Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs in Disaster Relief

Principle Commitments of the Code

1. The humanitarian imperative comes first;
2. Aid is given regardless of the race, creed or nationality of the recipients and without adverse distinction of any kind. Aid priorities are calculated on the basis of need alone;
3. Aid will not be used to further a particular political or religious standpoint;
4. We shall endeavor not to be used as an instrument of government foreign policy;
5. We shall respect culture and custom;
6. We shall attempt to build disaster response on local capacities;
7. Ways shall be found to involve program beneficiaries in the management of relief aid;
8. Relief aid must strive to reduce vulnerabilities to future disaster as well as meeting basic needs;
9. We hold ourselves accountable to both those we seek to assist and those from whom we accept resources;
10. In our information, publicity and advertising activities, we shall recognize disaster victims as dignified human beings, not hopeless objects.

The Futurist Manifesto

F. T. Marinetti, 1909

1. We want to sing the love of danger, the habit of energy and rashness.
2. The essential elements of our poetry will be courage, audacity and revolt.
3. Literature has up to now magnified pensive immobility, ecstasy and slumber. We want to exalt movements of aggression, feverish sleeplessness, the double march, the perilous leap, the slap and the blow with the fist.
4. We declare that the splendor of the world has been enriched by a new beauty: the beauty of speed. A racing automobile with its bonnet adorned with great tubes like serpents with explosive breath ... a roaring motor car which seems to run on machine-gun fire, is more beautiful than the Victory of Samothrace.
5. We want to sing the man at the wheel, the ideal axis of which crosses the earth, itself hurled along its orbit.
6. The poet must spend himself with warmth, glamour and prodigality to increase the enthusiastic fervor of the primordial elements.
7. Beauty exists only in struggle. There is no masterpiece that has not an aggressive character. Poetry must be a violent assault on the forces of the unknown, to force them to bow before man.
8. We are on the extreme promontory of the centuries! What is the use of looking behind at the moment when we must open the mysterious shutters of the impossible? Time and Space died yesterday. We are already living in the absolute, since we have already created eternal, omnipresent speed.
9. We want to glorify war — the only cure for the world — militarism, patriotism, the destructive gesture of the anarchists, the beautiful ideas which kill, and contempt for woman.
10. We want to demolish museums and libraries, fight morality, feminism and all opportunist and utilitarian cowardice.
11. We will sing of the great crowds agitated by work, pleasure and revolt; the multi-colored and polyphonic surf of revolutions in modern capitals: the nocturnal vibration of the arsenals and the workshops beneath their violent electric moons: the gluttonous railway stations devouring smoking serpents; factories suspended from the clouds by the thread of their smoke; bridges with the leap of gymnasts flung across the diabolic cutlery of sunny rivers: adventurous steamers sniffing the horizon; great-breasted locomotives, puffing on the rails like enormous steel horses with long tubes for bridle, and the gliding flight of aeroplanes whose propeller sounds like the flapping of a flag and the applause of enthusiastic crowds. 

Learn more.

If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it. Elmore Leonard's Ten Rules of Writing

1. Never open a book with weather. 
2. Avoid prologues. 
3. Never use a verb other than ''said'' to carry dialogue. 
4. Never use an adverb to modify the verb ''said'' . . . 
5. Keep your exclamation points under control. 
6. Never use the words ''suddenly'' or ''all hell broke loose.'' 
7. Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly. 
8. Avoid detailed descriptions of characters. 
9. Don't go into great detail describing places and things. 
10. Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip. 

Why? Read more.

Cowboy hat styles

22 Rules of Storytelling by a Pixar Storyboard Artist

Former Pixar storyboard artist Emma Coats tweeted a number of valuable storytelling rules during her time at the animation studio.

1. You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.
2. You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be very different.
3. Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite.
4. Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.
5. Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You’ll feel like you’re losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.
6. What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?
7. Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.
8. Finish your story, let go even if it’s not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.
9. When you’re stuck, make a list of what WOULDN’T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.
10. Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you’ve got to recognize it before you can use it.
11. Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you’ll never share it with anyone.
12. Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.
13. Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it’s poison to the audience.
14. Why must you tell THIS story? What’s the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That’s the heart of it.
15. If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.
16. What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don’t succeed? Stack the odds against.
17. No work is ever wasted. If it’s not working, let go and move on – it’ll come back around to be useful later.
18. You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.
19. Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.
20. Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d’you rearrange them into what you DO like?
21. You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can’t just write ‘cool’. What would make YOU act that way?
22. What’s the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.

