Comedian Bill Santiago is well known for using language to make people laugh. Now in his new book Pardon My Spanglish: One Man's Guide to Speaking Habla (Quirk Books 2008), Santiago applies that comedic talent while serving as historian, teacher and translator as he guides readers through understanding the evolution and the unofficial do's and don'ts of speaking Spanglish.

Since Spanglish is much more than just "bastardizing" perfectly good English words into Spanish, and vice versa, Santiago explains that the key to speaking good Spanglish (Spanglish Rule #32) is to never stay in English or Spanish for too long.

In fact, Spanglish is a very generous language that, according to Santiago, observes the grammar rules of both English and Spanish -- but not too strictly. In fact, one of the major lessons of the book is that rules should not cramp the personal conversation style of the speaker.

Santiago believes that since "practice makes perfect," the only way to master Spanglish is by adopting seven bad habits that, he swears, will lead to proficiency. Among them, are the self-explanatory habits: "Fake It Hasta Que You Make It" and "Practice Random Acts of Spanglish."

One of the many definitions of art is that "art is a human activity, made with the intention of stimulating thoughts and emotions. "

Whether it's prehistoric stick figures, classic Madonna images, leafy landscapes, tortured self-portraits, psychedelic graffiti sprawls or the contemplative elements that comprise performance art, art has a long, long history with thousands of players. Unless you're a student of Art History, it's impossible for the casual lover of art to fully understand and appreciate just how art has evolved over the centuries — until now.

ART: Over 2,500 Works from Cave to Contemporary (DK Publishing, November 2008) brings the evolutionary history of art to our fingertips. Yet unlike dry, academic Art History books, ART simplifies the history to be appreciated in two ways — through abbreviated entries and thousands of reproduced illustrations of well-known art and their artists.

The 612-page coffee table book acts as a time machine taking readers through the different centuries and the art that defined it. From prehistoric art and the early Christian and Islam art of the 1400s all the way through the contemporary art being created around the world today, the book presents the subject matter in easy digestible bits mixing historical facts, artistic analysis and biographical information.