noticed the makeup. It takes a lot of training and vision to get to the end result. If you're interested in a career as a makeup artist, your job possibilities are endless. Before we delve into the options for work, let's figure out how to get there.

Training. In order to have a successful career in makeup, regardless of what avenue you seek out, how and what kind of training you get will help define where you end up in your career. For example, if you want to work in the Film and Entertainment Industry, you will need specific training for makeup geared towards film. Makeup for a live camera is completely different than the makeup for, say, a Nordstrom makeup counter. You will learn about lighting and different kinds of film and lenses, period makeup, contouring, special effects, etc. Tuitions range in various programs depending on if you pursue a Film Program at an accredited university or a private program. You are looking in the range of $3,000-60,000 (average university tuition). Once you've completed your education, it will be much easier to find work.

If you are interested in working in Fashion, you are going to have to train in a different kind of makeup. You will learn how to use style to mirror the tones and colors of your makeup, an artist's vision, and shapes. You will sometimes have creative license to create works of art or do something edgy. Either way, breaking in to the fashion world can be difficult. You can attend a program like MUD (Makeup Designory whose programs run around $10,000). The benefit is that there are programs available all around the world. In order to look for work in your field, a great place to start is a fashion institute like FIDM in Los Angeles or New York. You will learn how to integrate your vision with another artist's creations.

If you want to do makeup for weddings or special events, you will need to have a good understanding of timing and lighting and that will also take some good training. You can go to any department store and train in a minimal program but that will not be enough. Always go the extra mile - it will prove worth it when you're actively working or seeking work. When searching for work, the best place to start is with wedding coordinators and event planners. Establish a good relationship with them and your career will be a success.

If you would like to work in a day spa or salon, most often you will have to have completed a State license of either Cosmetology or Esthetics. Each state varies in their licensing requirements but you are looking at completing somewhere between 800-3000 hours of training and practical application. Once you pass your State Boards, you will have your license and you can work in a salon or day spa or just about anywhere.

Every makeup academy has specific programs geared towards different styles of makeup. If you aren't sure what avenue you're interested in, sample them all. Eventually you will find your niche. One thing that should absolutely be considered regardless of what avenue you choose as a makeup artist is that skincare and makeup go hand in hand. Understanding the importance of how to care for your client's skin is going to contribute to the longevity of your career. So once you've gotten your training and are actively looking for work, depending on your avenue, here are some helpful tips:

* Going into any makeup profession requires that you work directly with people. If you aren't a people person, this isn't the right career path for you.
* Makeup is an art form and like any art, you will only succeed if it is your passion.
* If this is what you want to do, never stop learning or staying ahead of the curve.
* Take chances, familiarize yourself with trends in the beauty industry and above all, don't do it for fame.
* Regardless of where it takes you, being a makeup artist demands discretion and professionalism

Chinaleicatotalstation

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good makeup artist always has a great working relationship with their clients
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'Now is the hour' This was the song my Grandad Smith sang on the Wilfred Pickles show, 'Have a Go', in an episode played on the BBC Light Programme in 1948 which had been recorded at Ireland Colliery, Staveley, Derbyshire. As far as I can recall, it was the first example of anyone making a name for themselves outside our close knit community, and it was the whole of the UK that was listening to my grandad. What a thrill for me, a boy of 10 years of age.

I was actually listening to the radio in my grandad's house. Grandad, the lower part of his face half-filled with his large grey moustache, and I were sitting at the table, in the centre of the room, opposite each other. My grandad, his blue eyes sparkling, wearing his best waistcoat with his pocket watch chain in full view and his snuffbox nearby on the table, was smiling all over his face. I was a little confused, to say the least, when I heard the host Wilfred Pickles introducing grandad to the listening public from underground at the pit.

A disused haulage house, close to the pit bottom, was converted to a miniature theatre and somehow a piano was transported underground for Violet Carson (Ena Sharples of Coronation Street fame) to play. Apparently, the engine house still had the name Happydrome when the pit closed in the 1970s. I had never heard of such a thing as a sound recording and it was rather strange hearing grandad answering Wilfred's questions and singing on the radio while sitting across from me at the table.