The 14 Characteristics of Fascism

by Lawrence Britt, Spring 2003, Free Inquiry magazine

Political scientist Dr. Lawrence Britt recently wrote an article about fascism ("Fascism Anyone?," Free Inquiry, Spring 2003, page 20). Studying the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile), Dr. Britt found they all had 14 elements in common. He calls these the identifying characteristics of fascism. The excerpt is in accordance with the magazine's policy. 

The 14 characteristics are: 

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.
2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc. 
3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc. 
4. Supremacy of the Military Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized. 
5. Rampant Sexism The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy. 
6. Controlled Mass Media Sometimes the media are directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media are indirectly controlled by government regulation or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.
7. Obsession with National Security Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
8. Religion and Government are Intertwined Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions. 
9. Corporate Power is Protected The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite. 
10. Labor Power is Suppressed Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed . 
11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts. 
12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations. 
13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders. 
14. Fraudulent Elections Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections. 

Copyright © 2003 Free Inquiry magazine. Reprinted for Fair Use Only. This article was based upon the article "The Hallmarks of Fascist Regime" by Skip Stone, at www.hippy.com/php/article-226.html.
http://www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/fasci14chars.html (hypertext) 
http://www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/fasci14chars.txt (text only) 
http://www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/fasci14chars.pdf (print ready)

77 questions commonly asked by journalists during an emergency or crisis

Journalists are likely to ask six questions in a crisis (who, what, where, when, why, how) that relate to three broad topics: (1) what happened; (2) what caused it to happen; (3) what does it mean.  Specific questions include:

1. What is your name and title?
2. What are you job responsibilities?
3. What are your qualifications?
4. Can you tell us what happened?
5. When did it happen?
6. Where did it happen?
7. Who was harmed?
8. How many people were harmed, injured, or killed?
9. Are those that were harmed getting help?
10. How are those who were harmed getting help?
11. What can others do to help?
12. Is the situation under control?
13. Is there anything good that you can tell us?
14. Is there any immediate danger?
15. What is being done in response to what happened?
16. Who is in charge?
17. What can we expect next?
18. What are you advising people to do?
19. How long will it be before the situation returns to normal?
20. What help has been requested or offered from others?
21. What responses have you received?
22. Can you be specific about the types of harm that occurred?
23. What are the names of those that were harmed?
24. Can we talk to them?
25. How much damage occurred?
26. What other damage may have occurred?
27. How certain are you about damage?
28. How much damage do you expect?
29. What are you doing now?
30. Who else is involved in the response?
31. Why did this happen?
32. What was the cause?
33. Did you have any forewarning that this might happen?
34. Why wasn’t this prevented from happening?
35. What else can go wrong?
36. If you are not sure of the cause, what is your best guess?
37. Who caused this to happen?
38. Who is to blame?
39. Could this have been avoided?
40. Do you think those involved handled the situation well enough?
41. When did your response to this begin?
42. When were you notified that something had happened?
43. Who is conducting the investigation?
44. What are you going to do after the investigation?
45. What have you found out so far?
46. Why was more not done to prevent this from happening?
47. What is your personal opinion?
48. What are you telling your own family?
49. Are all those involved in agreement?
50. Are people over reacting?
51. Which laws are applicable?
52. Has anyone broken the law?
53. What challenges are you facing?
54. Has anyone made mistakes?
55. What mistakes have been made?
56. Have you told us everything you know?
57. What are you not telling us?
58. What effects will this have on the people involved?
59. What precautionary measures were taken?
60. Do you accept responsibility for what happened?
61. Has this ever happened before?
62. Can this happen elsewhere?
63. What is the worst case scenario?
64. What lessons were learned?
65. Were those lessons implemented?
66. What can be done to prevent this from happening again?
67. What would you like to say to those that have been harmed and to their families?
68. Is there any continuing the danger?
69. Are people out of danger? Are people safe?
70. Will there be inconvenience to employees or to the public?
71. How much will all this cost?
72. Are you able and willing to pay the costs?
73. Who else will pay the costs?
74. When will we find out more?
75. What steps need to be taken to avoid a similar event?
76. Have these steps already been taken? If not, why not?
77. What does this all mean? Is there anything else you want to tell us? 

