BOOK REVIEW: ‘He’s Gone’: Complexities of Marriage, Divorce, Infidelities Examined in Debut Adult Novel

• Reviewed by David M. Kinchen

My adventures in chick lit continue with a novel by Deb Caletti, “He’s Gone” (Bantam trade paperback, 352 pages, $15.00) that will inevitably be compared to Gillian Flynn’s bestselling novel “Gone Girl.”

Instead of Flynn’s missing wife, Caletti deals with Seattle software executive Ian Keller, the missing husband of Dani Keller. The similarities between the two novels include a questioning, eventually dubious police officer and a piling on of people who believe Dani — the “other woman” widely believed to be responsible for the breakup of Ian’s marriage to Mary — has something to do with her husband  missing after a Saturday night party at his business.

The physical setting is one familiar to people who’ve seen the movie “Sleepless in Seattle” : the houseboats on Lake Union that don’t go anywhere.

I’m using the term “chick lit” in a humorous manner: “He’s Gone”, the adult novel debut of best-selling young adult author Caletti, should appeal to men as well as women. Should but probably won’t since more women will gravitate toward it than men. Women buy more books than men.

Dani Keller wakes on the Sunday morning after a party at    BetterWorks, Ian’s software company, that aside from Dani’s slight hangover, is like any other corporate function. The difference this time is no Ian Keller.  His black Jaguar is in its usual parking space, but there’s no sign of Ian.

Dani, who has a low tolerance toward alcohol, doesn’t remember much about the party, other than there was a minor argument.

She’s concerned, and this worsens as  Ian stays missing. The family organizes a search effort to supplement that of the police. I was surprised to see police moving in so quickly; usually they tell the husband or wife to wait a few days. This leads me to believe that Detective Vince Jackson intuits that Dani isn’t telling him everything she knows about the circumstances surrounding Ian’s disappearance.

Reality slams into Dani as she goes over in her mind her relationship with her often abusive former husband Mark Hastings and the attraction she developed toward Ian. Her daughter Abby, her mom, Ian’s daughters with  Mary Keller — his ex-wife who’s kept her married name — all contribute in various ways to Dani’s introspective look into her two marriages.  There’s guilt enough to go around  for everybody in this tale.

Caletti has done a beautiful job of examining relationships in “He’s Gone.” I’ll stop here and of course won’t reveal the outcome. If you like books by Jodi Picoult and Nancy Thayer — to name just two writers — I think you’ll love this book.

About the author
Deb Caletti is an award-winning author and a National Book Award finalist whose books—Honey, Baby, Sweetheart; The Queen of Everything; The Secret Life of Prince Charming—are published and translated worldwide. She lives with her family in Seattle. Read an excerpt from “He’s Gone” on Her website: www.debcaletti.com.

NAR: Rate Increases Ahead for Some National Flood Insurance Program Policyholders

• By David M. Kinchen / Changes are coming to the critically important National Flood Insurance Program that could impact real estate transactions and property owners across the country. That’s the word from experts from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) , which manages the government’s flood insurance program, who spoke to Realtors® at this week’s  Flood Insurance 101 session during the Realtors® Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo.

Kristin Robinson, senior advisor, summarized last year’s Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act, which reauthorized the critically important NFIP through 2017 so property owners could affordably access flood insurance.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR)  strongly supported the legislation and believes the government’s insurance program saves taxpayers property and money because it increases the number of self-insured properties and reduces the cost of post-flood disaster governmental assistance.

The NFIP is responsible for writing and renewing flood insurance policies for more than 5.6 million home and business owners in more than 21,000 communities nationwide where flood insurance is required for a mortgage. Before Congress passed the legislation, the program operated under short-term extensions. In the past five years, there were 18 extensions and several lapses in program coverage, delaying or cancelling thousands of real estate transactions daily according to NAR’s own research, wreaking havoc on real estate markets.

Robinson said the NFIP is $24 billion in debt following several disastrous storms in recent years since the costs and consequences of flooding continue to increase. “For decades the program has made flood insurance available at subsidized rates that did not reflect the true risk of flooding; artificially low rates and discounts are no longer sustainable,” she said.

Andy Neal, actuary, addressed the gradual phase-out of subsidized rates, which was included in last year’s legislation to preserve the flood insurance program and critically important property insurance coverage for the nation’s homeowners. Neal said rate subsidies are being phased out over the next several years to help increase the NFIP’s soundness and financial stability.

The majority of policyholders, more than 80 percent, are not subsidized and won’t be impacted by subsidized rate changes since they are already paying full actuarial rates, he said. However, these owners could see routine annual rate increases.