It was a memorable occasion for me with Wilfred asking my grandad his name, was he married, did he have any hobbies and Wilfred, his wife Mabel and producer Barney Colehan nearly collapsing when they heard my grandad's answer of 23 children when asked how many kids he had. He then asked grandad the normal options, whether he wanted to answer more questions or pay a forfeit. He opted for the forfeit and sang the song 'Now is the Hour,' although he introduced it as 'Now is the Time.' He won loud applause when he had finished and naturally Mabel, the wife of Wilfred Pickles, gave him the prize money with her normal affection.

Having said that, you must remember that probably the main reasons for large families in those days was that they didn't have television , contraception or such a low infant mortality rate then and what better way was there of relaxing after a hard day's work down t'pit or slaving away at the pottery?

A few years ago I attempted to obtain a recording of that event from the BBC. However, I was disappointed to be told that it was not the BBC's policy to keep copies of all episodes and they had only retained 3 copies of the more important 'Have a Go' shows. What a complete waste of our heritage that such gems have been destroyed. Why didn't they ask the people concerned or relatives if they would like copies of such archives before they got rid of them? Just consider the time and effort, invested by numerous people in the past, which must have been lost forever, due to a few inconsiderate people at the BBC.

Life was hard for people when Mam and Dad were children. In parts of Derbyshire almost every family had one or more menfolk working down t'pit. Some parents sent their children down the mines when they were just 11 or 12. Just imagine what a frightening experience it must have been for a child, stepping into that pit cage and descending into the blackness of the coal mines with its rats, vermin and exceptionally wet and dangerous conditions. Then there was the ever present danger from rock falls or the coal trucks that roared down the underground roads at occasional terrible speeds unless they were pulled by pit ponies. It resulted in boys who should have been enjoying their childhood up in the fresh air instead becoming ingrained with the rough routine of the miners; tough men whose own recreation, apart from breeding children, was drinking with their mates until they forgot that tomorrow would bring another day of dangers and back-aching soul-destroying work underground.

Other industries local to our community were the pottery, wagon works, railways, the ICI dynamite factory, a jam factory, a brick works and local quarries, including the clay pits for the pottery. There was also a large coal and iron works at Sheepbridge with very large steel blast furnaces lighting up the dark night sky. They have all gone now.

Reviews of Life Down t'Lane

It really is a great and authentic record of life during and after World War II. I know it will reflect the experiences of many local people and I am sure they would greatly enjoy reading it.

Tony Benn, MP for Chesterfield 1984-2001

Len Thompson - Autobiographical, Social and Industrial History Author
Books written:
Life Down t'Lane 1997 ISBN 0953508404
Memories of Tapton House School 1999 ISBN 0953508412
A History of Tapton House 2001 ISBN 0953508420
A Rough Diamond in South Africa 2008 ISBN 9780952567837
For more details or to purchase a copy of this audio book click here
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Both the Bible and the Quran discussed an important social problem, when a man accuses his wife of committing adultery and he has no witnesses. The two Books command the Divine solution of this problem. In the Bible, the solution is 100 shekels of silver for as a penalty for the man if he lies or kill the wife if she is guilty. In the Quran, the solution is the five testimonies for both the man and the wife.

In the Bible, Deuteronomy 22:13-21 says:

If a man married a woman and accuses her that she is not a virgin, the father of the woman and her mother shall take and bring out the evidence of her virginity to the elders of the city in the gate.

The wife's father will say to the elders, he has accused her of misconduct, saying, "I did not find in your daughter evidence of virginity." And yet this is the evidence of my daughter's virginity.' And they shall spread the garment before the elders of the city. If there is no proof of the wife's virginity and the elders of the city found out the charge is true; they will kill her in Public. The elders of the city shall bring her to the door of her father's house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death.

In the Quran, Verse 24:6-10 says:

As for those who accuse their wives of committing adultery but have no witnesses for their accusation except themselves; then the testimony of one of them shall be to testify, swearing by Allah five times, four times that he is indeed being truthful, in accusing his wife of committing adultery; and on the fifth, the man should invoke Allah's curse on himself if he was lying about his wife having committed adultery. This will spare him the prescribed legal punishment for false accusation.