 Reprinted from: Covello, V.T., “Risk Communication,” in Environmental Health: From Local to Global. Howard Frumkin, M.D., Dr.P.H. (editor). New York: Jossey Bass/John Wiley and Sons, Inc. (2005)

38 stratagems

Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) was a German philosopher. These 38 stratagems are excerpted from "The Art of Controversy," first translated into English in 1896. Schopenhauer's 38 ways to win an argument are:

1. Carry your opponent's proposition beyond its natural limits; exaggerate it. The more general your opponent's statement becomes, the more objections you can find against it. The more restricted and narrow his or her propositions remain, the easier they are to defend by him or her. 
2. Use different meanings of your opponent's words to refute his or her argument. 
3. Ignore your opponent's proposition, which was intended to refer to a particular thing. Rather, understand it in some quite different sense, and then refute it. Attack something different than that which was asserted. 
4. Hide your conclusion from your opponent till the end. Mingle your premises here and there in your talk. Get your opponent to agree to them in no definite order. By this circuitous route you conceal your game until you have obtained all the admissions that are necessary to reach your goal. 
5. Use your opponent's beliefs against him. If the opponent refuses to accept your premises, use his own premises to your advantage. 
6. Another plan is to confuse the issue by changing your opponent's words or what he or she seeks to prove. 
7. State your proposition and show the truth of it by asking the opponent many questions. By asking many wide-reaching questions at once, you may hide what you want to get admitted. Then you quickly propound the argument resulting from the opponent's admissions. 
8. Make your opponent angry. An angry person is less capable of using judgement or perceiving where his or her advantage lies. 
9. Use your opponent's answers to your questions to reach different or even opposite conclusions. 
10. If your opponent answers all your questions negatively and refuses to grant any points, ask him or her to concede the opposite of your premises. This may confuse the opponent as to which point you actually seek them to concede. 
11. If the opponent grants you the truth of some of your premises, refrain from asking him or her to agree to your conclusion. Later, introduce your conclusion as a settled and admitted fact. Your opponent may come to believe that your conclusion was admitted. 
12. If the argument turns upon general ideas with no particular names, you must use language or a metaphor that is favorable in your proposition. 
13. To make your opponent accept a proposition, you must give him or her an opposite, counter-proposition as well. If the contrast is glaring, the opponent will accept your proposition to avoid being paradoxical. 
14. Try to bluff your opponent. If he or she has answered several of your questions without the answers turning out in favor of your conclusion, advance your conclusion triumphantly, even if it does not follow. If your opponent is shy or stupid, and you yourself possess a great deal of impudence and a good voice, the trick may easily succeed. 
15. If you wish to advance a proposition that is difficult to prove, put it aside for the moment. Instead, submit for your opponent's acceptance or rejection some true poposition, as thoug you wished to draw your proof from it. Should the opponent reject it because he or she suspects a trick, you can obtain your triumph by showing how absurd the opponent is to reject a true proposition. Should the opponent accept it, you now have reason on your own for the moment. You can either try to prove your original proposition or maintain that your original proposition is proved by what the opponent accepted. For this, an extreme degree of impudence is required. 
16. When your opponent puts forth a proposition, find it inconsistent with his or her other statements, beliefs, actions, or lack of action. 
17. If your opponent presses you with a counter proof, you will often be able to save yourself by advancing some subtle distinction. Try to find a second meaning or an ambiguous sense for your opponent's idea. 
18. If your opponent has taken up a line of argument that will end in your defeat, you must not allow him or her to carry it to its conclusion. Interrupt the dispute, break it off altogether, or lead the opponent to a different subject. 
19. Should your opponent expressly challenge you to produce any objection to some definite point in his or her argument, and you have nothing much to say, try to make the argument less specific. 
20. If your opponent has admitted to all or most of your premises, do not ask him or her directly to accept your conclusion. Rather draw the conclusion yourself as if it too had been admitted. 