“Only about 20 percent of NFIP policies receive subsidies, mostly older structures built before the community’s first flood insurance rate map was issued, which are known as pre-FIRM properties. Some of these policyholders will be impacted by the gradual phase-out of subsidized rates; an even smaller number will see immediate changes to their insurance policy rates,” said Neal.

Rate changes are likely to affect owners of subsidized pre-FIRM non-primary residences, business properties, and properties that have experienced severe repetitive flood losses. Owners of some pre-FIRM condos and multi-family units will also see their rates gradually increase. Owners of pre-FIRM primary residences will retain their subsidies unless the policy lapses; it suffers a severe, repeated flood loss; or it’s sold to a new owner, which is retroactive to July 6, 2012, when the legislation was enacted. Some grandfathered principal residences will also lose their subsidies over a several year period, but not until the communities’ flood map is revised.

Neal recommended that home and property owners talk to their insurance agent to determine if their property is currently being subsidized. He said flood insurance rates vary based on a property’s location, elevation and flood risk and can be as low as a few hundred dollars up to $10,000 or more if the property is well below flood level and had severe repeated flood losses.

While higher rates may place a greater burden on families, there are investments homeowners can make to either reduce or better access their flood risk so they can continue to protect their families and possessions from damaging floods. According to Neal, homeowners can lower their risk by elevating their property and potentially reduce their flood insurance rates by having an elevation certificate completed to determine the property’s elevation relative to the base flood elevation. Elevation certificates can cost several hundred dollars to complete but could potentially lower homeowners’ flood insurance premiums.

Some homeowners with flood insurance policies have already received quotes for higher rates, which may be caused by several other factors such as improvements to mapping. As FEMA improves its mapping technology and draws more accurate flood maps, some homes may now be located in a flood zone, or a higher risk zone, where flood insurance is more expensive. Also, some insurance agents may adjust rates to correct previous mistakes made about the home’s features when they are re-evaluating an insurance policy at renewal.

REALTORS: Short Sale Approval and Valuation Issues Continue to Impact Housing Market

• By David M. Kinchen 

Both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have implemented policies to expedite the short sales process, including new resources to help determine property values, according to panelists at a property valuation forum during the Realtors® Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo in Washington, DC.

Short sales continue to represent a significant portion of the real estate market. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR)  short sales accounted for 9 percent of transactions during the first quarter of 2013.

The short sale process can be frustrating for home buyers, sellers and Realtors® given that approvals are often complex, inconsistent, slow and cumbersome. Tim McCallum, director of short sales at Fannie Mae, said the agency is working to expedite the short sales process. “We are improving transparency and have created a dedicated short sales team to negotiate directly with real estate agents,” he said.

“We now order a valuation as soon as an owner indicates they want a short sale, rather than waiting for an offer to be received,” McCallum said. “If there is no response to an offer from the loan servicer within 30 days, the case can be escalated. Our process is to counter every short sale offer.”

A foreclosure can be postponed if a short sales offer is received in a reasonable amount of time, preferably at least two weeks from a scheduled foreclosure. Fannie Mae created a web-based channel to help agents escalate short sale issues and receive confirmation that the agency is actively working to get those issues resolved.

Bob Martin, vice president of valuations at Fannie Mae, said they have a dedicated team to estimate values for all foreclosed and short sale properties. “To help estimate the values of distressed homes, the team uses appraisals, which are required for all short sales, as well as Broker Price Opinions, and data from other internal and external sources, including current listings, pending sales and sold properties,” he said.

The Fannie Mae valuation team includes 2,000 appraisers around the U.S., who have local competency and produce valuations within three weeks. Sales of comparable properties used for valuation need to be within the past 60 days.

Fannie Mae announced a policy late last year to guide the short sale process for all loans owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae. Freddie Mac’s policy is very similar, and many larger servicers have comparable programs.

Under Fannie Mae’s policy, after a borrower contacts their mortgage servicer to determine eligibility, the buyer and their agent receive a recommended list price and have the opportunity to respond to the valuation. When an agent submits an offer to the servicer, Fannie Mae may review, and if approved it will proceed to closing.

There are a range of eligibility requirements, but if a borrower is 90-days or more delinquent, and has a FICO credit score under 620, then no documents, hardship or contribution are required to qualify for streamlined documentation. Other borrowers must have an eligible hardship, such as unemployment, reduced income, divorce, death or disability.