And the punishment, namely, the prescribed legal punishment for fornication that is established upon his testimony, shall be averted from her if she testify [swearing] by Allah five times too, four times that he is indeed lying, in accusing her of having fornicated; and a fifth oath that the wrath of Allah be upon her if her husband is true in what he says about her.

And were it not for the grace of Allah and His mercy unto you, in shielding you from being exposed in such situations, and that Allah is the Relenting, in His acceptance of repentance in such situations and otherwise. Allah is the Wise, in the rulings, He has given for this and other matters that He might make clear the truth therein and hasten punishment for those deserving it.

==================================

The Bible, Deuteronomy 22:13-21 (American Standard Version)

13 If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her,

14 and lay shameful things to her charge, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came nigh to her, I found not in her the tokens of virginity;

15 then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel's virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate;

16 and the damsel's father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her;

17 and, lo, he hath laid shameful things to her charge, saying, I found not in thy daughter the tokens of virginity; and yet these are the tokens of my daughter's virginity. And they shall spread the garment before the elders of the city.

18 And the elders of that city shall take the man and chastise him;

19 and they shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel: and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days.

20 But if this thing be true, that the tokens of virginity were not found in the damsel;

21 then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the harlot in her father's house: so shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee.

==================================

The Quran, Verse 24:6-10 (Yusuf Ali translation)

6 and for those who launch a charge against their spouses, and have (in support) no evidence but their own, - their solitary evidence (can be received) if they bear witness four times (with an oath) by Allah that they are solemnly telling the truth;

7 and the fifth (oath) (should be) that they solemnly invoke the curse of Allah on themselves if they tell a lie.

8 but it would avert the punishment from the wife, if she bears witness four times (with an oath) by Allah, that (her husband) is telling a lie;

9 and the fifth (oath) should be that she solemnly invokes the wrath of Allah on herself if (her accuser) is telling the truth.

10 if it were not for Allah's grace and mercy on you, and that Allah is oft-returning, full of wisdom,- (ye would be ruined indeed).

==================================

Back to my question to the smart and interested reader:

Are the Scholars truthful when they claim that the Quran quoted from the Bible?

Professor Dr. Ibrahim Khalil, Prof. of Clinical and Chemical Pathology, Head (ex-) of Clinical Microbiology and Infection Control Unit, Ain-Shams University. Cairo, Egypt President of the Egyptian Society of Inventors, Honorary President of SPIC-Egypt (The Society of Practitioners of Infection Control Egypt), Co-Chief Editor of the Egyptian Journal of Lab. Medicine Member of the Egyptian union of Writers, Published 5 Books and some 60 Medical Articles, Supervisors for 79 PhD theses and111 Master Degree theses.
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Now, hair loss can be a real big headache for whoever is experiencing it. Slow or rapid hair loss is something that a lot of people (both male and female) dread, and thus the panic button is most often pressed whenever this process begins to occur. With women, natural hair loss sometimes starts with thinning. Also, this can occur during recovery from an illness, where their hair is lost in handfuls, which also causes panic.
There are various methods of treating hair loss, ranging from the use of medications to surgical transplant. But the disadvantages of these methods are numerous. Apart from the fact that they are quite expensive, more often than not, they don't yield the desired results, and you end up losing your money.

So what is the best way to reduce hair loss and regrow lost hair? Well, I recommend the magical e-book titled: HOW TO NATURALLY REGROW LOST HAIR IN 15 MINUTES A DAY.

To get your hands on this e-book, visit

www.regrowlosthair15.blogspot.com

This e-book shows you how you can reduce hair loss and naturally regrow lost hair in just 15 minutes a day, using various strategies, from diet to combing, to hair washing and brushing techniques!. And with over 1,000 copies sold till date, it is no surprise that this is one of the most sought-after products, as far as reducing baldness is concerned.
In it, you will learn various strategies which you need to put into practice for just 15 minutes a day in order to achieve the desired results. And once you follow the daily routine, your lost hair will begin to grow back, period!! What a better and cheaper alternative, compared to the more expensive and less-productive medical and surgical methods