21. When your opponent uses an argument that is superficial, refute it by setting forth its superficial character. But it is better to meet the opponent with a counter argument that is just as superficial, and so dispose of him or her. For it is with victory that your are concerned, and not with truth. 
22. If your opponent asks you to admit something from which the point in dispute will immediately follow, you must refuse to do so, declaring that it begs the question. 
23. Contradiction and contention irritate a person into exaggerating his or her statements. By contradicting your opponent you may drive him or her into extending the statement beyond its natural limit. When you then contradict the exaggerated form of it, you look as though you had refuted the original statement your opponent tries to extend your own statement further than you intended, redefine your statement's limits. 
24. This trick consists in stating a false syllogism. Your opponent makes a proposition and by false inference and distortion of his or her ideas you force from the proposition other propositions that are not intended and that appear absurd. It then appears the opponent's proposition gave rise to these inconsistencies, and so appears to be indirectly refuted. 
25. If your opponent is making a generalization, find an instance to the contrary. Only one valid contradiction is needed to overthrow the opponent's proposition. 
26. A brilliant move is to turn the tables and use your opponent's arguments against him or herself. 
27. Should your opponent surprise you by becoming particularly angry at an argument, you must urge it with all the more zeal. Not only will this make the opponent angry, it may be presumed that you put your finger on the weak side of his or her case, and that the opponent is more open to attack on this point than you expected. 
28. This trick is chiefly practicable in a dispute if there is an audience who is not an expert on the subject. You make an invalid objection to your opponent who seems to be defeated in the eyes of the audience. This strategy is particularly effective if your objection makes the opponent look ridiculous or if the audience laughs. If the opponent must make a long, complicated explanation to correct you, the audience will not be disposed to listen. 
29. If you find that you are being beaten, you can create a diversion that is, you can suddenly begin to talk of something else, as though it had bearing on the matter in dispose. This may be done without presumption if the diversion has some general bearing on the matter. 
30. Make an appeal to authority rather than reason. If your opponent respects an authority or an expert, quote that authority to further your case. If needed, quote what the authority said in some other sense or circumstance. Authorities that your opponent fails to understand are those which he or she generally admires the most. You may also, should it be necessary, not only twist your authorities, but actually falsify them, or quote something that you have invented entirely yourself. 
31. If you know that you have no reply to an argument that your opponent advances, you may, by a fine stroke of irony, declare yourself to be an incompetent judge. 
32. A quick way of getting rid of an opponent's assertion, or throwing suspicion on it, is by putting it into some odious category. 
33. You admit your opponent's premises but deny the conclusion. 
34. When you state a question or an argument, and your opponent gives you no direct answer, or evades it with a counter question, or tries to change the subject, it is a sure sign you have touched a weak spot, sometimes without knowing it. You have as it were, reduced the opponent to silence. You must, therefore, urge the point all the more, and not let your opponent evade it, even when you do not know where the weakness that you have hit upon really lies. 
35. This trick makes all unnecessary if it works. Instead of working on an opponent's intellect, work on his or her motive. If you succeed in making your opponent's opinion, should it prove true, seem distinctly to his or her own interest, the opponent will drop it like a hot potato. 
36. You may also puzzle and bewilder your opponent by mere bombast. If the opponent is weak or does not wish to appear as ife he or she has no idea what you are talking about, you can easily impose upon him or her some argument that sounds very deep or learned, or that sounds indisputable. 
37. Should your opponent be in the right but, luckily for you, choose a faulty proof, you can easily refute it and then claim that you have refuted the whole position. This is the way which bad advocates lose a good case. If no accurate proof occurs to the opponent or the bystanders, you have won the day. 
38. A last trick is to become personal, insulting and rude as soon as you perceive that your opponent has the upper hand. In becoming personal you leave the subject altogether, and turn your attack on the person by remarks of an offensive and spiteful character. This is a very popular trick, because everyone is able to carry it into effect. 