Borrowers may qualify even if not delinquent if they are at risk of imminent default and should talk to their mortgage servicer. Owner-occupants who are waived of a contribution requirement receive a $3,000 relocation incentive, less any other assistance; loan servicers may contribute additional incentives.

Mortgage servicers must respond to short sale offers within 30 to 60 days, and Fannie Mae may make a counter offer. Any payments on second loans must not exceed $6,000; if accepted, the borrower is released from any liability for the second loan and may not be required to make a contribution.

Among the requirements, sellers must not remain in the property as a tenant, or later obtain title to the property. Outside of relocation assistance, neither the seller nor the buyer can receive funds or commissions from the sale, and no fees can be paid to a third party to negotiate a short sale with the servicer.

Mark R. Johnson, senior vice president at Lender Processing Services Inc., said loan failures in the past five years continue to have reverberations. “Under the Dodd-Frank Act there can be no undue influence on appraisers, they need to be paid customary and reasonable fees, and each state must implement legislation for Appraisal Management Companies, which includes a reasonable separation between appraisers and clients.”

To date, 37 states have passed AMC legislation, and the remaining states have until 2015 to implement. Although clients and real estate agents technically may communicate with appraisers, many lenders have their own rules. “It’s a good idea to provide the appraiser with documentation about comparable sales, facts about the home and local market conditions prior to their examining a property,” Johnson said.

Martin Wagar, chief operating officer at Midwest Appraisal Management Group, said it’s important to match appraisers with the location of the property being evaluated. “AMCs need to improve the appraisal process and not get in the way of the transaction,” he said. “Appraisers must have local competency to produce good appraisals.”

Wagar said appraisers with his firm have at least three years of experience, belong to local MLSs and are members of local associations of Realtors®.

Ultimately, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will regulate AMCs, but hasn’t released any guidelines. In the absence of case history, attorneys are unwilling to offer opinions on operational policy, so AMCs must rely on their own experience and interpretation of the Dodd-Frank regulations.

NAHB: Builder Confidence Improves in May

• By David M. Kinchen 

Builder confidence in the market for new single-family homes improved three points to a 44 reading on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) for May, released Wednesday, May 15, 2013. This gain, from a downwardly revised 41 in April, reflected improvement in all three index components – current sales conditions, sales expectations and traffic of prospective buyers.

 “Builders are noting an increased sense of urgency among potential buyers as a result of thinning inventories of homes for sale, continuing affordable mortgage rates and strengthening local economies,” said National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Chairman Rick Judson, a home builder from Charlotte, N.C. “This is definitely an encouraging sign even amidst rising challenges with regard to the cost and availability of building materials, lots and labor.”

“While industry supply chains will take time to re-establish themselves following recession-related cutbacks, builders’ views of current sales conditions have improved and expectations for the future remain quite strong as consumers head back to the market in force,” said NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe.

Derived from a monthly survey that NAHB has been conducting for 25 years, the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index gauges builder perceptions of current single-family home sales and sales expectations for the next six months as “good,” “fair” or “poor.” The survey also asks builders to rate traffic of prospective buyers as “high to very high,” “average” or “low to very low.” Scores for each component are then used to calculate a seasonally adjusted index where any number over 50 indicates that more builders view conditions as good than poor.

All three HMI components posted gains in May. The index gauging current sales conditions increased four points to 48, while the index gauging expectations for future sales edged up a single point to 53 – its highest level since February of 2007. The index gauging traffic of prospective buyers gained three points to 33.

Looking at the three-month moving averages for regional HMI scores, no movement was recorded in the Northeast, Midwest or South, which held unchanged at 37, 45 and 42, respectively. Only the West recorded a decline, of six points to 49 in May.

 

Editor’s Note: The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index is strictly the product of NAHB Economics, and is not seen or influenced by any outside party prior to being released to the public.

HMI tables can be found at nahb.org/hmi. More information on housing statistics is also available at housingeconomics.com.

OP-ED: At Universities, Too, the Rich Grow Richer

• By Lawrence S. Wittner 

Dr. Lawrence S. Wittner

Although many Americans believe their universities are places where administrators and faculty members coexist on a fairly equal basis, the reality is that this is far from the case.

According to recent surveys by the Chronicle of Higher Education, 35 private university presidents and 4 public university presidents topped $1 million in total earnings during the 2011-2012 fiscal year.Among the public university presidents, Graham Spanier of Pennsylvania State University received $2.9 million for that year, followed by Jay Gogue of Auburn University ($2.5 million), E. Gordon Gee of Ohio State University ($1.9 million), and Alan Merten of George Mason University ($1.9 million).  Overall, the presidents of public universities — the poor relations of their private university counterparts — had a median annual total compensation of $441,392.  Link:

http://chronicle.com/article/4-Public-College-Chiefs-Pass/139189/

This very substantial income does not include many additional perks.  According to the New York Times, President Gee is known for “the lavish lifestyle his job supports, including a rent-free mansion with an elevator, a pool and a tennis court and flights on private jets.”

