Women’s status is the rising or falling barometer of a civilization. Without speaking a word or writing a line women can change the way of life of families, nation, and the world.
How essential, therefore, for the common welfare, for the world, and particularly for Christianity that woman know her power, her role, her destiny.
This pamphlet is as timeless as it is timely, as universal as it is local, as applicable to the high as it is to the lowly, as suited to the young as it is to the old.
(Rt. Rev. Msgr.) L. G. Ligutti
National Catholic Rural Life Conference
The Task of Woman in the Modern World
“The important thing for a country is that the men should be manly, the women womanly.” This comment of Chesterton’s embodies a fundamental principle of social order. In society, as in any organism, unity and order are achieved through the cooperation of very different members, each fulfilling his own functions and contributing his special qualities to the common good.
The deepest difference among human beings—far more fundamental than any difference of intelligence or ability, nation or race—is the difference of sex. “And God created man to His own image: to the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” This basic difference is not merely physical but also psychological, coloring the total personality. In the whole range of her being—her mind, her senses, her emotions, her will, her interests and reactions—woman differs profoundly from man.
It is obviously of the greatest importance that this difference find its proper expression in the social functions of the two sexes. Each has unique qualities to contribute to the enrichment of human life. It is essential for the full and harmonious development of society, and especially for a Christian society, that “the men should be manly, the women womanly.” Man and woman are made to complement each other at every point. Man’s capacity for theory, for forming an abstract and comprehensive view, is matched by woman’s practical sense and her gift for detail. Man’s ambition and self-assertion which spur him on to great achievement must be balanced by the creative power of woman’s spirit of sacrifice and self-surrender. Man’s ability for leadership and desire for power must be tempered by woman’s spirit of love and selfless devotion.
The undue predominance of either masculine or feminine qualities creates profound disturbances which reverberate throughout the entire social structure, as we can see in our own culture. Western European civilization under the influence of Protestantism, rationalism, liberalism, and other secularizing trends, has become progressively more masculine in the last four centuries. Ours is a culture of the self-assertion of man: of man’s reason and scientific method in the intellectual sphere; of man’s will to power and conquest in business and world affairs; of man’s independence of God in all aspects of life. In our time we need women with a vision of their great task as women who will help to restore the social equilibrium by creating a vital current of the great womanly virtues: the spirit of love, compassion for the suffering, generous self-sacrifice. As women our fundamental contribution to the new order lies in finding our proper role in society. Our most urgent task in the work of reconstruction is to face this problem: What is the function of woman in the social order?
The Universal Mission of Woman
Woman’s essential mission in the world is to be for mankind a living example of the spirit of total dedication to God. To love God with her whole heart, her whole mind, her whole strength, and to radiate that love to the world—this is the universal task of woman. It is true that every human being is made for the love of God and is meant to be totally consecrated to His praise. In what sense, then, can we say that it is the particular mission of woman to be both an example and guide of man along the way of dedication?
There are two poles, two principles in human nature. Father Gerald Vann, O.P., in his recent book, The Heart of Man, distinguishes these two basic tendencies as “man the maker” and “man the lover.” Both principles are present to some extent in every human being, but man the maker is realized most perfectly in man; man the lover in woman. It is the maker who asserts, who imposes his idea and his will on the surroundings. The race takes its forward motion along the way of organization and invention from him. It is man the lover who gives, who yields his own will and gladly surrenders not only his will but his very self to the beloved.
Mankind has always recognized that love plays a far greater role in woman’s life than in man’s. Every woman when she looks into her own heart finds there the deep desire to surrender herself completely in love. Woman is by nature total in her giving; love absorbs her whole being. Byron was expressing the common experience of mankind when he wrote:
“Man’s love is of man’s life a thing apart
‘Tis Woman’s whole existence.”
In relation to God, we must all fulfill the role of the lover, awaiting the divine initiative, surrendering completely to the divine will. As C. S. Lewis writes so beautifully, “Our role must be always that of patient to agent, female to male, mirror to light, echo to voice. Our highest activity must be response, not initiative. To experience the love of God in a true and not an illusory form is therefore to experience it as our surrender to His demand, our conformity to His desire.” Christian tradition has often expressed man’s relation to God in the beautiful phrase: the soul is the bride of Christ. But woman’s nature has the greater innate affinity for the bridal role, for the act of loving surrender. That is why woman has been throughout Christian history a symbol and example of the spirit of complete consecration to God. Woman’s natural capacity for wholehearted giving of herself in love is the basis for her glorious supernatural vocation. It is her function to help to lead mankind to God by becoming herself a radiant example of total dedication to His will.
The lover’s surrender opens the way for the action of God’s grace in the world. “The world can be moved by the strength of man, but it can be blessed in the real sense of the word only in the sign of woman,” writes Gertrude von Le Fort. It is first of all to Our Lady that these words apply. In her, the universal mission of woman, the lover, was fulfilled most completely. Her “fiat” is the perfect expression of the creature’s wholesouled surrender to the creator, and through her surrender the fullness of blessing entered into the world. These words may be applied, too, to the universal task of womankind, for it is the function of every woman to re-echo the “fiat” of Mary and thus to become a source of blessing to humanity.
Woman As Mother of Mankind
Woman helps to lead society Godward by her direct service of mankind as well as by her example. Total dedication to God implies wholehearted service of man. A loving care for one’s neighbor is but the necessary practical expression of a genuine love of God. In woman, the care for one’s neighbor has the character of maternal love, with its warm personal devotion and generous sacrifice of self. Spiritually as well as physically, woman is the mother of mankind, the fountain and nurturer of life.
Through her relation to “man the maker” woman exercises a strong spiritual influence on the whole of a culture. Man leaves the imprint of his personality in the creations of his mind—works of science and art, monumental buildings and commercial empires. But woman’s masterpiece is life itself. She is not interested in abstract or technical achievements but in persons, and in bringing persons to God. She stays in the background, the great inspirer, whose warm sympathy and encouragement spur man on. Intuitively she perceives what is best and noblest in his proposals and helps to develop it. With her deep awareness of the sacramentality of life, she helps man to see matter as the image of spirit, inspiring him with her vision of the divine poetry of creation and the symbolism of human action.
In the life of every great man one finds this vital influence of a noble woman—Monica and Augustine, Paula and Jerome, Scholastica and Benedict, Clare and Francis, Blanche of Castile and King Louis, Clothilde and Clovis, Beatrice and Dante. Woman’s influence is subtle and hard to define but nonetheless real. When she no longer fulfills her role as spiritual mother, culture becomes gross, materialistic, brutal, and loses grace and beauty.
The Three Spheres of Woman’s Dedication
Woman must needs fulfill her universal mission of dedication to God and loving service of mankind in some concrete set of circumstances. There are three spheres in which she can carry out her primary task: religious life, marriage, and single life in the world. In the designs of God’s Providence, some women in every generation, the “first fruits,” are meant to consecrate themselves to God in religion; most women are called to dedicate themselves to Him in marriage; and very few are intended for the life of the unmarried woman in the world. But whether she becomes a nun, a mother of a family, or a single woman in the world, her essential function remains the same: to be a living example of the spirit of surrender and love, the spiritual mother of mankind.
The virgin consecrated to God by her vow of chastity has always been regarded with highest honor in Christian civilization. Consecrated virginity diffuses a fragrant atmosphere of purity and spiritual integrity throughout society, which contributes to preserve the sanctity of marriage and the dignity of womanhood. The greater the respect and esteem shown to virginity in a society, the higher the position of all women will be. It is significant that the Protestant revolt which has had so many unfortunate consequences for the position of woman began with Luther’s attacks on virginity and his liquidation of convents and monasteries.
The topic of woman’s contribution to society through the religious life, however, demands a separate article for adequate treatment. The present discussion will be confined to the role of woman in marriage and in the single life in the world.
Woman in Marriage
Woman’s nature is admirably adapted to her functions as wife and mother. The responsibilities of the family develop her powers and mature her spiritually, mentally, and physically.
Spiritually, a woman becomes mature through surrender, through finding the particular role in which she can accomplish her total dedication to God. The young woman who has found her vocation in life in marriage and is wholly given to her task of bringing her family to God is a mature person whatever her age. She will have that air of serenity and peace which are the sign of the basic fulfillment of her being. The woman who has never surrendered wholeheartedly to any purpose outside herself remains immature all her life, like a bud which never unfolds itself. In marriage, woman can develop a spirit of selflessness which makes her dedication deeper and richer with the years. Her service to her family both expresses her love of God and increases her power of loving. The woman who has no outlet for her love, no one for whom she can spend herself, is apt to become hard, bitter, selfish, because she has no one but herself to consider. The woman who is constantly concerned with the needs of her family can unfold the qualities of love, tenderness, and unselfish devotion which make her truly great and truly happy.
Mentally, a woman’s mind matures under the stimulus of the varied practical activities she performs for those she loves. In the concrete, living experience of the family, she can develop sound judgment and a keen insight into human nature. Lombroso’s observation can readily be verified.
“The mother of a large family who has had no time to study, having been occupied with her children and her household, has more life, more breadth of ideas, than the old maid of the same age who has done nothing else than to potter about at universities and libraries.”
The responsibilities of her family life exercise all woman’s mental powers. Her intuition and powers of observation are called into play constantly to discover the unexpressed desires of her family, particularly the needs of the helpless child. She has need of her intuition, too, as well as her tact, to help her solve the hundred problems of human relations and practical affairs that arise in the course of her day. Providing for the family helps to develop woman’s natural ingenuity and inventiveness. It is to the ingenuity of women intent on meeting the needs of their families that we owe the discovery of many of the most important arts: horticulture, for example; the creative arts of weaving, pottery, basketry; the domestic arts of food preparation and preservation; the uses of medicinal herbs in healing.
Physically, too, marriage and child bearing represent a development and completion for the normal woman, giving her new beauty and vitality. The mother of a large family experiences a physical fulfillment with the birth of each child which gives her fresh vigor and health. Dr. Alexis Carrell observes that women attain their full development as a rule only after the birth of several children. He writes in Man The Unknown:
“Women who have no children are not so well balanced and become more nervous than the others. The importance to woman of the generative function has not been sufficiently recognized. Such function is indispensable to her optimum development. It is therefore absurd to turn women against maternity.”
The Gigantic Task