(from Numerical Lists You Never Knew or Once Knew and Probably Forget, by: John Boswell and Dan Starer)

The Seven Sacred Principles

Among the Anishinaabe people, the Teachings of the Seven Grandfathers, also known simply as either the Seven Teachings or Seven Grandfathers, is a set of teachings on human conduct towards others. (http://www.whitewolfpack.com)

1. Nibwaakaawin (Wisdom) -- To cherish knowledge is to know Wisdom. Wisdom is given by the Creator to be used for the good of the people. In the Anishinaabe language, this word expresses not only "wisdom," but also means "prudence," or "intelligence." In some communities, Gikendaasowin is used; in addition to "wisdom," this word can also mean "intelligence" or "knowledge."
2. Zaagi'idiwin (Love) -- To know Love is to know peace. Love must be unconditional. When people are weak they need love the most. In the Anishinaabe language, this word with the reciprocal theme /idi/ indicates that this form of love is mutual. In some communities, Gizhaawenidiwin is used, which in most context means "jealousy" but in this context is translated as either "love" or "zeal". Again, the reciprocal theme indicates that this form of love is mutual.
3. Minaadendamowin (Respect) -- To honor all creation is to have Respect. All of creation should be treated with respect. You must give respect if you wish to be respected. Some communities instead use Ozhibwaadenindiwin or Manazoonidiwin.
4. Aakode'ewin (Bravery) -- Bravery is to face the foe with integrity. In the Anishinaabe language, this word literally means "state of having a fearless heart." To do what is right even when the consequences are unpleasant. Some communities instead use either Zoongadikiwin ("state of having a strong casing") or Zoongide'ewin ("state of having a strong heart").
5. Gwayakwaadiziwin (Honesty) -- Honesty in facing a situation is to be brave. Always be honest in word and action. Be honest first with yourself, and you will more easily be able to be honest with others. In the Anishinaabe language, this word can also mean "righteousness."
6. Dabaadendiziwin (Humility) -- Humility is to know yourself as a sacred part of Creation. In the Anishinaabe language, this word can also mean "compassion." You are equal to others, but you are not better. Some communities instead express this with Bekaadiziwin, which in addition to "humility" can also be translated as "calmness," "meekness," "gentility" or "patience."
7. Debwewin (Truth) -- Truth is to know all of these things. Speak the truth. Do not deceive yourself or others.

Source: Wikipedia

Superstitions for writers

Never end a sentence with a preposition.
Never split an infinitive.
Never split a verb phrase.
Never begin a sentence with And or But.
Never write a one-sentence paragraph.
Never begin a sentence with Because.
Never use since to mean because.
Never use between with more than two objects.
Never use the first-person pronouns I and me.
Never use contractions.
Never use you in referring to your reader.

(Bryan A. Garner, A Dictionary of Modern Usage, Oxford, 1998)

Jing Si aphorisms

When we make great vows, not only do we vow to benefit all sentient beings, we put those vows into practice in our daily lives.

The greatest opportunity is here and now!

We cannot make do without courage, we cannot make do without faith. There is nothing in this world that is impossible, nothing we cannot do. There is only what we are unwilling to do.

When we encounter challenges, it is not because the situation is difficult, but because our minds have become stuck.

Stopping the journey halfway is more troublesome than just reaching the end of the path.

Learn to keep an unwavering mind when dealing with the challenges of the people and things around us; learn to maintain quietness and stillness in movement.