Moreover, despite hard times, including pay cuts, for many Americans, university presidents are rapidly increasing their income.  President Gogue’s annual earnings soared from $720,000 to $2.5 million in a single year.  Between 2010-2011 and 2011-2012, the number of public university presidents in the $600,000 to $700,000 income range jumped from 13 to 28.

Of course, it might be argued that they “earned” these hefty incomes through superior performance on the job.  But is this true?

President Spanier, whose $2.9 million income in 2011-2012 made him the best-paid public university president in the United States, resigned his post in November 2011.  His resignation came five days after the arrest of Jerry Sandusky, the Penn State assistant football coach, on child sex abuse charges — charges that sparked nationwide outrage over that university’s failure for nearly a decade to alert law enforcement authorities to alleged sexual assault on campus.  Spanier was himself charged criminally in an alleged cover-up of Sandusky’s crimes, although he continues to maintain his innocence.

In most cases, however, the bloated incomes of university presidents result from their fundraising prowess.  President Gogue, whose $2.5 million compensation placed him second to Spanier, was lauded by Auburn University officials for his close relationship with business leaders.  “In basic financial terms,” a university spokeswoman explained, “the return on investment is remarkably high.”  Similarly, Hollis Hughes, Jr., the president of Ball State University’s board of trustees, justified the huge income of Jo Ann Gora, the university president — who, at just under $1 million income placed fifth in the financial ranking of public university presidents in 2011-2012 — on the basis of her success at fundraising.

Cultivating corporate and wealthy donors, of course, has long been a major task of university presidents, but it has become an obsession in recent years, especially as state governments have cut back funding for public universities.  The nation’s largest public university system, the State University of New York, has gone from a situation in which the state paid 75 percent of the university’s costs and student tuition paid 25 percent to exactly the reverse, in which state support covers 25 percent of costs and student tuition covers most of the remainder.  In these circumstances, public universities are desperately seeking to attract financial support from corporations and the wealthy, with obvious consequences when it comes to rewarding the top fundraisers and setting campus priorities.

Meanwhile, faculty members are left out in the cold.  Despite the fact that most faculty at public universities have many years of graduate education, doctoral degrees, publications, and years of teaching experience, their average annual salary is just over $80,000 per year.  These, of course, are the full-time, “regular” faculty.  Part-timers, a talented but cheap labor force who administrators are increasingly substituting for full-timers, are paid, at best, a few thousand dollars per course.  Thus, even when they shuttle from campus to campus, cobbling together the equivalent of a full course load, they are so impoverished that they qualify for food stamps.  These part-timers and other “contingent” faculty — educators in temporary positions without job security– today constitute the vast majority of those who teach at American colleges and universities.

Nor do faculty salaries seem likely to rise very much.  At the State University of New York, the faculty and professional staff are now voting on a new, five-year contract with the state that will provide them with a salary raise of about 1 percent a year – a raise that, when inflation is taken into account, will actually give them a salary reduction.  Although United University Professions, their faculty/professional staff union that engaged in lengthy contract negotiations with the state, fought until the end for a minimum salary for part-time faculty, state negotiators — loyal to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s hostile approach to public sector workers — adamantly refused to consider it.  Consequently, although top administrators can (and will) be paid increasingly outlandish amounts, there will be no salary floor for those who do the teaching and research.

On university campuses, it seems, everyone is equal.  But some are much more equal than others.

* * *

 Dr. Lawrence Wittner is Professor of History emeritus at SUNY/Albany.  His latest book is a satirical novel about university life, “What’s Going On at UAardvark?” (Solidarity Press). He is a contributor to many sites, including Huntington News Network. His  website: http://www.lawrenceswittner.com/

BOOK REVIEW: ‘Stories in Uniform’: Reminding Readers of The Outstanding War Writing That’s Appeared in Reader’s Digest Magazine

• Reviewed by David M. Kinchen 

Memorial Day is  just ahead and Reader’s Digest Association has just published   “Stories in Uniform: A Look at the Heroics, Laughs, Sorrows, and Tragedies of Our Soldiers”  by the Editors of Readers Digest (Reader’s Digest Association, New York, 224 pages, $15.99). If you’re old enough, as is the reviewer, you’ll be reminded of the high quality of war reporting by such luminaries as Corey Ford, Malcolm McConnell, Lowell Thomas and many more that appeared in the magazine and now in this collection. 

