, 2010

HOW TO IDENTIFY FIRST EDITION AND FIRST STATES AND MEANINGS


FIRST EDITIONS: WHAT ARE THEY AND WHY COLLECT THEM? SOME BASICS.

What is a First Edition?

A first edition is the first published separate edition of a story, novel, poem, or any work of nonfiction in its earliest version.






What Is A First Issue or State?

Sometimes an error is discovered while a book is being printed, or a change is made to the text or dust-jacket. The printing process is then stopped, the error corrected, and the printing is resumed until the specified order to the printer is filled. The earliest copies without the change are then called the "first issue" or "first state", while the corrected copies are called the "second issue" or "corrected issue". Both issues are part of the first printing of the first edition.





What Is A First Printing?

When there is further demand for a book, the publisher will order a second printing. If no changes are made to the book, such as a new chapter, a new preface by the author, etc., the second printing will still be part of the first edition. Many modern first editions indicate they are later printings by dropping one of the numbers in a number sequence on the copyright page. It is important to remember that even though a later printing of a book may technically be a first edition, generally only the first printings of the first edition are considered collectible.





How Do You Identify A First Edition? (Ask us - we'll answer your questions)

A few publishers actually state "First Edition" or "First Printing" right on the copyright page (Knopf, Random House, Norton, St. Martin's Press). If only it were always that simple!

Most publishers just give the copyright date or use number sequences, generally ascending or descending number rows, such as 12345678910 or 10987654321. A typical example of this is Houghton Mifflin, which generally now has 10987654321 on the copyright page. For the second printing, the "1" will be dropped, for the third, the "2". A fourth printing will have "10987654". As of the second printing, Houghton Mifflin also drops the year from the bottom of the title page (not all publishers do this, but Houghton Mifflin is especially known for this practice).

Some publishers also use odd-even ascending and decending rows, such as 135798642 and 246897531. Some publishers have nothing but the date. Some use unique systems, and many have changed their systems over time. Random House uses the following system: They have the number row 98765432 and the words "First edition". Their system is unusual in that it doesn't use a "1": it's almost as though the "1" were replaced by the words "First edition", because when the words "first edition" are lacking, it's a second printing. Lately, Random House has been using the ascending-descending system a lot, such as "24689753". It still needs to state "First edition", however, - and, if those 2 words are missing, it's not a first printing.

We welcome questions about particular books you may have, and will answer them as soon as we can






F

LARRY SHAPIRO HAS BIRTHDAY




Larry Shapiro is 70 years old today
and what can one really say
He has all his hair and teeth and can even talk
isnt fat and still can see and walk
He is still charming and kind
and hasnt lost his mind
He works out daily and is a great cook
and reads alot from magazines to a book
Larry ran track at Rosemead High School (1958) and Cal Poly (pomona) and was a star
but now can only be telling track stories at the local bar
He loves to travel and listen to music and adores tales of war
and has been known to have a few drinks now and then that he does store
Most of all today is Larry Shapiros birthday and a great day to thee
for Larry has always brought smiles to all and alot of glee
HAPPY 70TH LARRY

AN AMERICAN WORKING LEGALLY IN MEXICO AND WHAT HE HAD TO DO

An American Working Legally in Mexico

SBC employee

This puts a different perspective.

From the other side of the fence.
.
Received the following from Tom O'Malley, who was a Director with S.W. BELL in Mexico City:

"I spent five years working in Mexico. I worked under a tourist Visa for three months and could legally renew it for three more months. After that you were working illegally. I was technically illegal for three weeks wa iting on the FM3 approval.

"During that six months our Mexican and U.S. attorneys were working to secure a permanent work visa called a 'FM3'. It was in addition to my U.S. passport that I had to show each time I entered and left the country. Barbara's was the same, except hers did not permit her to work.

"To apply for the FM3, I needed to submit the following notarized originals (not copies):
1. Birth certificate for Barbara and me.
2. Marriage certificate.
3. High school transcripts and proof of graduation.
4. College transcripts for every college I attended and proof of graduation.
5. Two letters of recommendation from supervisors I had worked for at least one year.
6. A letter from the St. Louis Chief of Police indicating that I had no arrest record in the U.S. and no outstanding warrants and, was 'a citizen in good standing'.
7. Finally, I had to write a letter about myself that clearly stated why there was no Mexican citizen with my skills and why my skills were important to Mexico. We called it our 'I am the greatest person on Earth' letter. It was fun to write.

"All of the above were in English that had to be translated into Spanish and be certified as legal translations, and our signatures notarized. It produced a folder about 1.5 inches thick with English on the left side and Spanish on the right.

"Once they were complet ed Barbara and I spent about five hours, accompanied by a Mexican attorney, touring Mexican government office locations and being photographed and fingerprinted at least three times at each location, and we remember at least four locations where we were instructed on Mexican tax, labor, housing, and criminal law and that we were required to obey their laws or face the consequences. We could not protest any of the government's actions or we would be committing a felony. We paid out four thousand dollars in fees and bribes to complete the process. When this was done we could legally bring in our household goods that were held by U.S. Customs in Laredo, Texas. This meant we had rented furniture in Mexico while awaiting our goods. There were extensive fees involved here that the company paid.