2011 readings

Adams, Douglas. The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide, #1-5)
Adler-Olsen, Jussi. The Keeper of Lost Causes (Serie Q, #1)
Ansary, Tamim. Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes
Benn, James R. Billy Boyle, A World War II Mystery (Billy Boyle World War II, #1)
Black, Cara. Murder in Clichy (Aimee Leduc Investigations, #5)
Black, Cara. Murder in the Palais Royal (Aimee Leduc Investigations, #10)
Camilleri, Andrea. August Heat
Camilleri, Andrea. The Wings of the Sphinx
Churchill, Winston S. Memoirs of the Second World War
Coben, Harlan. The Woods 
Connelly, Michael. Nine Dragons (Harry Bosch, #14)
Connelly, Michael. The Reversal (Mickey Haller, #3)
Cotterill, Colin. Love Songs from a Shallow Grave (Dr. Siri Paiboun Investigation #7)
Cotterill, Colin. Slash and Burn (Dr. Siri Paiboun Investigation #8)
Dawkins, Richard. The God Delusion
DeLillo, Don. Falling Man
Disher, Garry. The Dragon Man (Inspector Challis, #1)
Downing, David. Zoo Station (John Russell, #1)
Drehle, David von. Triangle: The Fire That Changed America 
Edwardson, Ãke. Frozen Tracks (Inspector Winter, #5)
Edwardson, Ãke. The Shadow Woman (Inspector Winter #2)
Eriksson, Kjell. The Cruel Stars of the Night 
Eriksson, Kjell. The Princess of Burundi 
Fairstein, Linda. Killer Heat (Alexandra Cooper, #10)
Fitzgerald, Conor. The Dogs Of Rome (Commissario Alec Blume, #1)
Fossum, Karin. He Who Fears the Wolf
Fossum, Karin. When the Devil Holds the Candle 
Hale, John R. Lords of the Sea: The Epic Story of the Athenian Navy & the Birth of Democracy 
Hastings, Max. Bomber Command 
Hastings, Max. Winston's War: Churchill, 1940-1945 
Heim, Scott. We Disappear 
Hillenbrand, Laura. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption 
James, Peter. Dead Like You (Roy Grace, #6)
Joss, Morag. Funeral Music
Kneale, Matthew. English Passengers
Knowles, John. A Separate Peace 
Kohl, Christiane. The Witness House: Nazis and Holocaust Survivors Sharing a Villa during the Nuremberg Trials 
Larsson, Stieg. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (Millennium, #3)
Leon, Donna. A Noble Radiance (Commissario Brunetti #7)
Leon, Donna. A Sea of Troubles 
Lewis, Sinclair. It Can't Happen Here
Mankell, Henning. The Pyramid: And Four Other Kurt Wallander Mysteries 
McCann, Maria. As Meat Loves Salt
Moore, Christopher. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal 
Nesbo, Jo. The Devil's Star (Harry Hole, #5)
Nesbo, Jo. Nemesis 
Nesbo, Jo. The Redbreast (Harry Hole, #3)
Nesbo, Jo. The Snowman 
Nesser, Hakan. Borkmann's Point (Inspector Van Veeteren #2)
Nesser, Hakan. The Inspector and Silence (Inspector Van Veeteren #5)
Nesser, Hakan. Mind's Eye (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard)
Nesser, Hakan. Woman with Birthmark (Inspector Van Veeteren #4)
Philbrick, Nathaniel. In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex
Queijo, Jon. Breakthrough!: How the 10 Greatest Discoveries in Medicine Saved Millions and Changed Our View of the World
Rankin, Ian. Watchman: A Novel
Rees, Matt. The Samaritan's Secret
Rendell, Ruth. The Monster in the Box 
Rendell, Ruth. Not in the Flesh 
Robinson, Peter. Aftermath (Inspector Banks, #12)
Robinson, Peter. Bad Boy (Inspector Banks, #19)
Robinson, Peter. Blood at the Root (Inspector Alan Banks Series #9)
Robinson, Peter. Close to Home (Inspector Alan Banks Series #13)
Robinson, Peter. Cold Is The Grave (Inspector Banks, #11)
Robinson, Peter. The First Cut
Robinson, Peter. In a Dry Season (Inspector Alan Banks Series #10)
Robinson, Peter. Innocent Graves (Inspector Alan Banks Series #8)
Robinson, Peter. Playing with Fire (Inspector Alan Banks Series #14)
Sandford, John. Broken Prey (Lucas Davenport, #16)
Sandford, John. Phantom Prey (Lucas Davenport, #18)
Sandford, John. Rough Country (Virgil Flowers, #3)
Sandford, John. Storm Prey (Lucas Davenport, #20)
Shriver, Lionel. Checker and the Derailleurs: A Novel (P.S.)
Shriver, Lionel. We Need to Talk About Kevin
Sloan, Brian. Tale of Two Summers
Sonnenfeldt, Richard W. Witness to Nuremberg
Stabenow, Dana. A Night Too Dark: A Kate Shugak Novel (Kate Shugak, #17)
Thompson, James. Snow Angels (Inspector Kari Vaara, #1)
Waddell, Martin. The Park in the Dark
Welch, Denton. In Youth Is Pleasure & I Left My Grandfather's House
White, Edmund. City Boy

Orwell's six rules for writers

• Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print. 
• Never use a long word where a short one will do. 
• If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out. 
• Never use the passive where you can use the active. 
• Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent. 
• Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

from Politics and the English Language (1946)

The New Ten Commandments

1. Do not do to others what you would not want them to do to you. 
2. In all things, strive to cause no harm. 
3. Treat your fellow human beings, your fellow living things, and the world in general with love, honesty, faithfulness and respect. 
4. Do not overlook evil or shrink from administering justice, but always be ready to forgive wrongdoing freely admitted and honestly regretted. 
5. Live life with a sense of joy and wonder.
6. Always seek to be learning something new. 
7. Test all things; always check your ideas against the facts, and be ready to discard even a cherished belief if it does not conform to them. 
8. Never seek to censor or cut yourself off from dissent; always respect the right of others to disagree with you. 
9. Form independent opinions on the basis of your own reason and experience; do not allow yourself to be led blindly by others. 
10. Question everything.

http://www.ebonmusings.org/atheism/new10c.html

...annotated.

