Percy's Library: 2011

Sunday, October 16, 2011

TIME featuring Steve Jobs

teven Paul Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American businessman and inventor widely recognized (along with his Apple business partner Steve Wozniak) as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc. Jobs was co-founder and previously served as chief executive of Pixar Animation Studios; he became a member of the board of directors of the Walt Disney Company in 2006, following the acquisition of Pixar by Disney.
In the late 1970s, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak engineered one of the first commercially successful lines of personal computers, the Apple II series. Jobs directed its aesthetic design and marketing along with A.C. "Mike" Markkula, Jr. and others.
In the early 1980s, Jobs was among the first to see the commercial potential of Xerox PARC's mouse-driven graphical user interface, which led to the creation of the Apple Lisa (engineered by Ken Rothmuller and John Couch) and, one year later, of Apple employee Jef Raskin's Macintosh. After losing a power struggle with the board of directors in 1985, Jobs left Apple and founded NeXT, a computer platform development company specializing in the higher-education and business markets.
In 1986, he acquired the computer graphics division of Lucasfilm Ltd, which was spun off as Pixar Animation Studios. He was credited in Toy Story (1995) as an executive producer. He remained CEO and majority shareholder at 50.1 percent until its acquisition by The Walt Disney Company in 2006, making Jobs Disney's largest individual shareholder at seven percent and a member of Disney's Board of Directors. Apple's 1996 buyout of NeXT brought Jobs back to the company he co-founded, and he served as its interim CEO from 1997, then becoming permanent CEO from 2000, onwards, spearheading the advent of the iMac, iTunes, iPod, iPhone, and iPad. In buying NeXT, Apple also "acquired the operating system that became Mac OS X." From 2003, Jobs fought an eight-year battle with cancer, and eventually resigned as CEO in August 2011, while on his third medical leave. He was then elected chairman of Apple's board of directors.
On October 5, 2011, around 3:00 p.m., Jobs died at his home in Palo Alto, California, aged 56, six weeks after resigning as CEO of Apple. A copy of his death certificate indicated respiratory arrest as the immediate cause of death, with "metastatic pancreas neuroendocrine tumor" as the underlying cause. His occupation was listed as "entrepreneur" in the "high tech" business.

Newsweek Featuring Steve Jobs

Steven Paul Jobs was born in San Francisco in 1955, and adopted at birth by Paul Reinhold Jobs (1922–1993) and Clara Jobs (1924–1986). Clara's maiden name was Hagopian. When asked about his "adoptive parents," Jobs replied emphatically that Paul and Clara Jobs "were my parents." He later stated in his authorized biography that they "were my parents 1,000%."
The Jobs family moved from San Francisco to Mountain View, California when Steve was five years old. Paul and Clara later adopted a daughter, Patti. Paul Jobs, a machinist for a company that made lasers, taught his son rudimentary electronics and how to work with his hands. Clara was an accountant, who taught him to read before he went to school. Clara Jobs had been a payroll clerk for Varian Associates, one of the first high-tech firms in what became known as Silicon Valley. Asked in a 1995 interview what he wanted to pass on to his children, Jobs replied, "Just to try to be as good a father to them as my father was to me. I think about that every day of my life."
During World War II, Paul Jobs joined the Coast Guard and "ferried troops around the world for General Patton. I think he was always getting into trouble and getting busted down to Private," Jobs said. A machinist by trade, his father worked hard and was "a genius with his hands."
Jobs told an interviewer, "I was very lucky. My father, Paul, was a pretty remarkable man." When his son was five or six, Paul Jobs sectioned a piece of his workbench and gave it to Jobs, saying "'Steve, this is your workbench now.' And he gave me some of his smaller tools and showed me how to use a hammer and saw and how to build things. It really was very good for me. He spent a lot of time with me... teaching me how to build things, how to take things apart, put things back together." Jobs also noted that while his father "did not have a deep understanding of electronics [...] he'd encountered electronics a lot in automobiles and other things he would fix. He showed me the rudiments of electronics and I got very interested in that."
Jobs attended Monta Loma Elementary, Mountain View, Cupertino Junior High and Homestead High School in Cupertino, California. He frequented after-school lectures at the Hewlett-Packard Company in Palo Alto, California, and was later hired there, working with Steve Wozniak as a summer employee. Following high school graduation in 1972, Jobs enrolled at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. Although he dropped out after only one semester, he continued auditing classes at Reed, while sleeping on the floor in friends' rooms, returning Coke bottles for food money, and getting weekly free meals at the local Hare Krishna temple. Jobs later said, "If I had never dropped in on that single calligraphy course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts."

