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Dan Webster

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News >  Features

A Traveler’s Road Map To Good Reading

This being summer and, consequently, a season for vacation, it's always good to be aware of what types of reading material are out there. One unusual source that crossed my desk lately is something called "Tales for Travelers," a series of short reads put out by Penton Overseas, Inc., a Carlsbad, Calif.-based publisher. The reads are unique in a couple of ways. One, they are all short stories, printed in a format that resembles a road map. This shape, as the publisher points out, is easily tucked into a purse or jacket pocket "for ease of reading in cramped areas such as plane, train or commuter seats."
News >  Features

Historically, Restrooms Were No Place For Women

A year ago, back when the Spokane Arena was still a novelty, a big deal was made out of the fact that the new building boasted more restrooms for women than for men. Some men considered that unfair. Some still do. Well, guys, it's time for a history lesson.
News >  Features

Budding Writers Can Get A Confidence Boost At Three-Day Workshop

There must be some reward for writing. After all, so many people try to do it. Money is limited, so that can't be the main lure. Publication is rare, so that can't be such a big draw either. Self-expression offers only limited satisfaction to writers who feel the need to share their words with the world. So maybe it's hope that keeps people scribbling. Hope for money, for publication, for the chance to have others read their thoughts but mostly for appreciation.
A&E >  Entertainment

‘Hunchback’ Has His Day

When it comes to making movies from established sources, Disney Studios has trademarked a curious hybrid type of film. It may not be, say, the book (eg., Victor Hugo's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"), but neither is it something totally new. It's a variation that, in this case at least, is inventive, thrilling to the eyes and fulfilling to anyone longing for the underdog finally to have his or her day.
News >  Features

Consider The Source In Stone’s Book Review

There is an ironic twist to having controversial filmmaker Oliver Stone review any book of history. But it's especially ironic to have him review a book about John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon, as the Los Angeles Times did. In his review of "Kennedy & Nixon: The Rivalry That Shaped Postwar America" by Christopher Matthews, Stone accuses the author of constructing a "bland argument, not a history." Matthews' book, Stone charges, is "a popular gloss intended for a public that lacks the sophistication to demand more detail, more insight, and more truth."
News >  Features

Don’t Miss Out; Kids Only Grow Up Once

Here's the quandary: You've planned to take the afternoon off to see your child play basketball, but at the last minute your boss asks you to attend an "important" meeting. What do you do? We've all faced this situation at one time or another. Chances are you go to the meeting. Discretion in this instance may ensure that you have a job to take off from the next time such a conflict arises. But what happens when you find yourself continually facing such conflicts? In "The Sixty Minute Father," Rob Parsons suggests the problem may not be accidental. "The sobering fact is, whatever our situations, many of us have the ability to create unnecessary busyness," Parsons says.
News >  Features

Try A Taste Of Rebecca Wells’ Latest

Some books come and some books go, and most are barely worth considering. There's never enough time to consider them all anyway. The problem is that you have to read them to know whether they're worth writing about. And there's seldom time for that.
News >  Features

Horn Book List Points Out Quality Reading For Kids

Anyone who's ever spent time with children knows about The Horn Book Magazine. The publication has been offering quality children's literature since its inception in 1924. That's all the more reason to pay attention to this year's Horn Book recommended summer reading list. The magazine, along with The Horn Book Guide to Children's and Young Adult Books, annually reviews some 4,000 books to come up with such a list. The recommended reads for 1996 are as follows: "Carnival" (Viking/Penguin, 32 pages $14.99) by M.C. Helldorfer (illustrated by Dan Yaccarino). A young person's guide to the carnival experience. "Slumber Party!" (Greenwillow/ Morrow, 32 pages, $15) by Judith Caseley (illustrated by Caseley). The whole story of a first sleepover.
A&E >  Entertainment

A Movie Gem Reflects A Little Bit Of Real Life

Ever since the Iranians tossed out their Shah, began living under a strictly religious government, took some Americans hostage for 444 days and embarked on a 10-year-long war with Iraq, the actuality of daily life in that Middle Eastern empire has been kept mostly secret from the Western world.
News >  Features

The Slice A Good Father More Than Merely A Man

There are genuine holidays, and there are Hallmark holidays. Father's Day belongs among the latter. But since we tend to make such a fuss over Mother's Day, we shouldn't forget our other parent. So let's take a moment and pay homage to fathers past and present, real and fictional. A good father is remembered. As Shakespeare's Hamlet talks of his late father, his friend Horatio admits to having seen the man once. "'A was a goodly king," Horatio says. "'A was a man," Hamlet responds, "take him for all in all, I shall not look upon his like again." A good father provides for his children. Robert Altman admitted that three of his sons were working on his 1988 film "Fool For Love." "That's what sons are for," he said. "Help you run the farm."