... I am trying my best not to view things through a smug later prism. Only the Almighty can scan matters sub specie aeternitatis: from the viewpoint of eternity. One must also avoid cultural and historical relativism: there’s no point in retroactively ordering the Children of Israel to develop a germ theory of disease (so as to avoid mistaking plagues for divine punishments) or to understand astronomy (so as not to make foolish predictions and boasts based on the planets and stars). Still, if we think of the evils that afflict humanity today and that are man-made and not inflicted by nature, we would be morally numb if we did not feel strongly about genocide, slavery, rape, child abuse, sexual repression, white-collar crime, the wanton destruction of the natural world, and people who yak on cell phones in restaurants. (Also, people who commit simultaneous suicide and murder while screaming “God is great”: is that taking the Lord’s name in vain or is it not?) 

It’s difficult to take oneself with sufficient seriousness to begin any sentence with the words “Thou shalt not.” But who cannot summon the confidence to say: Do not condemn people on the basis of their ethnicity or color. Do not ever use people as private property. Despise those who use violence or the threat of it in sexual relations. Hide your face and weep if you dare to harm a child. Do not condemn people for their inborn nature—why would God create so many homosexuals only in order to torture and destroy them? Be aware that you too are an animal and dependent on the web of nature, and think and act accordingly. Do not imagine that you can escape judgment if you rob people with a false prospectus rather than with a knife. ... Denounce all jihadists and crusaders for what they are: psychopathic criminals with ugly delusions. Be willing to renounce any god or any religion if any holy commandments should contradict any of the above. In short: Do not swallow your moral code in tablet form.

Christopher Hitchens, from http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2010/04/hitchens-201004

2011 Top 10 Most Stolen Vehicles in the U.S.

1. 1994 Honda Accord 
2. 1995 Honda Civic 
3. 1991 Toyota Camry 
4. 1999 Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size) 
5. 1997 Ford F150 Series/Pickup 
6. 2004 Dodge Ram 
7. 2000 Dodge Caravan 
8. 1994 Acura Integra 
9. 2002 Ford Explorer 
10. 1999 Ford Taurus

(Source: National Insurance Crime Bureau, October 2011)

2004 Top 10 Most Stolen Vehicles in the U.S.

1. 1995 Honda Civic
2. 1989 Toyota Camry
3. 1991 Honda Accord
4. 1994 Dodge Caravan
5. 1994 Chevrolet Full Size C/K 1500 Pickup
6. 1997 Ford F150 Series
7. 2003 Dodge Ram Pickup
8. 1990 Acura Integra
9. 1988 Toyota Pickup
10. 1991 Nissan Sentra

(Source: National Insurance Crime Bureau, November 2005)

Cowboy Code

1. Never pass anyone on the trail without saying "Howdy".
2. When approaching someone from behind, give a loud greeting before you get within pistol shot.
3. Don't wave at a man on a horse.  It might spook the horse and the man will think you're an idiot. (A nod is the proper greeting.)
4. After you pass someone on the trail, don't look back at him.  It implies you don't trust him.
5. Riding another man's horse without his permission is nearly as bad as making love to his wife.  Never even bother another man's horse.
6. Never shoot an unarmed man.  Never shoot a woman at all.
7. A cowboy is pleasant even when out of sorts.  Complaining is what quitters do, and cowboys hate quitters.
8. Always be courageous.  Cowards aren't tolerated in any outfit worth its salt.
9. A cowboy always helps someone in need, even a stranger or an enemy.
10. When you leave town after a weekend of carousing, it's perfectly all right to shoot your six-guns into the air, whoop like crazy and ride your horse as fast as you can.  This is called "hurrahing" a town.
11. A horse thief may be hung peremptorily.
12. Never try on another man's hat.
13. Never wake another man by shaking or touching him.  He might wake up suddenly and shoot you.
14. Real cowboys are modest.  A braggart who is "all gurgle and no guts" is not tolerated.
15. A cowboy doesn't talk much; he saves his breath for breathing.
16. No matter how weary and hungry you are after a long day in the saddle, always tend to your horse's needs before your own, and get your horse some feed before you eat.
17. Cuss all you want, but only around men, horses and cows.

