National Book Critics Circle Finalists – 2014

Source: National Book Critics Circle: NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE ANNOUNCES FINALISTS; Sandrof Award to Toni Morrison – Critical Mass Blog

AUTOBIOGRAPHY

1. Blake Bailey, The Splendid Things We Planned: A Family Portrait (W.W. Norton & Co.)
2. Roz Chast, Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant? (Bloomsbury)
3. Lacy M. Johnson, The Other Side (Tin House)
4. Gary Shteyngart, Little Failure (Random House)
5. Meline Toumani, There Was and There Was Not (Metropolitan Books)

 

BIOGRAPHY

1. Ezra Greenspan, William Wells Brown: An African American Life (W.W. Norton & Co.)
2. S.C. Gwynne, Rebel Yell: The Violence, Passion and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson (Scribner)
3. John Lahr, Tennessee Williams: Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh (W.W. Norton & Co.)
4. Ian S. MacNiven, “Literchoor Is My Beat”: A Life of James Laughlin, Publisher of New Directions (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
5. Miriam Pawel, The Crusades of Cesar Chavez: A Biography (Bloomsbury)

 

CRITICISM

1. Eula Biss, On Immunity: An Innoculation (Graywolf Press)
2. Vikram Chandra, Geek Sublime: The Beauty of Code, the Code of Beauty (Graywolf Press)
3. Claudia Rankine, Citizen: An American Lyric (Graywolf Press)
4. Lynne Tillman, What Would Lynne Tillman Do? (Red Lemonade)
5. Ellen Willis, The Essential Ellen Willis, edited by Nona Willis Aronowitz (University of Minnesota Press)

 

FICTION

1. Rabih Alameddine, An Unnecessary Woman (Grove Press)
2. Marlon James, A Brief History of Seven Killings (Riverhead Books)
3. Lily King, Euphoria (Atlantic Monthly Press)
4. Chang-rae Lee, On Such a Full Sea (Riverhead Books)
5. Marilynne Robinson, Lila (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

 

GENERAL NONFICTION

1. David Brion Davis, The Problem of Slavery in the Age of Emancipation (Alfred A. Knopf)
2. Peter Finn and Petra Couvee, The Zhivago Affair: The Kremlin, the CIA, and the Battle over a Forbidden Book (Pantheon)
3. Elizabeth Kolbert, The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History (Henry Holt & Co.)
4. Thomas Piketty, Capital in the Twenty-First Century, translated from the French by Arthur Goldhammer (Belknap Press/Harvard University Press)
5. Hector Tobar, Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle that Set Them Free (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)

POETRY

1. Saeed Jones, Prelude to Bruise (Coffee House Press)
2. Willie Perdomo, The Essential Hits of Shorty Bon Bon (Penguin Books)
3. Claudia Rankine, Citizen: An American Lyric (Graywolf Press)
4. Christian Wiman, Once in the West (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
5. Jake Adam York, Abide (Southern Illinois University Press)

 

NONA BALAKIAN CITATION FOR EXCELLENCE IN REVIEWING: Alexandra Schwartz

JOHN LEONARD PRIZE: Phil Klay, Redeployment (Penguin Press)

 

2014 Lannan Literary Awards and Fellowships: Author Recognitions by NYRB

Source: Literary Awards by Year – Lannan Foundation

1. Steve Erickson, 2014, Award, Lifetime
2. Mitchell S. Jackson, 2014, Fellowship, Fiction
3. Adrian Matejka, 2014, Fellowship, Poetry
4. Jamaal May, 2014, Fellowship, Poetry
5. Jill McDonough, 2014, Fellowship, Poetry
6. Claudia Rankine, 2014, Award, Poetry
7. Joseph Stroud, 2014, Award, Lifetime

Cultural Freedom awards and fellowships

• Bryan Stevenson, Cultural Freedom Prize
• Max Blumenthal awarded 2014 Cultural Freedom Award for An Especially Notable Book
• Dave Zirin awarded 2014 Cultural Freedom Fellowship
• Alexis Bonogofsky awarded 2014 Cultural Freedom Fellowship

Most Read Books: Facebook 2012 Trends

Thanks: Facebook Stories – People using Facebook in extraordinary ways

1. The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1) – Suzanne Collins
2. Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2) – Suzanne Collins
3. Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3) – Suzanne Collins
4. Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades, #1) -E.L. James
5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Harry Potter, #1) – J.K. Rowling
6. The Help – Kathryn Stockett
7. Twilight (Twilight, #1) – Stephenie Meyer
8. To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
9. The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
10. Water for Elephants – Sara Gruen

The 10 closest states in Election 2012: US Presidential Results

The 10 closest states in Election 2012

Top 10 closest states, ranked from narrowest margin — by percentage — to widest. If less than 100 percent of precincts are reporting in a state, according to the Associated Press, that is noted in parentheses.