The Whole Christmas Catalogue for Kids

The Frugal Gourmet Celebrates Christmas

The Frugal Gourmet Celebrates Christmas

A Jerry’s Diner Revue

I have to admit to having mixed feelings about the Frugal Gourmet. On the one hand, he can be extremely condescending, especially when talking about the people who are the origins of ethnic dishes. On the other hand, he presents recipes that are simple and interesting. The Frugal Gourmet Celebrates Christmas is absolutely full of wonderful Christmas recipes from many traditions.

The various recipes are presented as “food for...” a player or players in the birth of Jesus. So it starts with “a flower salad for Mary” and “milk and honey for Jesus”. Everyone present gets some food. There is even “honey cake with rose water for the Angels” and “grains with vegetables for the Roman troops”.

Jeff Smith is a theologian, and is a minister at Christ Church in Tacoma. “I love theology more than food,” he says, which is why he wrote this book. It is as much a sermon on the season as it is a cookbook. And while I tend not to like cookbooks that have more yakking than food, and his writing style remains sermonesque, the tales themselves are inherently interesting and their inherent worth comes through his writing style.

The recipes themselves, of course, are the star of the book. If you love baking during the Christmas season, you are unlikely to be disappointed. I can hardly wait until Christmas to try out the Christmas puddings! He has a collection of five Christmas puddings and cakes, some of which actually look great, and most of which are extremely easy. I let my duty fall in 1996, but I fully expect to terrorize my friends with a dreaded pudding come Christmas 1997.

There is also a recipe for mincemeat from scratch and mincemeat pie. Mincemeat is indeed made from meat: four quarts of mincemeat filling takes two and a half pounds of beef and three quarters pound of beef suet. Yum! It looks awfully good in the picture, however, and the pie looks even better. I remember liking the mincemeat pies at Christmas parties when I was very young, but the tradition fell by the wayside very quickly. I’m looking forward to reviving it myself in the next year.

For another very theological Jeff Smith cookbook, look for “The Frugal Gourmet Cooks With Wine” and The Frugal Gourmet Keeps the Feast.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Christmas With Country Living 1998

LIKE BRAND NEW HARDCOVER BOOK with dust cover - A WONDERFUL COLLECTION OF CRAFTS AND RECIPES for CHRISTMAS TIME - Compiled by OXMOOR HOUSE - 8 1/2" X 11" - 160 pages - Published by HEARST COMMUNICATIONS, INC. - Copyrighted 1999 - in superb condition for its age - as close to new as you can get.

American Christmas Crafts and Foods

Old Mother Hubbard

The Old Mother Hubbard referred to in this rhyme's words allude to the famous Cardinal Wolsey. Cardinal Thomas Wolsey was the most important statesman and churchman of the Tudor history period in 16th century England. Cardinal Wolsey proved to be a faithful servant but displeased the King, Henry VIII, by failing to facilitate the King's divorce from Queen Katherine of Aragon who had been his queen of many years. The reason for seeking the divorce and hence the creation of the Old Mother Hubbard poem was to enable him to marry Anne Boleyn with whom he was passionately in love. In the Old Mother Hubbard song King Henry was the "doggie" and the "bone" refers to the divorce (and not money as many believe) The cupboard relates to the Catholic Church although the subsequent divorce arranged by Thomas Cramner resulted in the break with Rome and the formation of the English Protestant church and the demise of Old Mother Hubbard - Cardinal Wolsey. Another rhyme reputedly relates to Cardinal Wolsey Little Boy Blue

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Teddy's Christmas Surprise

Teddy has no money to buy presents, and his attempts to make gifts don't turn out well, but he finds another way to give his family something for Christmas.

The Biggest Snowman Ever

When the mayor of Mouseville announces the town snowman contest, Clayton and Desmond claim that they will each make the biggest snowman ever. But building a huge snowman alone is hard! They work and work, but their snowmen just aren't big enough. Soon they have an idea. As the day of the contest approaches, Clayton and Desmond join forces to build the biggest snowman ever.

This is our Valley

1963 This is Our Valley - Faith and Freedom basic reader - 3rd grade vintage catholic schoolbook

This is Our Valley
(319 pages)
© 1963 Ginn and Company

This is the advanced third reader of the Faith and Freedom Basic Readers. To be used after completion of This is our Town.