Once again, to get your hands on this magical book, visit

www.regrowlosthair15.blogspot.com

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Even if he'd had his swimming things with him, he would have found it difficult to get anywhere near the sea shore. The big hotels had, it seems, acquired the rights to great swathes of beach which they had filled with their chairs, logos, waiters and bodyguards, who, at every entry point, demanded the guest's room key or some other form of identification. Other areas were occupied by huge white marquees, where some production company, brewery or cosmetics firm was launching its latest product at a so-called lunch'. People here were dressed normally, if by normal' you mean a baseball cap, bright shirt and light-coloured trousers for men, and jewellery, loose top, bermudas and low-heeled shoes for women.

Dark glasses were de rigueur for both sexes, and there was little bare flesh on show because members of the Superclass were too old for that now, and any such display would be considered ridiculous or, rather, pathetic.

Igor noticed one other thing: the mobile phone. The most important item of clothing.

It was essential to be receiving a constant stream of messages or calls, to be prepared to interrupt any conversation in order to answer a call that was not in the least urgent, to stand keying in endless texts via an SMS. They had all forgotten that these initials mean Short Message Service and instead used the key pad as if it were a typewriter. It was slow, awkward and could cause serious damage to the thumb, but what did it matter? At that very moment, not only in Cannes, but in the whole world, the ether was being filled with messages like Good morning, my love, I woke up thinking about you and I'm so glad to have you in my life', I'll be home in ten minutes, please have my lunch ready and check that my clothes were sent to the laundry', or The party here is a real drag, but I haven't got anywhere else to go, where are you?' Things that take five minutes to be written down and only ten seconds to be spoken, but that's the way the world is. Igor knows all about this because he has earned hundreds of millions of dollars thanks to the fact that the phone is no longer simply a method of communicating with others, but a thread of hope, a way of believing that you're not alone, a way of showing others how important you are.

And it was leading the world into a state of utter madness. For a mere 5 euros a month, via an ingenious system created in London, a call centre would send you a standard message every three minutes. When you know you're going to be talking to someone you want to impress, you just have to dial a particular number to activate the system. The phone rings, you pick it up, open the message, read it quickly and say Oh, that can wait' (of course it can: it was written to order). This way, the person you're talking to feels important, and things move along more quickly because he realises he's in the presence of a very busy person. Three minutes later, the conversation is interrupted by another message, the pressure mounts, and the user of the service can decide whether it's worth turning off his phone for a quarter of an hour or lying and saying that he really must take this call, and so rid himself of a disagreeable companion.

There is only one situation in which all mobile phones must be turned off. Not at formal suppers, in the middle of a play, during the key moment in a film or while an opera singer is attempting the most difficult of arias; we've all heard someone's mobile phone go off in such circumstances. No, the only time when people are genuinely concerned that their phone might prove dangerous is when they get on a plane and hear the usual lie: All mobile phones must be switched off during the flight because they might interfere with the on-board systems.' We all believe this and do as the flight attendants ask.

Igor knew when this myth had been created: for years now, airlines had been doing their best to convince passengers to use the phones attached to their seat. These cost ten dollars a minute and use the same transmission system as mobile phones. The strategy didn't work, but the myth lingered on; they had simply forgotten to remove the warning from the list of dos and don'ts that the flight attendant has to read out before take-off. What no one knew was that on every flight, there were always at least two or three passengers who forgot to turn their phones off, and besides, laptops access the Internet using exactly the same system as mobiles. And no plane anywhere in the world has yet fallen out of the sky because of that.

Now they were trying to modify the warning without alarming the passengers too much and without dropping the price. You could use your mobile phone as long as it was one you could put into flight mode. Such phones cost four times as much. No one has ever explained what flight mode' is, but if people choose to be taken in like this, that's their problem.

He keeps walking. He's troubled by the last look the girl had given him before she died, but prefers not to think about it.

More bodyguards, more dark glasses, more bikinis on the beach, more light-coloured clothes and jewellery attending lunches', more people hurrying along as if they had something very important to do that morning, more photographers on every corner attempting the impossible task of snapping something unusual, more magazines and free newspapers about what's happening at the Festival, more people handing out flyers to the poor mortals who haven't been invited to lunch in one of the white marquees, flyers advertising restaurants on the top of the hill, far from everything, where little is heard of what goes on in Boulevard de la Croisette, up there where models rent apartments for the duration of the Festival, hoping they'll be summoned to an audition that will change their lives for ever.