Carl T.  Rowan, an African-American and distinguished columnist at The Washington Post (1925-2000), writes about the acceptance he found in the segregated Navy during World War II in his moving “Those Navy Boys Changed My Life.” The story may remind readers of the Jackie Robinson one now portrayed on the big screen in the wonderful flick “42.”   Rowan writes how he was called to the dean’s office at the “all-Negro”  Tennnessee State College in Nashville in 1943 and was told that “we have a chance to help crack the ban on Negro officers in the Navy.” Rowan took a competitive exam, passed it and became an officer in the Navy, the most segregated service branch, one that had considered blacks suitable for mess service or in the most dirty tasks. The story of “George”, a mixed race Korean infant who was informally adopted by the crew of a ship pending the completion of the formalities of adoption will grab your heart — no matter how hard hearted it is.

B.T. Collins’s tribute to his commanding officer in Vietnam, Capt. Samuel R. Bird, “The Courage of Sam Bird” is as good a piece of writing of any kind I’ve seen anywhere, without a single unnecessary word, guaranteeing misty eyes or even tears when you finish it.

 

Beginning with World War I and continuing through the war in Iraq, readers will follow soldiers into the trenches, peer in on emergency surgery taking place in the depths of the ocean, watch heroes carry the bodies of fallen brethren, trail Eisenhower’s “Circus Wagon” mobile headquarters for the three days leading up to D-Day, and be inspired as men and women rise above and beyond normal human limits to preserve our rights and save their friends.

Select stories include:

• A moving memorial to D-Day
• A pilot rescued after his F-16 is shot down
• A soldier returns to the front after losing his foot in action
• An American soldier who takes a big risk to save a dying Afghan girl

As a journalist who stands up and cheers when he sees good writing, I was impressed with this collection. It’s the kind of book you’ll take along on trips, to remind youself of the best of American men and women in wartime.   
About Reader’s Digest Association 
RDA is a global media and direct marketing company that educates, entertains and connects more than 130 million consumers around the world with products and services from trusted brands. With offices in 43 countries, the company reaches customers in 78 countries, publishes 91 magazines, including 50 editions of Reader’s Digest, the world’s largest-circulation magazine, operates 78 branded websites and sells 40 million books, music and video products across the world each year. Further information about the company can be found at www.rda.com.

For more information please visit http://www.rda.com, and follow the author on Facebook and Twitter

PARALLEL UNIVERSE: Behind the Wheel: Dodge Dart’s Not Selling

• By David M. Kinchen 

Dodge Dart

I hate to say I told you so, but when it comes to the new Dodge Dart, I told you so!  The completely redesigned replacement for the Dodge Caliber is not selling at all well when compared to competitors Toyota, Honda, Chevy, and especially the popular Ford Focus. 

  While I see many new cars in my daily errands, I’ve yet to see a Dodge Dart. There are plenty stacked up at the Dodge-Jeep Dealership on Highway 35 in Port Lavaca TX.

From a website: http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2013/02/why-the-dodge-dart-has-a-long-way-to-go.html:

“Dodge sold just 7,154 Dart sedans in January — better than December 2012, but a shabby performance when you consider that Honda moved 21,881 Civics, Ford sold 16,161 Focuses and Toyota moved 23,822 Corollas and Matrixes. Dodge dealers opened January with a glut of Darts — 141 days’ worth, to be exact. That’s more than double the days’ supply for the Chevrolet Cruze and more than triple the supply of the Civic and Focus.

“January marks the seventh full month of Dart sales, and it’s been a slow start for the compact sedan. The Wall Street Journal reports Dodge parent Chrysler cut a factory shift at its facility in Dundee, Mich., which makes one of the Dart’s engines, due to slow sales. At January’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Chrysler-Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionneadmitted that the Dart’s dual-clutch automatic transmission and high mix of stick-shift cars at launch reflected “powertrain solutions that, in today’s world and in hindsight, were not and are not the ideal solution.”

“The drivetrains don’t help, but there may be another factor in play: Dodge’s compact sedan is only that — a sedan. Compact cars offer the most diverse body styles. The Corolla has a Matrix offshoot, the Civic comes as a sedan or coupe, the Focus and Mazda3 include a hatchback and sedan, and the Hyundai Elantra scores a trifecta: sedan, coupe and hatch.

