Happiness needs unhappiness. Joy goes hand in hand with sorrow. It is thanks to the shadow that we exist. We must not dream of an absurd abstraction. We must guard the bond that links us to blood and earth. 'Just as I am!' Remember that. We are a great mixture." A young man, tired of life and love, indifferent to the people and world around him, takes up a room in a Parisienne boarding house. Noises from the adjoining room draw his attention to a hole in the wall, and he observes its occupants through it. He becomes obsessed with the individual episodes of human life that play out before his eyes; love, adultery, incest, childbirth, death, thievery and betrayal. Through his voyeurism, the unnamed narrator becomes an omniscient godlike character, observing the room's inhabitants in their most private and naked moments. The hole becomes a window to the very soul of humanity and the human condition. But as with Prometheus, his godlike powers come at a cost. * * Henri Barbusse (1873 - 1935) was a French novelist, and political activist. He was editor of "Clarte", the periodicals "Monde" (1928-1935) and "Progres Civique", which published some of George Orwell's first writings. He was also literary editor for the daily newspaper "l'Humanite" from 1926 to 1929. Barbusse was the author of a 1936 biography of Joseph Stalin, titled "Staline: Un monde nouveau vu a travers un homme" (Stalin. A New World Seen Through the Man). Barbusse was an Esperantist, and was honorary president of the first congress of the Sennacieca Asocio Tutmonda. While writing a second biography of Stalin in Moscow, Barbusse fell ill with pneumonia and died on 30 August 1935.

In a first of its kind, JackieFame, (www.JackieFame.net) kid entrepreneurs Joshua Swauger (age 10) and Zachary Swauger (age 13) have released their first book in the "Kid2Kid" series, "Kid2Kid, Keepin' It Safe Online." The book aims to help educate kids about online safety and helps parents better understand the issue facing today's technologically savvy kids. It probably isn't a stretch that the brothers have co-authored a children's book that provides valuable lessons since they have learned a great deal about online safety while building their online social network for kids, Jackie Fame. "Kid2Kid, Keepin It Safe Online," is intended for ages six to thirteen and is easy for children and parents to read together. The authors intend not only to teach kids about online safety, but they also give kid-to-kid advice on other important issues such as careful texting and living a healthy life outside of technology. The twenty easy-to-read chapters cover topics including Safety, Privacy, Protecting Passwords, Chat Rooms, Texting Pictures and Videos, Cyberbullying, Plagiarizing and Online Shopping. The topics are aimed at helping kids understand the incredible, powerful, but sometimes scary world of the Internet. "Kids spend so much time in front of the computer, tablet, phone and other devices these days. We think it is important for kids to read this book and to talk to their parents about what they are doing to stay safe. We want to share some of the things we have learned throughout the process of building our network" said Zachary. "As soon as you're old enough to click a mouse button, it seems you can access the world from your bedroom," says Joshua. "But going on the Internet can also create problems and dangers for us kids. Our book makes it easy for kids to understand the good, the bad, and the flat-out ugly - and there's plenty of all three online." Joshua added.