All so unsurprising. All so predictable. If he were to go into one of those marquees now, no one would dare ask for his identification because it's still early and the promoters will be afraid that no one will come. In half an hour's time, though, depending on how things go, the security guards will be given express orders to let in only pretty, unaccompanied girls.

Why not try it out?

He follows his impulse; after all, he's on a mission. He goes down some steps, which lead not to the beach, but to a large white marquee with plastic windows, air-conditioning and white chairs and tables, largely empty. One of the security guards asks if he has an invitation, and he says that he does. He pretends to search his pockets. A receptionist dressed in red asks if she can help.

He offers her his business card, bearing the logo of his phone company and his name, Igor Vassilovich, President. He's sure his name is on the list, he says, but he must have left his invitation at the hotel; he's been at a series of meetings and forgot to bring it with him. The receptionist welcomes him and invites him in; she has learned to judge men and women by the way they dress, and President' means the same thing worldwide. Besides, he's the President of a Russian company! And everyone knows how rich Russians like to show off their wealth. There was no need to check the list.

Igor enters, heads straight for the bar - it's a very well equipped marquee; there's even a dance floor - and orders a pineapple juice because it suits the atmosphere and, more importantly, because the drink, decorated with a tiny, blue Japanese umbrella, comes complete with a black straw.

He sits down at one of the many empty tables. Among the few people present is a man in his fifties, with hennaed mahogany brown hair, fake tan and a body honed in one of those gyms that promise eternal youth. He's wearing a torn T-shirt and is sitting with two other men, who are both dressed in impeccable designer suits. The two men turn to face Igor, and he immediately turns his head slightly, but continues to study them from behind his dark glasses. The men in suits try to work out who this new arrival is, then lose interest.

Igor's interest, however, increases.

The man does not even have a mobile phone on the table, although his two assistants are constantly fielding calls.

Given that this badly dressed, arrogant fellow has been let into the marquee; given that he has his mobile phone turned off; given that the waiter keeps coming up to him and asking if he wants anything; given that he doesn't even deign to respond, but merely waves him away, he is obviously someone very important.

Igor takes a fifty-euro note out of his pocket and gives it to the waiter who has just started laying the table.

Who's the gentleman in the faded blue T-shirt?' he asks, glancing in the direction of the other table.

Javits Wild. He's a very important man.'

Excellent. After someone as insignificant as the girl at the beach, a figure like Javits Wild would be ideal - not famous, but important. One of the people who decides who should be in the spotlight and who feels no need to take much care over his own appearance because he knows exactly who he is. He's in charge of pulling the strings, and the puppets feel themselves to be the most privileged and envied people on the planet, until one day, for whatever reason, the puppeteer decides to cut the strings, and the puppets fall down, lifeless and powerless.

He's clearly a member of the Superclass, which means that he has false friends and many enemies.

One other question. Would it be acceptable to destroy a universe in the name of a greater love?'

The waiter laughs.

Are you God or just gay?'

Neither, but thank you for your answer.'

The 11th Chapter will be posted on Tuesday 3rd of March

Welcome to Share with Friends - Free Texts for a Free Internet

"His books have had a life-enhancing impact on millions of people. The Times"
Paulo Coelho is one of the most beloved storytelling authors of our times. His books have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide and have been translated into 68 languages.
http://www.paulocoelhoblog.com
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Author Cliff Ball draws on his considerable knowledge of history, folklore and Christianity to craft a convincing retelling of humanity's time on Earth.

Told mostly from the point of view of a newly sworn-in U.S. President, we learn that Earth has existed under the shadow of secrets and lies for thousands of years. As Noah was building his wooden ark to escape the flood, a highly developed race of people called Terrans was designing starships and planning to leave the Earth entirely.

The Terrans travel to an Earth-like planet and set up a colony, naming it Terra. They explore their new system and meet many friendly cultures. They also meet the Ragnor, a race obsessed with military conquest. The Ragnor attack Terran ships relentlessly and without cause.