http://www.thewildwest.org/cowboys/wildwestcowboyfacts/218-cowboy-codesofthewest

10 Rules to Reverse the Email Spiral

1. Respect Recipients' Time This is the fundamental rule. As the message sender, the onus is on YOU to minimize the time your email will take to process. Even if it means taking more time at your end before sending.

2. Short or Slow is not Rude Let's mutually agree to cut each other some slack. Given the email load we're all facing, it's OK if replies take a while coming and if they don't give detailed responses to all your questions. No one wants to come over as brusque, so please don't take it personally. We just want our lives back!

3. Celebrate Clarity Start with a subject line that clearly labels the topic, and maybe includes a status category [Info], [Action], [Time Sens] [Low Priority]. Use crisp, muddle-free sentences. If the email has to be longer than five sentences, make sure the first provides the basic reason for writing. Avoid strange fonts and colors.

4. Quash Open-Ended Questions It is asking a lot to send someone an email with four long paragraphs of turgid text followed by "Thoughts?". Even well-intended-but-open questions like "How can I help?" may not be that helpful. Email generosity requires simplifying, easy-to-answer questions. "Can I help best by a) calling b) visiting or c) staying right out of it?!"

5. Slash Surplus cc's cc's are like mating bunnies. For every recipient you add, you are dramatically multiplying total response time. Not to be done lightly! When there are multiple recipients, please don't default to 'Reply All'. Maybe you only need to cc a couple of people on the original thread. Or none.

6. Tighten the Thread Some emails depend for their meaning on context. Which means it's usually right to include the thread being responded to. But it's rare that a thread should extend to more than 3 emails. Before sending, cut what's not relevant. Or consider making a phone call instead.

7. Attack Attachments Don't use graphics files as logos or signatures that appear as attachments. Time is wasted trying to see if there's something to open. Even worse is sending text as an attachment when it could have been included in the body of the email.

8. Give these Gifts: EOM NNTR If your email message can be expressed in half a dozen words, just put it in the subject line, followed by EOM (= End of Message). This saves the recipient having to actually open the message. Ending a note with "No need to respond" or NNTR, is a wonderful act of generosity. Many acronyms confuse as much as help, but these two are golden and deserve wide adoption.

9. Cut Contentless Responses You don't need to reply to every email, especially not those that are themselves clear responses. An email saying "Thanks for your note. I'm in." does not need you to reply "Great." That just cost someone another 30 seconds.

10. Disconnect! If we all agreed to spend less time doing email, we'd all get less email! Consider calendaring half-days at work where you can't go online. Or a commitment to email-free weekends. Or an 'auto-response' that references this charter. And don't forget to smell the roses.

(http://emailcharter.org/)

Instructions for Life

• (erroneously attributed to the Dalai Lama)

• Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
• When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
• Follow the three Rs:Respect for self, Respect for others, and Responsibility for all your actions.
• Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
• Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
• Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
• When you realise you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
• Spend some time alone every day.
• Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.
• Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
• Live a good, honourable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.
• A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
• In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.
• Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.
• Be gentle with the earth.
• Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.
• Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
• Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
• Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

Suicidal signs

• Increased Isolation – From family and friends
• Alcohol or Drug Use Increases
• Expression of negative attitude toward self
• Expression of hopelessness or helplessness
• Change in Regular Behavior
• Loss of interest in usual activities
• Giving away valued possessions
• Expression of a lack of future orientation (i.e. "It won't matter soon anyway")
• Expressing Suicidal Feelings
• Signs of Depression
• Describes a Specific Plan for Suicide
• History of Suicide in the Family
• A person who has been extremely depressed in the past may be at an increased risk for suicide if the depression begins to cease, as they may now have the psychological energy to follow through on a suicidal ideation.

(The Trevor Project)