this is the book Neil Gaiman was promoting at the Childrens Book Conference in Melbourne. The Dangerous Alphabet, illustrated by Gris Grimly,who has quite a few books to his credit (his website). This is a book we would have loved to have around back in the day when Cambo read to the wee 'uns. We have kept all the best kids' books on our shelf and still dip into them now and then, and in fact the last one we bought was long after the kids had all grown up. Alphabet has a simplicity of sonorous phrases with the pictures carrying the narrative. Grimly's art has that lovely wet watercolour-on- textured paper look of which I have become enamoured over the last couple of books I've painted myself. This boat-face is a detail from 'P is for Piracy, blunt or discreet':


I've just recalled that at the Brisbane Writers' festival last year I found myself in conversation with a woman writer of childrens' books who was at odds with the whole idea of illustrations and seemed to regard them as a imposition made by her publisher against her better judgement. She felt it made the book take twice as long to read as it should have done. Writers can be such odd folk.
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The end of the world as we know it: Philosopher John Gray tells Ben Naparstek why we are all doomed - May 10, 2008

"Though not a believer, John Gray excoriates the recent fad for books attacking religion by the likes of Christopher Hitchens, Michel Onfray and Richard Dawkins. "The difference between religious believers and secular rationalists is that religious believers are used to questioning their myths, whereas secular rationalists think their myths are literally true. I advocate an attitude of scepticism and critical distance from all these powerful belief systems." (via Mick Evans)

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Woman files claim, saying dog feces ruined family outing

NORWALK, Conn. (AP) - A New York woman has filed a $100 claim against Norwalk saying a family outing to the Maritime Aquarium was ruined by dog feces. City attorney M. Jeffry Spahr said the official response is that her claim is denied and in his words, "poop happens." (via Bob Morales)

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"I was once so poor I didn't know where my next husband was coming from."- Mae West.