 

In fact, the lack of a hatchback — like my Caiiber — was one of my complaints of this redesigned-for-the-American-market Alfa Romeo. Link to my behind the wheel review last summer: http://www.huntingtonnews.net/40574,

 

Given Chrysler’s lack of small cars, the Dart should have been positioned as  a complete line, with a coupe, a hatchback and maybe even a convertible. Too, Chrysler’s reputation for reliability — or the absence of one — may have hindered sales. Many people still remember the predecessor of the Caliber, the Neon, with less than affection. The Fiat connection didn’t exactly help (Fiat owns Alfa Romeo and owns Chrysler). “Feeble Italian Attempt at Transportation” and “Fix It Again, Tony” are humorous references to the Fiat name.

 

Websites are also saying that the slightly bigger Dodge Avenger, due to be discontinued this year, is also grabbing sales from the similarly priced Dart.

I hope Chrysler succeeds with the Dart, but they’ll have to work a lot harder to convince buyers. 

 

BOOK REVIEW: ‘Close Ups & Close Encounters’: Good, Accessible Introduction to Wildlife Photography for Those Starting Out

• Reviewed by David M. Kinchen 

I was attracted to S.J. Brown’s “Close Ups & Close Encounters: A View from Behind the Lens” (Acorn Book Services, 112 pages, 60 color photos, available from all the book sources, including Amazon.com, $22.95) because I’ve been a photographer since my high school years in the early 1950s and photographing animals has been a particular passion.

 

 

I’ve found that there are many places to photograph animals in our rural Gulf Coastal Texas county, including in the town of Port Lavaca where I snapped a photo of an elderly Mexican-American man and his horse in the historic downtown area. I’m still looking for more longhorn cattle after photographing several in the Six Mile area of FM 1090 north of town.

Like many photographers, Brown started out with an inexpensive camera, soon graduating to a 35 mm single-lens reflex with interchangeable lenses — and shooting color film. Wildlife management areas, animal rescue ranches, zoos, the backwoods, islands, coastal areas in Florida and the Northeast are all suitable places for Brown and her husband and spotter Jay.  Accompanying the photographs are essays explaining how the photographs were made — and the close encounters experienced along the way.

Accompanied by her spotter and husband, S.J. ,  a New Jersey native now living in West Virginia, soon learns that some animals are agreeable to having their picture taken, and many are not easily accessible.   Brown encounters delicate butterflies, bears, birds, deer, wild horses, and more. Along the way  there are successes and failures, cooperative critters, curious subjects, and some close calls. Experience wildlife photography from her perspective—through the lens of a camera.

I would have liked more technical information on the photographs, including the lens used, exposure, etc., but with today’s automatic cameras — I’m assuming Brown’s using something like the Canon EOS 650 that I use for film — the exposure and focusing are taken care of, allowing the photographer to watch what’s in the viewfinder. I use lenses up to and including my 500 mm mirror lens, on both my film and digital Canons. 

By the way, if you shoot film, as S.J. does, be sure and get a CD of the negatives when you process the film. That way, with simple editing software like Kodak Easy-Share, you have the best of both worlds, film and digital. 

If you don’t have a camera, check the want ads, including Craigslist, for suitable units. You might also want to see what’s on hand at big camera stores or sites like KEH.com in Atlanta or Collectible Cameras in the greater Phoenix area, or on eBay.  I picked up my Canon EOS 650, which has automation galore, plus manual overrides, for about $50 for the body only. Almost any camera will do, providing it has adjustable shutter speeds and interchangeable lens capability. Brand names: Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Minolta, Fujica, Rolleiflex SL, Leica single-lens reflexes for those with big bucks and similar brands.       But first get yourself a copy of S.J. Brown’s delightful book and enjoy the beautiful critters she’s captured on film. Her bobcat is a particular favorite, but then again, I love cats of all descriptions, like the Barbary lions from far northern Africa that I snapped at the Texas Zoo in Victoria, TX, or the Jaguars at the Belize Zoo in Belize.     For a YouTube of the Bengal Tiger and the beautiful Barbary Lions at the Texas Zoo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL2s8ULJZLU