Soon the Terrans return to Earth to see if their human cousins have advanced. They find Egypt at the time of the Pharaohs and decide the earth humans are far too primitive to help Terra fight the Ragnor.

Some Terrans decide to interfere with human development and pose as Earth people. From the times of King Arthur to Genghis Khan, Terrans make their mark on history.

Centuries later, a spy base is set up on Mars. From Mars, the Terrans watch as the Great War explodes in Europe and later as World War Two engulfs the entire planet.

The Ragnor visit Earth in cloaked ships and begin abducting and experimenting on humans. Tales of abduction and UFOs spread around the globe. A Ragnor scout ship crashes in New Mexico in 1947. The Americans develop the Area 51 program at Roswell. The project's mandate is to use the technology from the downed alien craft to defend the United States against her enemies.

Sixty years later, a secret starship is ready, the crew trained, and the newly elected Present must address the nation and the world. He orders the ship to attack Earth's alien foe. Is one advanced ship enough to match the combined fleets of both Terra and Ragnor? Is America on the brink of its greatest military victory since D-Day? Or is it doomed to fail like no other combat mission in history?

Ball has written an intriguing new take on history. He keeps the pages turning, explaining historical events in his own unique style. The story builds to an explosive climax that won't leave you disappointed.

I recommend Don't Mess With Earth to Sci-Fi and alternative history fans.

Reviewed by WR Potter for Reader's Choice Reviews.

Cliff Ball
author of Don't Mess With Earth
http://www.cliffball.com
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Revud is a new website which is ideal for anyone who wishes to make money from writing online reviews. I allows anyone to sign up for a free account and to start making money straight away either by publishing original reviews on the website itself or by submitting links to reviews that have been published elsewhere on other websites.

There are 3 ways that you can make money through using the services that this site offers to its members. Firstly there is an adsense revenue share, which means that all of the money which the site makes through google adsense adverts is split 50 / 50 with the members who create the content. You can write reviews on anything at all that you want to write about and they are published intantly when you submit them.

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Thirdly you can make money by publishing your work on other websites and using Revud to promote your writing. You just submit a link to your work along with a description of it, and you can still share the adsense revenue from the unique page which is generated for every link which is submitted.

Here is some more information about how to make money writing reviewsat Revud
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Pepper spray has been in wide use for many years and its functions have ranged from police work to personal self-defense to animal control. But did you know that pepper spray, while considered a non-lethal weapon, can still be dangerous in some cases? In fact, it has had some fatal results in the past. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, more than 20 individuals have died after being subjected to pepper spray since 1995. Are you using your pepper spray the right way? Learn how to use it safely and effectively. The pepper spray book will tell you how.

A book on pepper spray?
The pepper spray may seem like a simple enough device and it is, actually. However, its functions make it a much more complicated gadget. Pepper sprays contain the irritant capsaicin, the same irritant found in the hottest chilis and peppers. As such, it can cause extreme discomfort, effectively rendering someone helpless and disoriented.

Since pepper spray is readily available at retail stores and online, anyone who meets the minimum age and location requirements can easily purchase one. And herein lies the problem.

If you are not informed regarding the basic rules and etiquette about the safe and proper use of pepper spray, you could easily abuse and misuse it. For example, did you know that the most basic pepper sprays available on the market today requires you to stand at a minimum of 8 feet away from your target? Many users believe that pepper sprays should be deployed at close range. This is erroneous.

Up close, the mist coming from the spray could also affect you, making you weak. This increases the chances that your attacker could still overpower you. With sufficient and correct information, there is no risk that you could make potentially lethal mistakes with your pepper spray.

The best and most popular pepper spray book available today is 'Tactical Use of Defense Sprays'. This booklet is a short read only 32 pages long but it packs plenty of information regarding the safe and effective use of pepper spray. It covers topics such as how to choose the right type or pepper spray, the proper way of carrying and holding pepper spray, how to use it against an armed assailant and how to use it efficiently against multiple attackers.

The booklet was written by Doug Lamb, a highly recognized and respected expert on self-defense.

