Time travel is such a fascinating concept. King explores the possibilities of what would happen if you could go back in time to change history. What would be the effect? What if JFK had lived? You’ll have to read to find out King’s vision.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

What I found most disturbing while reading this book was the depth and scope of the lies told, particularly the lack of response to the warning signs prior to 9/11. Franken provides copious examples of the warnings and briefings received by the Bush administration from the Clinton administration related to the probability of an Al Qaeda attack that were dismissed.

Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, Karl Rove, George Bush, Dick Cheney, and Rush Limbaugh are just some of the liars he covers. With each lie, Franken states the lie and then provides the proof the lie is a lie. Some of them are quite outrageous. Since the book is still in publication and Franken is not being sued for slander, I believe Franken has presented the lies truthfully as lies.

I am disheartened by the state of our partisan politics these days. Franken is just as disrespectful of the Republican point of view as the Republicans are of the Democrats. I don’t know if this can fixed. I’d certainly like to think so.

Rating: ★★★★★ 

…for the research and facts in the book

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ 

…for stooping to insulting partisan rhetoric rather than letting the facts speak for themselves

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

…bottom line–definitely worth reading for the informational aspects

Rating: ★★½☆☆ 

First, romanticizing rape disgusted me. No means no. Dominique wanted to be degraded and raped so it’s okay just doesn’t cut it. That the “hero” of the novel does it, makes it even more deplorable.

Second, Rourke destroys a public housing project under construction, admits it, explains his reasons for the destruction in court, and is declared  not guilty by the jury despite the fact he broke the law.  The fact that several contracts were broken during the construction, and Rourke’s vision of the building was destroyed in the process, does not justify blowing up the building.

Rourke, a gifted architect, will listen to what a potential client wants and then provides his drawings for the project he perceives the client needs. If the client cannot be convinced to build exactly as designed by Rourke, Rourke does not accept the job. Frankly, that’s as it should be. He doesn’t sacrifice his integrity and the client doesn’t accept a building the client doesn’t want. Frankly, that’s how it’s supposed to work. No surprise that Rourke has a hard time finding clients with the same vision. Exactly how is he the victim here?

Although Rand’s perceptions of good and evil differs from mine, I did find The Fountainhead worth reading. Frankly I found the practices of the New York Banner quite similar to the practices of today’s Fox News Channel. After finishing I discovered The Fountainhead is often a high-school reading assignment, which disturbed me somewhat because of the two items mentioned above. However, it is a fabulous tool for debate on good versus evil and their definitions as well as the ability of a few to influence/manipulate the masses.

If Rand hadn’t been so darn preachy, I’d have given this five stars instead of four. I definitely plan to read Atlas Shrugged.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

The majority who read or listen to this will absolutely love it and but I also understand why some will most likely hate it. I  enjoyed it but unlike so many other dog books I’ve read, this was not one of those I didn’t want to end. I was ready.

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

After seeing Frances Johnson’s creation,I must admit I was enamored when I saw the original YouTube video of Frances Johnson. After seeing the video, my quest began to hunt down the pattern. It wasn’t as easy as it should be but here are the results.

Google immediately served up these two:

• iOffer.com – Popcorn Pinwheel Bedspread Vintage Crochet Pattern for $3.00. This was a cumbersome process and not one I recommend. You have to wait for Karen’s Variety to respond before actually getting the pattern after payment. Her site, KarensVariety.com, offers it for the same price and provides immediate download after payment. However, for $7.00 you can download The Spool Cotton Company’s Bedspreads pamphlet which includes 10 additional patterns with the Popcorn Pinwheel Bedspread pattern.
• Vintage Home Arts via Amazon for $7.99 ($9.99 after adding shipping). Quite steep for one pattern.

Frankly, the best source for this pattern is one I found completely by accident. I was searching for doily place mat patterns and decided to buy The Crocheter’s Treasure Chest: 80 Classic Patterns for Tablecloths, Bedspreads, Doilies and Edgings (Dover Needlework). Imagine my surprise when I found Popcorn Pinwheel on page 42. I spent a whopping $8.76 with free shipping.

I still plan to try a doily or two before I attempt something on this scale. But, as a result of my hunt for this one particular pattern, I now have a very nice stash of some wonderfully creative vintage crochet patterns. Now to see if I can actually hold and work that oh so tiny crochet hook…

So I examined the two leaflets side by side. Wow. Two different authors. Bonnie Barker’s designs (#4948) uses the main panels from Anne Rabun Ough’s designs(#250), adds different side stitches before joining the panels and then calls the designs her own. I suppose technically they are. But Anne Rabun Ough wasn’t given credit anywhere in this leaflet as her inspiration. In my opinion, it’s rather like using someone else’s tune with your own lyrics and then selling the entire song as your own.

I own  both of these leaflets and recommend both. I have not yet made any from Leaflet 4948 but plan to. I was just shocked the authors were different. Having said that, I’m a big one for taking a design and expanding on it. You can see quite a few in my Afghans gallery. But I also give credit where credit is due and point out the differences.

I’d love to hear your opinions….

Rating: ★★☆☆☆