About the Author

S.J. Brown’s love of wildlife photography began on a whim with an inexpensive 35mm camera, a few rolls of film, and a passion for nature. Quickly her everyday life and wildlife photography became entwined. Somehow even with a husband, a job, and household responsibilities, photographing found a place in the mix. For over 10 years S. J. Brown has traveled extensively throughout the Eastern United States in pursuit of wildlife encounters. Much to the dismay of her spotter, this often involves trekking through thick brush, muddy trails, rocky seas and secluded locations, but the interactions with wildlife make it all worth it. To her wildlife photography is as much about the experience as it is the images she captures. Her goal for each photo excursion is the same, a close, one-on-one encounter with a wild creature. As a wildlife photographer S. J. Brown takes her cues from her subjects. Their body language lets her know when to step in for a closer shot and when to back away. When she is out in the field, she strives to observe and record not to interfere. The exception to this rule is when people pose a threat to wildlife; then she will take time to relocate a road dwelling critter to its location. Brown has saved snapper turtle from soup and other creatures from the taunts and teases of unwise humans, but she will not interfere with Mother Nature’s food chain unless it involves a domestic animal pursuing a wild creature. With this is mind, she has sent many a cat away from a bird feeder and saved many a squirrel from a curious canine. The resulting photographs and the stories behind them inspire both students and adults that attend the presentations she gives and the Art Exhibits she participates in. Her images have been featured in books, magazines, calendars, and greeting cards. S. J. Browns Book Close Ups & Close Encounters features over 50 of her wildlife photographs as well as the stories behind getting those images. S. J. Brown’s photographs and written words are her way of sharing her experiences. Introducing others, such as her granddaughter, into the field is one of her primary goals and loves and she hopes the time she spends discussing her work with schools, writers, and members of the public gives them an appreciation for the natural world.
S.J. Brown’s website: website: http://www.sjbrown.50megs.com/

BOOK REVIEW: ‘The Laws of Gravity’: Beyond Tour de Force to Family Interaction Force of Nature

• Reviewed by David M. Kinchen 

Drop whatever book you’re reading and pick up a copy of Liz Rosenberg’s stunning look at three Long Island families, “The Laws of Gravity” (Amazon Publishing, 288 pages, $24.95, available in eBook and audio book editions from Amazon.com).

I learned a lot about cord blood storage and what it’s good for, but most of all I delighted in Rosenberg’s dissection of the Greene, Wiesenthal and Richter families told in clear-eyed, more often than not very funny prose.Known primarily as a children’s author,

Rosenberg’s “The Laws of Gravity” is her second novel for adults, after “Home Repair.” It won’t be her last; in fact, it’s part of a two-book deal with Amazon (I wonder how much shuddering the mere mention of Amazon Publishing is coming from  traditional publishers!)

Nicole Greene, wife of Jay, mother of Daisy — with Daisy repeating with Julian the Ari-Nikki best friends model —  is in her mid thirties, too young to be dying of leukemia, but she is, despite the assertion of her friend and cousin Ari Wiesenthal that with treatment leukemia is chronic, not fatal. He offers her use of the cord blood extracted from the umbilical cord of his  son Julian and stored for possible future use. He reminds her that he saved her life from drowning off Montauk Point decades before and he’s ready to do it again.

Ari, three years older than Nicole,  sends the Greenes a letter stating his intent, but soon withdraws the offer when his son Julian is discovered to have a nodule on his neck. The condition is benign, but Ari panics, deciding he wants all of the cord blood, chiding Jay and Nicole Greene for not harvesting the cord blood when Daisy was born. The cost of $5,000 is nothing for the affluent Wiesenthals, but is substantial for the Greenes. Living on the north shore of Long Island is not for those short of cash.

Ari’s decision is not going to be ignored and Jay and Nicole bring suit against him, with the case assigned to Solomon Richter, a state Supreme Court judge on the brink of mandatory retirement as he turns 70. Richter knows he’s going out with a bang, realizing that this is going to be a very high-profile case. We learn a lot about Richter’s life, as his daughter Abigail breaks up with her live-in boyfriend, Tomas, and decides to adopt a Thai infant girl. Abigail and Sol’s wife Sarah fly to Thailand, returning with a girl they’ve named Lily. It’s love at first sight for Sol Richter.

A casualty of the lawsuit is the deep friendship between Nicole Greene, and Mimi, wife of Ari. I’m not going to give away plot points, except to say that nothing is permanent. I can state without reservation that Rosenberg is a marvelous storyteller, with deep understanding of families honed by her many books.

Again, drop whatever you’re doing and glom onto a copy of “The Laws of Gravity.”  I’m a book reviewer who usually expresses strong views on the books I read. This is the real deal when it comes to a family function/dysfunction novel melded with a legal thriller that would do justice to Scott Turow at his peak.
 