1. Florida: 0.6 percent (Obama 49.9, Romney 49.3.)
2. Ohio: 1.9 percent (Obama 50.1, Romney 48.2)
3. North Carolina: 2.2 percent (Romney 50.6, Obama 48.4)
4. Virginia (99% reporting): 3.0 percent (Obama 50.8, Romney 47.8)
5. Colorado: 4.7 percent (Obama 51.2, Romney 46.5)
6. Pennsylvania (99% reporting): 5.2 percent (Obama 52, Romney 46.8)
7. Iowa: 5.6 percent (Obama 52.1, Romney 46.5)
8. New Hampshire (99% reporting): 5.8 percent (Obama 52.2, Romney 46.4)
9. Nevada (99% reporting): 6.6 percent (Obama 52.3, Romney 45.7)
10. Wisconsin: 6.7 percent (Obama 52.8, Romney 46.1)

The World’s Best Countries in Science

 

Source: The World’s Best Countries in Science: Scientific American

A: RESEARCH PAPERS: Score, on a 100-point scale, based on science papers in top journals (Digital Science, 2011)
B: PATENTS ISSUED: Number of patents (U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, 2011)
C: EXPENDITURE: Gross domestic expenditure on research and development (2009*)
D: HIGHER EDUCATION: Number of science and engineering doctoral degrees awarded (2009*)

	RESEARCH PAPERS	PATENTS ISSUED	EXPENDITURE	HIGHER EDUCATION
	1. U.S.	1. U.S.	1. U.S.	1. U.S.
	2. Germany	2. Japan	2. China	2. Germany
	3. China	3. South Korea	3. Japan	3. U.K.
	4. Japan	4. Germany	4. Germany	4. Japan
	5. U.K.	5. Taiwan	5. France	5. France
	6. France	6. Canada	6. U.K.	6. Italy
	7. Canada	7. France	7. Russian Fed.	7. Brazil
	8. South Korea	8. U.K.	8. Italy	8. Canada
	9. Italy	9. China	9. Canada	9. Spain
	10. Spain	10. Italy	10. Spain	10. Australia
	11. Switzerland	11. Australia	11. Australia	11. Sweden
	12. Australia	12. Israel	12. Sweden	12. Switzerland
	13. Netherlands	13. Netherlands	13. Netherlands	13. Poland
	14. India	14. Switzerland	14. Switzerland	14. Netherlands
	15. Taiwan	15. Sweden	15. Austria	15. Turkey
	16. Israel	16. India	16. Turkey	16. Portugal
	17. Singapore	17. Finland	17. Israel	17. Czech Reublic
	18. Sweden	18. Belgium	18. Belgium	18. Austria
	19. Belgium	19. Austria	19. Finland	19. Belgium
	20. Denmark	20. Denmark	20. Denmark	20. Mexico
	21. Austria	21. Singapore	21. Mexico	21. Finland
	22. Russian Fed.	22. Hong Kong	22. Poland	22. Israel
	23. Hong Kong	23. Spain	23. South Africa	23. Slovakia
	24. Brazil	24. Norway	24. Norway	24. Denmark
	25. Finland	25. Ireland	25. Portugal	25. Greece

Top countries with the most competitive educational systems: Best Schools and Colleges

Source: Can U.S. Universities Stay on Top? – WSJ.com

Education Strength

The Boston Consulting Group’s new E4 index assigns points in four categories, each equally weighted in the final score. Of the 20 countries ranked, here are the top 10.

Country	Total points	Enrollment points	Expenditure points	Engineering grads points	Elite university points
U.S.	237	25	73	48	91
U.K.	125	4	26	46	48
China	115	86	17	4	8
Germany	104	5	25	37	38
India	104	90	4	3	6
France	87	4	24	41	18
Canada	85	2	25	39	18
Japan	72	7	31	19	16
Brazil	38	17	16	2	3
Russia	32	9	10	10	3

Source: Boston Consulting Group analysis

9 Foreign Terrorist Organizations that should NOT be there in the USA Terrorism Watch

Source: When is a terrorist no longer a terrorist? | FP Passport

• The Abu Nidal Organization — a PLO splinter group — was a major terrorist organization in the 1980s and 1990s, but has barely been heard from since Abu Nidal’s death in 2002.

 

• Aum Shinriyko, the Japanese cult that carried out the sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway in 1995, hasn’t carried out any attacks since.

 

• ETA — the decades-old Basque nationalist group, is thought to have fewer than 100 active members since hundreds were arrested by French and Spanich police, and hasn’t carried out a major attack since 2009.

 

• The Continuity Irish Republican Army may have fewer than 50 members, and these days spends more time on political infighting than planning attacks.

 

• Gama’a al-Islamiyya  was once Egypt’s largest terrorist group and it’s former spiritual leader, “Blind Sheikh” Omar Abdul Rahman is in jail in the U.S. for his part in the 1993 World Trade Center attack, but the group has largely renounced violence since the early 2000s and now has its own political party with seats in the Egyptian parliament.

 

• The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were decimated by a Sri Lankan army offensive in 2009 and despite reports of regrouping abroad, the Tigers haven’t been able to mount any major operations since.

 

• The Morrocan Islamic Combatant Group was one of the organizations implicated in the 2004 Madrid train bombings but hasn’t been heard from since.