"We could not buy a home and were required to rent at very high rates and under contract and compliance with Mexican law.

"We were required to get a Mexican driver's license. This was an amazing process. The company arranged for the licensing agency to come to our headquarters location with their photography and fingerprint equipment and the laminating machine. We showed our U.S. license, were photographed and fingerprinted again and issued the license instantly after paying out a six dollar fee. We did not take a written or driving test and never received instructions on the rules of the road. Our only instruction was to never give a policeman your license if stopped and asked. We were instructed to hold it against the inside window away from his grasp. If he got his hands on it you would have to pay ransom to get it back.

"We then had to pay and file Mexican income tax annually using the number of our FM3 as our ID number. The company's Mexican accountants did this for us and we just signed what they prep ared. It was about twenty legal size pages annually.

"The FM3 was good for three years and renewable for two more after paying more fees.

"Leaving the country meant turning in the FM3 and certifying we were leaving no debts behind and no outstanding legal affairs (warrants, tickets or liens) before our household goods were released to customs.

"It was a real adventure and if any of our Senators or Congressmen went through it once they would have a different attitude toward Mexico.

"The Mexican government uses its vast military and police forces to keep its citizens intimidated and compliant. They never protest at their capitol or government offices, but do protest daily in front of the United States Embassy. The U.S. Embassy looks like a strongly reinforced fortress and during most protests the Mexican military surrounds the block with their men standing shoulder to shoulder in full riot gear to protect the Embassy. These protests are never shown on U.S. or Mexican TV. There is a large public park across the street where they do their protesting. Anything can cause a protest such as proposed law changes in California, Arizona, or Texas."

Please feel free to share this with everyone who thinks we are being hard on the illegals.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

WIZARD OF OZ PROJECTS CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD


If you're feeling optimistic, you might say that it's a testament to the power of "The Wizard of Oz" more than to the power of easy branding that the L. Frank Baum creation continues to be endlessly reinvented, as we've been documenting in this space over the last several months.

There's yet another piece of news. As Disney forges ahead on the Wizard-centric movie "The Great and Powerful Oz" and Warner Bros. juggles two separate "Oz" projects, an independent animation company called Summertime Entertainment (independent in this case being a euphemism for small and unknown) has just gone into production on an animated musical titled "Dorothy of Oz."

The production announced Friday that it has brought on "Glee" star Lea Michele to voice the character of Dorothy. Michele, with a background in musical theater as well as television, will also sing a number of songs. Oh, and the movie is being shot in 3-D (of course).

We talked Friday afternoon to producer Bonne Radford, who said that the animation was the right medium for the story she and the other filmmakers want to tell. "It will take the 'Wizard of Oz' to places it has never been able to go before," she said.

It's worth emphasizing that this project seems several degrees removed from the original tales of munchkins, wizards and wicked witches. "Dorothy of Oz" is based on a children's chapter book written by L. Frank Baum's great-grandson, Roger, not the sprawling world created by his great-grandfather. There are many characters who didn't appear in the original series and strike us, from a certain distance, as tangential and dilutive, characters such as Marshall Mallow and the Jester. (We will admit to digging the fact that Bryan Adams will write songs for the movie; "Heaven" was kind of like "Over the Rainbow," wasn't it?)

Radford called Michele a perfect choice for the role. "She's our Judy Garland," she said, in what might generously be termed a moment of grandiosity.

Asked about the impetus for the film, the producer said that part of her motivation was the childhood memory of seeing the film on the big screen at a repertory house, a viewing that moved her to join the film business. You'd be right to cringe a little: Deciding to make a movie primarily or even partly because it gave you the warm-and-fuzzies as a 10-year-old is exactly where so much of the film business seems to go wrong. Sentimentality makes us human, but it doesn't necessarily make for great filmmaking choices.

But Radford's comments also expose an interesting truth of the "Oz" phenomenon, and one that helps explain why companies small and large are rushing to make new "Oz" movies.

Because it's something that is cherished both deeply but widely, "The Wizard of Oz" is not only a cultural phenomenon but a psychological one. "Oz" is everyone's story, a piece of our individual cultural memories that the rest of the world happens to share.

That doesn't mean the entire world wants to see your new take on an "Oz" film. But it does mean that those with moviemaking clout have reason to make a new version of the film, and why they're also able to persuade others to go along. As Dorothy discovered a century ago, the Emerald City is difficult to resist, even if it can be disappointing to visit.

Friday, June 4, 2010

IMAGINE....LOS ANGELES LAKER LeBRON JAMES


IMAGINE that you could live in the best weather year around in our country at the beach and every day you check the mail box, you get an enevelope stating how much more money has been deposited into your various money accounts.
IMAGINE playing on a basketball team that might be regarded as the greatest in NBA history and also not pressured to bring a championship to a city.
IMAGINE being a role model and also in movies promoting your good character.



IMAGINE becoming a sports legend for many years and doing real changes to our culture throughout the world through friendship which creates bonding throughout the world.

IMAGINE playing with Kobe Bryant while both are in their prime in a sport both excell at.

IMAGINE not having sole responsibility for a entire sports franchise to succeed..


IMAGINE history

IMAGINE your world impact

IMAGINE that you can make this imagine happen