About the Author

Liz Rosenberg was born in Glen Cove, New York. She has written more than thirty books for adults and young readers, including novels, poetry, and nonfiction. For the past fifteen years she has been a book review columnist at The Boston Globe. Liz teaches at the State University of New York at Binghamton where she won the Chancellor’s Award for excellence in teaching. Her first husband was the late novelist John Gardner, author of Grendel. She lives in Binghamton, N.Y., with her husband, David, her daughter, Lily, and two shih tzus. Her son, Eli, lives in New York City as an actor and magician.

BOOK REVIEW: ‘What’s Going On at UAardvark? — Humorous Novel Reveals Corporate Universities at Their Worst

• Reviewed by David M. Kinchen 

Knowing Lawrence S. Wittner’s background and current position — he’s executive secretary of the Albany County (NY) Central Federation of Labor AFL-CIO — it’s no surprise that the blue collar workers at fictional  UAardvark in Indiana in  Wittner’s “What’s Going On at UAardvark?” (Solidarity Press, 243 pages, available from Amazon.com, $14.95) are among the heroes in the novel.

Along with English professor Jake Holland, the university president’s secretary,  Marsha Skelton,  and a few others, the maintenance workers at the school try to take over the place from the miasma of academia gone crazy.

 I reviewed Larry Wittner’s previous book, a memoir of his decades in academia, “Working for Peace and Justice” about a year ago.   (Link: http://www.huntingtonnews.net/31693). He’s had an unusual career that’s taken him from his boyhood in Brooklyn   to his earning his bachelor’s at Ivy League Columbia College to  teaching at the Hampton Institute, an historically black college in Virginia  to an attempt to gain a tenure  position at ritzy Vassar College, to teaching overseas. With all this experience, plus his knowledge of academia, it’s obvious that Wittner is well qualified to address the rejection of academic subjects by corporations at the nation’s universities.

Aardvark University was a typical state institution until major corporations bought much more than signing rights for just about everything at the school. Those familiar with universities realize that major donors at a school like, say Marshall Universities, get their names on stadiums, medical schools and performance centers.

At UArdvark, the process has gone way beyond naming rights. Wittner provides a lively, irreverent tale of how an increasingly corporatized, modern American university becomes the site of a rambunctious rebellion that turns the nation’s campus life upside down.

Along the way, there are often hilarious encounters with a playboy university president with a fascination for miniature racing cars;  bizarre U.S. military commanders;  poetry-writing Hells Angels friends of the Jewish prof, Holland;  foul-mouthed, decadent students, an unusually avaricious corporate titan, gun-toting “Christian Patriots,” a schizophrenic FBI director named J. Edgar Beria;  hypocritical politicians (are there any other kinds?);  and a witch-like union leader.

Wittner’s “What’s Going On at UAardvark?” sets readers off on a comic romp through what has become a serious issue in contemporary America: the corporate takeover of higher education. Having graduated from college in 1961, well before this movement, I found myself wondering if Wittner had exaggerated the corporate takeover.

The academic who introduced me to Larry Wittner (whom I still haven’t met in person), fellow Midwesterner Tom Hastings of Portland State University, has this to say about the novel:

“Lawrence Wittner has channeled the spirits of Kurt Vonnegut, Charlie Chaplin, Woody Allen, Jon Stewart, the Serb kids who overthrew Milosevic, and at least two of the Three Stooges into this delightfully dystopic, comic novel. If you enjoy the bursting of pretensions and political pratfalls, you’ll love this story. But if you expect our “betters” to be respected for the Superior Beings they believe they are, this funny little book is not for you.”

We at HNN love   the op-eds that Hastings sends us;  I was especially drawn to Wittner’s because he’s in my pre-baby boomer age cohort. If you haven’t been on a college campus recently, you’ll see the truth in Wittner’s satire.

For a list of Wittner’s recent op-eds on Huntingtonnews.net, click: http://www.huntingtonnews.net/508

About the author

Lawrence S. Wittner is an American historian who has written primarily on peace movements and foreign policy. He attended Columbia College (B.A., 1962), the University of Wisconsin (M.A., 1963), and Columbia University (Ph.D., 1967). Subsequently, he taught at Hampton Institute, at Vassar College, and — under the Fulbright program — at Japanese universities. In 1974, he began teaching at the State University of New York/Albany, where he rose to the rank of Professor of History before his retirement in 2010. He is the author of eight scholarly books, the editor or co-editor of another four, the writer of a novel, and the author of over 250 published articles and book reviews. Currently, he serves as the executive secretary of the Albany County Central Federation of Labor (AFL-CIO) and as a national board member of Peace Action. For more information, visit: www.lawrenceswittner.com.