 

• Revolutionary Organization 17 November,  a leftist Greek militant group that targed U.S. and NATO targets in the 1980s and ’90s, hasn’t carried out any attacks since 2002.

 

• United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia — a right-wing paramilitary anti-FARC group — was mostly demobilized in 2010 and the elements of it that remain are more of a drug trafficking organization than a terrorist militia.

Top 5 cities for fraudulent tax returns

IRS paid out more than $972 million in possibly fraudulent refunds in 2010

1. Tampa ($468.3 million)

2. Miami ($280.5 million)

3. Atlanta ($77.1 million)

4. Detroit ($74.3 million)

5. Houston ($72 million).

IRS says these five cities alone accounted for more than 239,000 questionable tax returns.

Top 5 fraudulent addresses used for Income Tax returns in USA

1. Lansing, Michigan – 2,137 bogus returns for $3.3 million.

2. Chicago, Illinois – 765 returns for $903,000.

3. Orlando, Florida – 703 returns for 1.08 million.

4. Tampa, Florida – 518 phony returns for $1.7 million.

5. Belle Glade, Florida (pop. 17,667) – 741 fake returns for $1 million.

In all, the investigation found that Uncle Sam paid out $5.2 billion to identity thieves filing fake tax returns.

Ford Foundation: Notable Indian Grants, Corporate NGO partnerships & Fellowships

1. Amitabh Behar, Executive director,  National Foundation for India Supports voluntary development $25,00,000
2. Dr Gladwin Joseph, Director, ATREE Striving to conserve biodiversity through sustainable development $13,19,031
3. Indira Jaising, Director, Lawyers’ CollectivePromotes human rights for marginalised people$12,40,000
4. Mathew Titus, Executive Director, Sa-Dhan Association Umbrella body of MFIs $9,10,000
5. Kinsuk Mitra, chairperson, Winrock Intl – Sustainable rural resource management$8,00,000
6. Sandeep Dikshit, Governing body member,CBGA Promotes accountability & participatory governance $6,50,000
7. J. Mohanty, Chairperson, Credibility Alliance Promoting norms of accountability among NGOs $6,00,000
8. Akhila Sivadas, Executive Director, Centre for Advocacy & Research Rights of marginalised populations $5,00,000
9. JNU, Leading liberal arts university; FF funds used to set up Centre for Law & Governance$4,00,000
10. Manish Sisodia, Founder, Kabir – Promoting RTI for transparency & accountability; Anna Hazare supporter$3,97,000
11. Yogendra Yadav, Fellow, Centre for Study of Developing Societies, A think-tank largely funded by ICSSR $3,50,000
12. Parthiv Shah Founder Director, CMAC Promotes culture, design & focuses on governance $2,55,000
13. Nandan M. Nilekani, President, NCAER, Influential think-tank on policy issues that have found application $2,30,000
14. Pratap Bhanu Mehta Head, Centre for Policy Research Leading think-tank, provides advisory services to govt $687,000
    

இலக்கிய நிகழ்வுகளுக்கு செல்லாமல் இருக்க ஏழு காரணங்கள்

அயல்நாடுகளில் எழுத்தாளர்களுடன் உரையாட நிறைய வாய்ப்புகள் கிடைக்கின்றன. சமீபத்தில் கட்டுரையாளரும் நாவலாசிரியருமான பி ஏ கிருஷ்ணன் லண்டனுக்கும் பே ஏரியாவிலும் வாசகர்களை சந்தித்தார். நாஞ்சில் நாடனும் அமெரிக்கா முழுக்க உலாவி வருகிறார். வெகு விரைவில் எஸ் ராமகிருஷ்ணனும் வட அமெரிக்காவை வலம் வரப் போகிறார்.

இந்த மாதிரி சந்திப்புகளுக்கும் இலக்கிய கூட்டங்களுக்கும் செல்லாமல் இருப்பதற்கான காரணங்களைப் பட்டியலிட்டு பார்க்கிறேன்.

1. எனக்கு அங்கே யாரையும் தெரியாது; அதனால் கூச்சமாகவோ அச்சமாகவோ இருக்கிறது.

2. கார் ஓட்டத் தெரியாது; அவ்வளவு தூரம் ஓட்ட முடியாது.

3. அதுதான் அவரோட எழுத்தைப் படிச்சிருக்கோமே… அப்புறம் எதற்கு சந்திக்கணும்?

4. மகளுடைய பியானோ ஒப்பித்தல்; மகனுடைய கராத்தே பயிற்சி.

5. ஏற்கனவே சென்ற கூட்டங்கள் சிலாகிக்கவில்லை; வந்தவர் பேசாமல் வேறு ஒருவர் ஆக்கிரமிப்பார்; நெறியாக ஒருங்கிணைக்கப்படவில்லை என்பதால், இதுவும் ஒழுங்கற்று இருக்கலாம்.

6. சோம்பேறித்தனம் + போரடிக்கும்.

7. நான் அவரை முன்பே சில முறை சந்தித்து உரையாடிருக்கிறேன்.

கொசுறு: நான் அவரை வாசித்ததில்லை; என் கவிதைத் தொகுப்பை தரட்டுமா?