| Battling book fairs try to reach an accord
For the last two years, one of the brightest spots on the literary calendar has been the Brooklyn Book Festival, a bustling affair held in September at Brooklyn Borough Hall. One could attend appearances by Brooklyn writers like Colson Whitehead, Paula Fox, and Joshua Ferris or purchase books from the myriad small publishersUgly Duckling Presse, Hotel St. Georgethat have found refuge in this most literary of boroughs. Earlier this year, New York Is Book Country, a similar showcase of writers and publishers usually held in Midtown, announced its return after a three-year absence. This should have been welcome news, especially in the face of depressing statistics about declining reading audiences. But BBF organizers were astounded when NYIBC moved its next festival from their originally announced July date to September 14, so that the two festivals would fall on the same weekend.
Starr says MLB trainers raised steroid problem in 1988
Those who watched The Big Red Machine dominate baseball in the mid-1970s knew a small-statured guy who wore red pants and a white shirt with scissors strapped in a leather holster on his hip. He was recognized by everybody when he ran onto the field — Larry Starr, team trainer for the Cincinnati Reds from 1972 to 1992. .
May 2007 Archives
The lady with the golden pipes, Christina Aguilera, has been working on a signature scent to sell to the masses, but it's not going too well, according the latest market research. The Daily Mirror says that Xtina's new fragrance, aptly titled Simply Christina, has not been getting the best reviews from recent testers. Consumers are calling it "tacky" and a member of one London panel said, "The packaging looked cheap and we went away unimpressed." I realize the powerhouse has recently changed her image from sexy little vixen to mature glamour puss, but maybe she should have just stuck with her old look and named the perfume "Dirrty" -- then nobody would be disappointed. .
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