The first phase of training in Christian social virtue culminates in this book with the theme centered on Christian solidarity. The story content of the book leads the reader to understand how men, bound together in a spiritual sense through membership in the Mystical Body of Christ, live, work, struggle, and share their joys in social harmony.

by Sister M. Marguerite, and Sister M. Bernarda. Beautiful color illustrations for every story.

Merry Christmas, Baby

It's Christmas morning! Near the cozy fireplace, Baby peeks inside a big Christmas stocking. Around the twinkling Christmas tree, there are lots of presents just for Baby.

Max's Christmas

Who comes down the chimney on Christmas Eve to bring presents to good little bunnies? Santa Claus, that's who! And Max wants to stay up and see him. Max's bossy, older sister Ruby doesn't want him to stay awake, but, as always, irrepressible Max has other ideas. He sneaks downstairs to wait for Santa...with unexpected results!

"Wells' pudgy bunnies and delightfully understated story will inspire year-round cravings for candy canes."-Publishers Weekly
Annotation
Despite his sister Ruby's admonitions, Max waits up on Christmas Eve to see Santa Claus coming down the chimney.

Snow What Fun! When Snowmen Come To Life on Christmas Eve

Just what do snowmen do when no one is looking? This lively account of the snowfolks' big gathering "just south of North Pole" will answer that question in a truly unforgettable way. Pairing Cheryl Hawkinson's playful verse with delightful illustrations by Mike Esberg, Snow What Fun! is sure to become a season favorite for you and your family - a holiday story you'll want to read and reread for years to come. Story, verse, and artwork created especially for this book by Hallmark Writing Stylist Cheryl Hawkinson and Hallmark Senior Illustrator Mike Esberg.

The Snowbelly Family of Chillyville Inn

This is a terrific book. It's a cute story, with rhythmic verses that almost read like a song. It's not too short, not too long... perfect for a bedtime story, which it has been for the past month since Christmas!
I am so impressed with this book that I came online to try and find more of Cheryl Hawkinsons's work, and was dismayed to find she mostly writes greeting card stuff for Hallmark. Nevertheless, this is a great find, and a definite keeper in my house!

A Snowgirl Named Just Sue

For ages 4-8. Love captures Snowman Bob's heart in this magical sequel to "A Snowman Named Just Bob". Looming rain and the warmth of an early spring cause Snowman Bob to begin to melt, and his friends worry that their days together are numbered. However, a fresh snowfall and the arrival of a special new friend named Snowgirl Sue show that love can turn Snowman Bob's drooping frown upside down.

Casper's Ghostland Digest Magazine No. 7

Casper the Friendly Ghost is the protagonist of the Famous Studios theatrical animated cartoon series of the same name. As his name indicates, he is a ghost, but is quite personable.[1] According to the 1995 feature film Casper, his family name is McFadden, making his "full" name Casper McFadden.

Given that Casper is depicted as a ghostly, portly little boy, there is a controversy among fans of the series as to whether or not he is a dead child. Early Casper cartoons seemed to suggest this, as they portrayed him residing beside a gravestone. Specifically, the short "There's Good Boos To-Night" featured Ferdie, a fox befriended by Casper, coming back from the dead as a ghost. Casper's death (as well as the reason why he became friendly) have been disputed since that time.
This somewhat macabre premise was later abandoned in favor of the idea that ghosts were merely a type of supernatural being, similar to ghouls, goblins, etc. He was thereafter portrayed with feet and shown to have ghostly parents and became slightly slimmer. In the 1960s and 1970s, the stock answer provided by Harvey Comics in response to those wondering how Casper died was that he was a ghost simply because his parents were already ghosts when they were married.
The 1995 feature film Casper, however, revived the notion that Casper was a deceased human and provided a brief account of his death. According to the film, Casper was a young adolescent who went sledding all day and died of pneumonia. The first direct-to-video film to follow the feature, Casper: A Spirited Beginning, showed Casper's early days as a ghost, not showing how he died and ignoring the story provided in the previous film, although it does explain how he became friendly.

Archie's Double Digest No. 23

Archie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by publisher/editor John L. Goldwater, written by Vic Bloom and drawn by Bob Montana. They were based in part on people met by Goldwater "in the Midwest" during his travels throughout the United States while looking for jobs and places to stay.
Archie's first appearance in Pep Comics #22 on December 22, 1941, was drawn by Montana and written by Vic Bloom. With the creation of Archie, publisher Goldwater hoped to appeal to fans of the Andy Hardy movies starring Mickey Rooney.[3] Archie Comics is also the title of the company's longest-running publication, the first issue appearing with a cover date of Winter 1942. Starting with issue #114, the title was shortened to simply Archie.

