I doubt anybody'd cry about no politicos HOW CAN THEY possibly be trusted to govern the state of Illinois any longer? So vote Republican!They’ll probably cite the Republican Day rally scheduled for Thursday and all the excitement that will be on display and try to claim that it is evidence that The People!!!! are ready for a change.Excuse me for being skeptical. But I don’t buy it. I don’t think it is any big surprise that Democrats aren’t going to do much with their traditional rally on the fairgrounds. I’m actually surprised they didn’t do this years ago.Now for those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, the tradition for the state fair (held at the State Fairgrounds on the far northeast corner of Springfield) is that one day is designated as “Governor’s Day.”IT IS A day meant for the governor himself to show up on the fairgrounds, take part in many events and appear as though he’s one of the people. By tradition, the governor’s political party uses the fairgrounds to hold a rally to let us all know how wonderful they are.Then, in a sense of fairness and equality, the opposition party gets its own “day” at the fairgrounds, in which their officials try to make it seem as though they’re more in tune with the public.It’s all a lot of trivial nonsense. Although in a year before the elections, it can be an unofficial start to campaign activity for the prospective campaigns.This year, Governor’s Day is Wednesday, and Pat Quinn will show up and do his thing (although he’s already spent a lot of time at the fairgrounds since the event began Friday). Republican Day is Thursday.
I doubt many would come even if there was a Wed. rallyBUT QUINN SAID last week that the Democrats who in theory are his allies won’t be doing anything at the fair on Wednesday. They will have a breakfast meeting in Springfield, but that’s it.Some people are pointing out the fact that at last year’s Democratic Party rally at the state fair, organized labor officials showed up and heckled the governor. Perhaps the reason for no partisan rally is that Quinn is some sort of coward who can’t take a little bit of criticism.Actually, I think it is just a realization that the state fair has become a less-important political event for the Democratic Party that represents the interests of the urban portion of Illinois.There are Democrats in the rest of Illinois, but their numbers are dwarfed in most cases by the Republican Party organizations. Which is evidence of just how much the Chicago area can dwarf the rest of the state that it has become the dominant political party in Illinois as a whole.MY POINT BEING that the Illinois State Fair largely draws its crowds from people who live in Sangamon County and the rural counties that are directly adjacent to it.Much of Southern Illinois takes the DuQuoin State Fair (this year, it’s Aug. 23-Sept. 2) more seriously. While in the Chicago area, even the scaled-back Taste of Chicago and all the summer festivals are more significant than what happens at the state fair.With the Chicago dominance of the Democratic Party, I wouldn’t be shocked to learn that most of the power-brokers are pleased they don’t have to make the four-hour drive to Springfield to pretend they care about what is happening at the fairgrounds.
QUINN: Gets the fair all to himselfIn fact, what I recall of the state fair during the seven years (1993-99) I was a Statehouse reporter was that the political rallies were held in a portion of the fairgrounds that was isolated from the rest of the event.MOST PEOPLE ATTENDING the state fair weren’t even aware of the blather being spewed by political people of all partisanships. I really doubt anybody at the fairgrounds on Wednesday will miss the presence of politicians in the least.Perhaps people at the fair on Thursday will wish that Republicans would follow the same lead and spare us their blather. You really want to get the people who attend the Illinois State Fair all angry? Take away the Husband Calling Contest.Somehow, I suspect the loss of the sight of middle-aged women trying to come up with loud, obnoxious screeches meant to attract their husbands’ attention (which took place Sunday) would upset fairgoers more than the loss of politicians. -30-Source:http://chicagoargus.blogspot.com/2013/08/no-dems-rally-at-state-fair-is-that.html
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Guy de Maupassant the realist saw the mean-minded pettiness of men, the civil servants and peasants with hearts as dried as peas.’ Photograph: Hulton Archive/GettyThe Ten Best Novels from the Time of ChangesThe era of modernism in literature is perhaps one of the most fascinating and challenging ones to study, as most of the works written during that period reflected the rise of mass culture, endless technological advances, progress in terms of women’s rights, and much more.Many modernist books have quickly become heralded classics, and considering we still have the rest of the summer in front of us, I have decided to provide you with what I believe to be a complete list of the modernist novels you ought to read at least once in your lifetime.The 10 Best Modernist Books (in English)"It’s going to be a long, hot summer. Why unwind with the latest mystery or light comic novel when you can grapple with some of the most demanding works ever written in English? Think of it as Pilates--or rock climbing--for your brain. Modernism, spanning the first half of the twentieth century, was the era of James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, Gertrude Stein, William Faulkner, and other heavyweights who made it their business to revolutionize literature. It was a tumultuous time of technological advances, the rise of mass culture, the women’s movement, Freudian psychology, and, above all, two devastating world wars. Modernists felt that they were living through a period of momentous change that called for equally radical changes in literature. “Make it new,” Ezra Pound instructed his colleagues, by which he meant, change the rules for writing and for reading. Out went clear, coherent, linear plots, omniscient narrators, and straightforward language. In came fragmentation, multiple points of view, stream of consciousness, dense allusions, and ambiguity. Modernism requires an active reader: you need to work to make sense of it. But there’s pleasure—and yes, fun!—to be had in seeing literature do something it never had before."Read full article: Publishers Weekly - The 10 Best Modernist Books (in English)