In a well balanced society, where the family performs all its proper functions, the home is a society in microcosm, presenting all the problems of human relations, all the variety of human activities. The home is at once an economic and industrial center, preparing goods for family use; a school in which the young are introduced to the universe; a sanctuary for rest and relaxation; a temple dedicated to the praise of God. It is woman’s function to organize and direct this complex undertaking, a role which demands intelligence talents and spiritual qualities of a high order. Chesterton describes the vastness of woman’s task in the family in the following passage from What’s Wrong With the World:
“To be Queen Elizabeth within a definite area, deciding sales, banquets, labors, and holidays; to be Whiteley within a certain area, providing toys, boots, sheets, cakes and books; to be Aristotle within a certain area, teaching morals, manners, theology and hygiene: I can understand how this might exhaust the mind, but I cannot imagine how it could narrow it. How can it be a large career to tell other people’s children about the Rule of Three and a small career to tell one’s own children about the universe? How can it be broad to be the same thing to everyone, and narrow to be everything to someone? No; a woman’s function is laborious but because it is gigantic, not because it is minute.”
One of the greatest of woman’s responsibilities is her task as educator, transmitting the fundamental heritage of civilization, the traditions of culture and religion, to the new generation. The child receives his first introduction to civilization from his mother. The first formation of his mind and character belong almost entirely to her. She gives the child his first concepts of reality, his basic acquaintance with his mother tongue. The child’s ideas of God, of right and wrong, of repentance for faults, his first meeting with God in prayer—all come through the mother’s teaching. She socializes the young human being, training him to honesty, courage, generosity, developing self-control, responsibility, and all those other virtues without which society cannot exist. She molds the men and women of the future. No other influence is as strong as the mother’s in forming and preparing human beings for life.
Woman not only transmits the foundation of culture to the child; she is the great keeper of tradition in society, the custodian of manners and morals, conserving the gracious customs and fundamental standards of the race. She inspires and enforces the code of social behavior as, for example, the great chatelaines of the middle ages upheld the noble code of chivalry, and the hostesses of the seventeenth century salons cultivated the refinement of taste and manner. She keeps alive those religious customs and traditions in the home and community which link the daily life of man to God by so many intimate bonds. She is the guardian of the moral standard, especially in all that concerns the family. In this respect, as in so many others, the modern woman has abrogated her traditional role with tragic consequences for society.
It is impossible to exaggerate the importance for society of woman’s achievement in the family. The family is the foundation of all the larger social structures, the basic cell on which all other agencies depend for the very existence and first formation of their members. A nation can flourish only to the extent that it is composed of healthy, flourishing families. But the family can endure only if the woman spends herself wholeheartedly to create a real home. If the woman looks down upon her function and neglects her task in the family, nothing can take her place; the family will disintegrate and with it the whole society. This should be abundantly clear to us when we see how powerless the most elaborate schools and the most advanced methods of social work are in the face of the rising tide of juvenile delinquents from neglected and broken homes. It is superficial to think as women that we must be in the forefront of public affairs, politics, or business to influence the course of the world. “Not in the branches of a tree but in its roots do force and power reside,” writes Gertrude von Le Fort. Woman is at the very roots of social life. If she keeps the sources of life pure and healthy, the entire social order will be renewed and reinvigorated by her effort.
Woman in Single Life
The other sphere through which woman can carry out her mission is the state of single life in the world. In normal times, only a few women are called to this vocation. But in our time, due to the war and to other abnormal social conditions, many women will remain unmarried. We should realize that this circumstance falls within God’s Providence, and that He has destined the single woman to fulfill an important role in the modern world.
The task of the unmarried woman is, by her whole hearted surrender to God, to make virginity spiritually fruitful in the world. In embracing virginity, she should radiate purity and nobility of soul. Her very existence, like that of the virgin consecrated in religion, should be a strong positive influence upholding the dignity of womanhood and the sanctity of marriage.
By developing her capacity for spiritual motherhood, she should become a source of strength and comfort and inspiration to mankind. Never has the world been so full of misery, so desperately in need of the healing influence of woman’s love. The mission of the unmarried woman in this time is to give the full riches of her maternal love and devotion to alleviate the sufferings and renew the hope of mankind.
In order to accomplish her vocation, the single woman must find an appropriate sphere in which she can carry out her dedication to God through loving service of human beings. She must strike out on new paths, searching for types of work in which she can use her womanly talents and develop her woman’s nature. In the education and formation of the young; in agriculture, tending growing plants and animals; in the care of the sick, the weak, the poor, the helpless, woman finds fields of activity appropriate to her capacities as nurturer of life. Unfortunately, work as it is carried on in these fields today often affords small opportunity for the use of woman’s characteristic talents. In medicine, in education, in social work, we suffer from depersonalization, from too much large scale organization and mechanical routine, from too much concern with the physical aspects of the process. We need women to pioneer in these fields again, bringing with them their gift for warmly personal service and creating truly womanly occupations. We need women who will help to restore the emphasis on the spiritual, and who will make the work of healing, of teaching, of relieving the distressed a full expression of living charity between human persons.
How Did We Lose the Concept of True Womanhood?
As we look over the modern world we may be tempted to echo King Solomon’s cry: Who shall find a valiant woman? On every hand we see modern women turning away from this type of the greathearted woman. How does it happen that we have lost the concept of the woman of love and sacrifice and have accepted the ideal of the professional woman in its place?
Three major factors have contributed to the destruction of the womanly ideal: the Reformation, and the consequent secularization of western culture; the Industrial Revolution; the Feminist Movement. The Reformation was an ultra-masculine movement with small regard for woman’s qualities and woman’s functions. As society lost its Catholic sense, it lost also the concept of total dedication, the understanding of the sacramentality of life, the regard for the sanctity of marriage—all principles intimately connected with woman’s mission and dignity. At the same time, “the masculine desire to dominate the woman found expression in the law.” Public opinion looked down upon woman’s sphere.“Kirche, kuche, and kinderstube” (“Church, kitchen, and nursery”) were linked together and treated with scant respect as fit only for women.
Along with the intellectual devaluation of woman’s activities came the profound economic and social changes created by the Industrial Revolution. Seventy-five years ago the woman in the home was still the center of a variety of economic enterprises of unquestioned value and importance. But one by one almost all the activities through which a woman served her family, developed herself, and earned the esteem of society, have been lifted out of her hands and transferred to the factory. The sphere in which most women had found their means of dedication was severely curtailed. At the same time, economic necessity forced many women into the labor market to help support their families and thus led them further away from a womanly pattern.
The third influence which has contributed to the loss of a true concept of woman’s function is the feminist fallacy. Feminism was born of woman’s natural reaction against the depressed condition in which she found herself in a secularized, masculine, industrial culture. The feminists vociferously demanded equality, but unfortunately they conceived equality on a masculine pattern. Their whole struggle for woman’s rights has simply helped to destroy the difference between the sexes and has worked to make the woman a slavish imitation of the man. Feminism is an abject surrender to the masculine ideal as the only ideal. The feminist has completely lost faith in herself as a woman. Her effort to prove herself “just as good as a man” betrays her insecurity and is a tacit admission of inferiority.
Woman’s struggle for freedom has led her deeper and deeper into a morass of conditions which frustrate her nature and her mission. Chesterton’s bon mot is more than a witty pun: “Twenty million women rose to their feet with the cry: ‘We will not be dictated to’ and proceeded to become stenographers.” It is a summary of woman’s situation in the modern world. Women rebelled against the confinement of the home; they find themselves now confined to the mechanical routine of the typewriter and the assembly line, rendered all the more monotonous for a woman because of its exceedingly impersonal character.
Woman is made for marriage and motherhood; the modern woman in the name of freedom urges easy divorce and artificial sterility. Woman is well adapted to the universal activity of the home; her demand for freedom leads her to a narrowly specialized education and still more narrowly specialized career. Woman is made for love, for the giving of herself in personal, devoted service. In the modern world she has found her way to a position of lonely and selfish independence.
Towards a Solution
The problem of woman’s role is fundamental and no simple, facile solution will meet it. It is not surprising that a society which has lost its sense for divine things and for man’s own nature should have lost also the true concept of woman. The unnatural position of woman in our society is but one aspect of the disintegration of modern culture. Nothing short of an intensive and all-embracing renewal of the modern world in the Christian spirit will restore woman to her proper functions.
What can we do as women to restore a true concept of womanhood?
(1) Know thyself. As women, our first task is to regain our self-respect in the light of a clear concept of our nature and our role. We must grasp the full splendor of the divine idea of woman as it is revealed to us in the sacred writings, climaxing in the figure of Our Lady. If we have the courage to be ourselves and to follow our spiritual mission, then the world will once again recognize and reverence the immeasurable dignity of womanhood.
(2) Restore the Christian Family. We must strive in all ways to restore the family to its rightful dignity and full vigor as the basic cell of the social organism. The family must regain the entire range of its functions, the full scope of its gigantic task—religious, educational, cultural, economic. As women it is our particular responsibility to develop a new pattern of integral Christian life in the family, in which common prayer, work, study and recreation will build the bonds of unity and draw the family heavenwards.
(3) Create Womanly Work. If woman is to give the full benefit of her special qualities to society, it is of the utmost importance that we create, especially for the unmarried woman, many types of womanly work. We need pioneers of vision and imagination to take the lead in developing occupations which give woman the opportunity to mature and use her distinctive gifts. We must be alert to discover appropriate spheres of activity in which woman may realize her dedication to God in loving service of humankind.
(4) Become Radiant Examples of the Spirit of Total Dedication. Most important of all we must fulfill our primary mission to radiate the spirit of dedication in the world. Never has there been a period in the history of the race when the need for woman’s spiritual mission was so great. At the root of all the disorders of our sad, sick world lies man’s attempt to assert his independence of God. To bring tranquillity and joy into the chaos of modern society, the first necessity is a profound renewal of spirit, a wholehearted surrender of man to God, a humble and joyful acknowledgment of our complete dependence on Him. To light the way to this surrender is the spiritual mission of the women of the twentieth century, the task of woman in the modern world.
K. Chesterton, What’s Wrong With the World.Sheed and Ward, New York, 1942.
Gina Lombroso, The Soul of Woman. E. P. Dutton & Company, New York, 1923.
Jacques Leclercq, Marriage and the Family. Pustet, New York. 1942.
Edward Leen, C.S.Sp., What Is Education? Chapter X. Sheed and Ward. New York, 1944.
Walter Farrell, O.P., Companion to the Summa, Vol. IV, Chapter VII. Sheed and Ward, New York, 1942.


When there are many books and little space for them, place them in an unusual way.
Books are the roads to knowledge and travels made without leaving your home, portals to other worlds and faithful companions of life, a cure for fatigue and a way to lift your spirits, self-esteem, helpers in raising children, raising animals and plants, and, of course, just entertainment. You probably want to save those that you have already read. Or, perhaps, you have to keep a lot of professional literature at home. To prevent books from turning from a source of knowledge into a source of irritation, you have to think about how to store them.
Standard ways and you, no doubt, you know. Therefore, we will try to find not banal storage examples, which will save space and decorate the apartment.
About cooking and not only
About the kitchen is usually thought of as a last resort for obvious reasons: a constant change in the temperature in the room, heat from the stove, and moisture after washing dishes. It is believed that all this affects the safety of books.
If the kitchen does not prepare daily breakfast, lunch and dinner for a family of ten people, then you have just found a great place to put some of the home library in it. All changes in temperature and humidity will significantly affect rarities, and for the latter, in any case, special storage conditions are necessary.
If you think over the space in advance, you can make a storage for books in the continuation of the table or bar. When at the same time you want to read and drink coffee, the desired is easy to find at arm's length.
This option is perfect for studio apartments. There is always room for books in the kitchen combined with the living room. From the side of the kitchen, store the utensils in the table, and organize the library on the other.
Top shelves for the placement of kitchen utensils and products are not the best place. It will not be very convenient for you to use what lies there. Whether the book is the case: you take it off the shelf, read (sometimes for months) and put it in its place. Therefore, they will not have to climb onto the stepladder as often as if they are behind a pack of pasta or rice.
Books where they sleep
Yes, reading lying in bed is harmful, but not reading is even more harmful. But what is useful is to approach the question wisely where exactly the numerous publications should be placed in the bedroom. There is a suggestion: create a suitable space under the window sill. So over time, books will not lose color when exposed to the sun, and there will be more free space on the walls.
If there is very little space in the bedroom or you want to leave more free space, it is better to build a storage system around the window. Even narrow shelves will help you attach some books.
The best solution is to make a podium for the bed, and under it, above it and on the sides of it, store your favorite fiction. Even after reading the horrors of Stephen King, you will be sure: there are only books next to the bed.
Books, in principle, can be stored almost everywhere, even in the corridor. The main thing is to figure out how to make sure that they do not interfere and can be obtained easily enough. For example, the underestimated space around the doorway is great for shelving, when space seems to be completely absent. If possible, intersperse books with other objects - for example, with decorative elements. Thus, the interior will be more alive.
When books are darkness, but conscience, pity or someone from home (or even all together) does not allow getting rid of at least a part of it, take advantage of it. The covers of books are mostly multi-colored, therefore, having equipped all the walls of the room with the help of open shelves and placing the books in places, you will get a kind of multi-colored “wallpaper” from the books. And you will save on real wallpaper, because they will practically not be visible because of the books.
True, if your library consists of large monochrome literary collections like the collected works of Lenin or the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, then the “wallpaper” can turn out to be gloomy.
More modern than the shelves, the option of placing books - shelving. The main plus: they are universal. On top of the open sections, put what looks good: books and photographs, figurines and paintings. And from the bottom - what can and should be hidden with the help of baskets or mobile boxes: bed linen, clothes, personal documents.
And do not forget about the narrow long racks. They will save if there is no room for a whole bookcase at all. A pair of such racks in the bedroom area, a couple in the living room, another couple in the corridor and an extra pair in the kitchen. And now the home library has found its place in the house, and the free useful area of the apartment has decreased slightly.
In addition, books can be stored:
In the table, if it is a coffee table for the living room.
On the glassed-in balcony, if you take care that the storage location is minimally affected by temperature changes.
On the windowsill: if it is wide, a part of it can be occupied by special sections for storing books.
On the shelves under the ceiling, because there no one walks, and the place is empty.
In search of a place that does not exist, it is worth looking into the dressing room or in the closet. It's okay if the books are next to the shoes: to wash the dust from the extra shelves is less pleasant than to realize that, due to the lack of space, one of the volumes is now adjacent to a pair of shoes.
Tip: The situation with finding a home for books will be made easier by portable shelves made of ordinary wooden boxes. If their natural color does not suit you, a quick painting will fix it. You can even not make special efforts on primer, polishing and imposing layers of paint or stain: blurry uneven painting is in fashion.
While the child is small, in the nursery (or children's corner) equip a peculiar showcase on the wall. Colorful editions will cheer up both you and the baby, and will be an excellent element of decor. In addition, the child can always get the right book himself: an open access system helps to form the first skills of independence (and your own choice, by the way)
Shelves in a niche - ideal for the nursery, because the kids are unlikely to hit the shelf or rack when they play (although children, of course, can do almost anything). Of the benefits of this option - saving space.
Less - it is better to plan such shelves at the repair stage.
For a children's loft bed is common, but if the child is not too interested to sleep at the top, better equip the library there. Yes, to get a book, he will have to climb the stairs every time. But who said that light exercise is superfluous?
The place of the bedside table in the nursery can also take a shelf - there will be a little more space for playing on the floor. Only if your child is ready to read from morning to evening, and even instead of sleep, then it is better to leave this idea unrealized. Even turned off the overhead light does not prevent him from knowing what was there in the book further (nobody canceled the lanterns under the covers).
If you are one of the lucky owners of two bathrooms, you can afford to make a guest room combined with a library from one bathroom. If from time to time in this room someone will wash their hands, fiction will not suffer.
How convenient to arrange books in the apartment
Under the ceiling and under the bed, the color of the roots or on the "soaring" shelves - to find a suitable place for bookshelves is not so difficult!
Russia: Rhombus praise
And what if you play with the geometry of space and expand the library at an angle of 45 degrees? An interesting reception was realized in one of the country projects by the Russian architect Maxim Kashin: the bookshelves are made in the form of rhombuses and combined with a TV console. The space under it is not in vain - on the lower tier is also located part of the family library.
Spain: laid on its side
A cool life hack, how to place a maximum of books in a small area, can be borrowed in a Spanish project: the owner of the apartment, a big book lover, placed them not vertically, but horizontally. Plus reception - the ability to place more books, leaving no gaps. The minus is that the required volume from the lower tier is hard enough to get, so we advise you to decompose the books according to the degree of relevance: let what you really read and re-read be at the top.
USA: all colors of the rainbow
If you are the owner of an extensive collection of works and love order, try to arrange books on the color of the roots. This method is suitable for those who know their own library well and will not forget that a small volume of Pushkin should be searched for in the burgundy part of the collection. But the sensation of a color explosion from such an arrangement is guaranteed: bright shades of books will enliven even the most strict interior.
Italy: strictly vertically
A small area of the apartment is not a reason to abandon the idea of collecting books. Even in the studio, most likely, you want to mount a zoned partition - it can be used to store books. In our Italian example, there is a shallow niche in the partition: it helps to place books as compact as possible.
Russia: books on backs
Some of us, on the contrary, are annoyed by the variegation - especially if the library is in the bedroom, where you want to surround yourself with calm shades. In this family bedroom, according to a project by Russian designer Olga Chernenko, the volumes were placed back in the roots: the owners find the book they need according to a predetermined pattern.
Denmark: a variety of genres
High demands are made on a modern library: it must not only hold literary baggage, but also decorate the interior. If it lacks dynamics, modules of various sizes and orientations will help to “stir up” the situation.
The back walls of the modules can also be different in color and texture, as in our example from Denmark, where some of the backs were left in white under the main shade of the interior, and several modules were supplemented with panels for wood.
Spain: how to beat the pylon
If there is an uncomfortable carrying pylon in the room, try turning the disadvantage to an advantage. Several open horizontal shelves can be placed between the column and the wall, which will not interfere with the natural light to penetrate into the remote corners of the room.
Denmark: egg cupboard
At first glance, it seems that a wardrobe, resembling either an egg or a figure, is a purely decorative piece. In fact, curved shelves are no less functional than straight ones, and there are exactly as many books placed under a light slant on them. If you have a desire to repeat the technique, think of an application for the hole in the middle - a vertical poster or picture will fit well into it.
Spain: a library in the wall
In the search for an optimal layout, the owners, at times, shield a separate part of a large open space. In our example from Spain, the kitchen was separated from the living room in this way, and in order to make the wall going into the common area more functional, the library was placed on it to the full height of the partition.
Russia: shelves as an art object
Time changes the traditional ideas about the home library: today the shelves do not necessarily look like horizontal bars, and sometimes take the most bizarre forms. The element of geometric diversity in the interior will help to make, for example, a library of composite panels: you can arrange them in any order, and fix the supports based on the number of volumes in your library.
Italy: extra strong construction
Some of us are familiar with the situation when a bookshelf suddenly collapses under the weight of the contents. You suspect that chipboard shelves might one day not bear the weight of an ever-growing library? Choose a metal frame: you can trust him even the most extensive collection.
UK: library under the roof
Attic floor is often perceived as the most comfortable part of a country house. The problem is that it is difficult to fill the sections at the very slope of the roof functionally - however, this is the place for the home library. Books can be arranged vertically or with a slight bias, as in this successful project from the UK.
France: vertical row
Another common layout problem is to find use for empty corners. Book collection can be a worthy answer in this case. Do not be afraid, you will not have to put books on the floor and worry that the stack will fall from each draft: a special framework with a metal stand that is not visible from the outside is used for such an arrangement.
Great Britain: little pranks
Hidden stops are used in similar modifications of bookshelves. Metal stops protect the volumes from falling, and, moreover, allow you to break the collection thematically.
USA: for localization
If you place books on separate open shelves, decorative stops will help protect books from falling. Try to experiment with humorous plots, for example, as in this American project - the main thing is that the holders themselves have enough weight.
Romania: books under the bed
Storage systems under the bed often help out the owners of small apartments. In addition to additional blankets and bedding, you can also place books here, although the bed with comfortable open drawers will most likely have to be made to order.
China: combining open shelves and closed facades
If there is not much space in the apartment, and your book collection is far from the district library, pay attention to the script from China: the designers combined storage systems for clothes and books in this apartment. The idea turned out to be successful not only because it meets the storage needs of the owners, but also due to the “breaking down” of the monotonous row of solid facades with open shelves with books. This adds dynamics to the interior.
Sweden: zoned wardrobe
Zoning a large space with a bookcase is not the freshest idea, but in order for it to work, you need to choose and assemble the cabinet wisely. The owners of this apartment in Stockholm chose a strict white wardrobe with sections of a single size - a smart move, given that the colorful roots always create a motley discord. In addition, the cupboard does not adjoin either the walls or the ceiling - there is enough room in the room for passage, and part of the room that is remote from the window does not lose natural light.
Russia: Library under the ceiling
The Russian project from the studio "ArchBaby" proves: you can always find a place for a bookshelf, there would be a desire. The bedroom has a large wardrobe for solid facades, and under the ceiling there was just a gap into which a part of the book collection fit perfectly.


In the video below, I have summarized the 5 key life lessons that can be learnt from the “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck” by Mark Manson. This book offers, what the author calls, a counterintuitive approach to living a good life. The book is a reaction to the self-help industry and what Manson saw as a culture of mindless positivity that isn’t practical or helpful for most people. Manson uses many of his own personal experiences to illustrate how life’s struggles often give it more meaning, which, he argues, is a better approach than constantly trying to be happy. He goes on to say that some suffering is always inevitable and the more comfortable we become with that idea, the less victimized we feel by life. This realization is what he labels as “practical enlightenment”.
The author is not suggesting that the key to living a good life is not giving any f*cks at all. Instead, the book discusses choosing wisely what you should and should not give a f*ck about. This is what makes this subjective choice a “subtle art”.


ON THIS DATE in 1858, Ukrainian-born artist and author Marie Bashkirtseff was born. At thirteen she began a diary that would eventually be published under the title, I Am the Most Interesting Book of All. Called “a book without parallel” by one reviewer, Bashkirtseff’s journal described the author’s galloping ambition: at fifteen she wrote, “What Am I? … Nothing! What do I want to be? … Everything!” “At thirteen when she begins, (she) talks and writes like a woman of thirty,” marveled Lady Louisa Knightley in 1880. “Her self-introspection, her cynical frankness, her burning ambition, her extraordinary ability, are absolutely phenomenal.” A feminist as well as an author and artist, Bashkirtseff lived much of her brief life in Paris. She died of tuberculosis at age twenty-five.
ON THIS DATE in 1997, sixteen-year-old soprano Lezlie Watson and 52 other members of the Girls Choir of Harlem made their concert debut at the Alice Tully Hall of the Lincoln Center in New York. While the Boys Choir of Harlem, formed in 1968, had performed for the Pope and recorded an album, the girls’ choir had struggled to attract corporate sponsors and other sources of funding since reassembling in 1989. The singers, wearing full-length, plum-colored gowns, began the concert by singing “in perfect German,” according to The New York Times, from Schumann’s “Country Song,” Opus 29, No. 1. “Their voices were equally at home with composer Robert Schumann’s romantic moodiness and the joyful refrains of ‘He’s Got The Whole World in His Hands,’” raved the Staten Island Advance in a review of the sold-out performance.
CALLED “THE BETSY ROSS of Texas,” Joanna Troutman was actually a seventeen-year-old farm girl from Georgia when she presented a lone star flag to Col. William Ward of the Georgia Battalion on November 18, 1835. The hand-made flag with the five-pointed star and the words “LIBERTY OR DEATH” flew in the company of 150 Georgia volunteers who fought for Texas in the war of independence against Mexico. On March 8, 1936, Troutman’s flag flew over an independent Texas. In 1913, 34 years after her death, Texas governor Oscar B. Colquitt had Troutman’s remains brought to Texas for burial in the Texas State Cemetery.
ON THIS DATE in 1950, fifteen-year-old Tenzin Gyatso was recognized as the 14th Dalai Lama, the spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan people. His nation’s all-powerful eastern and northern neighbor, China, had assured that his first year as Dalai Lama would be challenging by invading Tibet in October of that year. Along with some 80,000 other Tibetans, Gyatso fled the country after a failed uprising in 1959. He established a government-in-exile in northern India, where he has worked to secure self-rule for Tibet through non-violent means. That mission brought him the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize.
By his own admission, Gyatso may be “the most popular Dalai Lama of all,” a status he attributes to Tibet’s neighbor. “If the Chinese had treated the Tibetans like real brothers, then the Dalai Lama might not be so popular,” he once said.
ON THIS DATE in 1885, sixteen-year-old Paul Daimler may have become the world’s first motorcycle rider when he rode a two-wheeled motorized machine invented by his father, Gottlieb Daimler, near their home in southern Germany.
The motorcycle had two extra stabilizing wheels and only traveled about seven miles per hour,
which is slower than a running chicken. There was an element of danger, though. Daimler’s sister later test-drove the bike and crashed into a tree
ON THIS DATE in 1804, sixteen-year-old (estimated age) Sacagawea was engaged to join the Lewis and Clark Expedition with French-Indian trader and interpreter Toussaint Charbonneau, the father of her unborn son.
A Shoshone Indian, Sacagawea’s role in the 8,000-mile exploration of the West is often exaggerated, with one biographer decrying how she “has been portrayed as a woman whose abilities as a scout and a trailblazer were outstripped only by her physical beauty.”
Sacagawea did, however, make important contributions to the expedition. On one occasion, she leaped into a river to save supplies and papers after a storm tipped over a boat, and another time she interpreted and otherwise aided in the purchase of horses from the Shoshone tribe when the expedition desperately needed them.
Nearly everything we know about her comes from the journals of Meriwether Lewis, who praised Sacagawea’s “fortitude and resolution,” and William Clark, who called her his “pilot.”
At the end of the journey Charbonneau received $500.33 and 320 acres for his labor. Sacagawea received nothing.
When Sacagawea died at age twenty-five, Clark adopted her two children, a boy named Jean Baptise (that she carried during the journey) and a girl named Lisette.


It’s the first of August 2011, and that means I’ve officially started my PhD.
What do I intend to do? Well, see below:
Escaping the search box. Data visualisations of cultural collections.
Ben Ennis Butler
As technology has developed our cultural institutions have aimed to make their collections more accessible to the public, largely through the development of websites where the search interface is the primary access point.
However, what if we want to explore an entire collection, rather than trying to view a particular part of it? It is necessary to change the way we approach the data. By using data visualisation techniques and new web technologies I intend to explore different ways of accessing cultural collection datasets and demonstrate how different delivery platforms can enhance accessibility. Through practice-led research I plan to develop an interactive interface or system that will encourage exploration and discovery without being constrained by the limits of commonly used search technique. I envisage a prototype that can be applied to multiple collections.
I hope that I can make an original contribution to the body of knowledge by building a system that allows the user to discover relationships that we might not have been aware of previously. In other words, a system that forces one to question the data; think about why things are as they are; and to further understand the data and its complex relationships. Crucially I want to build something for non-researchers, for the everyday person. The aim is to open up the collection and peer inside, something every person should be able to do regardless of their location or background.
Data visualisation is an emerging field in contemporary cultural research. Researchers have begun to recognise the potential of visualisation, for example, Lev Manovich describes research into ‘visualising cultural patterns’ and cultural analytics. (2007) Daniel Keim notes the strengths of ‘visual data exploration’ as a way to understand large datasets. (2001)
Only a few data visualisation based works have been produced for cultural institutions to date. These include George LeGrady’s dynamic visualisations of activity in the Seattle Central Library; Jeanne Kramer-Smyth’s ArchivesZ (2007) project which focused on scope and availability of records in Archive collections; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s ArtScope (2009), which displays all the works in their collection on the screen at once, and more recently the Visible Archive, by Mitchell Whitelaw who visualised aspects of the National Archives of Australia collection.
I anticipate attending local presentations mounted by Canberra’s national cultural institutions, as well as specialist conferences such as the Museums and the Web (held in North America), where presentations of new industry developments and experimental techniques and sites are showcased. Given that little data has been published on visualization in the cultural context, such conferences will be provide an important source for viewing new developments and discussing ideas with colleagues. No special resources or equipment will be required.
I recently created a number of data visualisations of the National Gallery of Australia’s prints and printmaking collection. The aim of my Honours project, Visualising the visual: Australian prints in the National Gallery of Australia, was to examine how data visualisation can enable exploration and discovery of digital images in cultural collections, without using search. I produced three large printed visualisations of the collection showing chronological and gender distribution, and a basic interactive component that provide an introduction to the data and an insight into its richness. I received first class honours for this project. My research provides a sound base for future development, I have only just began to explore the potential of data visualisation and how it can benefit cultural collections. The contextual and theoretical research evident in my exegesis and the technical and design aspects of my practice will enable me to extend my project significantly.
Mitchell Whitelaw and Sam Hinton, staff from the Digital Design and Media Arts Research Cluster at the University of Canberra are leaders in the emerging field of data visualisation. I want to work on a project that will potentially change the way we access and understand cultural collections. The University’s ability to foster research that is both intellectually and technically demanding while also having practical outcomes is one of its great strengths. It is something I want to be a part of.
Keim, D. A. (2001). Visual exploration of large data sets. Communications of the ACM, 44(8), 38-44.
Kramer-Smyth, J. (2007). ArchivesZ: Visualizing Archival Collections. Retrieved November 8, 2010, from http://archivesz.com/
LeGrady, G. (2005). Making Visible the Invisible. Retrieved November 8, 2010, from http://www.mat.ucsb.edu/~g.legrady/glWeb/Projects/spl/spl.html
Manovich, L. (2007). Cultural Analytics: Analysis and Visualization of Large Cultural Datasets. Retrieved from http://www.manovich.net/cultural_analytics.pdf
Stamen Design, & SFMOMA. (2009). ArtScope. SFMOMA | Explore Modern Art | SFMOMA ArtScope. Retrieved April 8, 2010, from http://www.sfmoma.org/projects/artscope/
Whitelaw, M. (2009). The Visible Archive. Retrieved from http://visiblearchive.blogspot.com/


Now that my own book is finished I have had the chance to catch up on some reading. The Cold War by John Lewis Gaddis Although this book provides a good overview of the themes of the Cold War, I was somewhat disappointed at its lack of anaylsis of the main protagonists. Figures like Stalin, Kennedy, Mao, Gorbachev get less attention than I would like. Yet on the upside, the author presents in clear and objective language his own opinions of the factors that first led to (the desire of the west to limit Soviet influence in Western Europe) and ultimately what ended (economic contradictions and social pressures in the Soviet Union) the Cold War. The clearest lesson to me was that - no matter how bad the international situation seems now - we certainly do not face the same existential threat as existed in the latter 20th century. Imperium by Robert Harris As a true fan of Robert Harris, I was inevitably underwhelmed by his latest novel. Imperium simply fails to ignite the same moods of empathy and suspense as used wuccessfully in Fatherland, Pompeii or Archangel. I also feel that by telling the story through a narrator who is one step removed from the main character, we stray from the point of the book - to get inside the mind of the Cicero. That said, Harris does a typically superb job of building his fictional world. I could almost smell the streets of Rome. The deliberate parallel drawn between Pompey the Great and George W. Bush, and their joint desire for extended power, is also very entertaining.


TOP: The Pittsburgh G20 Partnership's Bill Flanagan is reflected in glass as he addresses members of the media Tuesday afternoon, Downtown at a press conference to discuss new information on the upcoming G20 summit in Pittsburgh. BOTTOM: Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato addresses the press conference.
Pittsburgh Pirate Jack Wilson talks to and coaches participants in the 2009 national 'PLAY' campaign hosted by the Pittsburgh Pirates & Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society's National Fitness Program at PNC Park on Monday morning, July 20, 2009. PLAY, which stands for Promoting a Lifetime of Activity for Youth, is a public awareness campaign of the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society, in conjunction with the Taylor Hooton Foundation to promote healthy lifestyles and to teach the dangers of performance enhancing drugs.
TOP: Chad Hardin, 16, helps clean at Little Sisters of the Poor in Brighton Heights on Monday afternoon, July 20, 2009 as part of a group of 113 teens from St. Peter Parish in Greenville, North Carolina who helped clean up around different sites in the diocese. St. Peter Parish has sponsored mission trips to Pittsburgh over the last several years. MIDDLE: Natalie Ballard, 16, of Greenville, NC, cleans a rolling cart. BOTTOM: Amanda Jones, 16, right, and Jordan Sturgis, 16, left, both of Greenville, NC, clean windows at the Little Sisters of the Poor.
100 other members of the Pittsburgh Tea Party Movement demonstrated outside the Downtown offices of Democratic Sens. Bob Casey and Arlen Specter. Organizers called the event a "Health Care Freedom TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party."
TOP: Andrew Lang, 42, of the South Side holds a sign at a town hall meeting for the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh on Thursday evening at the main library in Oakland to seek communities input on fundraising. BOTTOM: Jacqui Fiske Lazo, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's Chairman of the Board of Trustees, speaks with members of the community at the town hall meeting.
Evelyn Franz, 82, of Churchill bowls with her bowling league for seniors, "The Churchill AARP," on Friday morning, July 10, 2009. The league meets every Friday at the Great Valley Bowling Alley in North Versailles.
TOP: South Hills oral surgeon Dr. Robert Boyda walks along Ross Street with family and friends on Wednesday afternoon near the Allegheny County Courthouse where earlier in the day he was found not guilty of allegedly molesting patients in his office while they were under anesthesia.
BOTTOM: Dr. Boyda's attorney Bill Diffenderfer speaks with members of the media on Wednesday afternoon at the Allegheny County Courthouse after Dr. Boyda was found not guilty.


“I paint what I see with my eyes closed.”
-Giorgio de Chirico-
Giorgio de Chirico was born to Italian parents in Volos, Greece, on July 10, 1888. In his art, he sought to evoke the hidden meanings behind everyday life, and his enigmatic scenes of empty cities, menacing statues, mysterious shadows and strange combinations of everyday objects inspired the artists of the Surrealist movement in the 1910s, De Chirico died in Rome, Italy, on November 19, 1978.
He first studied art at the Higher School of Fine Arts in Athens. After the death of his father in 1905, de Chirico’s mother moved her three children to Munich, where de Chirico completed two years of study at the Academy of Fine Arts. After leaving the Academy he continued to educate himself, taking a particular interest in the philosophical writings of Arthur Schopenhauer and Friedrich Nietzsche. He returned to Italy in 1908, traveling to Milan and Turin and settling in Florence.
As a young artist, de Chirico was inspired by the European Symbolist artists and their use of dream-like imagery. His earliest signature works combined a Symbolist sensibility with his love of the classical antiquities of Greece and Italy and his philosophical musings on the true nature of reality. In paintings De Chirico depicted dramatically lit city piazzas inhabited only by one or two figures, a statue or mysterious shadows.
In 1911, de Chirico traveled to Paris, France, where his brother, Andrea (also known as Alberto Savinio), was living. There, he exhibited his work and met a number of influential avant-garde artists and writers, including Pablo Picasso and Constantin Brancusi.
Meanwhile, World War I had begun, and de Chirico and his brother were drafted into the Italian Army in 1915. In 1917, he met artist Carlo Carrà, who worked with him to define his style of “metaphysical painting,” emphasizing the hidden significance of ordinary places and objects.
De Chirico’s work was greatly admired by the newly formed Surrealist school of artists and writers, who were fascinated by dream analysis and the subconscious mind.
Though de Chirico did not identify himself as a Surrealist, he briefly collaborated with the artists of this circle, showing his work in their group exhibitions in Paris and illustrating books by Guillaume Apollinaire and Jean Cocteau. However, in the 1920s, he began working in a neo-traditional style inspired by Renaissance “old masters” like Raphael and Titian, and he turned against modern art and broke ties with the Surrealists.
De Chirico’s later career was inconsistent and occasionally controversial. He worked in a variety of formats from theater design to book illustration to sculpture, but his style was subject to unpredictable changes. His reputation was damaged when falsely dated copies of his works, by both de Chirico himself and forgers, infiltrated the art market.
Giorgio de Chirico – La Casa Museo


Completing my list of 6 books to buy ..here are the reamining 3 that got me agitated, engaged and excited......and happen not to be written by Seth Godin.
What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful (Marshall Goldsmith)
Its a smart choice to listen to the Audio book version of this, as the author has a way to get your attention, and shake you out of your complacency on the subject matter. Expertly written and full of useful tips on how to succeed in your career - notably what to change, do less of and the key things to do more of. Its a book that will be trusty accompanyment and a repeat read (listen) - for the rest of your career.
What Should I Do with My Life?: The True Story of People Who Answered the Ultimate Question (Po Bronson)
Whilst the title is a little misleading this is truly a a book of hope, charm, and intensity that leads the reader to reflection. The book is a series of interviews with people who tell their story, often of how they changed or discovered a new life path, be it early or late in life. An engaging read, and one that will force you to re-think what you are currently doing with your life - you have been warned !
Outliers: The Story of Success (Malcolm Gladwell)
This book challenges the perceived wisdom that self determination is the lead reason for success. By studying the phenomenom of 'outliers' Gladwell uncovers the pivotal role of environmental factors and biases that lead to outstanding achievements. A great book that helps you see the real 'facts', and an excellent read for those who like to challenge the status quo.


Laura Loomer was the first to expose Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Linda Sarsour, and Keith Ellison to name just a few.
If you love Laura Loomer’s guerilla style of journalism and her relentless pursuit of the truth, then you’ll love The Switch-Featuring Laura Loomer. Her profits from the book fund her independent journalism. https://loomered.com/2019/11/04/new-novel-featuring-laura-loomer-available-now/
TAGS LAURA LOOMER FOR CONGRESS LAURA LOOMER LOOMERED THE SWITCH


Hearts of CUES
Friends of the Heart (formerly Friends of the Heart Guild) began over 20 years ago to support Sacred Heart School. When the CUES School System changed their mission to support additional schools, Friends of the Heart realized they needed to expand their mission as well. In 2018, Friends of the Heart formerly changed their name to Hearts of CUES and now graciously supports all three CUES Schools. The Hearts of CUES is an auxiliary board within the CUES Fund. The board is dedicated to making a difference in a child’s life through educational and enrichment programs, library funding, fund raising and spreading the mission of the CUES School System and CUES Fund. Annual membership requires a donation to the Hearts of CUES board. There are volunteer events and social events throughout the year. All of these efforts and funds go to support the missions of CUES School System and the CUES Fund.


This is a short chapter about other faux marble techniques, such as Terrazzo. Also, this chapter includes an section on Inlaid scagliola.
Chapters Nine - Ten
This section of the book covers the decline of scagliola and its revival during the 20th century. One of the most interesting parts of this chapter is an article by Earl Felber that recounts his experience growing up in a plaster work community, and becoming a plaster craftsman over many years. Its very revealing of the state of the economy at the time, and even shows a lot about the status of plaster throughout his life. The personality of the characters in this part of his history are very alive, and it makes this piece very interesting.
I met Earl many years ago, and he showed me the old tools from this part of his life. They were almost like time traveling artifacts that really held the story that is told within them.
Another figure who was instrumental to reviving scagliola in the 20th century was Bianco Bianchi. He created intricate and beautiful inlaid scagliola tables and slabs that became very popular. His children keep his memory alive and keep his works pristine in a museum they run.
This chapter also covers the many styles that were created to use scagliola in parallel with the styles of the times. Styles like Gothic, Victorian etc.
Chapters Three - Seven
These chapters is where I show you how to harness the "magic" of scagliola, and create it for yourself. It includes detailed pictures and steps, which tools to use and how, and generally everything you would ever need to know about how to create this wonderful faux marble.
I won't talk too much about actual techniques here, if you want to learn how to make traditional and marezzo scagliola, buy the book.
The Magic of Scagliola covers a vast landscape of scagliola history, techniques, political and religious uses, sculptures, artistic mediums, recipes and more. In a way it is an art gallery of the top artists in the scagliola community throughout the ages. Above you can see the chapters list and it gives you an idea of the scope of this work, and just how much there is to know about this craft. The last few chapters even teach you how to make it in great detail which includes pictures.
There is a lot of useful and interesting information regarding the history of this craft and its artisans that makes the act of creating it a more lively and interesting experience. There is just so much here between the experiences of craftsman back in the peak of its use, the many ways it replicates different kinds of marble, the varying places it can be found and the many techniques used to make it that I want to go over some of the content here. I want you to know what you are getting if you decide to purchase my book. That you are getting the only fully inclusive and instructive book on scagliola and of course, its magic.
This section of the book covers the history of scagliola from its inception and its initial use until the early 20th century. The rise of scagliola throughout Europe was fast and took many forms. Its speed was partially because of its use by the Catholics and partially because it mirrored so many different styles for residential use over the centuries, making it a very versatile decoration.
Eventually, it even makes its way to the new worlds like the Americas and Australia and integrates into the government building architecture communities even there.
There is many places within these chapters where scagliola can be found, their history and impact on society is also touched on. Many famous and important places are lined with beautiful scagliola and other artificial marbles.The Lourve for instance.
Chapters one - two
Terrazzo CIA logo floor
These chapters contain a story that starts at the beginning of plaster use, and ends up at a place where the basic techniques of scagliola are really coming into full form. The secret can no longer be kept between the handful of masters and families that fervently tried to keep it for themselves, and scagliola starts its vast spread across Europe. It is during this rise that inlaid scagliola becomes very popular. Imagine any painting, but as smooth and as hard as granite. This was the attraction to the medium.
If you would like to order now click here: Order
A restoration job I did for the city mutual life building in Sydney Australia (left) and Some scagliola in the Louvre (right)


One of the teen designers & her fierce creation
Located in the heart of Midtown, the NYPL hosted it’s annual Anti-Prom event along with a teen fashion show. The Anti-Prom is an event which provides an alternative, safe space for all teens who may not feel welcome at official school proms or dances because of their sexual orientation, the way they dress, or for any other reason.
And, through the NYPL’s wonderful program called Design NYPL, ten students from the High School of Fashion Industries created outfits that were displayed at the Anti-Prom. Design NYPL not only hosted the students for research sessions but gave them $100 for fabric and provided the Library as a fashion show location. Check out some of the super talented teen designers & their creations below…
Bill Cunningham in a sea of teens…priceless <3
Several of the outfits will be on display in the Mid-Manhattan Library windows on 5th Ave for the remainder of June. Be sure to check them out!!
How talented are these teen designers?! I was soo impressed with the young talent & I wish all of them much success <3


Is having magical powers
a gift, or a curse?
Chase Tinker is about to
"I am so lucky to have come across such an amazing series!"
"This is a phenomenal book for middle grade readers, who can very easily project themselves into this adventure. In the grand old tradition of Harry Potter and Star Wars, I hope we hear a lot more about Chase Tinker, as well as the author, in the future."
Brian Katcher - School Librarian/Author
After spending the summer at his grandfather's incredibly magical house, Chase Tinker thought things couldn't get any more bizarre, or that the secrets and lies couldn't get any worse, but he was wrong.
As summer turns into Autumn, join Chase and his family for even more magical craziness. Craziness that will include: the sneezing of strange powers, the reappearance of the evil Marlowe family, another frightening kidnapping, the discovery of a mysterious, magical Japanese-American girl, a dangerous rescue mission, and a secret so mind-boggling, it will lead to a shocking climatic finish that will turn Chase's world upside down and leave him feeling like one of the worst people on the planet.
"WOW WOW WOW! I was very impressed by the first book and this second book is just as impressive. There are turns and twists as well as action and most important a lot of magic."
Ellie - Reviewer
This sequel, to the excellent Chase Tinker and the House of Magic, has not just continued the story, it has also increased my interest, introduced new characters, given plot and character twists that would make a mystery crime writer envious AND made me frantic for the next book.
Chris Graham - Reviewer
I am super pleased with this book. I cannot wait to read the next one. This book is so amazing and perfect. I can't believe more people haven't started this series already.
Im's Book Shelf
The conclusion to both the book and the series is well-balanced; there are some serious consequences of the Tinker/Marlowe hostilities, but in the end, readers who’ve watched Chase fulfill his destiny should be quite satisfied with this last chapter of his story.
Lee @ Rally the Readers
Join Chase Tinker and his family and friends for some wild and crazy supernatural escapades while living in a gigantic, 560-year-old magical house where magic, adventure, excitement, and danger can be found around nearly every corner.
Root for Chase in his pursuit of a way to outwit, out-magic, and outmaneuver dangerous and wicked villains who are planning to destroy the Tinkers and get control of this incredible and unique house.
Be on the edge of your seat as Chase searches for his missing dad, fights through frightening family secrets and betrayals, and tries his best to save his family, his house, and the world...
"I see this as the kind of novel that both boys and girls will embrace, which is rare for children's literature. It's well-written, professionally edited, and tightly plotted. I recommend it highly."
Amazon Top Reviewer
"I couldn't get enough of Chase and Andy, or the Magic House, or their wonderful adventure together through this magical place. I highly recommend this one to anyone at all. It's funny, witty, exciting, bone-chilling, romantic, adventurous & MAGICAL!"
Silver Inked Sky
"I need more! What an exciting, magical adventure! Chase Tinker and the House of Magic is a fun book with creative surprises that kept me hooked to the end."
The Crooked Word
For eight agonizing months Chase Tinker's guilt for the despicable act he committed on Halloween night has been eating away at him, practically destroying his heart and mind. Chase's life gets even more complicated when secrets about the mysterious Relic in the attic are revealed right before an unexpected visitor arrives on Chase's birthday. But even with this, his biggest concern is that his family's Dark Enemy the Marlowes are becoming more powerful with each passing day from the magic they're continuing to pillage from the many magical beings in the world. Now, if they are ever going to win, Chase's family will need a whole lot of magical help to finally destroy the most evil villains to ever exist.
Magic. Adventure. Danger. I can't say enough good things about this series. Thanks, Malia, for an awesome read. I really enjoyed your series.
This is pure magical stuff. Malia manages to fire the readers' imagination like no one else. Goodreads Reviewer
"Fantasy lovers will delight in the adventures of Chase and his family and friends. The action is hair-raising, the antics are fun, and the entire adventure is absolutely delightful."
"I would completely recommend this book, not only to middle grade kids but to high school students too. Guys, this one is a winner. Grab your kindle and start reading. This is one you don't want to miss."
Imogen's Book Shelf
I totally recommend the CHASE TINKER series – start with HOUSE OF MAGIC and you won’t be able to stop until you’ve finished HOUSE OF DESTINY. And even then you’ll be wanting more...
Amazon Top Reviewer
Everything is on the line for Chase Tinker: his family, his friends, his house, his magic…his life. Will destiny be on his side at last? Will the Marlowes finally be defeated—and at what cost?
The Final Showdown.


Robert Hurst, an urban cyclist with over 150,000 miles and 15,000 hours of experience, has contributed to the literature of bicycling with his book The Art of Urban Cycling: Lessons from the Street. This book provides a history of 20th century transportation in the United States; a catalog of surfaces (pavement, potholes, railroad tracks, curbs, pavement deformations, and more) found in the urban environment; a comprehensive guide to riding in traffic; an overview of common injuries; some thoughts on air pollutions and finishes up with equipment descriptions including an entire chapter devoted to Punctures and Flat Tires.
First, my largest complaint about the book. Robert ensures the reader understands the inherent dangers of cycling. No where else have I read such a dispassionate series of descriptions and warnings about the potential of harm while riding. I fear that some readers may become overwhelmed by his descriptions and put the book down without finishing it. Such a reader will be doubly damned. They will have a heightened fear of riding. They will also not benefit from the nearly 100 pages of sound, concrete advice for how to mitigate the dangers and ride safely.
At its core the book is about safely riding in urban settings. The section In Traffic includes 36 chapters on facets of riding starting with Beyond Vehicular Cycling including sections on Vigilance, The Invisible Cyclist, Four Way Stops, Left Turns, Corner Cutters, Hand Signals, Riding a Straight Line and concluding with Riding with Others. Each chapter examines the subject and describes areas of cautions and safe approaches to the matter at hand. Taken together they form a comprehensive guide. The book’s section on flats and punctures is also comprehensive. The section on equipment largely dodges the issue of what, but does cover the most important elements with information on fit, clothing, tools and luggage. The end of the book includes an extensive bibliography directing the reader to further resources.
The advice and techniques Robert describes are sound and provide a solid foundation for riding. If you have not read this book buy it or check it out from the library. I followed up my library check out with a purchase so I may keep a copy in the house as a reference book.
Here are a few snips from the book to whet your appetite for it:
Blame Versus Responsibility
The word “blame” came to the English language by way of the Latin word blasphemare, meaning “to blaspheme.” The Old English version of the verb “to blame” had a very negative connotations. It implied dishonesty. Blame had roughly the same meaning as malign or libel. Somewhere …[blame] became quite respectable — not a proud or useful moment in human history. … The proliferation of blame is rather useless for urban cycling. Blame is what happens when it’s already too late. … Thinking in terms of blame while out on the road is a perfect example of self-fulfilling prophecy. Blame is dangerous.
the most effective way for a cyclist to stay out of trouble on city streets is to forget entirely about the possibility of blaming others and to take on full responsibility for his or her own safety. …
From now on — if some bastard breaks every law in the book and runs you over in the process, it will be your fault and nobody else’s. That is the meaning of true freedom. That is how we will keep such disasters from happening in the first place.
Know that your urban-cycling experience should not be marked by frequent conflict. Occasional conflict, sure. But the ride should actually be pleasant. No yelling. Not fist shaking. No screaming in terror. Every commute should be a bit of a vacation. If it’s not, perhaps a little creative route finding can solve the problem.
Running Green Lights Do not go gentle into that intersection, oh urban cyclist. Got a green light? So what. (Then check out his chapters on running red lights and stop signs.)
Positioning in Heavy Traffic
Cars and trucks are kind of like bulls at a rodeo. As long as we can avoid the business ends of the beasts we can contend with them quite easily. We can mess with them and use them as our toys. But if we get careless — horn up the yang.
The chapter Panic Stops is a gem that reviews the physics of bicycle braking and explains how a bicyclist with practice can achieve remarkable short stops and even turn during hard braking. Robert describes in great detail how to come to a hard, controlled stop in as little distance as possible. This lesson alone is worth the monetary cost of the book or the time spent reading it. The chapter concludes:
It is good to master all versions of the panic stop, but it is better to anticipate problems well ahead of time and to avoid situations where problems elude anticipation. Panic stops are a symptom of cyclists’ mistakes. Riders who have mastered the art of anticipation rarely have to flash their most serious stopping skills. The riders who know best how to execute panic stop are the riders who least often need to. Youth is wasted on the young, and experience is often wasted on the experienced.
If you ride, read this book. If you know a rider who has not read this book encourage them to do so.


CWM Audio 58
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus Radio Broadcast April 14, 1943
6 minutes, 22 seconds
A digital transfer of two glass phonographic record discs of a radio broadcast of a performance of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus at Madison Square Garden on April 14, 1943. The recording begins with Ringling Press Agent Bev Kelley introducing the program. Animal sounds can be heard in the background. The recording also includes an interview with Robert Ringling conducted by Jay Wesley. This recording was created for the Office of War Information for "News From Home" a broadcast for military personnel serving overseas.
SOUND RECORDING Part 1


Senryuu Shōjo (川柳少女, "Senryū Girl"), also romanized as Senryuu Shojo, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masakuni Igarashi. The series began serialization in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine in October 2016, and has been compiled into seven tankōbon volumes. The story follows Yukishiro Nanako, a cute and cheerful high school girl with one peculiar trait—instead of verbal communication, she writes senryuu (a type of haiku) poems to relay her thoughts. Together with ex-delinquent Busujima Eiji, they are budding freshmen of the school's Literature Club. Even though Nanako doesn't talk, with the power of senryuu, the adorable pair has no problem enjoying their fun school-life through the tune of 5-7-5 syllables.


Spring Valley, NY- A man accused of stabbing a security guard to death in a New York library earlier this week also tried to rape a woman at a hospital last year.
On Tuesday afternoon, Sandra Wilson, 52, was killed at the Finkelstein Memorial Library. Wilson asked Glaudin Blanchard, 25, to turn down his music when he lunged at her, stabbing her with a large kitchen knife. Blanchard was help down by other patrons while waiting for police.
Wilson was taken to the hospital where she later died.
Blanchard was arrested and charged with murder in connection to her death.
Police say Glaudin was a regular at the library and knew the victim. The victim worked at the library for about 10 years.
Officials say that Blanchard attempted to rape a woman at a Nyack Hospital no November 9.
Blanchard entered the rape accuser’s room, help her by her throat and bit her neck. He then allegedly told her, “Shut up and do not scream. Pull down your pants. I do not care about your blood.” The woman managed to fight him off, and Nyack Hospital staff took him out of the facility. She suffered "visible physical injuries to the neck and throat," according to the complaint.
Blanchard was arrested and his bail was set at $100,000, but because of the new bail reform laws that were going into effect in the new year, he was released.


Reading a book is a leisure-time activity, but it’s also a plus from a neurological perspective. A new study conducted by Emory University found that reading a good book causes heightened connectivity in the brain and helps to develop something akin to muscle memory. In other words, sharp minds in and out of business, read books.
Of course, finding the truly “good books” takes a bit of research, and research takes time – the very thing busy business people lack.
In the interest of informing your next trip to the public library, online, or favorite bookstore, our staff has generated a list of favorite business books.
- Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek
- Influence: Science and Practice by Robert B. Cialdini
- Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness by Jeffrey Gitomer
- Greater Than Yourself: The Ultimate Lesson of True Leadership by Steve Farber
- Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies by Jim Collins
- Strengths Based Leadership: Great Leaders, Teams, and Why People Follow by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie
- Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter by Liz Wiseman
- Mastering the Rockefeller Habits: What You Must Do to Increase the Value of Your Growing Firm byVerne Harnish
According to Pew, the typical American read or listened to five books last year. Of course, there are active readers who read one book each week. These super readers are also likely to recommend books and search for new books on social media platforms like Goodreads.com.
Here are seven more business books to read by firelight:
- How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
- Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
- Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt
- Six Pixels of Separation: Everyone Is Connected. Connect Your Business to Everyone. by Mitch Joel
- The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk
- Likeable Business: Why Today's Consumers Demand More and How Leaders Can Deliver by Dave Kerpen
- The Business of Belief: How the World's Best Marketers, Designers, Salespeople, Coaches, Fundraisers, Educators, Entrepreneurs and Other Leaders Get Us to Believe by Tom Asacker
Business is a dynamic system. It takes a real quest for knowledge to stay current and informed. If you have already read some of these fine volumes, our hat is off to you. If you intend to read them, and think that you want to discuss the ideas in these books, we welcome your feedback.
We’re bankers with an informed opinion. We trust you like it that way.


- 4 Hour Work Week. By Tim Ferriss
- 10% Happier By Dan Harris.
- 70 Cash Flow & Money Making Ideas. By Jimmy Napier
- A Message to Garcia. By: Elbert Hubbard
- Are You Dumb Enough to be Rich. By William Barnett II
- Atlas Shrugged. By Ayn Rand
- Building Real Estate Wealth in a Changing Market. By: John W. Schaub
- Calculator Power. By Jon Richards
- Deals on Wheels. By: Lonnie Skruggs
- Discipline Equals Freedom. By: Jocko Willink.
- Do What You Love, The Money Will Follow. By: Marsh Sinetar
- Donald Trump “The Art of the Deal”…. By: Trump & Tony Schwartz
- Ego is the Enemy. By: Ryan Holiday.
- Essentialism – The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. By: Greg McKeown
- Financial Genius. By Mark Haroldsen
- Free – The Future of a Radical Price. By Chris Anderson
- Getting Things Done. By David Allen
- Go for No! By: Richard Fenton and Andrea Waltz
- Influence, The Psychology of Persuasion. By Robert Cialdini
- How I Turned $1,000 into Five Million in Real Estate in My Spare Time. By William Nickerson
- How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success through Selling. By: Frank Bettger
- How to Win Friends and Influence People. By: Dale Carnegie
- How Mail Order Fortunes are Made. By:Jay & Jeannie Levinson
- How to Create Multiple Streams of Income. By: Peter Conti & David Finkel
- How to Build a Real Estate Money Machine. By: Wade Cook
- How to Get the Best Out of People. By: Donald H. Weiss
- If It Ain’t Broke…BREAK IT! By: Robert J. Kriegel
- Landlording on Autopilot. By: Mike Butler.
- Marketing to the Affluent. By: Dr. Thomas J. Stanley
- Maverick Real Estate Financing. By: Steve Bergsman
- My Life & 1,000 Houses Failing Forward to Financial Freedom. By: Mitch Stephen
- Negotiating With Giants: Get What You Want Against the Odds. By: Peter D. Johnston
- Never Make the First Offer (Except When You Should). By: Donald Dell
- Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It. By: Chris Voss
- Nothing Down. By: Robert Allen
- Own Your Own Corporation. By Garrett Sutton
- Proven Wealth Building Secrets for You and Your Children. By: Dick Desich
- Psycho-Cybernetics. By: Maxwell Maltz, M.D., F.I.C.S
- Powerhouse Principles: The Billionaire Bluprint for Real Estate Success. By: Jorge Perez
- Quick Turn Real Estate Millionaire. By: Ron Le Grand
- Rich Dad’s Cashflow Quadrant By: Robert Kiyosaki
- Rich Dad Poor Dad. By: Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter, C.P.A
- Rich Dad’s “Choose to be Rich.” By: Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter, C.P.A
- Rich Dad’s “The Cash Flow Quadrant.” By: Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter, C.P.A
- Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing. By: Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter, C.P.A
- Road to Wealth. By Robert Allen
- See You at the Top. By: Zig Zigler
- Self Made in America. By: John McCorma
- Success the Glenn Bland Method. By: Glenn Bland
- Start Up Guide to Gorilla Marketing. By: Alfred Stern
- Start with No. By: Jim Camp
- The Obstacle is the Way. By: Ryan Holiday.
- The Law of Success in 16 Lessons. By: Napoleon Hill
- The Magic of Believing. By: Claude M. Bristol
- The Magic of Thinking Big. By: David J. Schwartz
- The Master Key to Riches. By: Napoleon Hill
- The Miracle Morning. By: Hal Elrod
- The Richest Man in Babylon. By: George S. Clason
- The Road to Wealth. By: Robert Allen
- The Greatest Salesman in the World. By Og Mandano
- Think and Grow Rich. By Napoleon Hill
- The E Myth. By: Michael E. Gerber
- The Greatest Salesman in the World. By: Og Mandino
- The Power of Habit – Why WE Do What We do in Life and Business. By Charles Duhigg
- The Red Zone. By: McCombs with Mickey Herskowitz
- The Richest Man in Babylon. By: George S. Clason
- The Science of Getting Rich. By: Wallace D. Wattles & Dr. Judith Powell
- The Secret. By: Rhonda Byrne
- Tribe of Mentors. By: Tim Ferriss.
- Trump Style Negotiation.By: George H. Ross.
- War of Art. By:Steven Pressfield.
- What Every Real Estate Investor Needs to Know About Cash Flow… And 36 Other Key Financial Measures. By: Frank Gallinelli.
- Winning Through Intimidation. By: Robert Ringer
- You Can Negotiate Anything. By: Herb Cohen
- You Can Work Your Own Miracles. By: Napoleon Hill
Great Business, Marketing, Sales and Ecommerce Books:
“Expert Secrets” – Russell Brunson. If you want to sell online, you MUST read this book. If you want to sell from stage, you MUST read this book. If you want to create a following of loyal, hungry clients, you MUST read this book!
“No Lie: Truth is the Ultimate Sales Tool” – Barry Maher The “Skeleton Protocol” will show you how to make your skeletons dance and sell for you. Instead of trying to hide your perceived weaknesses, use them to your advantage, increase trust in your and your product, and increase your sales!
“The Tall Lady With Iceberg: The Power of Metaphors to sell, persuade, & explain anything to anyone” – Anne Miller. Title explains itself. Very useful book.
“Leaders Eat Last” – Simon Sinek. Very good book not just on leadership specifically, but on managing people and employees effectively. There is a very big takeaway here that I haven’t seen anywhere else central to the book and has made me make some big shifts in my management style. But I won’t spoil it for you!
“Story Wars – Why those who tell and live the best stories will rule the future.” – Jonah Sachs. Good book on marketing and brand building.
“YOUtility – why smart marketing is about HELP not HYPE”. – Jay Baer
“Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die” – Chip Heath and Dan Heath
“The E-Myth Revisited” –Michael Gerber. ** If you only read one book on this list, other than Rich Dad Poor Dad or Atlast Shrugged, read this one.
“The Medici Effect – Breakthrough Insights at the Intersection of Ideas, Concepts & Cultures” – Frans Johansson
“Business Model Generation” – Alexander Osterwalder & Yves Pigneur. Your head will explode from reading this.
“Never Eat Alone” – Keith Ferrazzi. Keith is the man when it comes to relationship-building.
“Guerrilla Marketing” – Jay Conrad Levinson. This speaks for itself.
“Happiness at Work” – Srikumar S. Rao. Great book for getting a better handle on your emotions, time, etc.
“Hypnotic Writing” – Joe Vitale. Great copyrighting book.
“The Pumpkin Plan” – Mike Michalowicz. Excellent book on “going deeper” rather than “wider” in business-building.
“The Laws of Subtraction” – Matthew E. May.
“Delivering Happiness – A Path to Profits, Passion and Purpose” – Tony Hsieh
“The Thank You Economy” – Gary Vaynerchuk
“Getting Real” – 37 Signals
“ReWork” – Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson (37 Signals)
“Get Rich Click – The Ultimate Guide to Making Money on the Internet” – Marc Ostrofsky
“Made in America” – Sam Walton.
“No B.S. Wealth Attraction in the New Economy” – Dan Kennedy
“Finish Big: How Great Entrepreneurs Exit Their Companies on Top” – Bo Burlingham.
“The Lessons of History” – Will and Ariel Durant Highly recommend this book, especially if you’re a student of trends, cycles, and historical patterns repeating themselves (which they always do).
“What Would the Rockerfellers Do” – Garrett Gunderson. Ok, so this book is basically a disguised, “backdoor” sales pitch for whole life insurance. BUT, 1) It got me to let my guard down and actually learn about life insurance and 2) MUCH more importantly, it opened my eyes to a new way of estate planning that will ensure that my assets do not get divided among my heirs, do not create “trust fund babies” out of my kids, and rather preserve my legacy and create opportunities for empowerment for my descendants many generations into the future. See next book recommendation for more:
“Entrusted: Building a Legacy that Lasts” – David York and Andrew Howell. This book came as a result of reading the book I recommended above. This is a completely different take on estate planning. Honestly, my mind has been totally blown by the idea of creating a Rockerfeller style trust that stays strong and grows generation to generation, empowering my heirs to be productive and thriving members of society rather than a bunch of rich spoiled fucks, which many childred and grandchildren of the wealthy typically become. If you plan on leaving behind at least a decent chunk of wealth to your heirs, READ THIS!


Harry Truman and Independence, Missouri History
“It’s good to be back home in what I call the center of the world: Independence, Missouri.” – Harry S. Truman (1884-1972). Harry Truman and Independence, Missouri history are close-knit. Read on to learn more about the 33rd U.S. President, his life and accomplishments, and cultural impact on Independence, Missouri.
Who Was Harry Truman?
Harry S. Truman was the U.S. President from 1945 to 1953. But, before he assumed office, Truman accomplished much: Truman grew up on a 550-acre farm near Independence, MO, and at the age of 33, enlisted in the army. His leadership skills and genuine care for those under his command earned him a promotion to captain of Battery D—one of six batteries in the 129th Field Artillery Regiment in the 35th Division of the National Guard. After World War I ended, he began his political career in 1922, serving as the presiding judge of Jackson County, Missouri. Twelve years later, he became a U.S. Senator, and in 1945, briefly served as Vice President before succeeding Franklin D. Roosevelt on April 12, 1945.
The Harry S. Truman National Historic Site
Truman was a resident of Independence, MO for 64 years. After he left office, he lived out the rest of his life there, taking morning walks down its quaint streets. He passed away at the age of 88 at Kansas City’s Research Hospital and Medical Center. After his death, his home in Independence, where he and his wife lived for 53 years, became the Harry S. Truman National Historic Site. There, you can experience life through the eyes of Truman, both as a young farmer with big dreams and a former president. Harry S. Truman National Historic Site: Hours & Contact InfoAddress: 219 N. Delaware St., Independence, MO 64050
- Monday: 9AM–4:30PM
- Tuesday: 9AM–4:30PM
- Wednesday: 9AM–4:30PM
- Thursday: 9AM–4:30PM
- Friday: 9AM–4:30PM
- Saturday: 9AM–4:30PM
- Sunday: 9AM–4:30PM
Phone: (816) 254-2720
The Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum
The Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum was the first of its kind to be established under the provisions of the 1955 Presidential Libraries Act. Here are some interesting facts about the Library:
- It was built to house and preserve papers, books, and other documents concerning Truman and his term as President.
- Total floor space is about 100,000 square feet.
- Harry S. Truman, Mrs. Truman, Margaret Truman Daniel (their only child), and Clifton Daniel (Margaret’s husband) are buried in the courtyard.
- It officially opened on July 6, 1957.
Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum: Hours & Contact Info Address: 500 W US Hwy 24, Independence, MO 64050
- Monday: 9AM–5PM
- Tuesday: 9AM–5PM
- Wednesday: 9AM–5PM
- Thursday: 9AM–5PM
- Friday: 9AM–5PM
- Saturday: 9AM–5PM
- Sunday: 12–5PM
Phone: (816) 268-8200
Learn More About Missouri’s Rich History with Eddy's Mazda of Lee's Summit!
Eddy's Mazda of Lee's Summit is your source for the latest Mazda model pictures and prices, and the home of the lifetime warranty in Lee's Summit, MO. But that’s not all! Stay tuned for more on local history and attractions near Overland Park, such the Kansas City Zoo and even find the best BBQ in Kansas City.