Christmas Is For Giving

After his third grade class visits a shop that makes the figures for Christmas crèches, Toby decides that he wants to give his family a crèche for Christmas.

Christmas is for giving by Bettina Peterson
Illustrated by Jan Norton

Hardcover: 62 pages
Publisher: Washburn (1960)
Language: English

Quozl

Quozl is a novel of furry interest penned by Alan Dean Foster, and illustrated by Jim Gurney (of later Dinotopia fame), published by Ace Books in May 1989.

The story follows a species of space-faring, anthropomorphic, carnivorous, rabbit-like aliens (the "Quozl") secretly settling on Earth during World War II, and a series of events triggered by a few dissenting members of the Quozl and some sympathetic humans that force the colony to go public in contemporary times with the help (in part) of a skilled Hollywood publicity agent.
Did you know? Paperback editions of "Quozl' contain a flip-book sequence in one corner of the book. Flipping through pages 73 - 271 will reveal a short animation of a Quozl rabbit stepping out a spaceship and having an accident with a skateboard. Hardcover editions of Quozl do not contain these flip-book illustrations.

The New Our New Friends

William S. Gray (Author), May Hill Arbuthnot (Author), Keith Ward (Illustrator)

Product Details
Hardcover: 191 pages
Publisher: Scott, Foresman and Company; First edition. edition (1946)
ASIN: B000NO5LT8
Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches

Friday, September 23, 2011

Archies Digest Magazine No.97

The Archie Comics line of comic books is one of the most successful, longest running brands in the history of the comic industry. Archie Comics have sold 1.5 billion comics and are published in a dozen different foreign languages and distributed all over the world. Archie Comics has spawned characters whose popularity has spilled over into other media and who have become part of popular culture. SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH and JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS are just some of the many legendary franchises that are part of the Archie Comics Library.

Archie's Double Digest No. 63

John Goldwater, inspired by the popular Andy Hardy movies starring Mickey Rooney, wanted to create a comic about a normal person to whom readers could relate. He created "America's newest boy friend", Archibald "Chick" Andrews. In Pep Comics #22, December 1941, writer Vic Bloom and artist Bob Montana published Archie Andrews' first adventure.It starts with "Chick" Showing off for his new next door neighbor, the famous Betty Cooper. "Archie was based partly on a red-headed friend of his named Archie," Gloria Goldwater, wife of John Goldwater, said. "He also created Betty and Veronica. Then he decided Archie needed a real good friend. That was Jughead. It just grew and grew."[citation needed]
As Archie’s popularity grew, MLJ Magazines changed its name to Archie Comic Publications. In the mid-1950s, the advent of television caused the pulp magazine industry to suffer as TV became a dominant form of entertainment. With slumping sales, Silberkleit and Coyne decided to discontinue Columbia Publications. Coyne stayed on at Archie Comics as CFO until he retired in the 1970s. Louis Silberkleit and John Goldwater shared the same office and ate lunch together for their entire business career.
In the early 1970s, Archie Enterprises Inc. went public. Just over ten years later, Louis Silberkleit’s son Michael and John Goldwater’s son Richard returned Archie Comic Publications to private ownership. Michael Silberkleit served as chairman and co-publisher, while Richard Goldwater served as president and co-publisher, until their passing. John Goldwater served as honorary chairman, a post he held until he died of a heart attack at his home in Manhattan, on February 26, 1999. In 2009, John's son Jonathan succeeded in his family's legacy and was named CEO of Archie Comic Publications.
Although the comic started in the 1940s, it has changed over the years to stay current with the times, said writer and artist Dan Parent. One example is the introduction in 2010 of openly gay character Kevin Keller, who first appeared in Veronica #202. In June 2011 Keller will be featured in his own four-part miniseries, in part because of his popularity with fans. Other changes that have happened in the 70 years of the comic book’s history is the death of teacher Miss Grundy and Archie's wedding. Bill Yoshida learned comic book lettering from Ben Oda and was hired in 1965 by Archie Comics, where he averaged 75 pages a week for 40 years for an approximate total of 156,000 pages.
Archie Comics anounced at the New York Comic Con in October 2011 that it superhero line will return as an all-digital line under a subscription model with back issues archive access.