The pepper spray book may be ordered online. Standard shipping fees apply, although bulk orders are often shipped free of charge.
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The books versus films controversy has been around for a long time. Some wish to discuss the relative merits of each as mediums in their own right and make claims and allegations about which form of story-telling is superior. The other side of the debate looks at the difference between a book and a film-adaptation of that book. Here I'd like to discuss a little about the latter idea and its relevance in contemporary cinema.

Although books have been adapted to film numerous times over the years it is now happening more often than ever. This is largely due to the possibilities that computer animation has allowed for and perhaps this, in itself, is something worthy of note in the discussion. Were it not for the possibility to turn a novel into a computer-generated blockbuster would we still be seeing so many book to film adaptations? It seems unlikely given how heavily these adaptations tend to feature special effects created through computers.

However, this in itself does not give us good cause to see film adaptations of books as something bad. So, what else is it that critics of these adaptations see as problematic? The answer is fairly simple: changes to the original story.

Books can take us many hours to read, but the film version of a book can only last two or three hours at the most. It is therefore inevitable that parts of a book are cut out of the story in order produce a film. Take The Lord of the Rings for example. The film version entirely removes the character of Tom Bombadil and the story that goes with it.

Critics see this as tarnishing the original story. Of particular relevance is the experience of those who see the film but who have never read the book - are they missing out, in some important sense, on the story of the original work and are they being misinformed?

The debate has now received further complication as graphic novels are being used more and more frequently as the basis for films. 300, The Spirit, and the new film The Watchmen are all adaptations of graphic novels. However, do these adaptations differ from those of standard novels?

All these questions are worth considering more closely before judgements are passed. There is certainly a degree to which these adaptations are successful, but they may also be damaging to literature. These issues will be examined further in future articles, but for now give the debate some serious thought, you may find that you surprise yourself with your conclusions.

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For me, Gil Courtemanches book, A Sunday At The Pool In Kigali, bore a great similarity to the screenplay for the film Hotel Rwanda. Having seen the film twice, it is a positive statement about the book to state that I did not make the association until almost two thirds of the way through.

On the other hand, much of the material I did not associate with the film verged on the prurient or scatological. Much of what rose above this level eventually depressed, because it addressed like an obsession the detail, the consequences and the pathology of AIDS. The doubly unfortunate truth about the last two sentences is that the book probably, in its excesses, under-states the reality.

An enduring memory is a character, a visitor to Rwanda, seeing what he takes to be a cultivated hillside and then praising effusively the presence of agriculture in the centre of town A moment later he is introduced to reality by his host who confirmed that the excavation was a cemetery to cultivate the profusions of corpses produced by AIDS. The scenes of genocide that follow can only match the horror of what went before.

At the core of the book is the relationship between Valcourt and Gentille. He is Canadian, a journalist film-maker, who seems at home in Rwandas tribulations. Gentile is a woman of virtue, a virtue she plies with ease. She looks like a Tutsi, but is a Hutu.

In some ways their relationship mirrors the colonial heritage that at least exacerbated, if perhaps not actually caused the potential for ethnic conflict that eventually ignited so disastrously. But A Sunday At The Pool In Kigali points to social divisions in an apparently valueless community that sees other people, both collectively and individually, merely as the exploitable given form. Theres not a lot of joy here, even in the books copious sex that seems, anaesthetised, to dominate much of the text.

But overall there is little to uplift in the book. Almost no-one offers love or compassion. An almost unrelenting torrent of cynicism, abuse, persecution and social degeneration floods from every page. It is a portrait of an almost uncompromisingly ugly and abhorrent experience. The book is thus an often one-paced, one-dimensional read. The problem, unfortunately, is that it might be accurate.

Philip Spires
Author of Mission and A Fool's Knot, a African novels set in Kenya
http://www.philipspires.co.uk
Michael, a missionary priest, has just killed Munyasya. It was an accident, but Mulonzya, a politician, exploits the tragedy for his own ends. Boniface, a church worker, has just lost his child. He did not make it to the hospital in time, possibly because Michael went to the Mission to retrieve a letter from Janet, a teacher, and the priests neighbour. It is Munyasya who has the last laugh, however.
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