The Curious Origins of Historical FictionThough it may sound commonplace today, the more you think about it, the more the genre of “historical fiction” sounds weird. It is a combination of fiction and reality, an inaccurate re-telling of events that truly happened for the purpose of making them more exciting, or give them some type of specific meaning. As it turns out, this genre had a very rocky beginning in 17th century France and most scholars and titans in the world of literature have a very mixed and love/hate relationship towards it.Lost between literature and history"When a history, story or chronicle collides with fiction, invention or improvisation a new genre is formed. This genre of historic-fiction has been widely dismissed in the past by historians and authors alike. For historians the obvious and blatant bias of the author of historical-fiction and their invasion into the meticulousness of historical accuracy breaks the integrity of how facts are delivered. Many authors criticise the use of history as backdrop a lazy tool used to rescue a narrative from under-developed characters and bad writing.Despite its negative treatment from many corners this form of the novel, where historical fact sets the scene for the story, has become hugely popular in recent times; thanks to authors such as Hillary Mantel, Andrew Miller, Kate Mosse and Colm Tobin."Read full article: News Talk - Lost between literature and history
And just like that, we have already come to the end of the thirteenth edition of Gliding Over the World of Literature. I truly hope that the news I brought to you today helped you to learn something, helped you to find new books to read for the rest of the summer, or at the very least kept you entertained for the brief few minutes you spent here. I will see you next week for a brand new edition of Gliding Over the World of Literature, with more curious news and facts from the vast and seemingly endless world of books.
LeBron James' headband will be in the starting lineup for Game 7 of the NBA Finals, probably."I'll probably start off with it, man, " James said of his most discussed accessory ahead of Game 7, via CBS Sports. "A little superstitious. If it gets knocked off, then me and him will have a discussion if he will return."Based on the way James closed out Game 6 earlier this week, the San Antonio Spurs might want to take care not to knock it off. After losing the headband during a dunk with nine minutes remaining in regulation and the Miami Heat trailing by five points, James scored 10 points and assisted two other baskets over the remainder of the fourth quarter and in overtime.WATCH: James Dominates Game 6 After Losing Headband
According to data from Kantar Media, “The Voice of the Philippines” hit a national TV rating of 30.2%, or 18 points higher than GMA 7’s “Celebrity Bluff” (12.1%), in its pilot airing last Saturday (June 15). It also topped the list of most-watched programs last Sunday (Jun 16) with a national TV rating of 27.7%, beating rival “Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho” with only 22%.Various hashtags related to the show also trended nationwide and worldwide via the micro-blogging site Twitter on both nights as netizens shared their thoughts about the Philippine adaptation of the popular “The Voice” franchise and, as early as now, rooted for their favorite coaches and artists.So far, seven artists already made a coach turn his/her red swiveling chair and became officially part of his/her team. Cora Dela Cruz and Thor Dulay join Team Apl; Darryl Shy, Chien Berbana, and Taw Muhammad for Team Lea; Junji Arias for Team Sarah; and Deb Victa for Team Bamboo.Coaches still have a long way to go before they complete all twelve artists needed for their respective teams to advance to the next round of competition — the Battle Rounds.Who will make the cut this week? Will the tension intensity as the coaches vie for the artists that they want for their teams?Don’t miss the continuation of the Blind Auditions in “The Voice of the Philippines” this Saturday (June 22), 9 PM, and Sunday (June 23), 8:15 PM on ABS-CBN.Get the latest news and updates about the show and view the exclusive artists’ profiles and performance videos in “The Voice of the Philippines” official website at http://thevoice.abs-cbn.com. Like the show’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/thevoiceabscbn, follow @thevoiceabscbn on Twitter, and follow abscbnthevoice on Instagram. Tweet your thoughts about the show using the hashtag #TheVoiceofthePhilippines.For more Kapamilya updates follow/like BIDA KAPAMILYA on Twitter and Facebook.
Juicy J heeft de officiële video voor "One Of Those Nights" in première laten gaan. Z'n debuutalbum Stay Trippy is al een aantal keer uitgesteld en heeft op dit moment geen releasedatum. Bekijk hieronder de clip voor z'n samenwerking met The Weeknd:
